Chapter Ninety-One
The Emperor came over in broad daylight. Cui Lanyin wore a cold expression and did not say a word, so Aiye and Sangzhi knew at once that something serious had happened.
They ushered the two of them into the living quarters, hurriedly served tea and pastries, and then withdrew with the attendants.
Cui Lanyin said nothing as she sat down on the luohan couch. Knowing she was not in the mood to see him, The Emperor sensibly took a seat on the opposite side.
He poured her a cup of tea and pushed it toward her. “Have some tea.”
Cui Lanyin picked it up and drank half a cup. The Emperor promptly handed her a piece of pastry. It was already past mealtime, and she was a little hungry. Thinking of the child in her belly, she accepted it and ate slowly.
The Emperor took a large red brocade box with woven gold designs from his sleeve and set it on the small table before pushing it toward her. “This is for you. The box was originally yellow, but I had it replaced with a red one. I’ll have another made later, in whatever style you like.”
The brocade box, embroidered with dragons and phoenixes, was clearly extraordinary. It was nothing like the boxes he had previously used for her jewelry. She refused at once. “I don’t want it.”
The Emperor leaned forward and pressed the catch on the box. The lid sprang open, revealing something gleaming with gold. It was a seal with intertwined dragons carved into its handle. Though she had never seen one before, Cui Lanyin could guess that it must be the empress’s seal.
The Emperor took out the imperial seal and placed it beside her as casually as if it were some worthless trinket. “Take it and play with it.”
Cui Lanyin picked it up and was about to put it back when The Emperor did not stop her this time. He merely said softly, “Grayfeather was the one shouting so loudly just now. It’s moving to Yan hua Hall at this very moment. The court officials haven’t dispersed either, so the whole place is in chaos.”
Cui Lanyin had an immediate sense that something was wrong. “What was it shouting?”
“Second Miss Cui is pregnant!” The Emperor pronounced each word clearly. “It shouted it more than a dozen times.”
Cui Lanyin twisted her fingers together. If Grayfeather were here, she would pluck out several of the feathers it prized most and teach it a lesson it would never forget.
Her mind was in turmoil. The plan she had spent so long making had suddenly taken an unexpected turn, and she no longer knew what to do.
“You said yourself that I was strange. A child raised without a father is bound to turn out this way,” The Emperor continued.
At that moment, every word from The Emperor seemed suspicious to Cui Lanyin, as though he had some ulterior motive.
She gave a cold snort. “Stop trying to fool me.”
The Emperor was not angered. Instead, he explained earnestly, “The officials of the Great Yong number seventeen thousand nine hundred in all. Of these, there are three thousand two hundred and forty-six officials of every rank in the capital; seven thousand five hundred and four civil officials of regular and miscellaneous posts in the capital region and the various provinces; three thousand eight hundred instructors and educational officials; and three thousand three hundred and fifty military officials in the provinces. Their records are all in my head. I compared them, and among those who lost their fathers or did not grow up by their fathers’ sides, most have warped tempers.”
In the short time it took to say this, The Emperor had apparently run through the records of every official, great and small, in the entire Great Yong—just to prove to her that a child could not grow up without a father.
So what if he had an impressive memory?
Cui Lanyin stared at him without speaking. Only the rapid rise and fall of her chest betrayed that she was on the verge of losing her temper.
“Let me finish before you get angry,” The Emperor said, his tone gentle and conciliatory. He paused, clearly taking her feelings into consideration, then continued, “You’ve seen what sort of temperament the late emperor had. The Li family’s roots are not good, and Emperor Gaozong was hardly any better. I’m no different, so we have to start teaching the child properly from an early age.”
He had not only dug up the private histories of all the court officials; he had now begun denigrating himself, while dismissing both Emperor Gaozong and Emperor Xuanning. The anger in Cui Lanyin’s chest remained suspended—unable to rise, yet impossible to settle.
“If your family’s roots are so bad, then the child should stay even farther away from you, so it won’t take after you.”
The Emperor muttered, “Leaving the father behind and keeping only the child is truly impractical.”
Seeing that he had consistently kept his tone low and discussed the matter with her rather than issuing orders, Cui Lanyin realized that losing her temper would not help. So she told him what she really thought.
“The palace is suffocating. I don’t want to spend my entire life shut up inside it.”
“Do you find it suffocating now?”
