A bit about the imperial rankings:
皇后 (huang hou) > 正妃 (zheng fei) > 侧妃 (ce fei) > 嫔 (pin) > 贵人 (gui ren) > …
Chapter Nineteen
Xuanji thought that something would happen between the both of them, but that wasn’t the case. The Emperor did not do anything. To her surprise, she did not spend the night lying stiffly atop his body till dawn, for she quickly fell into a restful sleep, despite having planned to ask him what had happened to her young servant…
She had a dreamless night of rest until Diefeng urgently woke her up the next morning.
The Emperor had already left. The only evidence of his night spent with her were the faint remnants of his smell, lingering within the blankets.
Xuanji was still in a sleep-filled haze when she heard Diefeng say, ‘Consort Nian, the Queen Mother’s palace have already issued word that she is hosting a banquet and that you’re to head over immediately.’
At once, Xuanji’s mind cleared, the last vestiges of sleep leaving her. She neither forgot the enmity between the her and the Empress Dowager nor understood how the Emperor had managed to save her life that day.
‘I heard that all the other consorts have gone over too,’ Diefeng continued as she helped her to wash up.
***
When Xuanji, Diefeng, and the other attendants rushed over to the Empress Dowager’s Huayin Palace, they crossed paths with Consort Hua and Consort Hui. After hearing a night’s worth of rumours and stories from Diefeng, Xuanji could now distinguish the both of them.
Smiling, Consort Hui said, "Have your wounds healed?"
‘Sister Hui, what are you saying? Didn’t the Emperor spend the night at Sister Nian’s quarters yesterday? This wound… how could it possibly heal so quickly?’ Consort Hua interrupted, her sharp gaze sweeping across Xuanji.
At once, Xuanji recalled the Emperor asking her about her wounds last night, as well as the flicker of surprise which had appeared in Xia Sang’s eyes upon her reply that her wounds didn’t appear to hurt anymore.
At once, realisation dawned upon her: on hindsight, her answer to the Emperor’s question was indeed foolis.h.!.+
What she should have done was to appear weak and helpless in front of the Emperor.
What did that man think of her?
She had heard Diefeng mention that, in the imperial harem, Consorts Hua and Hui were n.o.ble Consorts, while she was only a Consort – and one who had been recently demoted, too. Swallowing her words, Xuanji quickly paid her greetings to the pair of them, choosing to ignore the contempt laced within their words.
‘I dare not,’ Consort Hua and Consort Hui said blandly in reply, then turned to enter Huayin Palace, a trail of servants and eunuchs following closely behind them.
As Xuanji neared Huayin Palace, an suffocating unease twisted at her heart, as though she was heading towards her demise.
Diefeng grasp her hands in a comforting gesture and said rea.s.suringly, ‘Your Highness, Ruyi has returned. She will help you.’
This was the second time Xuanji had heard the name ‘Ruyi’ from Diefeng. Why did this attendant wish to help her? Had the Nian family privately asked Ruyi to aid her? Returned? Didn’t that imply that on the day Nian Xuanji had been sentenced to death, Wen Ruyi had not been in the palace? But where could a palace attendant be, if not the palace?
Brows creasing, Xuanji made a mental note to ask Diefeng about this after the banquet.
As the pair of them crossed the entrance to enter Huayin Palace, the eunuch standing by the doorway announced, ‘Consort Nian of Fengjiu Palace has arrived.’
The gazes of all who were gathered within the room immediately fell upon her. With great misfortune, Xuanji realised that she was once again the center of attention.
Sitting on the right hand side of the long table were seven or eight beautifully dressed women. They were the Emperor’s other concubines, and Consorts Hua and Hui were seated among them.
At the head of the table sat the Empress Dowager, and on her right was the Emperor – he was here as well!
Empress Yu Mixiu sat next to the Emperor.
When Xuanji entered, the Emperor had been conversing with the Empress Dowager, his body tilted a fraction to face her, his expression a picture of attentiveness.
This pair of mother and son appeared to be on good terms, so why did the Empress Dowager want her dead?
Yet the Emperor’s presence in the room inexplicably lightened the feeling of anxiety within Xuanji, whose eyes unconsciously flickered towards the two women who stood by the Empress Dowager’s side. Though the robes of these two women were not as luxurious as the consorts’, they were nonetheless of fine quality.
One of them was especially stunning, her dainty face pale as snow, her beauty even eclipsing Consort Hua’s angelic features. And although the other woman standing even closer to the Empress Dowager could not match the first woman’s heart-stopping beauty, she was also pleasant looking, her face clear and refined.
Steeling herself, Xuanji strode forward to pay her greetings to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor.
