Chapter 81
After two rounds, Cui Lanyin had gained some experience as well. She knew she could not keep retreating, so she tilted up her face and responded to him.
“Have I improved?” the emperor asked with a laugh against her lips.
Cui Lanyin took the opportunity to move away. “Your stubble is scratching me.”
The emperor cupped her face. Seeing the several red marks on her cheeks, like a few plum blossoms scattered across fresh, lustrous snow, he found her even more delicate and lovely.
He ran a finger over each of those marks. “When you weren’t here, I slept however I pleased. I’d get up and go straight to work…”
Cui Lanyin examined the stubble sprouting along his chin. Without even touching it, she knew. “It’s been three days, hasn’t it? You never looked like this when you were still living in the old residence.”
The emperor took her hand and pressed it to his chin, then admitted the truth. “Qian He said I would look more imposing with a beard. What do you think?”
Cui Lanyin could not bring herself to agree. “It makes you look older.” The moment she said it, she realized it was not a very tactful thing to say and hurried to make amends. “The beard is only spoiling your handsome features.”
Sure enough, looking older and looking old were equally sore points for the emperor.
He could wait for anything else, but the moment those words reached his ears, he could not wait another instant. He opened the door and called for Qinglin, who was keeping watch on the roof above the study, and asked him to bring over a short dagger. Then he placed it in Cui Lanyin’s hand.
“Will you shave me?”
Cui Lanyin had never done such a thing before, let alone wielded a blade near the emperor’s face. She dared not take it. “Uncle, you should do it yourself. What if I cut your face?”
The emperor pushed her down onto the luohan couch, lay back with his head in her lap, and pressed the dagger into her hand. “Then cut me. It’s only one little wound.”
Cui Lanyin had no choice but to hold his chin and shave away his stubble bit by bit. She had not expected it to be more painstaking than embroidery. A long while passed, yet she had not even managed to finish half his chin.
The emperor caught her hand and sped up her movements. “Hurry. Don’t delay our rest.”
Her hand trembled. She could not control the force she was using, and the dagger slipped sideways, slicing off a piece of skin. A bead of blood appeared at once.
“I cut you! Should we fetch the imperial physician?” she cried, immediately trying to throw down the dagger, but the emperor stopped her. He reached into her sleeve, pulled out a handkerchief, and wiped his chin. Without even looking at the bloodstain, he said, “It’s only a broken patch of skin. Keep going.”
What could Cui Lanyin do with an emperor who was so rough-and-ready? She could only continue. Wiping away the beads of blood as she went, she spent another half an incense stick’s time shaving his chin clean.
Fortunately, by the time she was finished, the bleeding had stopped. Only the cut itself remained somewhat conspicuous. Hopefully it would look better by morning.
The emperor tossed the dagger onto the table and sat up, saying as naturally as if nothing had happened, “It’s late. Shall we retire?”
Cui Lanyin still wanted to put it off a little longer. “Let’s talk for a while. I still have something to say to you, Uncle.”
The emperor pulled her to her feet. “We can talk in bed.”
When it came to shamelessness, Cui Lanyin felt that even if several of her were tied together, they would still be no match for him. With one arm around her waist, he led her into the inner chamber.
After several days apart, facing him again made Cui Lanyin even more apprehensive. It was not because of the pain, but because of that feeling of losing control of herself, of forgetting everything in the throes of passion. It made her deeply resistant. She was afraid that, like a moth flying into a flame, she would become hopelessly entangled, until one day she could neither advance nor retreat.
But she had already made her position clear. She had said she did not want to waste the best years of her life and that she wanted to share a loving bed with the emperor. Now she had no way to go back on her word.
The emperor seemed not to notice how tense she was. As though they had done this countless times before, he skillfully lowered the bed curtains and drew her onto the bed with him.
Cui Lanyin thought that if they extinguished the lamp, perhaps she would not see anything and her heart would not become so unsettled. She pushed him away and started to get out of bed. “I’ll put out the lamp.”
