Chapter 98
The Emperor had requested that the bridal chamber be arranged in the eastern room of the sleeping quarters behind the main hall of Yan Hua Palace. Thinking of Master Kongji’s words about a “Empress of a prosperous age,” the Ministry of Rites assumed that even the bridal chamber for the imperial wedding had its own particular significance. Thus, following The Emperor’s wishes, they furnished the eastern room of Yan Hua Palace’s rear sleeping quarters as the bridal chamber.
When The Emperor had lived in Benyuan Palace, he had never gone to the rear hall, always staying in the western study instead. After moving to Yan Hua Palace, he still handled affairs in the western study and lived in the eastern study, without ever going to the rear sleeping quarters.
Qian He kept a very tight rein on everything concerning The Emperor, and no one could find out anything.
It was only recently, when The Emperor had begun leaving through the rear gate of Funing Palace at dawn and at noon without avoiding anyone, heading to Danyue Residence for breakfast and lunch, that the court officials learned of this habit.
Second Miss Cui was pregnant, after all, and carrying The Emperor’s first child. It was only natural that he should pay her special attention.
Separating spouses during pregnancy was something the officials had all seen before, so no one thought much of it. They assumed The Emperor slept in the eastern study of Yan Hua Palace at night.
Therefore, when the Ministry of Rites arranged the bridal chamber in the rear sleeping quarters of Yan Hua Palace at The Emperor’s command, the court officials still thought nothing of it. They assumed that once the wedding was over, the Empress would move into Fengyi Palace.
Amid the ringing of bells and drums, the bridal procession passed through Duan Gate and Chengtian Gate before arriving at Yan Hua Palace.
After The Emperor and Empress paid their respects to Heaven and Earth and to their ancestors, they performed the ceremony of sharing the nuptial wine.
An official from the Ministry of Rites presented them with two halves of a split calabash, asking The Emperor and the Empress to hold one half each. The ritual required them to take turns pouring wine into each other’s half of the calabash. One person would drink half, then hand it to the other to finish, symbolizing that the imperial couple would share both hardship and joy from that day forward, and that yin and yang would be in harmony.
But when it came to The Emperor and Empress, the ritual went awry.
After the Empress poured the wine, The Emperor took a sip, and only a few drops remained in his half of the calabash. He handed it to the Empress’s lips. “Just wet your lips.”
The Empress lowered her head and took a small sip. There truly was only enough wine left to moisten her lips.
Unable to restrain himself, an official from the Ministry of Rites reminded him softly, “Your Majesty, the Empress is pregnant. How could we dare be careless? We selected this Yutangchun wine only after examining countless varieties. Although it is called wine, it is really more like fruit nectar. It will not harm the Empress if she drinks a little more.”
“The princess cannot drink it.”
The Emperor did not even look at the official, whose eyes had widened at his reply. He took the wine and poured it into the half of the calabash in the Empress’s hand. Holding her hand, he drank the wine himself, once again leaving only a few drops for her to wet her lips.
When all the bridal rituals in the chamber were over and the officials from the Ministry of Rites withdrew, they were still wondering about The Emperor’s certainty. Had he truly determined that the Empress was carrying a princess?
If so, many who had hoped to send their daughters into the palace could breathe a sigh of relief.
After the Empress gave birth to this child, she would need to rest and recover before conceiving again. In any case, at least three years would pass. Three years left far too much room for change. It would be unfortunate for the Empress, but a wonderful opportunity for anyone else with ambitions. If someone could seize the chance to give birth to a son first—and if that person also came from an impressive family—the Empress might truly have no place left in the future.
With Master Kongji’s prophecy of an “Empress of a prosperous age,” the Empress’s position might be secure, but without a son, everything was still uncertain. Fortunately, she would have a daughter. In the future, that would at least put her in a better position than Empress Dowager Xu and Grand Empress Dowager Chen had once been.
From the moment Cui Lanyin entered, she noticed that aside from the bed, every furnishing and object in the bridal chamber had been brought over from Danyue Residence. Everything was familiar—even the teacups were the ones she used every day.
If not for the hundred-children canopy hanging from the bedframe, the hundred-children quilt spread over the bed, and the red curtains embroidered with dragons and phoenixes, she might truly have thought she was still in Danyue Residence.
Without thinking, she called out, “Uncle.”
“I might simply have been trying to save the expense of furnishing another room. If I had done that, my private treasury would be nearly empty.” The Emperor stood with his hands behind his back, watching her turn this way and that.
Cui Lanyin did not believe him in the least. “Uncle would never care about such worldly possessions.”
“How do you know? Weren’t you the one who thought I had changed greatly after becoming The Emperor?”
Cui Lanyin was startled. She had thought she had concealed her feelings well, never imagining that The Emperor had seen through her so completely.
Now that he had exposed her, she did not try to argue. She lowered her head and walked over to him. “You knew?”
The Emperor had no intention of quarreling with her. He tapped her lightly on the tip of the nose. “Keep calling me Uncle. That way, you won’t feel so distant from me.”
