Chapter 74
Cui Lanyin picked up her sewing basket and tried to continue embroidering lace onto the socks, but her mind kept wandering. She missed stitches and sewed in the wrong places so often that, after half an hour, she had not even finished half the trim on a single sock.
There was no way she would finish them that evening. She pushed the sewing basket aside, and only then noticed that the bag of pearls from Princess Yongjia was still there.
Cui Lanyin called for Buyan and handed him the bag. “Take it back to Princess Yongjia.”
Buyan hurried off with it, but returned not long afterward and placed the bag of pearls back on the table. “Second Miss, Princess Yongjia has already left the palace. Consort Wan refused to take it, no matter what I said. I left it behind, but she sent someone after me. When I tried to go back in, she had the palace gate locked and wouldn’t let me enter. It wouldn’t have looked good to keep arguing at the gate, so I came back.”
“Then take it with you when we leave the palace and return it to Princess Yongjia’s residence.”
“I understand, Second Miss.”
Seeing that Cui Lanyin wanted to be alone, Buyan withdrew.
The heat of September in the south had yet to fade. Even during the day, there was still a dry, stifling quality in the air. Cui Lanyin passed through the folding screens into the northern room, opened the door, and went out to the rear corridor. She found a chair and sat down, then picked up the fish food on the table and tossed it into the water a pinch at a time.
A thought had taken root in her heart, and she could no longer suppress it. She had thought that a little breeze by the water might help, but instead, the thought only surged more forcefully to the surface.
From what the two courtesans had said aboard the pleasure boat that day, Cui Lanyin had vaguely understood that the intimacy between men and women was not solely for the purpose of producing heirs. After the Emperor’s kiss, she had felt light-headed and giddy, as though she were floating. She had thought she more or less understood what they meant.
But when the Emperor had said that he was lustful too, and entertained all sorts of improper thoughts about her, she realized that what she had imagined was probably far from the truth.
Princess Yongjia’s visit today had finally enlightened her. The finest pleasure between a man and a woman could only be experienced by sleeping together.
Many things that had once baffled her suddenly became clear.
It made sense. If it were truly only about continuing the family line, why did men keep taking concubines one after another when they already had children filling their households? Clearly, the excuse of producing heirs could not withstand scrutiny.
How pitiful women were. They had been kept ignorant, shackled by all those rules of female virtue and propriety, never daring to speak openly about relations between men and women.
The Emperor had told her not to concern herself with such rites and regulations, but she had never been able to cast them aside completely. She would not cross any line that might harm her family.
Now that she understood why those so-called rules of propriety had been created, she suddenly felt not the slightest awe of them.
Since one only passed through this world once, she ought to live as freely and boldly as Princess Yongjia did. If there was a flower worth plucking, one should pluck it at once; otherwise, one would be left grasping at bare branches when all the flowers had fallen.
She had already decided to leave the palace in a year, and afterward she did not intend to marry. In that case, she ought to experience everything she could with the Emperor. Otherwise, wouldn’t it be a waste to have earned the reputation of being involved with him?
Princess Yongjia appreciated Lord Yu’s talent and beauty, as well as Lord Wei’s imposing physique. But the Emperor was incomparable in appearance, gifted in both letters and arms—surely there was no one else in the world who could match him.
If she did not experience that pleasure with a man like him, then whom else could she choose?
Thinking of the awkward way they had been getting along lately, she had seen the Emperor’s restraint and suppression clearly. If he demanded that she give herself to him as Emperor, would she not have to agree, even without a name or title?
The Emperor had never called himself “I, Your Majesty” in front of her. The affection they had shared as uncle and niece had not been false.
She trusted him deeply. Even after she left the palace, the Emperor would continue to look after her and allow her to remain the same reckless Second Miss Cui who could run roughshod over anyone.
Princess Yongjia had said that a man could not keep suppressing his desires. If he held them in for too long, he would become cold and indifferent. The two courtesans had also said that the Emperor might be impotent. Could that be because he had been repressing himself for too long?
The Emperor had endured for so many years. Now that he had finally developed some desire, he had extinguished it because of her. Considering how much he had cherished and protected her, she ought not to leave him so frustrated. Neither of them should be left with regrets.
She had not earned the nickname “Second Fierce” for nothing. Once she had made up her mind, she would charge ahead without hesitation.
That evening, when the Emperor arrived, she first placed six pairs of socks before him. “I made several pairs of socks for you, Uncle. One pair has embroidered trim, and the rest are plain. You’ll have to make do with them.”
The Emperor looked genuinely pleased. He picked out the embroidered pair. “I’ll wear these tomorrow.”
But Cui Lanyin could see the trace of disappointment beneath his apparent delight. Propping her elbows on the small table, she gave him a teasing wink. “You look a little disappointed, Uncle. What were you hoping I would give you?”
Her long lashes fluttered like fans. Each flick seemed like a feather brushing lightly over his heart, stirring up tiny ripples. How long had it been since they had spent time together like this? Ever since they had stopped treating each other as uncle and niece, she had not shown this kind of lively spirit again.
