Chapter 88
Noticing Cui Lanyin's unwell complexion, Grand Empress Dowager Chen assumed she had been fretting these past two days, dreading being reprimanded upon her return. "You must be worn out from the journey. Go back and rest well, then come keep me company again tomorrow."
Cui Lanyin truly could not sit still any longer, and she headed back with Buyan and the rest of her retinue.
When they entered the back garden, Buyan paused in his steps. "Second Miss, shall I go inquire about what exactly has been going on?"
That was exactly what Cui Lanyin had in mind. "Go on, then."
Back at her Dan Yue Residence, she changed into casual home clothes, but sat there lost in thought, idly poking at the pastries on the plate before her. In no time at all, an entire plate of pastries had been crumbled to bits.
Princess Yongjia really is such a blabbermouth, she thought. There is no secret safe with her.
Half an hour later, Buyan returned. It was clear he had rushed all over the place, for his lips were dry and parched.
Cui Lanyin bade him sit down. "Drink a sip of tea first to moisten your throat."
Buyan was truly thirsty, and he downed two full cups of tea before he finally caught his breath.
"Second Miss, no sooner had I stepped out than I was summoned over to Dowager Concubine Wan's palace. Dowager Concubine Wan came out in person to speak to me. Right after we left the Imperial Prince's former residence, Princess Yongjia went there, hoping to explain things clearly to you, but she arrived to find you already gone. In a panic, she immediately sent her Aunt Liu to the palace to find Dowager Concubine Wan, and asked her to properly clarify everything to you."
"So those rumors did not come from Princess Yongjia herself?"
"It's both yes and no. The words were spread by that young scholar Mr. Yu whom Princess Yongjia favors. The two of them were chatting casually at night, and Mr. Yu heard the rumors going around about you, so he asked Princess Yongjia who it was that had won your... special favor..."
Cui Lanyin found his roundabout way of speaking rather tedious. "It's just a lover, what's there to be so coy about?"
Buyan chuckled awkwardly. If he did not know the truth, and given how free and unconstrained Second Miss usually was, he would not have hesitated to say the word out loud. But knowing full well that The Emperor was that lover, he dared not utter such a careless term.
"Princess Yongjia just brushed him off casually, saying 'He is old, odd, and utterly unimpressive, which is why Second Miss does not want to talk about him.'
But that Mr. Yu was a man with ulterior motives. The moment he left the Princess' Manor, he went around spreading that exact line Princess Yongjia had said, adding on his own remarks: 'No doubt Second Miss is too young and too shy to choose wisely, and has been tricked and deceived by others. There are so many outstanding men in Yingcheng, how could we let a fine flower like Second Miss be stuck in the muck with a nobody like that.'
Once he started spreading rumors like that, all those men who thought themselves talented and handsome all started scheming to find a way to get close to you."
Cui Lanyin still clung to a sliver of hope. "The rumors haven't reached the Benyuan Palace, have they?"
"Cao Liang told me that when the kitchen staff went to deliver meals to Benyuan Palace, Buyan asked a question about it, and The Emperor was right there listening the whole time."
Cui Lanyin closed her eyes, and a cold dread seeped through her. Thinking of the ever-present Qilin Guards, she knew full well that Buyan had not intentionally asked about it—The Emperor had already caught wind of the rumors, and only then had he bade Buyan question the kitchen staff.
The Emperor had always hated being described as old, or having his age pointed out. Now on top of that, there were the words "odd," "unimpressive," and that line about "a fine flower stuck in the muck." The more Cui Lanyin thought about it, the more hopeless she felt. What on earth had possessed her back then to say such things?
How was she going to get out of this mess? Could she pretend she had a sudden dizzy spell? The Emperor kept a tiny ledger of every little grievance, and day by day, he would keep piling up the interest on what she owed.
After turning the problem over in her head again and again, she decided the only way out was to deploy the allure of a beauty to turn the tide.
After finishing her dinner, she had hot water prepared, scented with the plain and elegant floral essence that The Emperor loved. When she stepped out after her bath, even the strands of her hair were steeped in that pleasant fragrance.
She did not dress in her usual casual style. She had Sangzhi do her hair up in a formal coiffure, and pinned on a phoenix-head hairpin carved from white mutton-fat jade. On her ears, she wore the matching set of phoenix-tail patterned earrings.