“What about the child? It wouldn’t be proper if someone heard.”
“Whatever you call me, the child will have to call me Father. We’ll each use our own form of address.” The Emperor pointed to her belly. “The one who came later has no say in the matter.”
Seeing him already putting on the airs of a father with the child in her womb, Cui Lanyin burst out laughing. At the same time, her heart grew lighter.
She agreed with The Emperor. Calling him “Uncle” did indeed make her feel closer to him. It made her feel that he was still the same Uncle he had been back in the days before he ascended the throne.
Buyan came in with the others and cleared away the peanuts, red dates, longans, lotus seeds, and other auspicious items scattered over the hundred-children quilt. Cui Lanyin was truly exhausted. She had Sangzhi remove her Nine-Dragon Four-Phoenix Crown, and before she even had the strength to take off her ceremonial robes, she leaned against the bed and sat down for a while.
“Tired?” The Emperor sat down beside her.
“Yes. I’ve been getting tired very easily lately, and I’m constantly sleepy. Some foods I used to enjoy, I can no longer even smell, much less eat.”
“Wasn’t it already three months? Why are the symptoms only appearing now?” When it came to pregnancy, The Emperor had already questioned Imperial Physician Cao in exhaustive detail. At this point, he probably knew more about it than most midwives.
Cui Lanyin shook her head. “My mother and my sister were wondering about that too.”
The Emperor ran his hand back and forth over her belly before admitting, “Perhaps the child takes after me. It seems determined not to follow the usual path.”
“So you know that about yourself, Uncle?” Cui Lanyin burst into laughter. Her lovely face, fair as jade, shone beneath the dragon-and-phoenix wedding candles.
The Emperor kept her company as they chatted. After resting for about fifteen minutes, Cui Lanyin felt somewhat recovered. Supported by Aiye and Sangzhi, she went to the bathing room.
The Emperor went to the bathing room in the western chamber. After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, they had both finished washing. The servants withdrew, and The Emperor helped Cui Lanyin lie down first.
Although they had been together once before, tonight was their proper wedding night. She was already three months pregnant, and Cui Lanyin had been mentally prepared for what was to come. Tonight, they would truly consummate their marriage.
The problem was that she was genuinely exhausted. She had risen before dawn to dress and prepare herself, and then endured one ceremony after another, both at home and in the palace, without a moment’s rest. The only time she had been able to pause was during the ride to the palace in the imperial carriage. If she had not been able to recover a little then, she would not even have had the strength to bathe.
The Emperor was naturally vigorous in such matters, and not easily satisfied. Even when she was in perfect condition, she found it difficult to keep up with him and would beg for mercy after only two rounds.
Now, her entire body was limp and weak. The thought of what would happen later left her both anxious and apprehensive.
Lying beneath the quilt, she took one deep breath after another, wondering whether she could gather a little strength.
The Emperor lowered the hundred-children canopy, lifted the quilt, and lay down beside her. Cui Lanyin could not help tensing all over.
But not the slightest change escaped The Emperor’s notice. He slipped an arm around her waist and smiled. “What are you afraid of? We’ve only been out of the same bed for a few days, and you’ve already grown unfamiliar with me?”
Cui Lanyin breathed softly and evenly, doing her best to relax. “I’m afraid you’ll say something vulgar. It wouldn’t be good for the child to hear that.”
“You can’t hear me through the quilt.” Though he said that, The Emperor tucked the quilt more securely around her side.
He raised a hand and covered her eyes. “Go to sleep. We’ll be busy tomorrow.”
Cui Lanyin froze for a moment, then pulled his hand away. “Uncle… you…”
The Emperor threatened her, “If you keep looking at me, I won’t be able to hold myself back.”
Realizing that he truly meant what he was implying, Cui Lanyin hurriedly closed her eyes. With nothing more to worry about, her body relaxed, and she took the initiative to burrow into his arms.
“Uncle, you’re so good to me,” she said, sweet words spilling from her lips.
“When you packed up to go home, you didn’t think I was so good to you.” His words were full of complaint, but his body told a different story. He extended an arm for her to use as a pillow.
The Emperor must have been suffering badly. Lying on his back, he slowly exhaled several breaths. “When we get the chance, we’ll keep an account book too. We’ll write down everything you owe me, and charge interest when the time comes.”
Cui Lanyin knew he was doing his utmost to restrain himself. They had been apart for half a month, and in the carrier pigeons The Emperor sent her, after discussing official matters, he always added a few words about how lonely and sleepless he was. Her heart softened.
“How about… I use my hand…”
The Emperor rubbed her twice, then refused. “Being only half-fed is no solution. We’ll put it all in the ledger. When the time comes, you’ll repay both principal and interest. You won’t be allowed to fall short by even the slightest amount.”
Yet he maintained such a solemn expression as he spoke that anyone who didn’t know better would truly think he was consulting the Ministry of Revenue’s account books.
