Jiang Yuan had been raised in privilege since childhood, practically doted upon by thousands. There were few things in this world that could upset him, for whenever he was displeased, others would inevitably suffer even greater displeasure.
For Jiang Yuan, the most oppressive years of his life were likely during his early youth. Back then, Consort Yu, the late emperor's favorite, dominated the imperial harem, forcing even his own mother, the empress, to retreat from contention. He had no choice but to tread carefully. But fate was unkind to Consort Yu—her beauty faded too soon, and she passed away young. After her death, his father seemed to realize he was no longer in his prime and that the empire needed a worthy heir. Thus, the late emperor began focusing his efforts on grooming Jiang Yuan, the legitimate son born to the empress.
From that point onward, Jiang Yuan's life became smooth sailing. Even when his brothers schemed against him on the eve of his appointment as Crown Prince, the late emperor and his trusted ministers shielded him from harm.
When the late emperor passed away and Jiang Yuan ascended the throne, it took him only three years to reclaim power from the old ministers, consolidate his authority, cultivate his own loyal officials, and smoothly advance his plan to abolish the position of chancellor in favor of establishing a grand secretariat. This demonstrated his formidable political acumen.
In personal matters, however, once freed from all constraints, Jiang Yuan became somewhat capricious.
He adored Concubine Shu's coquettish charm, continuing to favor her even as the Yuan Family's ambitions grew increasingly apparent.
He despised the obstinacy of the nobility, refusing to touch any of the stunning beauties they offered, no matter how exquisite.
As emperor, who he shared his bed with was no one else's business.
Yet, having been steeped in imperial etiquette since childhood, Jiang Yuan still cared about maintaining "propriety," even when he disliked something. This often led to a disconnect between his true feelings and his actions.
For instance, though he disliked Consort An's stiff expression after she developed a speech quirk, he still visited Yanxi Palace several times a year for the sake of the Second Princess.
Similarly, while he had previously loathed Concubine Qi's "frail demeanor," he never stormed out of Yanqing Residence, even after a sleepless night, nor did he accuse Qi Daiyu of "failing to serve him properly."
Thus, by all accounts, Jiang Yuan was a rather even-tempered emperor. As Concubine Miao put it, he was a man of "refinement."
This "refined" and "propriety-conscious" emperor hadn't encountered anyone who could truly infuriate him in a long time.
But he knew full well that Concubine Qi was avoiding him. When a woman avoids a man, it's either out of fear or dislike. As emperor, everyone feared him—but not so deliberately. Therefore, Concubine Qi's avoidance stemmed more from dislike.
Yet her dislike was both "refined" and "propriety-conscious."
She never showed it outright. On the contrary, she played the part of a lovesick fool in his presence, resorting only to subtle methods like feigning illness to evade his favor.
No one could have guessed her true intentions.
So much so that Jiang Yuan couldn't even find a proper excuse to punish her!
All he could do was give her the cold shoulder.
But now, Concubine Qi had taken an unexpected route—saving the Eldest Princess and earning the empress's favor, who was now willing to use her own influence to secure her a consort's rank!
Jiang Yuan felt as though he had choked on a bite of pea cake, unable to spit it out or swallow it down.
He decided to ease his discomfort.
"Though Concubine Qi has rendered a service, she lacks seniority and has no children. Promoting her directly to consort might stir discontent among the other concubines. In my opinion, elevating her to Noble Lady is sufficient."
Not a rank higher.
A Noble Lady's monthly stipend was fifty taels of silver—twenty more than a concubine's. And all this extra silver would go to Qi Daiyu! The moment this thought crossed his mind, Jiang Yuan rubbed his nose uncomfortably. For the first time, he realized he could be so petty.
The empress tried to press further. "As Your Majesty wishes. By the way, Noble Lady Qin is being promoted to consort. Would Your Majesty like to select an honorific for her?"
The nine consort honorifics were: Virtuous, Noble, Dignified, Beautiful, Gracious, Peaceful, Harmonious, Auspicious, and Healthy. Currently, only Consort An occupied one.
Noble Lady Qin enjoyed considerable imperial favor, so there was no issue granting her an honorific even above Consort An's. The empress offered no suggestions, leaving it to the emperor.
After some thought, Jiang Yuan said, "Bestow upon her 'Dignified.'"
"Dignified" implied solemnity and restraint—traits that didn't align with Noble Lady Qin's personality. But the empress quickly realized that "Dignified" was also one of the honorifics for imperial consorts. Clearly, the emperor had high hopes for Noble Lady Qin.
The empress smiled. "I find 'Gracious' quite lovely as well. It would be a shame not to use it. Why not grant it to Concubine Qi? Though she isn't yet senior enough for a consort rank, 'Gracious' would suit the occasion."
"Gracious" signified benevolence—a fitting reminder of her good deed, ensuring no one would object.
But in Jiang Yuan's mind, "Gracious" also meant gentle and docile.
And Concubine Qi was only pretending to be gentle and docile!
He wanted to refuse, but seeing the empress's hopeful gaze, the words died in his throat.
Fine. It was just an honorific. Let her have it. For the sake of the Eldest Princess.
"As you wish."
The empress's smile deepened.
Bestowing "Gracious" upon Concubine Qi practically reserved her a future consort rank, whether through bearing children or simply enduring the passage of time. And if she proved ambitious enough, she might even rise to become Consort Gracious.
This gesture, the empress mused, should sufficiently demonstrate sincerity.
The promotions would be announced during the New Year's banquet, with the Ministry of Rites preparing the necessary ceremonies. As for the new court attire, the empress had already arranged it in advance, sparing the need for rushed tailoring.
That night, Jiang Yuan stayed in Kunning Palace. The next morning, after court, his discontent lingered. Instead of returning to Qianqing Palace, he ordered Quan Fuhai, "To Yanqing Residence."
