Chapter 117
A hush fell over the grand hall as every guest waited to see how Cui Lanyin would react.
Madam Yao and Fifth Madam Yao, their faces etched with panic, hurried out from their seats, pushed aside the two beautiful women, and flanked Old Madam Yao of the Yao family, supporting her on either side to lead her away. "Mother, this is Her Majesty's joyous celebration. What on earth are you doing? We agreed we were only here to find proper marriages for those two girls, and yet you... you..."
Fifth Madam Yao turned to Cui Lanyin, trying her best to explain, "Aunt has lost her senses for a moment. We beg Your Majesty to forgive her. None of us knew anything about this."
But Old Madam Yao sat firm and refused to budge. "I know exactly what the two of you are up to. These days you're both nothing but the Emperor's yes-men, with no regard for the duties that bind our relatives. I am the Emperor's maternal aunt. One day I will have to face his mother in the afterlife, and no matter what else I do, I cannot stand by and watch the Emperor have no heir.
"I have no ill will towards the Empress, and no selfish motives driving me. If I had any personal agenda, I would never have picked those two girls, who are born of concubines. I only hope Your Majesty will understand my well-meaning intentions." She fixed Cui Lanyin with a sharp, unflinching gaze. "I know Your Majesty hopes to achieve great things, and in matters like this, that is exactly when you ought to show generosity."
"What a noble 'well-meaning intention'." Princess Yongjia scoffed. She then turned to Madam Yao and Fifth Madam Yao. "I have heard that there is no end to the petty schemes and power plays within the Yao family's inner quarters. When these two beauties suddenly appeared in the palace, are you truly unaware of what happened, or are you just pretending to be in the dark?"
Madam Yao and Fifth Madam Yao did not avoid her gaze, but they had nothing more they could say. "It is not what Princess thinks. Alas..."
Princess Yongjia paid them no mind, leaned over and whispered to Cui Lanyin, "After all, she is His Majesty's maternal aunt. It would be improper for you to rebuke her, so let me handle this. I suppose I will have offended His Majesty today. From now on, I may not be welcome in the palace. But if anything comes up, you can send word to my estate, and I will take care of all matters outside the palace for you."
Right after Princess Yongjia finished speaking, from the table where the Cui and Jiang families were seated, Madam Gu stood up and addressed Old Madam Yao with a stern expression. "With Grand Empress Dowager Chen and Empress Dowager Xu present, Old Madam Yao has overstepped her bounds. Even in an ordinary commoner household, it is unheard of for a maternal aunt to take it upon herself to find more wives for her nephew, let alone in the Emperor's palace. The Yao family has always been known for upholding poetry and ritual, and it is said that all the female members of the household are learned and virtuous. But today, that reputation seems to be far more talk than truth."
Cui Lanyin glanced at Lady Jiang and Lady Ding, who were holding Madam Gu back gently on either side, and at Cui Lanzhi and Cui Lanting, who looked furious at her side. She knew all the female members of her family had decided to stand with her, ready to shield her from any trouble.
With a close friend who was willing to brave such pressure to speak up for her, and a family that would stand behind her no matter the circumstances, how could she back down?
This was her own birthday banquet. If she swallowed this humiliation today, who would ever respect her as the Empress again?
If anyone could come before her and point fingers as they pleased, then this title of Empress was not worth keeping.
She was just about to speak, but someone beat her to it.
First, Madam Dong spoke up in support of Madam Gu. "What Madam Gu said is absolutely right. Even we rough military families know this basic principle. Tsk... is this what they call taking advantage of one's age to domineer?"
Right after Madam Dong finished, Madam Shen chimed in. "A-Shu, Madam Gu is quite correct. With the Grand Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager presiding over the court, it is not your place to interfere in the Emperor's affairs. Go back to your seat now."