Smiling, the Empress Dowager said amiably, ‘Please rise. Yu Kouzi, hurry and lead Concubine Nian to her seat.’
‘Yes, Your Majesty,’ the eunuch named Yu Kouzi replied, swiftly leading Xuanji to a seat next to Consort Hui.
Xuanji sneaked a glance at the Empress Dowager – the speed at which this woman had changed her att.i.tude towards her was really too quick!
At this moment, the Emperor started speaking to the Empress Dowager once more. Though his posture was insouciant, the imposing aura which exuded from his very bones caused the gazes of every woman within this vast room to fix unswervingly upon him.
After a moment, the Empress Dowager turned to a side and said lightly, ‘Ruyi, why don’t you serve a cup of tea to the Emperor?’
The pleasant-looking woman standing by the Empress Dowager’s side quickly walked forward and bowed, a warm smile on her face as she a.s.sented, ‘Yes, Your Majesty.’
Ruyi – this young woman was Wen Ruyi? Xuanji stared.
‘Your Majesty, why don’t I arrange for Ruyi to serve you instead? That way, you don’t have to come over to Huayin Palace every two or three days just to drink the tea she has prepared,’ the Empress Dowager continued.
A strange expression immediately distorted Consort Hua’s face.
With a faint smile, the Emperor said, ‘Mother, your intentions are good and I am naturally willing, but I’m afraid Zijin will fight me with his life if I were to agree.’
The Emperor did not look at Ruyi. Instead, his gaze flickered towards the other woman standing behind the Empress Dowager.
Without reason, Xuanji’s heart curled.
It seemed as though no one else had noticed the Emperor’s careless glance.
‘Who’s that saying bad things about me behind my back?’ A teasing voice rang from the entrance of the room, just as two finely-attired men strode in.
One of them was Prince Zining. Xuanji despised that man and turned to look at the other man standing beside him instead. This unfamiliar man appeared to be even younger than Prince Zining: his features were handsome and well-defined, his lips stretched into a half-smile. Xuanji guessed that he was also the Emperor’s brother, and lamented in her heart that this imperial family only produced striking descendants.
‘We were just discussing you and Ruyi,’ the Empress replied amiably.
A good-humoured smile stretched across the young man’s face. ‘Your Majesty is making fun of me.’
As he said these words, his keen stare landed on Ruyi.
‘Allow me to take my leave and prepare the Emperor’s tea.’ Ruyi, who reddened, quickly bowed to the two Princes before retreating towards the doorway.
Raising a brow, Prince Zining stuck out his leg without warning. With a soft gasp, Ruyi stumbled and fell towards the ground, but with a blur of white, the young man had already reached over to envelop her within his arms.
‘Thank you, Prince Lingrui,’ Ruyi said softly.
The man only stared at her, his gaze intense, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Ruyi bit her lips and repeated, ‘Thank you, Prince Lingrui.’
The firm arm around her waist did not loosen.
At once, laughter filled the hall.
Beaming, the Empress Dowager said jovially, ‘Zijin, hurry and release my attendant.’
‘Tenth brother, I think you should just head over together with Ruyi, so that my tea will actually be served,’ the Emperor said.
Only then did Prince Lingrui release his hold on Ruyi. In a clear voice, he said, ‘Yes, Your Majesty.’
Though Ruyi was a high-ranking attendant in the palace, her status was also extraordinary: she was the Empress Dowager’s niece, and Consort Hua’s half-sister, born of a different mother. However, as her birth mother was only a lowly concubine, she was neglected by her family, and the Empress Dowager, who was extremely fond of her, took custody of her from a young age.
As a favorite of the Empress Dowager, Ruyi had the opportunity to attend multiple banquets and witness various events unfold over her long years spent at Huayin Palace. As such, she grew increasingly intelligent and refined.
At this moment, she saw Prince Lingrui following closely behind her, and pursed her lips in exasperation, hurriedly retreating from the room.
As the both of them left Huayin Palace, teasing laughter filled the hall once more.
Xuanji was also smiling in amus.e.m.e.nt, but a sudden thought crossed her mind: of all the laughter filling this hall, how much of it was genuine, and how much an act?
Abruptly, the other woman standing behind the Empress Dowager said, ‘Pardon me for asking this, but apart from Ruyi, don’t I also have the ability to brew a good pot of tea for the Emperor?’
‘Jixiang, what do you mean? The tea that you have personally prepared… Even the Emperor…’ Consort Hui began, but her words quickly trailed off to an end as she saw the Emperor’s expression darken.
In a flash, the entire hall lapsed into silence, tension palpable in the air.
