Chapter Eighty-Three
On the night of the family banquet held the day Emperor Xuanning ascended the throne, everyone sat properly in their assigned seats, exchanging greetings only from a distance. That day marked the first time Cui Lanyin had come into close contact with the late Emperor's imperial concubines.
Empress Dowager Xu was a woman of true temperament. When she pressed a string of bracelets into Cui Lanyin's hands, she had seemed very adept at speaking, but after sitting for a while, Cui Lanyin realized that Empress Dowager Xu only talked at length to people she got along with. To those she did not take to, she would often respond to every question with a vague "I know nothing about it."
It was precisely her unfeigned, unpretentious nature that put others at ease, which was why even after the Xu family was exiled by Emperor Xuanning, he still let her hold the position of empress dowager, using her to keep the Li family in check.
Consort Dowager Shu, on the other hand, carried the aloof pride of a talented woman. She had plenty to say to those she approved of, but to those she looked down on, she could not even be bothered to spare half a sentence — she was another person of genuine, unmasked temperament.
Prince An and Consort Dowager Ru not only looked alike, but also had very similar dispositions. The mother and son were both quiet and dutiful, never pushing themselves to the fore anywhere, and hardly standing out at all even in a crowd.
Among all the people present, Consort Dowager Hui was the most adept at socializing. She handled every word and action with perfect propriety. Whenever the conversation lulled, she would always step in with a line to smooth things over, and after just a few words, she could make anyone feel favorably disposed toward her.
Cui Lanyin could not help but wonder: did Consort Dowager Hui know about Prince Ping's little schemes?
Consort Wan, for her part, was the most composed of all. Princess Yongjia never let herself suffer any losses, and as she had no sons, no one felt the need to keep a close eye on her, so her life was far more comfortable than the others'.
After the whole group had chatted with Grand Empress Dowager Chen for a while, Consort Dowager Hui stood up with well-timed good sense. "All of us crowding in at once is disturbing the Old Buddha's peace. It would be better if we took turns coming to keep her company, so that she always has someone to talk to without being overwhelmed by all the noise. Today, Empress Dowager Xu and Consort Dowager Shu can stay first, and the rest of us will take our leave now."
Once she spoke, Consort Dowager Ru and the others all rose to their feet. After Grand Empress Dowager Chen said, "Go on, then," they all bowed in salute and left the Palace of Great Blessings. It was obvious that Consort Dowager Hui was extraordinarily popular in the imperial harem.
Cui Lanyin then realized that Empress Dowager Xu had previously only held an empty, nominal status, while Consort Dowager Shu rarely socialized with others apart from handling palace affairs. This made the ever-thoughtful, all-accommodating Consort Dowager Hui stand out all the more.
After the others had left, Empress Dowager Xu and Consort Dowager Shu formally thanked Cui Lanyin.
Empress Dowager Xu had always been lukewarm toward Consort Dowager Shu. Most likely, she did not know about the things Consort Dowager Shu had done behind the scenes for her, and Consort Dowager Shu had no intention of claiming credit for those deeds either.
For these empresses and consorts dowager, life in the palace was an endless stretch of loneliness and desolation. Consort Dowager Shu had her son and daughter-in-law to keep her company, which was better than most, but for someone like Empress Dowager Xu, who had no children and no family to visit her outside the palace, it was only a matter of time before her spirit broke. If she had someone to talk to and pass the time with, her days would be much more bearable.
Cui Lanyin playfully winked at Grand Empress Dowager Chen, who gave a slight nod in return, letting Cui Lanyin know she had understood her meaning.
Back during the forced palace siege, Li Yijin and Consort Dowager Shu Li had pledged their loyalty to the Emperor and returned all palace management duties to Empress Dowager Xu. Grand Empress Dowager Chen was a person who never forgot a kindness, and in her eyes, Consort Dowager Shu Li was no longer counted as part of the Li clan.
The day before, after Cui Lanyin had returned, she had heard that Consort Dowager Shu had asked Li Yijin to intercede on Empress Dowager Xu's behalf when she came to beg for leniency, and had even made a plan to enter the Palace of Peace and Fortune alongside Empress Dowager Xu, vowing to step forward and take all the brunt of any trouble for her. That was the moment Grand Empress Dowager Chen's view of Consort Dowager Shu and Li Yijin had completely changed.
Grand Empress Dowager Chen then spoke, "The two of you stay and have lunch with me."
Empress Dowager Xu and Consort Dowager Shu respectfully accepted her invitation.