The Emperor’s heart stirred. “You prepared something else?”
“Yes!” Cui Lanyin replied with a smug smile. Even if the Emperor possessed unfathomable wisdom, she was certain he could never guess what it was. “Can you figure out what it is, Uncle?”
Infectiously amused by her mood, the Emperor reached out and tapped her on the tip of the nose. “You want to have an intimate encounter with me?”
“Are you a monster? How can you guess everything?” Cui Lanyin stared at him in disbelief.
The Emperor froze. “You mean…”
He had only been teasing her. A broad smile blossomed across Cui Lanyin’s face, and she felt as though she had finally won one back. “You don’t want to?”
The Emperor’s voice turned slightly hoarse. “What kind of intimate encounter?”
Cui Lanyin had never seen him so uncertain before. She quite liked the feeling of having the upper hand, and it made her forget her shyness. Boldly, she said, “The kind where we sleep together, of course. You’re ascending the throne tomorrow. Something small and insignificant wouldn’t be grand enough.”
“Second Fierce, you… This… You can’t joke about something like that.” The Emperor was almost stammering.
“I’ve never joked with you.”
“You still intend to keep our agreement to wait a year?”
“Yes.”
“And afterward, you’ll…” The Emperor—
“I don’t want to waste the best years of my life. If you want to… I won’t force you.”
“You know perfectly well…” The Emperor abruptly put on his shoes and began pacing back and forth in front of the bed. “No, this requires preparation. Perhaps I should postpone the enthronement ceremony tomorrow and delay it by another two days?”
This time, Cui Lanyin was the one left staring at him in astonishment. The enthronement ceremony was tomorrow, and everything had already been arranged. If it were postponed, wouldn’t the entire palace be thrown into chaos?
“Uncle, the enthronement ceremony… surely it can’t be postponed.”
She could not understand. “What is there to prepare?”
The Emperor asked, “Do you know how?”
Only then did Cui Lanyin begin to feel embarrassed. Her earlier boldness evaporated, and she turned her eyes away awkwardly. “You don’t know either?”
The Emperor did not pretend otherwise. “I only have a general idea.”
He stopped pacing and came over to sit beside her, slipping an arm around her waist. “The first time shouldn’t be done carelessly. I need to study a little.”
Cui Lanyin could hardly believe her ears. “So you want to postpone the enthronement ceremony in order to study this? That is the most important event of your life…”
She did not even know how to express it properly. If the world learned that the Emperor had postponed his enthronement ceremony so he could devote himself to studying how to make love with her, would she not become the femme fatale blamed for bringing ruin to the realm?
The Emperor, however, showed no awareness of the issue. “What does that matter? This is the truly important event in our lives. I’ll summon the Ministry of Rites right away.” As he spoke, he made to rise.
Cui Lanyin grabbed him by the front of his robe. She did not even call him Uncle anymore. “You can’t. The enthronement ceremony cannot be postponed, and neither can that matter. They both have to happen tomorrow.”
The two of them stared at each other for a long while before the Emperor finally conceded. Resting his forehead against hers, he chuckled softly. “I’ve figured it out. When you don’t call me Uncle, you won’t tolerate any objections from me.”
Cui Lanyin refused to admit it. “Nonsense. I always respect you, Uncle.”
The Emperor did not argue with her. He kissed her cheek, letting the kiss trail downward, and then sucked gently at her lips for a while. Just as she thought he was about to linger and tease her further, he firmly stood up. “There isn’t much time left. I’ll go back and study first. Tomorrow, you only need to accompany the Empress Dowager through the formalities during the day. I’ll make the arrangements for the evening.”
People ought to have the desire to improve themselves. How could she stop him? Cui Lanyin nodded in agreement.
Just as the Emperor was about to leave, Cui Lanyin tugged at him again. “You can’t let Uncle Qian know.”
“He manages my personal affairs, so it’ll be difficult to keep it from him for long. These past few nights, when I’ve come out, Bailin and the others have told him that I was practicing night exercises.”
“Then keep using that excuse.”
“The day we kissed, your fragrance lingered on my robes. He even asked Buyan whether he had changed my incense.”
She had merely taken one turn around the pleasure boat, yet the fragrance had clung to her and could not be washed away. If the two of them slept together, anyone could imagine what the result would be.
Cui Lanyin discussed the matter with the Emperor. “Why don’t you use the same incense as I do, Uncle? Mine is cold-plum fragrance, and men use it too.”
But the Emperor was no ordinary man. Just imagining him attending court and handling state affairs while covered in the scent of cold plum made Cui Lanyin unable to look directly at the image. She quickly changed her mind. “Forget it. We should both use bamboo-and-nanmu fragrance instead.”
The Emperor, however, said, “You don’t need to change yours. I’ll use both.”
“Won’t that damage your dignity?” Cui Lanyin asked hesitantly.
“It doesn’t matter.”
Since he was returning so early, he would certainly run into Qian He. Cui Lanyin was still uneasy, so she packed a sachet of her own incense and tucked it into his sleeve pocket.