Xuanji could not help glancing at Jixiang once more, but immediately froze in place at the sight of the impa.s.sive stare that met her eyes, before glaring back.
Who knew that Prince Zining, Long Liyu, would instead say, ‘Concubine Nian, have your wounds healed?’ He slanted his gaze to look at her once more, his eyes filled with challenge.
Xuanji was exasperated. She had been sitting quietly by the side pretending to be invisible, so why did this crazy man have to interject? Now, she was once again the focal point of the room.
‘Thank you for your concern,’ she said, forcing out a smile.
At the head of the table, the Empress Dowager said mildly, ‘Concubine Nian, the matter concerning my poisoning has already been investigated and clarified to be the sole doing of your audacious servant. Let’s not dwell on the unhappy misunderstandings of the past.’
Her… servant?
‘Where’s my servant?’ Xuanji said as she lifted her head, a tremor thick in her voice.
Though her words were in reply to the Empress Dowager, her eyes were intent on the Emperor.
‘She was put to death on that very day,’ the Emperor said dispa.s.sionately. His eyes were mild and his voice carried a hint of impatience, as though it were a mere ant that had been killed.
One of the concubines interrupted, ‘Were it not for Ruyi’s pleas and the Emperor’s benevolence, that deplorable servant would have been executed along with her entire clan extending to the nine generations.’
At this moment, Ruyi had just re-entered the hall with Long Zijin, a tray of teacups perched on her hands. This concubine had originally spoken to curry favour with Ruyi, as well as b.u.t.ter up to the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, yet she did not expect the Empress Dowager’s cold sneer in response.
In a mild tone, Jixiang said, ‘n.o.ble Lady Zhang, this servant is an orphan and was sold into the Nian family from a young age. The execution of her entire clan that you speak of seems presumptuous.’
Hearing Jixiang’s words, n.o.ble Lady Zhang immediately paled. To execute the orphan’s family till their nine generations did not just comprise the lives of the entire Nian family: it also included Nian Xuanji and the Emperor…
What other comments the people gathered at Huayin Palace had to make, Xuanji no longer had any awareness of. Her mind was filled only with the Emperor’s unfeeling words: ‘She was put to death on that very day.’
The words swam in her mind, replaying themselves over and over, just like the flogging rod which had fallen unrelentingly upon their bodies that day, strike after strike. It was a similar hopelessness, an anguis.h.i.+ng grip clawing at her heart.
She knew that she should not have asked, yet, she heard the words spilling from her: ‘Your Majesty, I just wanted to ask, that day, when you came, was she already dead?’
Xuanji bit her lips to stifle the rush of questions threatening to escape. This was the imperial palace, a place as unfeeling as it was majestic, where no smile could be artlessly displayed, just as no tears could be carelessly shed.
The Emperor reached over to receive the jade cup handed over by Ruyi. Taking a sip, he said impa.s.sively, ‘When I arrived, your servant was still alive. It was I who gave the order for her to be flogged to death. Is there anything else you wished to know?’
‘Even a strong man in his youth would find such a punishment difficult to endure, yet that servant was so obstinate, stubbornly clinging onto her life. It took nearly two hundred strikes before she finally died,’ Consort Hui said, the corners of her mouth curved into a smile.
Xuanji felt her hands becoming cold, felt the coldness seeping into her heart.
That night, he had held her body securely atop his as they slept, intertwined, sharing a bed; that afternoon, like a b.u.t.terfly gently brus.h.i.+ng upon the petals of a delicate flower, he had pressed his lips upon hers; that day, he had given the order for that child to be killed.
But really, how many times had they met?
He had already saved her life, so what more could she demand?
Yet that young girl was just a child, only a child…
She did not know where her courage came from as she stood up abruptly, turning to murmur to the Emperor and the Empress Dowager that she was unwell.
To excuse herself and leave this room, before her tears threatened to swallow everything whole.
Exhaling heavily, the Empress Dowager’s forehead creased, as though put in a difficult position. ‘What should we do now? This banquet was actually organised just for you, to help you get over the shock from the other day…’
Eyes narrowing, the Emperor interrupted, ‘Mother, why waste your breath? I’m fed up with all the crying.’ He sized her up, his gaze uncharitable. ‘Since you’re unappreciative of this banquet, then, by all means, leave. Scram!’
The Emperor was angered. Diefeng and the other servants did not dare to leave with her.
Xuanji lowered her head and quickly headed for the doorway, walking past all the other consorts lining the long table.
She was the youngest daughter of Minister Nian. Previously, she ranked highly within the imperial harems, yet the other consorts, perceptive of the Empress Dowager’s disdain towards her, slighted her. Later, the Emperor had saved her life, and though she was demoted after trespa.s.sing Jinluan Hall, that very night, the Emperor had chosen to reside in her quarters, a gesture which implied pacification.