“I can leave the palace at present.”
“You won’t have to change that in the future either.”
Cui Lanyin fell silent. The Emperor was a frightening man. Often, before she even noticed what was happening, he had already laid the groundwork and set his plans in motion. In the end, everything appeared to have gone according to her wishes, when in fact The Emperor had simply understood her nature and prescribed the right remedy.
She had no good solution, so she could only use the clumsy one: whenever something happened, she would think it over carefully, delay as long as possible, and weigh the matter repeatedly before making a decision.
Even though she knew that the entire city of Ying would soon learn that she was pregnant, she still could not bear for her child to be called a child born out of wedlock. Yet at that moment, she was unwilling to simply give The Emperor what he wanted.
“Let’s ask what precautions need to be taken during pregnancy first.” The Emperor rang the bell and ordered Buyan to summon Imperial Physician Cao. He also had Buyu bring paper, ink, a brush, and an inkstone.
In the front hall of the living quarters, Grand Empress Dowager Chen had finished questioning Qian He in detail. She took up a handkerchief and swatted him with it. “You good-for-nothing rascal, you’ve led Yin astray. If we can’t get past this, just see how I deal with you.”
Qian He smiled ingratiatingly. “With you watching over her, Yin will certainly give birth to the child safely.”
The moment children were mentioned, Grand Empress Dowager Chen seemed to regain her vigor from head to toe. “A child of our family—how could anything go wrong?”
She was about to ask Qian He what The Emperor’s intentions were when Buyan came over and reported that The Emperor had summoned Imperial Physician Cao and Imperial Physician Liu to answer questions.
It was half an hour before Imperial Physician Cao and Imperial Physician Liu finally came around from the rear. Grand Empress Dowager Chen called them inside. “What is the situation between The Emperor and Yin now?”
This time, Imperial Physician Cao did not conceal anything. “Second Miss Cui is still unwilling to speak much, but His Majesty asked us one by one about everything that should be avoided during pregnancy and instructed us to write down every precaution in detail.”
The Emperor was even more concerned about the child than she had expected. Grand Empress Dowager Chen began making her calculations.
A group of people waited together. When word came that food had been served at Danyue Residence, they ordered a meal here as well and ate distractedly.
The Emperor still did not come out. They were just considering sending Qian He over to take a look when Buyan came running in again, sweating profusely.
“His Majesty was just discussing having Second Miss Cui move to Yan hua Hall to live with him. Second Miss Cui said that moving during the first three months of pregnancy was inauspicious, so His Majesty said he would have a side door opened beside Danyue Residence and would live there from now on.
“Since Lord Cui has overseen all the palace renovations, Second Miss Cui thought His Majesty was going to summon Lord Cui inside again. She said His Majesty was deliberately opposing her at every turn, and then… then she became angry. His Majesty is afraid she’ll hurt herself again, but no matter what he does, it seems to be wrong…”
The Emperor actually had no intention of keeping it hidden any longer. After Grand Empress Dowager Chen’s heart pounded with alarm, she instead steeled herself. Whatever happened, they would face it together.
“I’ll go take a look.” Grand Empress Dowager Chen rose from the heated brick bed, but Princess Yongjia hurried over and took her arm first, determined not to miss the latest developments.
Grand Empress Dowager Chen said to Empress Dowager Xu and the other two, “You’ve all seen how stubborn Yin can be. I can’t handle her on my own. Come along. If each of you says a few words, perhaps one of them will get through to her.”
A group of people crowded around Grand Empress Dowager Chen as they headed to Danyue Residence. They had barely stepped into the central room, before they had a chance to admire the precious and unusual ornaments filling the hall, when something flew out of the living quarters before them.
They focused their eyes and saw that it was one of The Emperor’s black boots.
“You are not allowed to live here. Leave at once.”
It was a soft, feminine voice, thick with anger.
Buyan quickly called out, “The Grand Empress Dowager is here,” and ushered Grand Empress Dowager Chen and the others into the sitting room.
Everyone who entered naturally walked around the lone black boot on the floor, as though they had collectively failed to see it.
Cui Lanyin made way for Grand Empress Dowager Chen and Empress Dowager Xu to sit on the luohan couch, then invited Consort Dowager Shu, Dowager Concubine Wan, and Princess Yongjia to take the chairs.
