Chapter 108
The Emperor had clearly been facing away from the outside. Where had he learned such seductive tricks?
Cui Lanyin’s interest was stirred by his teasing. It had been a long time since they had done that sort of thing, and she wanted it too. If they could not go any further, then a kiss would still be nice.
Blinded by desire, she cast aside her awkwardness and hesitation. Turning onto her side, she parted her lips slightly and waited for the Emperor to kiss her.
The Emperor cupped her face, yet he did not kiss her right away. Instead, he asked, “You want to kiss?”
Cui Lanyin looked at him with damp, glistening eyes. “Don’t you?”
“Of course I do.” The Emperor nodded, then asked, “But who do you see me as right now?”
Restlessly squirming in his arms, Cui Lanyin could not understand why he was being so long-winded at such a moment. Fortunately, the question required no thought.
“My maternal cousin-in-law. The father of my child.”
The Emperor stared at her without blinking. Cui Lanyin could practically see his expression darken. She could not figure out which sore spot she had struck this time and asked in a small voice, “What did I say wrong?”
“You said nothing wrong. It’s all my fault,” the Emperor said gloomily.
Just as Cui Lanyin thought he would not kiss her after all, he suddenly pressed down on her. He seized her lips in a rough kiss, so fierce it was as though he meant to swallow her whole.
Lost in passion, Cui Lanyin found herself unable to stop. She wondered whether, if they were careful enough, no sound would carry outside.
Yet the Emperor forcibly stopped himself.
“We can’t keep making the same mistake. We need to think this through carefully.”
Cui Lanyin was completely disoriented. “You regret it?”
The Emperor nodded. “I was thinking about it the wrong way. We should do this in the proper order.”
Cui Lanyin did her best to calm herself. “What exactly do you mean?”
The Emperor said earnestly, “We need to start over from the beginning. Because we skipped the stage of courting each other, you still haven’t fully come around.”
Hearing that he did not regret being with her, Cui Lanyin’s expression improved somewhat.
Still, she truly could not understand what he meant. Pointing at her belly, she said sharply, “We already have a child. How are we supposed to start over? Should we tell her to wait before being born? And what is it that I haven’t come around to?”
The Emperor patiently reasoned with her. “First, I am your husband. Second, I am the father of your child. Last of all, I am your cousin-in-law. But in your mind, it’s the other way around. We need to set that straight.”
Cui Lanyin felt that the Emperor had far too much free time. “You are my husband in my heart. I’m just not used to saying it aloud yet, so stop fixating on it.”
Having lost all interest, she moved to lie down and sleep. “What’s happened can’t be undone. In any case, I can’t do this.”
The Emperor helped her lie down. “I’ll learn, and then I’ll teach you. You only need to follow my lead.”
“I want to sleep,” Cui Lanyin said, unwilling to pay him any mind.
The Emperor suddenly flung off his inner robe, displaying his fine physique—broad chest, narrow waist—and then turned his handsome face to its most flattering angle.
“This face, this body—could you find another like them? Do you really want to keep abstaining?”
Cui Lanyin could hardly believe it. The Emperor was actually using his looks to tempt her.
The Emperor unhurriedly put his inner robe back on, wrapping himself up tightly. He lay down again and deliberately tucked one arm beneath his head.
“You can’t use my arm as a pillow for the time being, either.”
The very next day was the court assembly. The Emperor issued an order: officials of Great Yi were forbidden to consort with prostitutes or visit brothels. Those who violated the decree would be paraded through the streets and publicly shamed for minor offenses; repeat offenders who refused to mend their ways would be dismissed and never employed again.
The impeachment memorial against the Emperor that Di Nian had tucked into his sleeve could no longer be presented.
Quite a few people had seen the Emperor and Empress boarding a pleasure boat to tour the Wu-Yang River the previous night. It had been like a lantern festival, with every brothel along the river sending its women onto the boats. The Emperor and Empress of an entire nation had actually toured the Wu-Yang River alongside a crowd of prostitutes—truly an affront to the dignity of the state.
