Chapter 82
When the morning court session began, the Emperor sat high on the treasure throne atop the Dan Steps. The distance between him and his officials was so great that none could look upon his imperial countenance directly, so no one noticed anything amiss at first.
After the court adjourned, the Emperor made his usual trip to the Western Pavilion to receive officials for private audiences. The very first group of elder grand secretaries to step in caught sight of a distinct, raw scrape on the Emperor's chin.
The several grand secretaries exchanged bewildered glances. It was no exaggeration to say that among all the emperors of the Great Ying dynasty, Emperor Xuanning was the hardest to serve. Only the most clever, quick-witted attendants were allowed to remain at his side—any one of them picked at random would never be careless enough to nick the Emperor's face while shaving him. After all, a man as meticulous as Qian He would never have allowed such a blunder to slip.
Then their thoughts drifted to the two embroidered pouches they had heard of, and even though the idea seemed nearly unbelievable, all the grand secretaries reached the same conclusion: there must be a palace maid serving close to the Emperor who was still clumsy and unskilled at waiting on others.
With that thought in mind, they observed the Emperor more closely, and every detail seemed to confirm their guess. Though his expression remained as cool and reserved as ever, the lines between his brows had softened, and his whole bearing looked far more relaxed than usual.
The grand secretaries all glanced over at Chief Minister Li and Grand Secretary Shen. These two were the undisputed leaders of the inner cabinet, each heading their own faction. Before Emperor Xuanning ascended the throne, the cabinet had long been dominated by Chief Minister Li, who made almost all major decisions unilaterally.
But things had changed after the new Emperor took power. During deliberations, he required all grand secretaries to speak their minds freely. If he found a proposal useful, he would adopt it; if not, he would set it aside and act according to his own judgment.
This new way of doing things emboldened Grand Secretary Shen, who had long been sidelined and silenced by Chief Minister Li. After several of his suggestions were approved by the Emperor, Grand Secretary Zheng had also swung over to his side. Grand Secretary Han and Grand Secretary Feng, on the other hand, remained firmly loyal to Chief Minister Li, taking their cues from him in all matters.
Seeing that neither Grand Secretary Shen nor Grand Secretary Zheng had any intention of stepping forward to ask after the Emperor's injury, Grand Secretary Feng, acting on a subtle signal from Chief Minister Li, moved forward and said, "Your Majesty, no matter how important state affairs are, you must not neglect your imperial health." He gestured to his own chin as he continued, "We beg you to summon the imperial physicians to examine that wound, so that we as your subjects may rest easy."
The Emperor simply snapped his fingers, and Buyan, who had been standing dutifully at his side, spoke up. "His Majesty commands that you continue with your discussions."
Grand Secretary Feng had no choice but to retreat to his place, looking distinctly awkward.
Grand Secretary Han caught the next eye signal from Chief Minister Li and stepped forward to take his turn. "Since the topic has been broached, Your Majesty, I must speak my mind. You are already twenty-six years old, yet you have no heir to the throne, and not a single lady has been taken into the imperial harem. For the sake of the dynasty's succession, the matters of selecting an empress and choosing concubines must be moved to the top of the agenda." He swallowed hard, then pressed on boldly with his remonstrance. "Your Majesty is the most exalted person under heaven. You should never let a coarse, unrefined woman get close enough to injure your imperial countenance. The Great Ying dynasty is full of noble ladies of impeccable birth—they are the ones who are truly worthy to stand by your side..."
Crack! Before anyone could react, the Emperor flicked his finger through the air, and a small, black stone-like object shot out with a sharp gust of wind. No one had time to make out what it was before Grand Secretary Han cried out in pain and collapsed to his knees, doubled over.
"Drag him out." Those were the first words the Emperor had spoken since entering the Western Pavilion.
His voice was not even loud, yet the two Lin imperial guards waiting outside heard him clearly. They stepped in respectfully, seized Grand Secretary Han who was still clutching his leg and wailing in pain, and dragged him out before he could even gather his wits to protest.
Ever since the reign of Emperor Gaozong, throughout Emperor Xuanning's rule, no official had ever been publicly flogged in the imperial court, to the point that all the ministers had forgotten that the imperial Zhao bloodline ran thick with a fierce, unyielding ferocity.