Gu Ying nudged Madam Gu of the Gu family's arm. "I was just about to say that." Madam Gu of the Gu family patted her hand, then spoke up too. "When one reaches old age, they ought to enjoy their retirement peacefully. One should turn a blind eye to their children and grandchildren's matters, let alone their nephew's. Old Madam Yao, you have been far too disrespectful today."
Watching Madam Yao and Fifth Madam Yao, who were so humiliated by these remarks that their faces burned bright red, Cui Lanyin broke into a bright smile. "Thank you all, ladies. It seems I am not as unpopular as I thought."
Then she turned to Old Madam Yao, still wearing that gentle smile. "I am in a good mood today, so I will not hold this against Old Madam Yao."
She waved off Madam Yao and Fifth Madam Yao, who were still trying to explain themselves. "I know the two of you had no part in this. But right now, I have no wish to entertain anyone..." She raised her hand slightly behind her, and Buyan immediately brought over a cup of cooled tea. Cui Lanyin took the cup, held it with graceful, dignified poise, and looked straight at the three ladies of the Yao family.
To be served the "tea to see guests out" by the Empress in front of all the imperial wives and noble ladies, Madam Yao and Fifth Madam Yao wished they could vanish into the cracks in the floor. Just as Old Madam Yao was about to fly into a rage, the two women held her down and whispered a sharp warning, "If you do not want our entire family to fall into ruin, Mother, you would do well to watch your words."
"Aunt, we do not dare to control what you do, but do not drag our entire branch of the family into this mess."
Only then did Old Madam Yao begin to regret that she had ever chosen to act on this day.
She had assumed that the young new Empress, still new to her role, would be eager to set a virtuous example, terrified of being labeled as jealous and ungenerous. Faced with so many noble ladies watching, she would surely agree to her request.
But if they left just like this, how could the Yao family ever hold their heads high among the scholar-officials again? Old Madam Yao sat rigidly in her chair, refusing to move, thinking of an excuse to return to the banquet, then send someone to report the incident to the Emperor. She had to find a way to recover the lost dignity of the Yao family.
Cui Lanyin then said to Buyan, "Help the two ladies out, will you?"
Buyan had been brimming with anger this whole time. He did not even need to call for extra help. He waved over two eunuchs, and together they lifted Old Madam Yao, chair and all, and carried her right out of the grand hall.
On the way out, Old Madam Yao shouted, "How dare you..." But Buyan gave her a dark, menacing whisper. "I am capable of anything, Old Madam. It is in your best interest to keep your mouth shut."
Old Madam Yao knew all too well how ruthless and unscrupulous palace eunuchs could be. She had already lost all face today. If any more scandals came out, the Yao family would become the laughingstock of the entire capital, and she would truly have brought ruin to her entire clan.
Old Madam Yao could only cover her face with her hand, and let herself be carried out of the hall like that.
Eighth Miss Yao, who was sitting at the Yao family's table, was so overcome with shame and fury that she could barely breathe. She quickly covered her face and hurried after the others.
All the noble ladies in the hall held their breath in complete silence. None of them had expected the Empress to have Old Madam Yao physically escorted out of the banquet.
Even Madam Shen, Princess Consort Jing, and Grand Princess Yiqing, all women of great experience and status, stared in stunned disbelief. After all, that was the Emperor's own maternal aunt!
With one single act, the Empress had not only humiliated Old Madam Yao, she had dragged the entire Yao family's reputation through the mud. Would the Emperor tolerate such a thing?
Even Princess Yongjia was frozen in shock. She had never imagined Cui Lanyin would be so bold and unyielding. After a long moment, she asked anxiously, "You... won't His Majesty start to cold-shoulder you? Maybe I should go to the Grand Empress Dowager and ask her to intercede for you?"
But Cui Lanyin did not seem the least bit worried. "There is no need to trouble the Grand Empress Dowager. I have done what I have done. I will accept whatever consequences come my way."
Grayfeather, the parrot that had been perched quietly behind her seat munching on snacks this whole time, suddenly spread its wings and flew off. Cui Lanyin knew exactly what the bird was up to, but she was already too late to stop it.