The shock these people had received was indescribable. In private, Cui Lanyin treated The Emperor like a shrew of a woman. By comparison, she was positively restrained in public.
With everyone avoiding The Emperor’s side, Cui Lanyin had no choice but to sit in the chair beside him.
Grand Empress Dowager Chen asked, “Have the two of you reached an agreement?”
Cui Lanyin pressed her lips together. “I still need to think about it.”
The Emperor turned to Grand Empress Dowager Chen. “The Emperor’s eldest son cannot inherit the throne. What is he to do in the future?”
Empress Dowager Xu and the others stared in astonishment. So The Emperor was capable of saying so many words after all. But when they understood what he meant, they were all left speechless. What exactly was The Emperor saying?
Grand Empress Dowager Chen fixed The Emperor with a sharp gaze. “It’s too soon to speak with such certainty. What if, a few years from now, you have another child whom you love even more and come to regret this? In that case, it would be better not to give the child hope in the first place. With Yin and me teaching the child, he—or she—could instead live a steady life.”
“If she doesn’t give birth, where would I get another child?” The Emperor watched the expressions of those around him and easily made a promise that he would have no children by another woman.
Cui Lanyin had not expected him to become so reckless. “You… I have a feeling it will be a girl.”
The corners of The Emperor’s mouth curved upward. “Then she must not be wronged even more.”
The Emperor could smile, too. Princess Yongjia gazed at Cui Lanyin with open admiration. As expected of Cui the Second Fierce of Yingcheng—her reputation was well deserved.
Grand Empress Dowager Chen made her decision at once. “The Emperor is right. A child born into the imperial family will be pushed into a struggle for power whether they wish to compete or not. Yin, you cannot act out of temper. You must give the child a proper status.”
When she saw The Emperor glance toward the table, everyone followed his gaze and spotted the imperial phoenix seal of the empress.
“It’s been some time since I last saw it.” Grand Empress Dowager Chen picked it up and admired it for a while. Her opinion of The Emperor had completely changed. “So many people have their eyes on the empress’s position. I imagine The Emperor will have a difficult time getting past this hurdle.”
The Emperor chuckled. “I am the one taking a wife. Naturally, I have the final say!”
Grand Empress Dowager Chen turned to Cui Lanyin. “For the child’s sake, you must take this position.”
The Emperor then discussed it with Cui Lanyin. “Shall I go pay my respects to your parents tomorrow?”
Grand Empress Dowager Chen nodded repeatedly. “That is exactly what you should do. The proper formalities must not be neglected.”
Cui Lanyin knew there was no better option, but she did not want everything to proceed exactly as The Emperor wished.
She instructed Aiye, “Physician Cao just said that a pregnant woman and her husband should sleep in separate rooms. Go pack up His Majesty’s belongings and have Buyan take them back to Yan hua Hall.”
In Benyuan Hall, the court officials were still kneeling in a great mass, abandoned there. The Emperor had left—who were they supposed to kneel for now?
After court, The Emperor had continued summoning officials in the Western Gallery. The ministers had assumed there was still room to reverse the palace move, but outside, Qian He had already begun leading people to Yan hua Hall to move the important possessions.
The color of the imperial robes had already been changed. If they allowed The Emperor to move out of Benyuan Hall this time, would he not disregard these ministers even more in the future?
After several Grand Secretaries came out, Grand Secretary Feng gathered the officials waiting in the western side hall. They knelt in a great mass outside the Western Gallery and passionately urged The Emperor, saying, “Benyuan Hall has been used for daily life and governance since the founding emperor. It is the very foundation of the Great Yong. How can it be altered at will? We beg Your Majesty to withdraw the order.”
Of course, not every official knelt. The ministers aligned with Grand Secretary Shen and Grand Secretary Zheng did not, nor did Grand Secretary Yao or the officials who had come from the Yao clan’s schools.
Grand Secretary Li, who had kept himself out of everything that had happened recently, also remained standing.
But who among those present did not know that Grand Secretary Feng was acting according to his wishes?
The Emperor, inside the Western Gallery, showed no reaction. He let the men kneel while continuing to summon officials inside to discuss state affairs.
Whenever someone refused to rise, he simply passed over him and summoned the next person.
At a time when everyone was so tense, the squawking of the bird called Grayfeather was especially conspicuous. Once they made out what it was shouting—“Second Miss is with child!”—everyone in the courtyard froze for a moment before their minds began to wander.