After much deliberation, Di Nian had felt that if he pretended not to know about it, he would hardly be able to command respect as Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief.
Once he had written the memorial, he had already steeled himself to be beaten with a plank.
Only now did he realize that he had misunderstood the Emperor. The Emperor had merely taken the Empress onto the boats to investigate the situation firsthand.
Since the founding of Great Yi, officials had been forbidden from patronizing prostitutes. But after Emperor Xuanning moved the capital to Yingcheng, the warm and fertile southern lands grew wealthy and prosperous. With its gentle waters and the amorous strains of music drifting along the banks of the Wu-Yang River, one official after another began violating the ban.
When Emperor Xuanning learned of it, he had merely given them a casual reprimand. With such a lenient attitude, the custom of officials visiting brothels could not be stopped.
Now that the Emperor had returned to straighten things out, ministers like Di Nian were brimming with confidence, believing that the Emperor was beginning to show the bearing of a wise ruler.
That thought lasted less than an hour.
After court, the Emperor returned to the rear palace for breakfast. When he came back, the ministers discovered that, following the establishment of the Commerce Tax Commission in the East Pavilion for the Empress, the East Side Hall—which had originally served as the tea room—had also been cleared out for her use.
Commissioner Song and Geng Dayou were each required to serve in the East Side Hall one day out of every three. Besides reporting on the affairs of the Commerce Tax Commission, they were to wait for the Empress to assign them further duties.
There was also a group of Qilin Guards, all around forty years of age, who would come here and wait for the Empress to command them.
The Empress had entrusted the palace affairs to Qi An, Leping, and the third assistant to manage jointly. Unless something special arose, she no longer went to Fengyi Palace. Whenever Qi An and the others had business to discuss, they went to the East Pavilion of Yanhua Palace to report to her.
In effect, the Emperor had divided Yanhua Palace in two, with him occupying one side and the Empress the other.
Since the ministers had failed to stop the Empress from moving into the East Pavilion, they could do nothing but grit their teeth and accept the fait accompli.
Knowing about it was one thing; seeing it with their own eyes was another. The Commerce Tax Commission had been established for barely a month, yet merchants from every region had already begun voluntarily registering their business records.
Officials from the Ministry of Personnel made a rough estimate: the Emperor’s private treasury would receive at least two million taels of silver in revenue each year.
The ministers could not help regretting how many holes that much money could have filled.
The saying “wealth is kept among the people” had now become a laughingstock. Merchants were voluntarily coming to the Commerce Tax Commission to declare their businesses, while spreading the word everywhere that, after paying the commercial tax, they were no longer subjected to extortion and their profits were actually much greater than before.
The merchants all praised the Empress for her sense of justice. They said that her collection of commercial taxes was the true act of yielding benefits to the people. Among the merchant class, the Empress had already earned a reputation as a worthy empress.
On the nineteenth day of the first lunar month, Li Yijin went into labor around noon.
After examining her, the midwife and Court Physician Cao both concluded that the birth would not come soon and that she most likely would not deliver that day.
Consort Dowager Shu could only calm herself and then send word to Cui Lanyin once more, telling her not to be late.
Cui Lanyin was growing restless, but the Emperor came over for a meal and insisted that she take an afternoon rest. Only afterward did he allow her to go to Luanju Palace.
How curious. She had only been standing outside with Consort Dowager Shu for a little while when the midwife called from within to say the baby had arrived. Half an hour later, Li Yijin gave birth to a healthy boy weighing six jin—about six and a half pounds.
Prince Duan was so delighted he kept calling through the door, “Jin’er, we have a son! I’ll petition tomorrow to have him named heir!”
Consort Dowager Shu swatted him. “Get out of the way. He’s far too little to be named heir.”
Prince Duan thought she had something else in mind and cried, “Mother, is your love for Jin’er all an act—?”
Aunt Peng, who could no longer bear to watch, cut in. “A blessing is worth waiting for…” She pulled Prince Duan aside and whispered the rest in his ear.