And so, the dignified Emperor of Daying left with one packet of a woman’s fragrance and another packet of socks, his sleeves bulging conspicuously.
When he returned to the western wing of Benyuan Hall, the Emperor handed the things hidden in his sleeves to Buyan, who took them into the inner chambers.
Back when they were at Prince Wei’s residence, Cui Lanyin had spent most of her time in the study with the Emperor. Naturally, Buyan could distinguish the fragrance on Cui Lanyin’s body.
Not long after the Emperor began going out at night, Buyan realized from the scent that he was going to see Second Miss Cui.
At first, Buyan thought the Emperor had simply grown accustomed to having Second Miss Cui accompany him in conversation. Since he had no time to spare during the day while handling state affairs, he could only find time to speak with her at night.
But the Emperor returned only after spending the night away each time. Qian He knew perfectly well that the Emperor had never practiced night exercises while at Prince Wei’s residence. How could he possibly believe that excuse?
Besides, if the Emperor were merely visiting Second Miss Cui for conversation, then Chen the Empress Dowager and the people in Funing Palace would already have known how the Emperor and Second Miss Cui had interacted at Prince Wei’s residence. There would have been no need to hide it from Qian He.
Though he was deeply shocked, Buyan was certain that the Emperor and Second Miss Cui had become lovers.
It was precisely because he knew that, and helped cover for them, that Qian He had not yet discovered the truth.
The Emperor, of course, knew perfectly well that Buyan was aware. Once Buyan came out of the inner chambers, he instructed him, “Call for an imperial physician.”
“Is Your Majesty feeling unwell?”
The Emperor flicked a finger at him. Buyan lowered his head and withdrew, then sent an attendant waiting beneath the eaves to summon someone from the Imperial Medical Academy.
Hearing this, Qian He came over. “Is His Majesty all right?”
Buyan replied respectfully, “There is nothing wrong. His Majesty must have something to ask the physician. Uncle Qian, you may attend to your own duties.”
Buyan had begun addressing him as Uncle Qian after Cui Lanyin did so, and afterward, everyone in the palace followed suit.
That was simply the Emperor’s temperament: when he did not give the order, no one was allowed to disturb him. Qian He asked no further questions and truly went back to his own affairs.
As the chief eunuch in charge of the inner palace, he had plenty of responsibilities, and even the nights left him no leisure.
Still, Qian He knew that he was probably the most carefree chief eunuch in the history of Daying. Because the Emperor preferred quiet, Qian He only needed to attend him during the day when he received court officials. After the evening meal, the only person left by the Emperor’s side was Buyan, and Qian He could focus on his own work.
There was no need to look far. Guangsheng, who had served Emperor Xuanning, had always remained at Emperor Xuanning’s side to attend him personally. Even after the Emperor fell asleep, Guangsheng had to use whatever spare time he had to handle the affairs of the inner palace. He slept less than two hours a day. Though he was around the same age as Emperor Xuanning, he looked ten or twenty years older.
The physician on duty that day was still Chief Physician Cao. When he heard that the Emperor had summoned him, Chief Physician Cao was terrified. He followed the palace attendant to Benyuan Hall with trembling steps.
After paying his respects, he was invited to sit, which only made him even more nervous.
“Regarding relations between a man and a woman, does the Chief Physician have any medical texts that I may read?” the Emperor asked.
Chief Physician Cao abruptly raised his head, but the moment he met the Emperor’s gaze, he hurriedly lowered it again.
The Emperor had completed his mourning period today. Could it be that he intended to consummate his relationship with Second Miss Cui?
“There are such books, but it will take some time to find them,” Chief Physician Cao said, summoning his courage. “May I ask what Your Majesty wishes to know? It might be faster if I simply write it down for you.”
“What should be done on a man and woman’s first night together? Explain it to me in detail.” The Emperor’s voice softened as he pointed at his imperial desk. “You may write it here.”
The Emperor was actually a virgin. Chief Physician Cao found it impossible to imagine. He was an imperial prince, and it was not as though he were incapable. How had he remained untouched until now?
How could Chief Physician Cao truly dare to write such things on the Emperor’s imperial desk? He asked Buyan for writing materials and wrote several pages on a small desk normally used for recording the words of court officials. Then he handed them to the Emperor.
The Emperor took the pages and read them. “I’ve heard that a woman may experience pain the first time. Is there any way to lessen it?”
Chief Physician Cao took up the brush and paper again and wrote two more pages for the Emperor. After reading them, the Emperor was finally satisfied. “Chief Physician Cao, make sure you continue searching for those books after you return.”
Chief Physician Cao realized just how much the Emperor valued Second Miss Cui, and boldly said, “As for Second Miss Cui’s headaches, if acupuncture is administered during her postpartum confinement, there may be a chance of curing them completely.”
The Emperor immediately grew even more attentive. “Explain it to me in detail.”
Chief Physician Cao’s heart was already churning with shock. If Second Miss Cui became pregnant, the Emperor truly intended to let her give birth to the child.
Qiqi will return tomorrow after finishing her studies. Hehe. [wicked grin]