The matter of Second Miss Cui keeping a lover was common knowledge. The officials had even taken the phrase “old and peculiar” and begun comparing among themselves which man might be Second Miss Cui’s lover.
Among the sons of Yingcheng’s wealthy and noble families, as well as the various minor officials, there were indeed quite a few men of twenty-two or twenty-three who remained unmarried. For a while, they could not determine which one it was.
And now this parrot was announcing that Second Miss Cui was pregnant. Wouldn’t there be another grand spectacle to enjoy?
Wasn’t Second Miss Cui supposedly incapable of bearing children? What kind of man had managed to get her with child?
Everyone watched the parrot fly into the Western Gallery. With such an affair being exposed in public, surely The Emperor would feel humiliated. Would Second Miss Cui’s glory come to an end?
Many of the kneeling officials began whispering among themselves, unable to maintain their solemn expressions.
The daughter of a fallen household truly had not been properly taught. She had merely entered the palace to take advantage of its wealth and influence, and the moment she became rich and honored, her true nature had shown itself.
Sure enough, after only a few breaths, The Emperor strode out. Buyan could not even keep up with him as he headed straight for Funing Palace.
The officials knelt for another quarter of an hour. When The Emperor still did not return, Qian He came back from Yan hua Hall and followed him there as well.
Who were they supposed to kneel for now? One minister with numb legs rose to his feet. Once someone took the lead, more and more officials soon stood up. There was no point in kneeling any longer. At a glance from Chief Minister Li, Grand Secretary Feng and the others also rose.
Grand Secretary Yao could not help sneering when he saw this. Chief Minister Li had no tricks beyond this same back-and-forth maneuvering.
They waited until noon, yet The Emperor still did not return. When they asked Gufeng, who had gone back to fetch the things being packed up in the Western Gallery, they learned that The Emperor had stayed at Funing Palace for the midday meal.
Thinking that The Emperor would surely return after eating, the officials waited, hungry, past the usual mealtime. Still, The Emperor did not appear.
It was not until the hour of Wei that Buyan came over. He went straight to them and said, “The honored ministers may disperse. Any matters can be submitted tomorrow.”
“Is His Majesty in Yan hua Hall?” Chief Minister Li assumed that The Emperor intended to hide in Benyuan Hall until the move was completely finished before showing himself again.
“His Majesty is still at Funing Palace.”
The ministers were somewhat surprised. Surely Second Miss Cui’s matter was not serious enough for this? Grand Secretary Feng asked, with little respect, “Is Second Miss Cui refusing to terminate the pregnancy?”
“Having no wish to follow in Grand Secretary Han’s footsteps, Grand Secretary Feng would do well to watch his tongue.” Buyan shot him a fierce look.
In the past, even Guangsheng, who had wielded tremendous influence at Emperor Xuanning’s side, had behaved courteously before a group of Grand Secretaries. Buyan was merely an attendant who served The Emperor at close quarters, yet he truly thought himself above everyone else.
Grand Secretary Feng glared back angrily. “Who do you think you are, to dare speak so insolently to me?”
“I am no one important.” Buyan retorted without backing down. “Grand Secretary Feng, you would do well to conduct yourself carefully.” With that, he turned and left.
Grand Secretary Feng laughed in fury. “It’s only an illegitimate child. Does he really think it’s some phoenix-born treasure?”
Only the furnishings and possessions added after The Emperor had moved in, along with his seals and other important items, were being removed. None of the original furniture or decorations in Benyuan Hall had been touched. After Buyan left, the move there was also completed, and the palace attendants all went to Yan hua Hall.
Faced with an empty hall while The Emperor remained nowhere to be seen, the officials had no choice but to disperse.
The next day, Chief Minister Li claimed illness and did not attend court. The other four Grand Secretaries, along with the officials who were required to have an audience with His Majesty, nevertheless arrived at Yan hua Hall.
Although Yanhuadian was somewhat smaller than Benyuan Hall, its open layout made it feel far more spacious and brightly lit.
The Emperor was still handling affairs in the western chamber. Since the western chamber was one continuous room, he must have been living in the eastern chamber.
Grand Secretary Feng stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, the matter of moving palaces still requires further discussion. As for Yanhuadian…”
The Emperor looked at him coldly. “Which one of them did you say was an illegitimate child?”