Only then did Prince Duan understand: the child was too young to bear such good fortune. Most families waited until their child was at least two or three before petitioning for the title.
Consort Dowager Shu couldn’t be bothered with him. Clear-eyed and perceptive, she took Cui Lanyin’s hand and said gratefully, “Jin’er had such an easy delivery today thanks to the Empress’s good fortune.”
Physician Cao, standing nearby, chimed in. “That’s quite true. When the Empress’s elder sister gave birth, the Empress sat outside the door for a while, and the baby came swiftly too.”
Consort Dowager Shu thanked her again and again. Since Cui Lanyin was pregnant herself and they couldn’t keep their visitors for long, she took every precaution as she saw them out of Luanju Palace.
Her niece had delivered safely, she had a grandson, and her son had settled down. Consort Dowager Shu was entirely content; she no longer dared hope for anything more.
The next day, just after the hour of the Dragon, the Emperor sent an attendant to summon Prince Duan.
Consort Dowager Shu thought Prince Duan had been up to something behind her back again. She grabbed him and demanded, “You ungrateful wretch! What have you gone and done now?”
Prince Duan craned his neck to protest. “I’ve been at home every day without even setting foot outside the gate. What could I have done? Mother, loosen your grip or you’ll strangle me!”
The attendant from Yanhua Palace took pity on Prince Duan. Since both the prince’s consort and Consort Dowager Shu were close to the Empress, he offered a quiet hint: “His Majesty is in a fairly good mood just now.”
Consort Dowager Shu’s heart eased a little. She knew the attendant had already said more than he should, so she asked no further questions. She had Prince Duan change into his court robes, then watched as he made his way to Yanhua Hall.
An incense stick’s time later, Prince Duan returned, beaming. “Mother, His Majesty has given me a post. I’m to start as Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Banquets. From the way he put it, once I get the hang of things, I may well become Minister.”
The news struck Consort Dowager Shu so hard she could barely speak. “His Majesty… What exactly did he say? He must have done this for the Empress’s sake. You’d better remember that.”
“I know, even without you telling me.” Prince Duan wasn’t a fool, and by now he had worked out the likely reason. “The Empress probably saw how well I treat Jin’er and put in a good word for me with His Majesty.”
Consort Dowager Shu clasped her hands. “The Empress truly is our family’s greatest benefactor. Ever since Jin’er became close to her, everything has gone smoothly for us.”
Then she poked Prince Duan in the chest. “If you ever treat Jin’er badly, even for a moment, you can forget about staying in this family.”
Prince Duan protested, aggrieved, “Am I not devoted enough to her already?”
Even Empress Dowager Xu, who had come to visit Li Yijin and the baby, couldn’t bear to listen any longer. “Honestly! Even Prince Duan has changed. You can stop playing the wicked stepmother now.”
The Luanju Palace and Xuanwei Palace had once been places where Emperor Shun of the previous dynasty enjoyed himself with his beauties. Built to follow the natural landscape, they consisted of halls and pavilions of varying sizes. Now that the two palaces had been opened into one, they had been further divided into separate courtyards. Thus, although the Empress Dowagers and Consorts Dowager lived together within the same complex, each had her own residence, making it convenient for children who came to visit their mothers.
Empress Dowager Xu occupied the largest courtyard at the center. In order to live next door to her, Consort Dowager Shu exchanged the courtyard assigned to her with Consort Dowager Hui.
Having spent the past few months together, the two women had grown increasingly close. Whenever either thought of the other, she would simply rise and walk over to the other’s courtyard.
After paying his respects to Empress Dowager Xu, Prince Duan hurried to the western rooms to keep Li Yijin and her child company.
Nothing remained secret in the palace; by the following day, everyone knew.
That day, after Cui Lanyin woke from her afternoon rest, the Emperor showed no hurry to leave. He came over again and asked her, “Have you made up your mind?”
Clad in a black dragon robe, with a jade belt defining his tall, well-built figure, the Emperor was impossible not to look at.
When he glanced her way, she quickly turned her head aside. “If I say no, then no.”