The emperor blocked her path. “Weren’t you going to talk? Or did you want to…”
Cui Lanyin could not tell whether he was merely trying to calm her down or truly meant to talk before anything else. She was also afraid that once the lamp was out, he would become even less restrained. So she hesitated.
The emperor did not rush her. He slowly removed his outer robe, leaving only his inner garment. Cui Lanyin was just beginning to feel relieved that he had not asked her to undress when she saw him pull open the ties of his inner garment, baring his pale, lean, powerful chest before her.
Cui Lanyin was about to look away, but the emperor caught her hand and guided it over his chest.
“An old man would have flab. I don’t have a trace of it.”
She cursed herself inwardly. How could she still have failed to learn her lesson after being caught out so many times? From now on, “old” and “getting on in years” would be forbidden words to her. She must never say them again.
Her embarrassment faded. Wherever her fingertips passed, his body was firm as rock. Unable to help herself, she coaxed him, “Your figure is perfect as it is, Uncle. Not a single thing needs to be added or taken away.”
The emperor was satisfied and made no further move. “You should take off your clothes as well.”
With that, he bent down to spread the quilt, making no attempt to look in her direction.
Could it be that they did not have to do that every time? The emperor had so many affairs to attend to; surely he did not think about such matters every moment of the day.
Cui Lanyin quickly removed her blouse and skirt. Before the emperor could turn around, she lifted the quilt and hurriedly wrapped herself inside it.
The emperor pretended not to notice. He lifted the other side of the quilt and lay down beside her.
Turning toward her, he asked, “Weren’t you going to say something?”
Cui Lanyin felt that her guess had been right. Now that her nervousness had eased, she searched for something to say. “The Empress Dowager Xu bestowed some things on my family today. Li Yijin also came to ask me about the matter of moving palaces…”
“These past few days, Chief Physician Cao has found several more books for me. I’ve studied them carefully and feel that I’ve improved quite a bit.”
At first, Cui Lanyin did not realize that the emperor was answering her with complete irrelevance. It was not until his fingers began tracing circles at her waist and his eyes grew bright that she suddenly flushed crimson.
“Weren’t we supposed to talk?”
“You talk about your things, and I’ll talk about mine,” the emperor said, as casually as if they were discussing everyday matters. “What we did last time was only the first step. We haven’t yet experienced the true delights.”
“Wasn’t that sort of kissing rather interesting? That was merely the surface. The best parts come later. Shall we try? If it hurts or you feel uncomfortable at any point, pinch me and I’ll stop…”
He kept speaking in a low, coaxing stream as he moved closer, doing everything he could to persuade her.
Once he pressed against her, his scent filled every breath she took. Her mind turned to mush. Faced with his lips drawing near, she accepted his kiss with a soft, yielding response.
After that, she could no longer resist. Her thoughts could not turn elsewhere.
The emperor was truly extraordinary. Whatever he learned, he had to master to perfection. He had improved by an unknowable degree. In her dazed state, she experienced again and again the exquisite pleasure that left one unable to stop…
By the time she realized the emperor had once more lured her into it, she was already too weak to argue.
After the third time, they washed and lay down again. Yet the emperor was still not satisfied. Holding her in his arms, he coaxed, “Chief Physician Cao also gave me several illustrated manuals on lovemaking. The pictures are quite exquisite. I’ll bring them here so we can study them together.”
Cui Lanyin pinched him, but her hand was so limp and feeble that she could not even catch hold of a fold of his skin.
There was no longer any need for her to be cautious with an emperor who kept pushing his luck. She said, “Weren’t you planning to see through the illusions of the mortal world? What does this count as?”
The emperor shot her a sidelong glance. “I haven’t passed the lust precept yet, have I?”
Seeing that Cui Lanyin had no answer, he grew even more pleased with himself. “Do you know how to make a glutton lose his appetite? There’s no trick to it. Feed him until he’s full and satisfied for a while, and he’ll stop eating on his own. Why don’t you try it?”