This set of ornaments had been casually left on the table by The Emperor a few days earlier when he visited. Since he had not mentioned leaving them behind, it was not until the next day, when Aiye found them while cleaning the room and showed them to her, that Cui Lanyin even knew they were there.
She had forgotten to ask him about them afterwards. Now, putting them on, she hoped that when The Emperor saw her wearing them, he would realize she cherished all the gifts he had given her, and would be more forgiving towards her.
For her clothes, she picked a cherry-red blouse and skirt, a new design Lady Jiang had come up with recently. With its narrow sleeves and fitted waist, it showed off her graceful figure, her waist looking so slender it seemed it could be spanned by a single hand.
Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she saw a graceful, charming beauty. She had gone to such unprecedented lengths to doll herself up—surely that would be enough to get her through this, right?
She waited until the ninth hour, but The Emperor did not come. Ever since the two of them had started sharing a bed, The Emperor had never been later than the ninth hour to visit. Most of the time, he would arrive right after the hour of the eighth chime.
When the hour of the tenth chime came and The Emperor still had not appeared, Cui Lanyin knew he was thoroughly furious.
Should she send Buyan over to check on him? But this was the Fu Ning Palace. Even if Buyan slipped out through the side gate in the back garden, Qi An would find out about it sooner or later.
If she went to seek out The Emperor at such a sensitive moment, she was afraid Qi An would see through their secret just as Qian He had done before.
She was pacing back and forth, unable to make up her mind, when she heard the outer room door creak open. Without a second thought, Cui Lanyin hurried forward to greet the visitor.
She came face to face with The Emperor, clad in his bright yellow imperial dragon robes. It was the first time she had ever seen him wearing the formal robes he donned to meet his court officials. A wave of relief washed over her. "Were you delayed by state affairs?"
"Hmm." The Emperor replied in an emotionless tone, stepping straight into the bedroom and slumping against the daybed.
When someone is angry, you have to humor them. She went to the wardrobe in the inner room and fetched the casual robes The Emperor had left at her residence. "Would you like to change out of these clothes?"
But The Emperor kicked off his shoes and lay back against the cushions. "No need. It will save me time tomorrow morning when I have to get up early."
What did he mean by that? Was he planning to sleep in his formal robes, and leave straight away first thing tomorrow morning?
Looking at him, who had not even spared her a single glance, Cui Lanyin realized all her hard work dressing herself up had been for nothing. Her beauty trick had failed.
She set the clothes down, then went over to take The Emperor's hand. "It must be so uncomfortable to lie down in those tight robes. Let me have someone prepare hot water for you. After you bathe and change into loose, comfortable clothes, all your tiredness will melt away."
"I got used to wearing clothes like this when I was out on campaign in the early years. These robes do not constrict me at all. You can go inside and get some sleep."
"Uncle Biao, I... I really didn't mean it... I was just so angry with you after hearing all those rumors, that I said those things on purpose, just to vent my frustration for a moment."
"It's all right. Since I've done the thing of an old ox eating tender grass, I suppose I deserve whatever people say about me." The Emperor pushed her hand away. "Go to sleep."
There was no way she could just leave The Emperor in such a state. She sat down beside him and started unbuttoning his imperial robes, determined to get him out of those clothes first.
"Let me rest here in the outer room for a while longer." The Emperor pressed his hand down on hers to stop her, and after a long silence, he spoke again. "If I did not come here tonight after everything that has happened, the Qilin Guards... I have my own dignity to consider."
Did The Emperor feel caught between a rock and a hard place? If he stayed, people would say he was unimpressive, but if he left, the Qilin Guards would think he could not even keep his own woman?
Cui Lanyin felt so full of guilt. She held his hand tightly. "I really never thought of you that way. You have to believe me."
"I thought I knew myself well enough. Back when I asked you if you were happy with me, and you bit your lip and refused to say a word, I should have realized what was going on."
"I asked Imperial Physician Cao about it. He said that to spare a man's pride, many women would just hide their true feelings behind shyness."
"And you never once worried about getting pregnant. That must have been because you thought I was old and incapable."