Everyone said the Emperor possessed martial prowess rivaling that of the Dark Lin Imperial Guard, but the only people who had witnessed it on the night of the coup attempt were the Prince of Kang, who had been placed under house arrest, and the several military commanders who had since been locked away in the Imperial Prison. None of them were in any position to confirm or deny the rumors, so no official could say for certain just how formidable the Emperor truly was.
Every day, the emperor looked so sluggish that he could barely be bothered to speak or move. Gradually, the court officials began to suspect that those earlier rumors were untrue, and that they had most likely been deliberately spread by people around the emperor to exaggerate his might.
Now that they had seen the emperor with their own eyes, they realized that he actually possessed remarkable martial arts skills. While he might not match the prowess of the Lin Imperial Guard, his abilities far surpassed those of ordinary palace guards.
Chief Minister Li was truly a seasoned statesman who had managed to retain his position through three successive reigns. After the initial shock wore off, he quickly composed himself, stepped forward and said, "Grand Secretaries are no ordinary court officials. Even if Grand Secretary Han spoke out of turn, Your Majesty should not have humiliated him so openly. With so many court officials waiting outside, how is Grand Secretary Han supposed to hold his head high among his peers from now on? Court affairs are already complicated enough as it is. If Grand Secretary Han grows timid and dares not offer his advice in the future, the rest of us will be even more overwhelmed by the workload."
The emperor took two chess pieces from a jade box on his desk and turned them over in his hands. Before the others could react, he flicked one of the black chess pieces out.
Thinking of how Grand Secretary Han had grimaced and cried out in pain, completely losing his dignified bearing, everyone could tell that the force behind that strike must have been excruciating.
Seeing that the emperor now held two more chess pieces in his hand, the others grew anxious, fearing that he would take a dislike to someone else and hurl both pieces at them. Grand Secretary Feng subconsciously took two steps backward.
Grand Secretary Li, however, remained standing at the forefront without retreating, putting on a show of unyielding integrity.
As the saying goes, a person's greatest rival often knows them best. Grand Secretary Shen understood Chief Minister Li through and through, and he alone could tell that beneath his stoic facade, Chief Minister Li was actually rather shaky at the moment.
When no one else dared to speak, the emperor uttered just four words: "He is dispensable."
Over the past period, the court officials had grown accustomed to the emperor's concise way of speaking, and knew that his words did not always need to be elaborated on at length.
This time was no exception. The several Grand Secretaries immediately understood that the emperor had just removed Grand Secretary Han from the Grand Secretariat.
The emperor then ordered Buyan, "Summon Vice Minister Yao."
Before Buyan could relay the order, Gufeng who was waiting by the door dashed out quickly.
Without even consulting the Grand Secretariat, the emperor had arranged for his own maternal cousin, Fourth Master Yao of the Yao clan, to join the Grand Secretariat.
Chief Minister Li's face changed colors several times in succession. "Your Majesty, this violates the established protocols."
The emperor tapped his fingers lightly on the desk, and Buyan turned to Grand Secretary Shen, "Grand Secretary Shen, you may begin."
The emperor handed over the stack of memorials that fell under Grand Secretary Shen's purview to him. Whenever Grand Secretary Shen had a question, the emperor would respond with a few concise words or a tap of his finger, cutting straight to the heart of the matter. They soon worked through most of the documents, leaving Chief Minister Li completely ignored on the side.
After about the time it took to burn two sticks of incense, Yao Zheng, the Fourth Master Yao, entered the room following Gufeng. Although Gufeng had not revealed a single unnecessary detail, and only told him that the emperor wanted him to join the other Grand Secretaries to discuss state affairs, Yao Zheng could already guess what kind of situation he was walking into.
When the emperor called him forward to take over the memorials that had previously been Grand Secretary Han's responsibility, all his doubts were completely dispelled. Yao Zheng forced his heart, which was beating as fast as a war drum, to calm down.
All the dejection and frustration he had felt after the banquet at the Cui family the night before had vanished without a trace.
All those favors the emperor had shown to the Cui family paled in comparison now. He had been foolish to overthink things before; the emperor had always valued the Yao family. Now that the right moment had come, the emperor had promoted him straight into the Grand Secretariat.
Looking back, all the glory the Cui family had enjoyed was nothing but superficial, meant only to save face for Second Miss Cui.
The Yao family was the only clan the emperor could truly rely on. Earlier, the emperor had only been worried that the Yao family would lose their sense of propriety as they had done in the past, so he had used the main branch of the Cui family as a gentle warning.