“Uncle, why have you suddenly become so talkative?”
“Isn’t it because you’re always dragging me into conversation?” the emperor retorted, turning the blame back on her. “I can’t keep you company during the day. If I didn’t talk more, you’d think I was boring.”
The emperor had plenty of reasons of his own, and afraid that he might steer the conversation back to that matter, she hurriedly changed the subject. “Uncle, what arrangements have you made for Empress Dowager Xu and the others to move palaces?”
“What did Empress Dowager Xu give your family?”
“A pair of jade ruyi, a hundred taels of gold, and a pot of the finest Snow Su orchids. As for what happened with Princess Kang last time, Empress Dowager Xu sent someone to reprimand us, but it was only for show—they left right afterward.”
“Did Princess Duan ask you as well?”
“Yes. She even said that from now on, wherever I went, she would have Prince Duan stay away.”
“I’ll issue an edict ordering Empress Dowager Xu and the others to move to Luánju Palace and Xuanwei Palace. Starting tomorrow, we’ll renovate Yanhua Hall and connect the two buildings while we’re at it. That will give them more than enough room.”
Cui Lanyin had not expected him to agree to let Empress Dowager Xu and all of Emperor Xuanning’s consorts move elsewhere. She could not help asking, “Will Grand Empress Dowager Li simply allow that? Won’t she come crying to you?”
The emperor snorted. “She won’t be able to enter Benyuan Palace.”
The emperor actually intended to bar Grand Empress Dowager Li from the palace. Though satisfying, that would damage his reputation. He would practically be wearing the label of an unfilial grandson.
After thinking for a moment, she said, “Why don’t I ask Grand Empress Dowager Chen to make an announcement? If she says that Empress Dowager Xu and the others should move out, then as the legitimate empress dowager, Grand Empress Dowager Li will have no choice but to endure it, whether she likes it or not.”
“Whether I’m called a wise ruler or a foolish one makes no difference to me.”
“If there’s a better way, why bear a bad reputation unnecessarily?”
“You decide.”
The smile at the corner of the emperor’s mouth became impossible to suppress as he explained, “Actually, the late emperor was always registered under Grand Empress Dowager Chen’s name.”
Cui Lanyin froze for a moment, then understood. “So, according to proper rites and law, Grand Empress Dowager Li has no legitimate basis for her title? In that case, once Grand Empress Dowager Chen speaks, Grand Empress Dowager Li won’t even have room to object?”
“Mm.”
It turned out that it was only because Emperor Xuanning had sided with the Li family and recognized only his birth mother that everyone had overlooked this point. As a result, people throughout the realm had assumed that Grand Empress Dowager Li’s position was perfectly legitimate.
“Then… what are you planning to do, Uncle?”
“We’ll take it slowly.”
Though the emperor did not say so outright, Cui Lanyin understood. He had no affection whatsoever for Grand Empress Dowager Li. If she was content to retire quietly, he might continue to tolerate her. But if she refused to behave, there were plenty of things he could do.
Grand Empress Dowager Chen also had plenty she could do. With that burden eased, Cui Lanyin took the initiative and nestled into his arms. “The Li family and Grand Empress Dowager Li schemed against Grand Empress Dowager Chen over her childlessness. Grand Empress Dowager Li’s current misfortune isn’t enough. We should let Grand Empress Dowager Chen vent a little more of her anger.”
“Mm.” The emperor agreed readily.
Cui Lanyin continued, “And there’s my family. You bestowed the golden bowl…”
“I was just about to speak to you about that. The Li family’s faction is spread throughout the court. To dismantle it, we need to raise up a banner. The Yao family has too many ambitions…”
“I understand.” Cui Lanyin cut in. “Because I’m by your side, my family is the most suitable choice.”
The matter that had weighed on her all day could finally be set aside.