"Visitors are here! Visitors are here!" A loud voice came nearer and nearer. Just as Empress Dowager Xu and Consort Dowager Shu were wondering who could be so bold and unruly as to shout loudly inside the Palace of Great Blessings, a grey parrot fluttered its wings and darted over, landing right on Cui Lanyin's shoulder.
This grey parrot was extremely well-mannered. First it chirped, "Greetings to the Grand Empress Dowager," then "Greetings to Second Miss," followed by "Greetings to Aunt Xia and Aunt Gao," greeting all the key people in the Palace of Great Blessings one by one.
Only then did it turn to Empress Dowager Xu and Consort Dowager Shu, asking, "We have visitors. Will you keep them for a meal?"
"I've already asked them to stay for lunch, you can rest assured," Grand Empress Dowager Chen said, laughing so hard she could barely contain herself.
Cui Lanyin then said to the parrot, "Grayfeather, come and meet Empress Dowager Xu, and meet Consort Dowager Shu."
Grayfeather called out their titles in a perfectly proper manner, leaving Empress Dowager Xu and Consort Dowager Shu utterly astonished. "We have never seen such a smart, human-like parrot before," they exclaimed.
Grand Empress Dowager Chen held out a handful of shelled sunflower seeds in her palm. "You've been flying around for ages, tired out. Have a little snack," she said.
Grayfeather flew onto Grand Empress Dowager Chen's arm and pecked at the seeds one by one. When it had finished all the seeds, it did not ask for more. Instead, it flew to Grand Empress Dowager Chen's shoulder and suggested, "Play cards, play cards, I'll watch the cards."
Aunt Xia pointed at it, laughing. "You even know that four people are needed to make a full table for a card game?"
"It knows so many things," Grand Empress Dowager Chen said, lifting a hand to stroke Grayfeather's wings. She then turned to Empress Dowager Xu and Consort Dowager Shu. "We still have a bit of time before lunch — shall we play a few rounds of cards?"
Empress Dowager Xu and Consort Dowager Shu had just been worrying about not having anything to talk about, so they immediately agreed.
After a few rounds of cards, the awkward formality between Empress Dowager Xu and Consort Dowager Shu had faded away. Grand Empress Dowager Chen then said to Empress Dowager Xu, "Let me give you a word of advice from someone who's lived longer than you. In this palace, you need to have someone you can talk to to pass the time, otherwise the days are simply unbearable.
All the things that happened between you two years ago don't matter anymore. This time, Consort Dowager Shu went to Yin to beg for leniency on your behalf, and even decided that if trouble came, she would enter the Palace of Peace and Fortune with you, and stand at the front to take all the burden for you. That kind of loyalty is very rare in this palace. Let the past stay in the past, and from now on, be good companions to each other."
Consort Dowager Shu tried to brush the subject off. "Old Buddha, hurry up and play your card, we can talk later."
Empress Dowager Xu had already been suspicious; she had never thought that just sending Cui Lanyin two gifts would earn her such a huge favor in return. Now that she understood the truth, she looked at Consort Dowager Shu and asked, "Why did you..."
"I've done enough things I feel guilty about, and I don't want misfortune to fall on my son. That's all I did it for," Consort Dowager Shu cut her off quickly, still not wanting to admit her true feelings.
"Is that so?" Empress Dowager Xu did not press her any further.
Grand Empress Dowager Chen did not continue persuading them either. After that, though the two women still did not talk much, the looks they gave each other had grown soft.
After lunch, they chatted for a while to aid digestion. Then Empress Dowager Xu and Consort Dowager Shu got up to take their leave. Just as they were walking out, Consort Dowager Shu reached out and slipped her arm through Empress Dowager Xu's. Empress Dowager Xu stiffened for a moment, but then did not resist, and the two of them walked out of the Palace of Great Blessings side by side.
Cui Lanyin returned to her Residence of Calm Moon to take a siesta. She woke up just before the Noon hour, and Aiye came in with a plate of pastries. No sooner had she set the plate down than Buyu came bustling in from outside, full of excitement.
The moment he stepped through the door, he could not wait to speak. "Second Miss, the people over in the Western Palaces are absolutely fuming with anger. After Empress Dowager Xu and the others came to the Palace of Great Blessings to express their gratitude, word spread out there that they had fallen ill, and even sent word to His Majesty, hoping that he would come visit them. But His Majesty only sent Gufeng with Imperial Physician Cao to check on them.
Second Miss, guess what happened next. Imperial Physician Cao took their pulses and said there was nothing seriously wrong with them at all — they just needed to rest and stop overthinking things to recover, and they didn't even need to take any medicine!"