After finishing the handover of the memorials, the emperor leaned back in his seat, took the cup of hot tea Buyan handed him, and took a sip. "My family affairs are none of your concern."
The Emperor blurted out nine whole words in one go, a clear sign of how furious he was that these people dared to meddle in his private affairs. He had drawn a clear, uncrossable line: no one was permitted to discuss any aspect of his personal life.
These were all seasoned, shrewd courtiers who had seen centuries of political strife, and in that brief moment, Yao Zheng immediately grasped exactly what the Emperor needed him to do. He stepped forward respectfully and said, "Your subjects shall strictly abide by the Sacred Edict."
No matter what the matter was, the Yao family knew they only needed to stick to one principle: cooperate with the Emperor to dilute the power of the Li clan.
After a whole afternoon and an entire night, Cui Lanyin had finally grown accustomed to the changes that had taken place at Dan Yue Residence.
The entire place had been completely renewed. From large pieces of furniture all the way down to paperweights and brush washers on the desks, every item had been replaced, and all of them were incredibly valuable, each with a well-documented, notable origin.
Grand Empress Dowager Chen had said she would use only items bestowed by the Emperor to decorate the residence, but in reality, she had added plenty of fine pieces of her own as well.
It was far more manageable now. The day before when she had first arrived, Cui Lanyin had not even dared to walk around freely. She had to be so careful even when picking up a teacup, terrified that one careless slip would break something and cause a tremendous loss.
It was not until the Emperor came to see her, told her that all these treasures would only gather dust locked away in storage, and added that he would arrange for Qian He to take her to pick out a whole new set of items whenever she wished, that she finally relaxed.
The Emperor spoke of these precious objects as if they were common, trivial goods that could be swapped out for a new batch whenever she pleased, and only then did Cui Lanyin lose her awkward restraint.
Grand Empress Dowager Chen truly had a knack for arrangement. With her clever planning, the rooms full of precious artifacts did not come off as gaudy or ostentatious, but instead exuded a deep, understated heritage—elegant, tasteful, and far superior to the old layout, which Cui Lanyin now liked much less than the new one.
She had returned the previous day, dined at Grand Empress Dowager Chen's palace before coming back to Dan Yue Residence, and then busied herself with washing and bathing. She had barely finished drying her hair when the Emperor arrived, so she had never gotten the chance to properly admire the new decor.
After finishing her breakfast that morning, Cui Lanyin wandered through every part of Dan Yue Residence, and the more she saw, the more she adored the new space.
When she had finished her tour, she headed to the front quarters with Buyan.
She had originally planned to bring Grayfeather along too, but the little creature had already vanished—no doubt off to claim a patch of the imperial gardens as its own territory.
When she arrived, Grand Empress Dowager Chen was sitting in the corridor basking in the sun. Next to her was a rocking chair, set out especially for Cui Lanyin.
Cui Lanyin sat down, rocked back and forth a few times, and then began to weave her story. "Grand Empress Dowager, when I arrived here yesterday, Xing Kun stopped me at the entrance, remember? I was so angry that I sent Buyan to go tell my uncle on him. Earlier, Li Yijin came to beg me for a favor, and I already owe Empress Dowager Xu two favors. So when it came to the matter of relocating the palaces, I asked my uncle for his instructions. His will is that Empress Dowager Xu can bring all of the late Emperor's concubines to move to Luanju Palace and Xuanwei Palace. Once my father leads his men to connect the two palaces, they can move there on a chosen day."
Grand Empress Dowager Chen looked surprised. "The Emperor really agreed to all that? Did Buyan misinterpret his orders?"
Cui Lanyin realized that telling one lie meant she had to spin countless more to cover it up. "There's no mistake at all. I wrote my question down on paper to ask my uncle, and he wrote his reply right back on it."
Before Grand Empress Dowager Chen could react, Aunt Gao and Aunt Xia, who were standing nearby, excitedly pointed toward the west side of the palace grounds. "Those people over there must be absolutely seething with rage!"
Grand Empress Dowager Chen then turned to Cui Lanyin and said, "If that's the case, there's no need to make the Emperor bring this up. It will be far more appropriate if I announce the news myself."
Cui Lanyin climbed down from the rocking chair, walked over to squat down in front of Grand Empress Dowager Chen, and tugged at her arm in a playful, affectionate way. "I was just about to bring this up to you, Grand Empress Dowager, but you beat me to it. You spoil me far too much."