Other than Consorts Hua and Hui, the other concubines originally feared and respected her. Now, the fury of the Emperor was unmistakable, and one of the consorts, sitting at the end of the table, slanted her gaze to look at the eunuch standing by her side. That eunuch, sharp and alert, readily took the hint and surrept.i.tiously extended a leg.
With a thump, Xuanji fell to the floor.
As though on cue, loud laughter filled the vast hall, echoing emptily. Long Liyu narrowed his eyes.
‘Xuanji, please be careful when you walk. Though, that fall is expected – you have no servants by your side to support you, after all,’ Consort Hua smirked.
Xuanji clenched her jaw and forcefully endured the burn of disgrace to stand, yet having stood, she nearly fell once again. A sharp, stabbing pain emanated from her ankles, which had been twisted in her fall.
A pair of hands supported her.
‘Your Highness, it’s all right. Put your weight onto me, I’ll help you stand.’
The voice was clear and gentle; the hand flawless and pale. In a daze, Xuanji turned to see the quiet woman staring at her with concern.
Ruyi!
Ruyi was clearly the Empress Dowager’s attendant, yet she had helped her multiple times. Even now, she alone had come forward to help her, uncaring if she offended the Empress Dowager – but why?
Warmth filled Xuanji’s heart as she murmured, ‘Thank you.’
‘Who gave you the permission to help her up?’ A chilly voice sounded dangerously from behind.
Ruyi furrowed her brows. Xuanji squeezed her eyes shut, hurriedly blinking away her tears, before forcing a smile towards Ruyi to indicate that she should release her.
Ruyi seemed to hesitate for a moment, but did not release her hold.
In a glacial voice, the Emperor said, ‘I do not care if you are an attendant from Huayin Palace. Here, the only distinguis.h.i.+ng factor between servants are those that ought to be rewarded and those that should be punished.’
‘Brother.’ Alarmed, Long Zijin took a swift step forward but quickly froze in place at the sight of fury within the Emperor’s eyes.
A heavy silence blanketed the hall. Even the few consorts who wanted to chime in and add fuel to the flames did not dare make a sound.
Benevolent and mild-mannered, the number of times this young Emperor had been publicly angered could be counted on one hand.
In the first place, she and him were only perfect strangers, so why was her heart twisting with pain, as though embedded with dozens of needles, burrowing themselves deep within? Xuanji clenched her jaw and quickly shoved Ruyi away from her, staggering to the doorway as she ran from the hall.
Like a fool, she stumbled through this majestic palace – he was really clever: without Diefeng and the other servants, she did not even recognise the way back to Fengjiu Palace.
All around the imperial palace were numerous guards keeping watch. Occasionally, a eunuch or a servant crossed her path, but they quickly disappeared into the various pathways shrouded by blossoming flowers and towering trees.
Xuanji gave a half-smile. Did she have to ask for directions back to her own quarters?
She did not know how much time had pa.s.sed or how far she had walked when she finally chanced upon a white-robed man standing by the lakeside, his hands clasped behind his back.
A moment’s hesitation. Then, she walked towards that man.
Perhaps, he could…
What she did not know was that these few steps would precipitate a whole chain of events.
‘Excuse me…’
The man turned, recognition dawning upon his eyes as his lips quirked up in a smile, ‘Oh? It’s you?’
Surprised, Xuanji instinctively took a step back.
That man was Prince Lingrui – Long Zijin.
‘Your Highness need not be so courteous,’ Long Zijin said as he nodded in greeting.
‘Shouldn’t you be at Huayin Palace?’
‘You’ve been strolling the gardens for a long time, haven’t you? The banquet has long ended,’ Long Zijin replied, his eyes lit with laughter.
Xuanji chewed on her bottom lip. His words were clearly mocking, yet his eyes held no trace of contempt.
Having experienced Prince Zining’s underhand methods, Xuanji was familiar with the capricious moods of the imperial family, and observed him through guarded eyes.
‘I only wanted to say, if you follow the curve of this lake and walk forward, then cut through the Lin Gardens, you’ll soon reach Fengjiu Palace.’
Xuanji stilled. Why did he tell her this?
Her aimless wandering around the palace grounds having been accurately surmised, Xuanji was left in an awkward position. And with her heart still muddled with sadness, she only wanted to leave as soon as possible.
‘Thank you.’ No longer dwelling on Prince Lingrui’s inclination to help her, Xuanji hurriedly said her thanks, retreating in the direction given.
And missed the flash of cunning and despise which flickered across Long Zijin’s eyes.