Imperial Physician Cao was truly a remarkable man, more skilled at reading and following the Emperor's unspoken wishes than even all the court officials.
Cui Lanyin asked Buyu to sit down, and she and her attendants ate their pastries as they chatted casually. Then a palace eunuch on duty came trotting in to report, "Second Miss, Grandpa Qian is here."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Cui Lanyin saw Qian He step into the courtyard through the half-open window. The Emperor would never send Qian He over for just a private matter between her and him, so Cui Lanyin did not spend much time wondering, and hurried out to greet him. "Uncle Qian, what brings you here today?"
Unlike his usual genial self, Qian He looked at her with a complicated expression and said, "Let's go inside and talk."
A bad premonition crept over Cui Lanyin, and she probed carefully, "This morning I sent Buyu to check, my father hadn't entered the palace yet. Uncle Qian, did you catch a glimpse of him when you passed by the Yanhua Palace?"
"There's an urgent errand at the Ministry of Works, he's tied up with that mess today and won't be able to make it into the palace until tomorrow."
Hearing that Qian He's tone sounded no different from usual, Cui Lanyin's heart settled a little. She walked into the living quarters and gestured for him to take a seat.
Instead of sitting on the luohan couch as he always did before, Qian He chose a chair at the lower end of the room.
After sitting down, he gave instructions to Buyu, Aiye and the other maids, "All of you go stand guard out on the veranda. I have something to ask Yin alone."
Cui Lanyin's heart gave a violent lurch. She silently prayed to every deity she could think of, hoping desperately that Qian He had not found out anything.
But last-minute prayers never worked. After the maids had left, Qian He's face turned solemn as he asked, "Yin, don't be scared. Uncle Qian will stand with you no matter what. Tell me, did His Majesty force you into this relationship with him?"
When the full meaning of Qian He's words sank in, Cui Lanyin did not know whether to feel flustered or astonished. His train of thought was so uniquely odd, he had actually assumed she was being coerced, and his tone was clearly brimming with the intention to stand up and fight for her.
Afraid that Qian He would let his imagination run even wilder, she did not even bother to feel shy anymore and told him the truth straightforwardly, "My imperial cousin did not force me. We... we are both willing."
Qian He still did not believe her. He studied her carefully and said, "It's just the two of us here, you don't have to hold back. There is always a way out..."
"It's really not like that, Uncle Qian. Think about it, if my cousin had forced me, would he allow me to leave the palace whenever I want?" Cui Lanyin said. While she was deeply touched by his concern, she was also a little annoyed at the emperor, certain that he must have let some clues slip somewhere.
She was already so embarrassed at this point, but she still had to speak up for him to clear his name.
The stern look on Qian He's face softened a little, and he continued to ask, "Then what is the situation between the two of you now? Just because you two are cousins, is His Majesty planning to keep this a secret forever and refuse to give you a proper title?"
Being pressed about such a private matter by an elder made Cui Lanyin feel so overwhelmed that she wanted to hide her face and avoid the whole conversation. "Uncle Qian, can't you just pretend you don't know about this?"
Qian He spoke to her earnestly and patiently, "Silly girl, this is not some children's game. This is related to your entire future. What do you plan to do with your relationship with His Majesty... do you think you will ever be able to marry someone else? If you don't marry anyone, you'll just stay in this ambiguous, unacknowledged arrangement with His Majesty? No flower stays in full bloom for a hundred days. Once His Majesty takes other women into his favor, you will end up in a very awkward position."
Seeing how wholeheartedly Qian He was making plans for her, and not wanting him to worry any further, Cui Lanyin decided to tell him everything. "I'm the one who doesn't want to stay in the palace. I made a deal with His Majesty, and he promised me that I can leave the palace after one year to live the life I want. That's why I... that's why I... got together with him."
Qian He had imagined countless possibilities on his way here, but he never once guessed that she was the one who did not want to remain in the palace.
His mouth fell open and shut repeatedly, and he stammered, "But... but..." not knowing what else to say.
Now that she had let the secret out, Cui Lanyin felt a huge weight lift off her chest. Spending time with the emperor had also made her much thicker-skinned, and she was completely composed now.
She stepped forward to help Qian He to his feet. "Uncle Qian, come sit on the couch. The new pastries are still warm, have a few pieces."
Qian He insisted on refusing, pointing at the couch and saying, "This is His Majesty's seat, how dare I presume to sit there? Never mind me, you can sit there yourself."
