Floating life reflects two lotuses

Xiao Jinlian lay on the soft cushion, staring at the thick pile of memorials before her. Her heart was filled with turmoil, but her outward appearance was blank. She tentatively picked up the top bamboo scroll, carefully opened it, and glanced at it.

"Garden renovation budget approval...kitchen expenses...?" She was stunned. Wasn't this just an ancient version of a company's financial statements?

"Silan..." she said softly, her tone carrying a hint of probing, "Are all these things meant for me to see?"

Silan nodded and replied respectfully, "Yes, Princess, these are memorials that require your review."

"Memorials to the throne?" Xiao Jinlian raised an eyebrow, her mind racing. "Memorials to the throne? Could it be... the circulation of ancient documents?" She picked up a scroll and shook it forcefully, only to have it slip and fall to the ground with a "thud."

Silan was startled and quickly bent down to pick it up, saying urgently, "Princess, if you are not feeling well, please let me read it."

"No, no, no..." Xiao Jinlian waved her hand, trying her best to appear as a calm and composed "Grand Princess," but her heart was already in turmoil: "So I'm supposed to approve memorials? I can't even understand what they're about! Besides, shouldn't this be the Emperor's job? If he's not going to approve them, why is he dumping them on me?"

She suppressed her dissatisfaction and asked in a low voice, "Shouldn't these memorials... be sent to Father Emperor?"

Silan paused for a moment, looked up at her, and explained gently, "Princess, these are memorials concerning matters of the inner palace, which should be reviewed and handled by you. The Emperor focuses on important affairs of the court, and matters of the inner palace are handled by the Empress or the Eldest Princess; this is the rule."

Xiao Jinlian broke out in a cold sweat, her mind reeling: "Share the burden? Share my ass! Isn't this just making me do all the work? The harem is a management company, the emperor is the chairman of the board, the empress is the CEO, and I'm just a miserable administrator!"

She gritted her teeth and couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "Did people in ancient times curl their hair like this when they went to work?"

Silan looked up: "Princess, what did you say?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing..." Xiao Jinlian forced herself to continue flipping through the memorials, trying to figure out what they were about. But as she read, her brows furrowed more and more.

"Garden renovation budget approval? Who submitted this application? And I need to approve it?"

Seeing that she hadn't started writing, Silan cautiously reminded her, "Princess, these memorials all need to be processed. You can adjust the budget for the garden renovation based on the last approval, or you can reject it."

Xiao Jinlian put down the bamboo scroll, her mind churning: "Building a garden? Could it be that the emperor also finds court work boring and has decided to learn from my father and enjoy gardening after retirement? Or... is he too lazy to manage it and has dumped everything on me?"

She looked up at Silan, her tone tinged with doubt: "What is Father usually busy with?"

"Of course, His Majesty has to handle state affairs and review memorials. But he entrusts these matters of the inner palace to you." Silan's tone was full of matter-of-fact.

Xiao Jinlian rubbed her forehead, inwardly roaring, "They really know how to shirk responsibility perfectly! I'm not a princess, I'm some kind of ancient corporate slave!"

At this moment, Chu Wanlian's cold voice rang out in my mind: "As the eldest princess, these are your duties. How can you be negligent?"

Xiao Jinlian almost jumped up: "Being dutiful? This is what you call being dutiful? This is work exploitation! We modern people value labor rights! I won't approve it, I quit! Let whoever wants to do it do it!" She leaned back, her posture as lazy as if she were slacking off at home.

Chu Wanlian's voice trembled with anger: "How could you be so negligent? These are all the duties of a princess!"

"Responsibilities my foot!" Xiao Jinlian rolled her eyes. "You were so enthusiastic about approving things back then, but now you're dumping all this work on me."

Silan looked at Xiao Jinlian, who was talking to herself, with a hint of inquiry in her eyes, and asked cautiously, "Princess, are you alright?"

"Ah, it's nothing!" Xiao Jinlian immediately sat up straight and patted the memorial. "Anyway, let's talk about these things tomorrow. I'm off work now."

