Chapter 32: Her Majesty the Empress' Green Hat

  "Alright, alright, you two, stop changing the subject. I called you here today to announce something important."

  "Just now, I had a feeling and immediately performed a divination..."

  The Empress Dowager noticed the sudden awkward silence, coughed lightly, and spoke seriously.

  Su Qing and the Empress barely held back their urge to complain.

  So, who's the one changing the subject here?!

  But they remained serious, ready to face the upcoming news.

  Although the Empress Dowager was sometimes unreliable, she was indeed skilled in divination.

  Could it be that something truly important had happened?

  "Qinglan, we haven't had a match in a long time. Today, I will surely defeat you!"

  "Come, it’s time for us to settle this once and for all!"

  A burning fire of determination flickered in the Empress Dowager’s eyes, and her entire being seemed to be ignited with fighting spirit.

  Su Qing: "..."

  He glanced at the two women and felt that there was absolutely no need for a decisive battle.

  With those ample chests, they were already quite 'formidable' enough.

  "Mother, you didn’t call me here just for this, did you…?"

  The Empress twitched her lips, her voice fading toward the end.

  Not because she felt guilty, but because she knew the other party was truly capable of such things.

  "Of course. I specifically calculated that you would be free today. Qinglan, you won’t refuse, will you?"

  The Empress Dowager's eyes sparkled with anticipation.

  "Fine, just another win for me."

  The Empress ultimately agreed.

  "Great! Grab your gear, we're heading out! Xiao Qing, you’ll be the judge again!"

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  The Empress Dowager picked up a bundle she had already prepared and strode out energetically, full of enthusiasm.

  Su Qing sighed and followed after the Empress.

  This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened.

  It always looked impressive, as if she was bound to win.

  Yet in reality, the Empress Dowager had never won even once!

  Ever since he arrived here, Su Qing had repeatedly found himself on the verge of spitting out complaints, only to hold back.

  His foster mother had a lesser-known side.

  Life in the deep palace had been unbearably dull at first, so she had tried to cultivate some hobbies.

  After several attempts, the long-secluded Empress Dowager finally found an extraordinary pastime—fishing!

  To this end, she even went through great lengths to have fish raised in the imperial gardens.

  Anyone familiar with fishing knew the drill.

  The problem was, she was terrible at it. Not only did she often return empty-handed, but she also had a bad habit of overestimating her skills while remaining hopelessly addicted to the game.

  Her renowned divination skills were used frivolously—to find the best fishing spots.

  And yet—even with a fish-filled pond, she rarely caught anything.

  In contrast, the Empress, who occasionally came over to fish for leisure, had a much better haul.

  No one knew who suggested making it a competition, but the end result was that a certain incompetent Empress Dowager had suffered dozens of consecutive defeats.

  Same conditions, same bait, same pond—but completely different outcomes.

  It was clear that being an 'empty-handed master' was ingrained in her very soul.

  ---

  In the imperial garden, an hour quickly passed.

  For a seasoned angler, an hour was nothing.

  Out in the wild, fishing could make hours slip away unnoticed.

  But the problem was—this wasn’t some random pond outside.

  This was a royal, artificially stocked fish pond.

  Naturally, the fish population was abundant.

  So what were the results?

  Su Qing glanced at their buckets.

  As the judge, he didn’t need to say anything; the outcome was painfully obvious.

  The Empress Dowager’s bucket was completely empty, while the Empress’ bucket was nearly full.

  The stark contrast painted a flush of pink on the Empress Dowager’s fair cheeks.

  "No, something must be wrong!"

  She stared at the Empress, who was already filling up a second bucket, unable to accept reality.

  "Hmm, the problem is probably that your divinations are unreliable, and your baiting technique is flawed."

  The Empress spoke calmly.

  Because of her personality, she had no inclination to go easy on the Empress Dowager.

  She was here to pass the time, not to deliberately let the other win.

  "Ah~ Qinglan, when we first met, you were much more obedient."

  "You used to listen to everything I said and were incredibly understanding…"

  The Empress Dowager sighed, feeling somewhat embarrassed by the gazes directed at her.

  High-level competitions often had very down-to-earth battles.

  Like now—being watched by the other two was making her feel self-conscious.

  So, she decided to resort to another strategy: pestering the Empress to distract her.

  Or, in other words, hoping to soften the Empress' heart so she wouldn't be so dazzling.

  Unfortunately, such attempts were futile against the Empress.

  She remained unmoved, her hands steady on the fishing rod.

  The chatter in her ears? Just another way to temper her mind.

  Su Qing clicked his tongue at the scene before him.

  One was as steady as a mountain, the other flustered and impatient.

  The winner was already clear. The only question was when to announce it.

  "Xiao Qing, come give Mama a hug~!"

  The Empress Dowager suddenly shifted her attention to Su Qing, unveiling her trump card.

  "Huh?"

  Su Qing was utterly dumbfounded.

  "With a lucky charm by my side, I’m bound to succeed. This is based on my experience!"

  As soon as she finished speaking, the Empress Dowager lunged forward without hesitation.

  She grabbed her "lucky charm," pulled him into her embrace, picked up her fishing rod—executing the entire motion in one fluid sequence.

  Su Qing, now reduced from judge to a mere lucky charm, sat on a cushion, his head buried in soft warmth.

  The Empress' eyelid twitched as she watched the scene unfold.

  She was clearly unhappy.

  "You treacherous minister, you’ve really outdone yourself!"

  The Empress’ voice was filled with displeasure.

  What was this? Public display of affection?!

  Truly disgraceful!

  As a mature Empress, she naturally wouldn't feel jealous.

  But seeing her cherished subject—her personal toy (brother)—being snatched away still infuriated her!

  He belonged to her. Why wasn’t he resisting? Why wasn’t he even showing reluctance?

  Did he really enjoy being smothered by a big sister’s embrace? Did he have no sense of loyalty?

  Had she not provided enough warmth, or was this treacherous subject simply too arrogant?

  The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.

  "Mmph! Mmph!"

  Su Qing could only let out two muffled sounds.

  His vision was completely blocked, and he couldn’t speak clearly, but he could tell—the Empress was pissed.

  And somehow, the one suffering her wrath… was him?!

  But why?!

  He hadn’t done anything! He could barely even breathe!

  And now, he had been demoted from judge to mere arm candy?! Wasn’t this incredibly unjust?!