Quan Fuhai was taken aback. "At once."
He was baffled. Not long ago, the emperor had removed Concubine Qi from the rotation of imperial consorts. Now, right after court, he was heading straight to Yanqing Residence. Did His Majesty truly care for her or not? As the chief eunuch, Quan Fuhai's treatment of the concubines usually mirrored the emperor's attitude. But now, he wasn't sure how to act toward Concubine Qi.
Seated in the imperial palanquin, Jiang Yuan pondered how to behave when he saw Qi Daiyu.
Cold and aloof? She'd probably laugh inwardly.
Warm and gentle? Was he supposed to be gentle with her?!
By the time the palanquin arrived at Yanqing Residence, he still hadn't decided.
But the moment he stepped inside and saw the giant snowman in the courtyard, along with the neatly lined-up snow ducks under the eaves, a vein throbbed in his forehead.
He turned to leave immediately.
"Your Majesty! Greetings to Your Majesty!"
Too late. Xiao Li had already spotted the imperial entourage and called out loudly in salute.
Within moments, the household poured out of the residence.
Qi Daiyu stood at the center, her hair hastily tied up with a single plain hairpin, dressed in a casual sky-blue jacket and skirt, draped in a hurriedly thrown-on cloak. Clearly, she had rushed out unprepared.
Unpainted and pale-lipped, her expression was one of sheer awkwardness—she hadn't expected him to come.
Was it because he saw her bare-faced that she felt embarrassed? Jiang Yuan felt a flicker of amusement, but it lasted only a moment. He noticed that the woman seemed to have grown thinner again compared to the last time he saw her.
Jiang Yuan couldn’t help but frown.
"Your Majesty." Qi Daiyu curtsied, though inwardly she was grumbling.
She had just been curled up on the couch reading a novel, right at the climax of the plot, when she heard the announcement that the emperor had arrived.
In her rush, she had slipped on her shoes and hurried out, her mind still lingering on the story.
Had the heroine agreed to the hero’s proposal or not?
"Concubine Qi?"
Hearing the slightly stern voice call her name, Qi Daiyu finally snapped back to attention. "Your Majesty?"
Jiang Yuan suppressed his impatience and repeated, "What is the meaning of this in your courtyard?"
The courtyard… Qi Daiyu glanced around. Was he talking about her snowmen?
"It snowed a few days ago, and I was bored, so the palace maids and I built some snowmen to liven up the place."
"Liven up?" Jiang Yuan eyed the crudely made snowman. What was so lively about it?
And those ducks—ugly and misshapen. If they were truly lively, the whole courtyard would be filled with quacking. How annoying.
"You certainly have plenty of leisure time." Bored enough to build snowmen. Jiang Yuan scoffed coldly and strode into the room.
Qi Daiyu was baffled. The emperor seemed to be in a foul mood…
Once inside, Hongtao served tea before withdrawing, leaving only the two of them in the room.
The emperor’s sudden visit had caught Qi Daiyu completely unprepared.
Her mind inevitably drifted back to that drunken night. Some people, after experiencing an overly intimate encounter, would feel unbearably awkward when alone together again. Qi Daiyu was currently in that exact predicament—she didn’t even know where to put her hands.
But she couldn’t just stand there frozen. Instinctively, she fell back on her usual tactics.
Picking up a cup of hot tea, she offered it to the emperor with a soft, delicate voice. "Your Majesty, please have some tea."
Jiang Yuan narrowed his eyes.
Here we go again.
This Concubine Qi was truly bold, daring to put on an act in front of him time and again. Unfortunately for her, he had already seen through her true nature.
Suddenly, Jiang Yuan realized how he should handle Qi Daiyu.
A smirk curled his lips as he took the tea with one hand and pulled her into his arms with the other.
Feeling her stiffen instantly in his embrace, Jiang Yuan’s smile deepened.
Keep pretending. Let’s see how long you can keep it up.
Qi Daiyu froze the moment she was pulled into his arms.
Huh? What?
This wasn’t right. This wasn’t right at all.
Why would the emperor suddenly embrace her?
Wasn’t he the type to despise concubines like her? The more delicate she acted, the more he should loathe her.
Had she not been delicate enough?
Qi Daiyu suddenly covered her chest and coughed twice, her cheeks flushing. "Your Majesty, forgive me. I caught a chill recently and haven’t fully recovered. Please don’t find me unappealing…"
Thinking of those heart-wrenching, tear-jerking love stories, her "tear-prone" constitution easily brought tears to her eyes.
Surely the emperor would push her away now…
To her shock, His Majesty instead cupped her face tenderly and wiped the tear from the corner of her eye.
"Of course I wouldn’t," Jiang Yuan said with a smile. "If my beloved concubine is still unwell, shall I summon Doctor Xia for you?"
Calling the imperial physician for a mere concubine?
The emperor’s attitude left Concubine Qi utterly bewildered.
She studied his expression carefully, trying to figure out what was going on, even as she replied, "It’s just a minor ailment. There’s no need to trouble Doctor Xia."
Jiang Yuan hadn’t actually intended to summon Doctor Xia. Seeing her stunned reaction was satisfaction enough, so he released her.
"Very well." Jiang Yuan stood. "I have matters to attend to. I’ll take my leave."
Having found his way to deal with Concubine Qi, he left Yanqing Residence in high spirits.
Leaving Qi Daiyu completely baffled.
She had no idea her little act had been seen through—let alone that the emperor had filled in the gaps with his own imagination.
But an instinctive sense of warning told her that the emperor’s sudden change in attitude was definitely problematic.
Perhaps her old tricks no longer worked. It was time to come up with a new strategy.