She slept soundly through the night, and by the next morning, Cui Lanyin had recovered most of her strength.
During breakfast, The Emperor said, “Arrange for a small kitchen to be set up in Yanhuadian.”
The Emperor had never concerned himself with such matters, so Cui Lanyin immediately understood the hidden meaning. “Is the food from the Imperial Kitchen unsafe?”
The Emperor gave her a pointed hint. “Grand Empress Dowager Li and Empress Dowager Xu.”
What could Grand Empress Dowager Li and Empress Dowager Xu have done?
Cui Lanyin exclaimed, “Back then, when they had no children, was it the Imperial Kitchen that did something to them?”
“And the physicians as well,” The Emperor said. “From now on, have only Director Cao come to see you. Even Imperial Physician Liu must not be allowed to come alone.”
Cui Lanyin hurriedly nodded. “I understand. I’ll have Buyan set up the small kitchen later.”
The Emperor said, “Use Qian He, Buyan, and Gufeng whenever you need them. We’ll continue living as we did back in the prince’s residence.”
At that moment, both The Emperor’s tone and expression were exactly as they had been back in the prince’s residence. Cui Lanyin’s heart immediately settled.
After breakfast, they both changed into formal robes and went to Funing Palace.
The white marble terrace before Funing Palace’s main hall was already filled with eunuchs and palace maids.
When they heard the eunuch’s loud announcement, Qi An led a group of eunuchs down to greet them and ushered The Emperor and Cui Lanyin into the main hall.
The hall was vast and deep. Only after they had taken their places did Cui Lanyin get a clear look at everyone who had come.
When she saw Grand Empress Dowager Li seated on the eastern side of the principal seats, Cui Lanyin was genuinely impressed. The Li family truly knew when to bend and when to stand tall.
It was obvious that Grand Empress Dowager Chen had not summoned her. Cui Lanyin quickly looked toward Grand Empress Dowager Chen instead. She did not want Grand Empress Dowager Chen to have someone come and spoil her mood in her own palace.
If necessary, she would simply play the villain in front of everyone once more.
Grand Empress Dowager Chen seemed to understand what she was thinking. Smiling, she waved to her. “Come over here and let me have a look at you. You’ve been gone from home for so long—I’ve been counting the days until you returned.”
Cui Lanyin pulled away from The Emperor and went over, carefully looking Grand Empress Dowager Chen up and down. “Are you keeping well?”
Grand Empress Dowager Chen threw her head back and laughed heartily. “I’m perfectly well. I’d be even happier if you hurried up and gave me a great-grandchild to hold.”
Only then did Cui Lanyin feel reassured. It made sense. Grand Empress Dowager Li must have been worried that after The Emperor and Cui Lanyin came to Funing Palace, they would no longer visit Fu’an Palace.
That would allow everyone outside to say that The Emperor was unfilial, but The Emperor did not care about his reputation in the slightest. The court officials could do nothing about it, and as for the people outside the palace, he was even less concerned.
Grand Empress Dowager Li, however, was different. From then on, everyone in the world would know that The Emperor did not regard her as his grandmother at all. That would be deeply damaging to both her and the Li family.
So Grand Empress Dowager Li had no choice but to come without being invited. She must have already spoken plenty of conciliatory words to Grand Empress Dowager Chen.
Sure enough, Grand Empress Dowager Chen leaned close to Cui Lanyin’s ear and said, “I truly couldn’t stand the sight of her before, but I’ve changed my mind now. Watching me enjoy the life she can never have—watching her turn green with envy every time she visits, while she has to swallow her anger and humble herself before me—is actually rather satisfying.
“I’ve figured it out. Slowly grinding her down is much more gratifying than striking her all at once.”
Cui Lanyin glanced toward The Emperor. “Aren’t you The Emperor’s true grandmother, Grand Empress Dowager? The two of you are far too alike. The Emperor is the same—when it comes to certain matters, he simply refuses to give people the satisfaction of a clean resolution.”
Grand Empress Dowager Chen grew even more pleased. “After all, he called me Grandmother for so many years. Naturally, he picked up some of my ways.”
The Emperor called her over. The two of them performed the four-bow ceremony before Grand Empress Dowager Chen, Grand Empress Dowager Li, and Empress Dowager Xu, then exchanged greetings with the various imperial consorts and concubines.
Grand Empress Dowager Li maintained a kindly smile throughout, not saying a word. She simply followed Grand Empress Dowager Chen’s lead in everything, which made Empress Dowager Xu and the others extremely uncomfortable.
Afterward, Prince An and his wife, Li Yijin, Prince Ping, Princess Yongjia, and the rest of The Emperor’s brothers and sisters came forward to pay their respects to the Empress.
Li Yijin had truly kept her word. Prince Duan had not appeared at any of the several important occasions.
At noon, The Emperor hosted a banquet in the Hall of Heavenly Proclamation, where civil and military officials arrived with their families to offer congratulations. After the banquet, the Empress received the formal homage of all the noblewomen in Fengyi Palace.