Being called out so directly by Qian He made Cui Lanyin's face burn. She wondered just how much Qian He knew—did he only know that she was in a relationship with the emperor, or did he also know that they had already shared a bed?
She did not even have time to finish that thought before Qian He followed up with another question, "What will you do if you end up pregnant?"
The pastry Cui Lanyin had just picked up slipped right back onto the plate. This time she was completely tongue-tied. "That... that can't happen, right? I have chronic headaches, I should be... not very... very fertile."
"Alright, even back then the Grand Empress Dowager shared such a deep bond with Emperor Gaozong, and she was the official empress, but look at the kind of end she met. It's probably for the best that you don't stay in the palace," Qian He said after a moment of thought. "But you still need to plan for your future. We don't have to fight for an official title, but you must never go without wealth. We'll find a way to get His Majesty to make you a princess. All those rare treasures in the imperial storehouse must not go to other people for nothing. You have to accept every gift he gives you. I'm the one who usually manages the imperial storehouse, I'll make sure to set aside the most precious items for you."
Qian He was even prepared to become a petty thief for the emperor's treasures just for her sake!
"Nothing can escape my cousin's eyes. If we act honestly, he definitely won't treat us unfairly. Uncle Qian, your position as Chief Attendant is hard-earned, don't do anything reckless," Cui Lanyin hurriedly dissuaded him.
But Qian He replied, "I only took on this Chief Attendant position for your sake. Now that your situation is what it is, I don't care if I lose that position. Later we can accompany Empress Dowager Chen back to the imperial retreat. Qi An already told me in confidence that Empress Dowager Chen has left a large sum of money and valuables for both of us. With those, plus what we can gather this year, you will still be able to live a wealthy, carefree life in the future."
Qian He had thought everything through for her. Empress Dowager Chen had done so much for her, and now Qian He was doing the same. She wondered what good fortune she had done in her past lives to deserve all this kindness.
"Uncle Qian, you have nothing to worry about. Right now I'm in charge of Qilintang, the business His Majesty set up outside the palace. He also gave me a battalion of Dark Scale Guards, the ones who are senior to the ones that serve him directly. Soon I'll be leading them to collect a share of the profits from all the merchants across the realm of Daying, and next month alone, 120,000 taels of silver will be coming in, all under my full control."
"Not to mention that, nearly 100,000 taels of silver that Qilintang earned earlier is also in my hands now. My cousin told me from the very start that all the money that passes through my hands is mine to spend as I wish."
Qian He was somewhat surprised, and his opinion of the emperor improved a great deal.
Cui Lanyin took the chance to make a request of him. "Uncle Qian, you must not let Empress Dowager Chen find out about this, and you also have to keep it a secret from my family."
"Since you don't plan to stay in the palace, this secret will stay just between the two of us," Qian He gave her a reproachful look. "But you also have to tell His Majesty to rein in his behavior a little."
She knew that was what he would say. Cui Lanyin gritted her teeth and said, "I'll talk to him about it tonight."
Seeing that she seemed to have the ability to keep the emperor in check, Qian He felt much more at ease. He had always been a man who thought differently from others, and now all he cared about was that his girl was not being wronged, everything else was irrelevant.
Cui Lanyin hurriedly asked, "Uncle Qian, what made you realize something was off?"
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Qian He's mouth. "His Majesty wears those two little pouches you sewed for him every single day. I thought I would have noticed something earlier, but I really didn't think much of it at first.
It was later when he started disappearing every night. I already half doubted the excuse those Dark Scale Guards gave that His Majesty was practicing night exercises. This morning His Majesty came back with a scraped chin, obviously from rushing to shave off his stubble. Who on earth would practice night exercises and end up scraping their chin shaving in the middle of the night?
Then when he met with the grand secretaries, Grand Secretary Han tried to persuade His Majesty not to let a vulgar woman get close to him. His Majesty directly threw a chess piece and hit Grand Secretary Han on the knee, had him dragged out of the room, removed him from the cabinet immediately, and promoted Yao Zheng to take his place in the cabinet."
Most people might not know, but I've watched His Majesty grow up, so I understand him better than that. Over the years, he's grown indifferent to most things, and there's barely anything that can make him lose his temper so fiercely. There's no way he'd fly into such a thunderous rage just over a newly favored palace maid. After piecing together everything that's happened lately, all the clues point straight to you.
Turns out all this trouble really came from that tattered scrap of fabric. Cui Lanyin made up her mind right then and there that she absolutely would not let the Emperor gloat any longer.
They'll be arranged to get married very soon [kiss emoji]