The Emperor's accusations came one after another, making her sound like the most heartless, cruel woman in the whole world.
Cui Lanyin could not defend herself no matter what she said. No amount of explanation would do any good now.
She continued to unfasten the buttons of his imperial robes. When The Emperor tried to stop her hand again, she swatted his hand away, her eyes glinting with a firm warning. "Don't move. You are going to take off these clothes and bathe right now. If you don't wash up, you are not allowed to lie down anywhere."
She swiftly helped The Emperor take off his outer robe, then pulled the bell cord to call Buyu, signaling the maids to bring in water to the side chamber. She did not let any of the attendants stay, and instead pushed The Emperor inside to take a bath.
The Emperor merely splashed some water on himself and tried to step out right away, so she had to step in herself, washing him thoroughly from head to toe. Catching sight of the change in his body, she felt a little more at ease. The Emperor had not turned completely indifferent to her, which meant she still had a chance to win him back.
After dressing him in a mid-length inner robe, skipping the more formal casual robe for the time being, she pushed him back out of the bathing chamber. When she saw him heading straight for the main living quarter to sleep, she tugged him firmly toward the bedchamber. "There is nowhere else for you to rest tonight."
She watched as The Emperor grabbed an extra quilt, hesitated for a moment, then lay down on the inner side of the bed, lying perfectly straight right against the inner bed rail, as if trying to draw a clear, uncrossable line between himself and her. Cui Lanyin felt so stifled and frustrated at the sight.
When the sounds of Buyu and the other attendants finishing up tidying the side chamber and withdrawing faded away, Cui Lanyin took out the six glowing night pearls, placing several on the pillow side and the rest at the foot of the bed. She then got up and turned off the cloisonné palace lamp painted with scenes of farming and weaving by the bedside.
The Emperor could not help but speak up. "You will not be able to see clearly when you get up at night."
Cui Lanyin pretended not to hear him. She was far from thick-skinned enough to do what she planned under bright, glaring lights.
She pulled the bed curtains closed, and the soft glow of the night pearls filled the space behind the curtains, like they were enveloped in a hazy moonlit night, a soft atmosphere that emboldened her.
Cui Lanyin took several deep breaths, took out her hairpin to let down her hair, then steeled her resolve and stripped off her outer clothes before slipping under The Emperor's quilt.
When The Emperor tried to shuffle further inward to avoid her, she rolled over to press against him, wrapped both her arms around his neck, and pressed her soft, fragrant lips to his. Seeing that The Emperor still did not respond, she caught his lip between hers, learning from the way he had treated her before, nibbling and sucking slowly to draw him in.
"You... you do not have to force yourself," The Emperor protested, trying to push her away.
"I am not forcing anything," she said, her heart set, as she settled onto him...
At the most intimate moment, she struggled to hold onto her senses, clutching at him to ask, "Do you still think I find you too old and worn out?"
The Emperor was breathing heavily, his eyes glazing over for a split second, far too lost in the moment to answer her.
Now that they had gone that far, she was determined to make him completely, willingly hers. She would not stop halfway, so she caught her breath and pressed on again.
Afterward, Cui Lanyin was so exhausted she felt like a puddle of water. She mumbled softly, "If I had been able to answer you properly back then, that really would have meant you were far too old."
The Emperor said nothing. He got out of bed, lit the palace lamp, did not call for any servants, and went to pour the hot water that was always prepared in the side room's bathtub. He came back to wrap her in a thin sheet, cleaned her up first and tucked her back into bed, before going to wash himself.
Cui Lanyin had known that The Emperor had mentioned many times before wanting to try things in the bathing room, and she had thought he would take advantage of her taking the initiative to suggest it, but he had not.
Cui Lanyin knew then that he still had not let go of his old grudge. He was not just odd, she thought to herself, he was also being overly petty and difficult.
Since their old scores had not been settled yet, she was in no position to tease him openly, and could only grumble about him in her head.
Seeing that he was still lying stiffly and properly on his side of the bed, she shifted over to nestle into the curve of his arm. This time The Emperor did not push her away, and instead pulled her tighter into his embrace. They fell asleep holding each other.
They slept very deeply that night. Half-asleep, Cui Lanyin reached out, only to find the space beside her empty.