It seemed there was no chance for the rest of the day to go smoothly. She had made all the arrangements to arrange a suitable match for Cui Lanting, but now, how could that event possibly proceed?
Cui Lanyin was fully aware that the Emperor was relying heavily on the Yao family at this moment. On many important matters, Grand Secretary Yao and the Yao clan worked closely with the Emperor to carry out his policies. What she had just done had put the Emperor in a very difficult position.
She never thought the Emperor would punish her severely, but she knew that to appease the Yao family, he would have to make some kind of public gesture against her.
Sure enough, after a short while, Buyan came trotting quickly into the Phoenix Palace.
The low murmurs that had started to rise in the grand hall died away in an instant.
Princess Yongjia clenched her hands nervously. The Cui and Jiang families all held their breath, their hearts in their throats.
Only Cui Lanyin still wore a smile. "Did Grayfeather run off to blab everything again?"
Buyan nodded with a grin. "It squawked all the way over here. Everyone in the hall heard it."
"What on earth did it squawk about?"
"The Second Miss was so furious that she kicked the Yaos out!"
The noble ladies all gasped softly to themselves— that parrot had spread the word with pinpoint accuracy.
Cui Lanyin gave a faint, amused smile. "So His Majesty sent you over to ask about this?"
Buyan shook his head with a grin. "His Majesty does not even need me to ask. Those two lines from Grayfeather were more than enough for him to piece together exactly what happened."
He did not wait for Cui Lanyin to ask further, and went on, "His Majesty sent me here to attend to Your Ladyship. Your good days must not be spoiled by such trivial, vexing matters."
The Emperor was not angry? Did he even know how Old Madam Yao had been chased out? The noble ladies exchanged quick, curious glances with one another.
But Buyan had more to add. "Over on His Majesty's side, all the male members of the Yao clan have been sent away as well."
Cui Lanyin could no longer keep her composure. "Even Grand Secretary Yao...?"
Buyan nodded. "Not a single one was left behind."
The Emperor had not even bothered to ask for the full story. The moment he heard from Grayfeather that she had been angered and had the female relatives of the Yao family removed, he immediately had Grand Secretary Yao and all the other male clansmen of the Yao family driven out of the palace too. Waves of emotion rose and fell in Cui Lanyin's chest. Her mind raced through a thousand thoughts at once, yet she could not quite sort them out clearly.
Buyan continued speaking, "His Majesty did want to come over in person..." His eyes swept across the entire hall. "But Your Ladyship knows full well that His Majesty never sets foot in places where there are female relatives in attendance."
Cui Lanyin knew that perfectly well. The Emperor had specifically sent Buyan to say those words out loud right in front of all the noble ladies, just to save her face and show her favor.
The Emperor hated all these trivial domestic matters more than anything, yet he had gone out of his way to do all this for her. Cui Lanyin felt a warm tingle spread across her chest. It seemed she had underestimated just how high her standing was in the Emperor's eyes.
To the Emperor, she, his cousin, mattered far more than the entire Yao clan. She should have far more confidence in herself.
She nodded with a bright smile. "His Majesty cannot do without you by his side. If you stay here any longer, all the people over in his hall will be left staring blankly at one another, and that will look most improper. You may head back now. Tell His Majesty that I am in perfectly good spirits."
"Your Ladyship's guess is spot on," Buyan could not help chuckling. "When I left, that was exactly the scene over in his hall already."
"I was hoping I could stay here and enjoy the song and dance performances and variety acts with Your Ladyship too, what a letdown. Come to think of it, would Your Ladyship reconsider my request for Buyan and Buyu to take turns on duty here?"
Buyu, who dreaded hearing that suggestion more than anything, immediately stepped over and nudged him along. "Hurry up and go! Don't even daydream about that rotation arrangement."
Buyan bowed respectfully to Cui Lanyin once more, before he was ushered out of the Fengyi Palace by Buyu.