Word of how Cui Lanyin had publicly humiliated Xing Kun the day before had spread all across the palace by now, and everyone was waiting to see what attitude the emperor would take. After all, Xing Kun was the emperor's own grandmother. Grand Empress Dowager Chen knew perfectly well that before Cui Lanyin had made such a bold move without first figuring out the emperor's stance, she had done it entirely to defend her, to snub the Western Faction so thoroughly that there could be no mistaking that Cui Lanyin would never ally with them.
Grand Empress Dowager Chen stroked the top of Cui Lanyin's head tenderly. "Good child, of course I know you acted that way for my sake. But you were far too reckless. If the emperor... if you could no longer stay in the palace, my days would be so dull and empty."
Cui Lanyin simply admitted it outright. "Grand Empress Dowager, you endured so much pent-up resentment back then. What we're giving back now is barely a fraction of what you suffered. Since Granduncle has already given his approval, why shouldn't we go ahead and act on it?"
Aunt Xia and Aunt Gao nodded in quick agreement. "Grand Empress Dowager, please listen to Miss Lanyin."
"Since Miss Lanyin would go to such lengths for me, there's no reason for me to hold back anymore," Grand Empress Dowager Chen said, nudging Cui Lanyin. "You're hunching over while squatting, go sit back down. Now tell me exactly how we're going to proceed."
Cui Lanyin had gone over the plans many times already. She laid out the whole scheme in detail, and Grand Empress Dowager Chen clapped her hands and laughed heartily. "You mischievous little thing, that's exactly what we'll do."
Empress Dowager Chen immediately sent Qi An to convey a verbal edict to Empress Dowager Xu.
Before long, Empress Dowager Xu arrived at the Funing Palace with all of Emperor Xuanning's concubines. Empress Dowager Xu led the group, and all of them bowed deeply to Grand Empress Dowager Chen, kowtowing to express their gratitude.
When they rose to their feet, tears glistened in the eyes of both Empress Dowager Xu and Grand Consort Li.
Seeing Cui Lanyin standing beside Grand Empress Dowager Chen, Empress Dowager Xu walked over, slipped an ornate bracelet strung with white jade, jadeite, agarwood, coral, and red gold inlaid with precious gems from her wrist — a piece so dazzling it made one's eyes swim — and pressed it all into Cui Lanyin's hands. "I rushed out in such a hurry that I didn't have time to pick out something proper for you. Take this and wear it for fun, or give it away as a reward if you don't like it. Later I'll select something more suitable for you to wear."
Cui Lanyin stepped back to avoid taking it. "This is far too valuable, I can't accept it."
A few days prior, the emperor had sent a steady stream of lavish gifts to the Funing Palace in a grand public display, most of which were intended for Cui Lanyin. Even the treasures that weren't hidden from sight were enough to make anyone's eyes burn, so Empress Xu could never believe Cui Lanyin truly thought this bracelet was too precious.
"With His Majesty and the Grand Empress Dowager looking after you, what fine things haven't you already seen?" Empress Dowager Xu said. "If you keep refusing, I'll think you're just looking down on this little gift of mine."
Grand Empress Dowager Chen also spoke up. "A gift from an elder should not be turned down. Keep it."
Concubine Li Shu quickly stepped over next. She didn't slip a bracelet off her wrist, but instead pulled a small embroidered pouch from her sleeve and placed it in Cui Lanyin's palm. "It's just a collection of various gemstones. You can play with them, or have them inlaid into hair ornaments and jewelry."
Having already accepted the gift from Empress Dowager Xu, Cui Lanyin couldn't very well turn down Grand Consort Li's either. She thanked her and took the pouch.
When the rest of the concubines tried to step forward to offer their own gifts, Grand Empress Dowager Chen waved them off. "These two have already shown their intentions, and they have far more means than the rest of you. Keep your treasures for your own private use. Miss Lanyin has no shortage of fine things, and she already appreciates your kind thoughts."
Grand Empress Dowager Chen then asked, "I trust all of you understand what this matter is really about, don't you?"
Empress Dowager Xu and the others nodded in unison, then all turned to look at Cui Lanyin. It was obvious that every one of them knew that the matter of moving to a new palace had been proposed to and arranged by the emperor at Cui Lanyin's instigation.