Silan looked bewildered: "Princess, what is 'labor and capital'?"

Xiao Jinlian waved her hand: "It's alright, it's too late, let's rest first!"

Wrapped in the blanket, Xiao Jinlian roared inwardly, "If the emperor doesn't review memorials, is he just going to fish and slack off all day? The art of shifting blame is universally applicable! If you don't work, I won't work; let's see who can hold out longer!"

Just as she lay down, Chu Wanlian's voice suddenly popped into her mind again, tinged with displeasure: "How dare you neglect the memorials like this! This is my duty as a princess! What will you say if Father Emperor blames you?"

Xiao Jinlian rolled over, pulled the blanket over her face, and muttered, "Ugh, here we go again. When will this 'soulmate' chat function be turned off? It's even more annoying than work groups."

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Chu Wanlian's voice grew even sterner. "Let me tell you, as the eldest princess of the Great Chu, you cannot slack off at will. How can the affairs of the harem be treated so lightly?"

Xiao Jinlian finally couldn't hold back any longer. She sat up halfway on the bed, staring blankly ahead: "You make it sound so easy. What princess? I'm practically a victim of workplace manipulation in ancient times! Do you know the hardships of modern office workers? I finally managed to transmigrate here, and now I still have to approve memorials! Can't I just quit?"

"Resign?!" Chu Wanlian's voice was filled with shock. "As the eldest princess of the Great Chu, this is your destiny, how can you give it up so easily!"

"Fate my ass!" Xiao Jinlian was furious. "Let me tell you, modern people don't believe in these things anymore! Fate? It doesn't exist! This is what you call 'being completely arranged'! Being a corporate slave is bad enough, but I even have to do your work? Are you trying to kill me?"

Chu Wanlian was momentarily speechless, seemingly caught off guard by this logic. After a long pause, she coldly said, "This is not my will, but my duty. This princess has never been so lazy!"

Xiao Jinlian scoffed, "Fine, then let me ask you, why did I have to approve the budget for the garden renovation? Don't you find that strange? Could it be that your father, or 'Emperor,' is a lazy bum who doesn't like to work?"

Chu Wanlian's voice carried a hint of hesitation: "Father... does occasionally ask us to help with some trivial matters, but that's to cultivate our ability to handle affairs."

"Train him? He's clearly just trying to avoid working overtime!" Xiao Jinlian waved her hand. "Come on, don't try to defend him. In the end, he just wants to slack off!"

"Father is the Emperor, how can he allow you to slander him like this!" Chu Wanlian's voice was filled with anger. "Besides, these memorials are just trivial matters, why are you so resistant?"

Xiao Jinlian sneered and simply lay down: "Aren't you a princess? Since you're in my head, let's discuss a solution. Can you approve it? You say it, I'll write it down. We can work together, a win-win situation, wouldn't that be great?"

"Absurd!" Chu Wanlian exclaimed in fury. "I'm just a soul now, how can I possibly write!"

"Then just leave it alone!" Xiao Jinlian simply pulled the blanket over her head. "I quit! I'll pretend to be sick tomorrow, let's see what he can do to me!"

"Xiao Jinlian!" Chu Wanlian's voice suddenly rose, but then lowered again, "If you dare to do this, you will be disgracing my name, Chu Wanlian! I will never allow it!"

Xiao Jinlian rolled over nonchalantly: "Not allowed? Then you approve it! If you approve it, I'll go to sleep, perfect!"

Chu Wanlian was so angry she was almost incoherent: "You...you're utterly ridiculous!"

"Alright, alright, stop arguing." Xiao Jinlian yawned. "We'll talk about tomorrow's matters tomorrow. Now, Your Highness, please allow me to leave work. Goodnight, don't bother seeing me off."

In her mind, Chu Wanlian's voice seemed to want to argue a few more words, but Xiao Jinlian had already turned over and fallen asleep. The candlelight in the room was dim, illuminating her peaceful sleeping face. But no one knew how many more long nights this debate between "princess and corporate slave" would continue.