Everything the Cui family’s eldest branch possessed had come from the emperor. Since he needed them, it was only right that they help shoulder his burdens. Besides, this was hardly a major sacrifice.
Knowing that the emperor was not bestowing favors on her family merely because they shared a bed, she felt relieved both inside and out.
The emperor took her hand again. “Yanhua Hall is right next door, and your father will be overseeing its renovation. When you have nothing to do, go take a look for me. You don’t need to ask me about anything. Just discuss the details with your father and make the decisions yourselves.”
Cui Lanyin had been about to ask him that very thing. “If you intend to move Empress Dowager Xu and the others to Luánju Palace and Xuanwei Palace, why are you still renovating Yanhua Hall?”
“It seems you don’t miss me at all.”
Cui Lanyin refused to admit it. “Aren’t you sleeping here every night?”
“So you want me to sleep here all the time?” The emperor’s gaze turned heated.
Cui Lanyin was frightened by that look and quickly closed her eyes. “I’m tired. We can talk about it later.”
“I won’t touch you. Rest assured.” The emperor chuckled, then explained, “Once Yanhua Hall is finished, I’ll move there.”
“What?” Cui Lanyin opened her eyes. “Then where will you hold court?”
“In the central chamber of Yanhua Hall’s main palace.”
Ever since the founding of Great Yong, from Emperor Taizu through Emperor Xuanning, the emperors had held court in the central chamber of Benyuan Palace’s main hall, handled state affairs in the west wing, and lived in the east wing. Yet this emperor intended to change the arrangement.
It was not hard to imagine how fiercely the officials would protest and remonstrate when the time came.
“What about the court officials?”
“It’s fine. I intend to change many things. They’ll get used to it.”
The emperor had never been the sort to let others point fingers at him. Cui Lanyin said, “Indeed. They’re the ones who need to adapt to you.”
The emperor pulled her close. “Not here. Here, am I not the one adapting to you?”
Cui Lanyin gave a dismissive little “tsk.” “Then how about I say we sleep under separate quilts, and you cooperate for once?”
The emperor chuckled. “Anything but matters in bed.”
Cui Lanyin could not be bothered to argue with him. She let out several soft yawns, then turned over and fell sound asleep.
When the emperor rose at the fourth watch, Cui Lanyin woke as well. Hearing him tell her to go back to sleep, she was about to turn over and continue sleeping when she remembered something. She bolted upright and called out to him.
When he turned around, she went over, caught his head, and examined the conspicuous red mark on his chin. “What should we do? Everyone will be staring at it. Won’t some court official ask you about it?”
Then she remembered that whenever the emperor was asked about court affairs, he never used more than five words in reply, and if he could settle something with a gesture, he would not waste words on it. Surely the officials would not squander one of the emperor’s precious sentences on such a trivial matter.
She released him and lay back down. “Go on, Uncle.”
Seeing her fall asleep again within a few breaths, the emperor picked up his boots and went to the outer room to put them on. Qinglin was already waiting outside the door. He accompanied the emperor as he flew up onto the eaves and departed.
The second day after the rest day was a court session. Since it was a minor court assembly, it did not begin quite so early. The officials arrived at the Palace of Reverent Conduct at the fourth watch to wait. At the first quarter of the fifth watch, they took their places in the central chamber of Benyuan Palace, and at the first quarter after dawn, the emperor arrived to hold court.
Dressed in bright yellow, the emperor was the very image of golden nobility from head to toe. The only thing that looked out of place was the black silk pouch hanging from his waist.
For some time now, he had alternated between that black silk pouch embroidered with russet ruyi patterns and another black silk pouch embroidered with dark-blue wan symbols. The officials had never once seen him take either of them off.
Even officials who knew nothing about needlework could tell that such craftsmanship and embroidery could never have come from the palace embroidery bureau. If the bureau had presented work like that to the emperor, the money and the people responsible would have been sent home—or worse.
My dears, where did you all go for the May Day holiday? I’m jealous—let me see!