Just then, Buyu entered to report, “Princess Consort An has come to pay her respects to Your Majesty.”
“Have her wait in the eastern side hall,” Cui Lanyin said.
The Emperor did not press the matter further. While she changed her clothes and freshened up, he lounged there lazily, deliberately stretching out his body for her to see.
Cui Lanyin left the room with her mouth dry.
The bedchamber of Yan Hua Hall connected to eastern and western side halls. Since she no longer went to Fengyi Palace, Cui Lanyin had arranged the eastern side hall for receiving guests.
Both side halls had rear entrances. Coming out through the back doors of either hall, one would find, diagonally opposite, the Ruyi Gate and the Jixiang Gate at the rear of Yan Hua Palace.
In this way, anyone coming to request an audience could enter Yan Hua Palace through those two gates. Cui Lanyin would receive them in the eastern side hall, and they would all use the rear entrances; even if the Emperor remained in the bedchamber, he would not be disturbed.
Eunuchs guarded every gate. No visitor could pass beyond the rear hall, making it even more impossible for anyone to pry into the affairs of Yan Hua Palace.
Princess Consort An had been sitting in the eastern side hall for some time, yet Cui Lanyin had still not arrived. Unease began to stir within her, and she asked the eunuch attending the hall, “Perhaps I have come at an inconvenient time. Is Her Majesty very busy?”
There was no need to conceal this. The eunuch answered quietly, “His Majesty has not yet left.”
Princess Consort An glanced at the clepsydra. It was already shortly after one in the afternoon. From what the eunuch said, the Emperor had been taking his midday rest with the Empress in the rear hall.
The Empress was already with child, yet the imperial couple had not only not begun sleeping apart—they even took their afternoon rests together. Thinking of how, each time she had been pregnant, Prince An had taken two more concubines, Princess Consort An felt a bitterness rise in her heart.
After another quarter of an hour, the Empress finally arrived. “I have kept you waiting, Third Sister-in-law. My apologies.”
Princess Consort An hurriedly stood and greeted her. “It is I who have disturbed Your Majesty’s rest.”
Cui Lanyin invited her to sit on the kang couch, but Princess Consort An firmly declined and instead took a chair below.
After they exchanged a few pleasantries, Cui Lanyin asked, “What brings you here today, Third Sister-in-law?”
The Empress before her was no longer as she had been in the past. She now bore responsibilities in the outer court as well, and had no time to indulge in idle chatter. Princess Consort An therefore spoke plainly.
“Prince An has heard that Your Majesty’s younger female cousin has not yet been promised in marriage. His maternal uncle’s cousin, Cheng Gui, has likewise yet to find a suitable match. He wished to ask what Your Majesty thinks—whether the two families might become joined by marriage.”
The Cheng family had not originally been prominent. It was only after Prince An came of age that Emperor Xuanning began to make use of them. Prince An’s maternal uncle, Cheng Yu, proved capable and efficient, and was promoted repeatedly until he became Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. After the Emperor ascended the throne and carried out a major reshuffling of appointments among the ministries, Cheng Yu was transferred to the Ministry of Revenue as Vice Minister.
Thus, while the Cheng family could not be called exceptionally illustrious, they had become a household of some standing in Yingcheng.
The Chengs had always kept a low profile. Like Prince An, they never involved themselves with the competing factions. In that respect, their family principles were rather well matched with those of the Cui family.
Cui Mian had entrusted Cui Lanting’s marriage arrangements to Cui Sheng and Lady Jiang. Lady Jiang had in turn asked her to keep an eye out for a suitable match. Cui Lanyin had indeed been considering whom she might introduce.
“As for the marriages of my brothers and sisters, even after Father has looked them over, the person herself must ultimately be willing. I’ll have to ask what Miss Ting thinks when I return.”
The silent attendant at her side recalled something. Knowing what Cui Lanyin cared about most, he did not avoid speaking before Princess Consort An and reminded her, “Your Highness, on the night of the Lantern Festival, Cheng Gui also hired a pleasure boat on the Wu Yang River.”
Here it comes. [kiss kiss]