Between the Empress and the Yao clan, the Emperor had stood unhesitatingly on the Empress's side, without even asking for a single explanation.
The Emperor never stepped foot anywhere that had women present.
The Emperor's banquet had banned all song and dance performances, yet over at the Empress's place, there were songs, dances, and all sorts of variety acts to enjoy.
The people on both the Emperor's and the Empress's sides got along perfectly amicably. Buyan acted as if he and Buyu were of equal standing right in front of the Empress, and it even seemed like the staff on both sides could be lent to each other whenever needed.
There was so much information packed into that conversation, the noble ladies all scrambled to memorize every word, afraid they would miss even a single line, and fail to recount it fully to their husbands at home, which would mess up their husbands' judgments of the situation.
After Buyan left, Princess Yongjia finally perked up, and leaned over to pester the Empress. "I have never gotten to watch song and dance performances in the palace before! Today I get to enjoy this blessing thanks to the Empress. Hurry up and let me feast my eyes on it."
The Empress greeted everyone with a warm smile. "We were all just a bit upset earlier, so I would like to invite all of you to enjoy the performances together, to lift our moods."
The moment her words fell, Buyu clapped his hands, and a troupe of entertainers who had been waiting in the side hall filed in one after another. As the lively, light music started playing, the richly dressed female performers began to dance gracefully...
All the noble ladies could not take their eyes off the show. So this was the kind of song and dance their husbands and sons got to enjoy behind their backs, it was truly a sight to behold. The young ladies who had been so preoccupied with the arranged marriage viewing earlier had completely forgotten all about that, and were now watching the performance with total, unwavering focus.
Especially when they thought about how all the men over at the Emperor's banquet were sitting there stiffly and dryly, not even allowed to chat casually, while they over here were laughing, chatting, and enjoying the performances, the whole situation was turned completely upside down, and it made them feel utterly refreshed and delighted.
After one song and dance routine followed by a variety show performance, the noble ladies were having the time of their lives. When they noticed Princess Yongjia pouring herself drink after drink, some of the bolder ladies called the palace servants over to pour wine for them too, and soon they broke off into small groups to sip wine and chat.
It was not until a palace servant walked in to report, "Your Ladyship, the young gentlemen who were leading the toasts at the front banquet have arrived."
All the noble ladies suddenly snapped back to their senses— it was time for the arranged marriage viewing session.
The imperial back garden was enormous, with paths leading everywhere. Cui Lanyin was afraid that if she did not keep a close eye on things, some unexpected mishap might occur. Luckily, the Fengyi Palace had its own small attached garden, so she had arranged for the viewing to take place there.
This way, all the madams could step in and handle any unexpected situation in time.
She raised her hand to signal the performers to stop, and called over Aunt Xia. "Aunt Xia, please lead all the young ladies to the back garden now."
But the young ladies were rather reluctant to leave. Gu Ying, bold as ever, looked right at the Empress and asked, "Your Ladyship, when will you invite us to watch another performance like this?"
Cui Lanyin looked at her with a gentle, kind expression. "That is no trouble at all. Next month, for Grand Empress Dowager Chen's birthday celebration, I will ask her to invite all of you to come and watch performances then."
"Empress, Your Ladyship is so kind to us! This servant girl wishes you peace and good health for every year, and that your beauty stays forever as it is now." Gu Ying cheered happily, then grabbed Miss Shen by the arm and headed out together.
Just then, a tall, broad-shouldered man strode into the hall. The sunlight was streaming in right behind him, outlining his whole figure with a gilded halo. He looked as bright and fresh as the spring dawn, handsome and striking.
He was dressed in the official uniform of a fourth-rank military officer, with an imposing, dignified bearing, and he was so young. In the entire Great Ying Dynasty, there was only one person who had that age, that face, and that high official rank. Even the young ladies who had never met him before recognized him at once— he was Cui Su, the Empress's own younger brother.
I'll wrap up a bit earlier today [let me take a good look at this scene]