She rubbed her eyes and woke up, hearing the rustle of The Emperor putting on his clothes outside the bedchamber. Remembering that she still needed to keep showing him her affection, she slipped on her mid-length inner robe and walked out to the outer room.
The Emperor was already fully dressed. She walked over and quickly did his hair up for him. "Your clothes are all wrinkled. You need to change into a new set."
"Mn," The Emperor said, steadying her with a hand. "Go back to sleep. I will change when I get back to my quarters."
Cui Lanyin looked him over, her eyes falling on the bright imperial yellow dragon robe he was wearing, and her brows furrowing unconsciously.
The Emperor raised a hand to smooth the wrinkle between her brows. "What is wrong?"
This was the familiar The Emperor she knew. Cui Lanyin relaxed, tugging at his sleeve as she teased him. "Why did they ever pick bright yellow for dragon robes? Does it not make your eyes swim looking at it?"
"It makes your eyes swim?"
"Yes. Stare at it for too long and I get dizzy."
"Then what would you rather see me wear?"
"Dark blue-black looks so elegant on you, and that bright red robe you wore last time was stunning too. Purple, or jade white would also look great. You should try them all on, and wear them just for me when you come visit my Moonlight Retreat."
"Mm," The Emperor said, before sweeping her up into his arms, carrying her back to the bed, tucking the quilt tightly around her, and then walking out the door.
Cui Lanyin had thought that little conversation was all there was to it, but she was wrong.
The Emperor went down a petty, unreasonable path and never looked back. Whenever any gossip about her drifted through the palace, he would show up at the Moonlight Retreat looking sullen and unapproachable, refusing to speak a word to anyone.
It would have been fine if he had just made a few jealous, snide remarks, but this quiet, brooding behavior where he would not change his clothes or say a single word was truly driving her to distraction.
One day, Cui Lanyin hardened her heart and decided not to pander to his mood. To her shock, he actually wore that wrinkled, previously worn robe all the way to the imperial court to handle state affairs. The courtiers were so startled that day they did not dare even breathe too loudly.
After that, The Emperor stopped wearing bright yellow dragon robes entirely, and ordered the Imperial Clothing Bureau to make him new dragon robes in dark blue-black, red, and purple. For generations upon generations, bright yellow had represented the unique, unchallenged authority of the Emperor. Changing the imperial color was, in the grandest of schemes, an act that could shake the very foundation of the dynasty.
The entire court of officials rose up in protest, submitting memorial upon memorial to dissuade him, but The Emperor turned a deaf ear to all of them. Until the new robes from the Imperial Clothing Bureau were finished, he simply wore regular casual robes, refusing to touch a single bright yellow dragon robe.
Cui Lanyin thought that was the end of it, but now he had even worn a robe from the previous night out in public. Thinking of The Emperor's unpredictable temperament, she wondered if he was in such a foul mood that he had been up all night plotting some big, earth-shaking change.
The recent major reshuffling of the Six Ministries had already left all the officials on edge. No one had been dismissed, but their old, familiar ways of handling affairs had been completely upended. They had to take on new positions and new responsibilities, sorting out handovers and learning new tasks, while The Emperor kept summoning them for inquiries. What made it worse was that The Emperor had a near-photographic memory, so no one could get away with even the smallest bit of sloppy work. All the officials were so overstretched and worn out that they had lost a whole layer of weight.
If The Emperor was about to unleash another big change, they would probably be worn down to their very bones.
After that scare, no one in the court dared bring up the issue of changing the dragon robe colors again. The Emperor was noticeably more cheerful those two days, speaking a couple more words than he usually did, and no further big upheavals followed.
Cui Lanyin had never expected that a casual comment of hers would spark such a huge commotion. She had only meant to ask The Emperor to wear some different colored casual robes for her to see, but The Emperor had gone ahead and changed the official color of all imperial dragon robes.
She could not bring herself to stay cold to a The Emperor who doted on her so much, so she accepted it all. Whenever he got into one of his petty moods, she would be patient, coax him, dote on him, and take the initiative during their intimate moments.
Luckily, practice made perfect. After a few times, it no longer felt awkward at all, and she even started to think that trying new things every now and then was quite nice.
I finished writing this part early so I'm posting it sooner, muah! <3
