It was a rare festive banquet, and from the highest rank to the lowest, the entire palace was filled with celebration and gifts. Even the lowly maids and eunuchs doing menial labor were beaming with joy, let alone the imperial consorts.
Since His Majesty had ascended the throne at a young age and only began ruling personally a few years ago, it had been nearly ten years without a single draft selection for new concubines. There were barely enough women with titles in the harem to count on two hands. Though their fixed stipends were modest, the vegetables and fruits sent as tributes from all over the realm before the New Year were plentiful, and each consort could enjoy a share. The offerings and tributes from various officials also benefited everyone.
Most importantly, during the New Year’s Eve banquet, even the rarely-seen Emperor would attend in person. If one were fortunate enough to catch his eye or exchange a few words with him, how could that not bring future favor? So, after the midday meal, everyone carefully dressed and hurried to the Mingguang Pavilion to wait.
As night fell, the royal orchestra across Taiji Lake paused their playing, and the acrobatic troupe invited from outside the palace began performing light entertainment as an opening act. The first to arrive was Noble Consort Xu. Her belly was already quite round, yet she was impeccably dressed, fresh and elegant, her gentle demeanor serene and graceful. Her gaze swept lightly across the gathered consorts of every shape and figure. She excused them from their formal greetings, then leaned against the railing beside Gu Taifei to chat and admire the lanterns on the lake.
What no one expected was that the Emperor, who they thought was still occupied with state affairs, would actually arrive together with the Empress. From afar, the glow of dragon-shaped lanterns could be seen gliding slowly across the night, and when they drew near, the imperial couple appeared before everyone like the moon surrounded by stars. Zhao Donglin held the Empress’s hand, calmly accepting the crowd’s bows. Before all eyes, he led her to the seat of honor.
Below, a sea of bowed heads and curious gazes turned toward them from every direction. Meng Guqing did not feel pride or joy, only something strange and uneasy.
All day she had felt something was off. Usually, the young Emperor rose earlier than she did to rush to court, and she never woke early to attend to him. After he left, she would rise, wash, and take breakfast at leisure. Since he seldom had the luxury of sleeping in, she had no intention of lazing in bed beside him, it was too easy to invite other kinds of feelings. Yet that morning, for once, she got up first. Unexpectedly, he did too. When Fusang was combing her hair, he even offered to draw her brows himself, eager to try.
Meng Guqing had read in old texts that painting a woman’s brows or adorning her forehead was an intimate act between deeply affectionate couples. But they… She fell silent, dismissing it as a whim of his, saying only that she would dress properly in the evening. He didn’t insist, and she thought no more of it… until now.
Now, sitting beside him before all the nobles and concubines, feeling his hand still wrapped around hers, she finally understood something.
She lowered her gaze to the Emperor’s robe, made of precious “dragon brocade,” in the noble color of black. His dark robes contrasted with her deep crimson, the two harmonizing perfectly amid the glittering court of jeweled consorts and painted maids. Her eyes drifted toward Noble Consort Xu, whose expression remained calm, at least outwardly so, and Meng Guqing’s mood soured further.
The young Emperor turned to look at her, his eyes soft and smiling. Perhaps, to the court, this public display of harmony between Emperor and Empress was only proper, even a blessing to the empire. But Meng Guqing felt helpless.
Because now she knew, the young Emperor was being sincere.
What once had been tentative and impulsive passion was now openly shown, without any pretense. He was no longer concealing his affection; he wanted the entire court to see it, the Emperor truly cared for his Empress.
If this were the modern world, where a boyfriend was rich, noble, and unashamed to publicly acknowledge his girlfriend, any girl would surely feel blessed and believe in his love without doubt.
But this was not the modern world.
What Meng Guqing could not let go of was that one little word—also. Once there had been Noble Consort Xu. Now it was her. And in the future… who would it be next?
Most of all, from the moment she entered this marriage, she had always known, deep down, that one day she would leave. That belief had let her stay calm and detached, a bystander to her own circumstances. But if she allowed herself to get caught up now, she feared she would no longer be able to pull free.
She could have left cleanly, decisively so why invite trouble upon herself? Everyone knows reason is easy to understand but hard to follow. If one could always act in perfect accord with what one knows, there would be far fewer sorrows in this world.
Her modern mindset was deeply ingrained. Meng Guqing was certain she did not love the young Emperor. Yet that didn’t stop her from being moved by his actions.
And perhaps he sensed her turmoil because he deliberately added fuel to the fire.
In a corner unseen by others, he interlaced his fingers tightly with hers, his touch intimate and firm. The candlelight flickered in his eyes as he leaned close, voice soft yet earnest: “Empress, don’t feel lonely. From now on, we will always spend New Year’s together.”
The banquet at Mingguang Pavilion was lively and splendid. The Empress Dowager was in fine spirits and stayed up until the third watch before being persuaded to retire. Several retired Consorts attended as well, along with a widowed princess. It was rare for all the consorts to gather in one place. Seeing how kindly the Emperor treated the Empress, and how he later personally escorted Noble Consort Xu to the main table to accompany the Empress Dowager in guessing lantern riddles and composing poetry, no one had the heart to mind anything else. They were long accustomed to being overlooked; as long as there was food, drink, and entertainment, they were content. Some even dared to set off fireworks themselves.
Amid the cheer, Meng Guqing’s homesickness had almost vanished, though not because she was at ease, but because Zhao Donglin had left her too unsettled to think of anything else. The meal passed tastelessly for her, though the one who caused her unrest was in high spirits, laughing freely, even composing a New Year poem together with Noble Consort Xu that earned Gu Taifei’s praise. Sitting beside the Empress Dowager, Meng Guqing stayed silent. Watching Noble Consort Xu and the young Emperor discuss poetry, she gradually felt her mood calm. When he glanced toward her, she simply returned a faint smile.
The days after the festival passed quickly, too quickly, as happy days always do and soon it was the Lantern Festival. After the Beginning of Spring, the chill still lingered. The young Emperor had no time for the inner palace throughout the first month. Heavy snow had caused disasters in the north, and in the south, two bands of over a thousand bandits had taken advantage of the chaos to rise up. These were small matters compared to what truly held the court’s attention: this year’s Spring Examinations.
It was clear the Emperor urgently needed new talent. He had already shown keen interest during last year’s autumn exams. To ensure the scholars could take the tests in comfort, the government postponed the February exam to April because early that month, another heavy snow had fallen, turning the examination halls into ice chambers. To think such a careful, compassionate emperor ruled them, it was indeed the good fortune of the people.
Even as he kept a firm grip on government affairs, Zhao Donglin did not neglect his own strict regimen of self-discipline. Meng Guqing heard that Guard Tan had now become one of the Emperor’s close attendants, holding a position nearly as trusted as Feng Tianbao. The man was indeed loyal, and soon forged the imperial guard into an elite force, steadfastly devoted to one person alone.
Meng Guqing knew all this partly from Caiwei’s gossip but mostly because the Emperor himself told her. The same man who had once resisted her now shared everything with her openly, hiding nothing. She could not help but see him in a new light.
The possessive intensity he had shown during the New Year unsettled her; the forceful passion that followed his confession had made her think he would no longer allow her any hesitation. Yet the truth turned out otherwise. Instead of pressing, he had grown more respectful, more protective and the vulnerability he occasionally revealed spoke volumes of his sincerity.
It seemed that his strategy had shifted to restraint to winning her heart.
And frustratingly, Meng Guqing found that it worked on her.
Someone had once said: In life, it is not rare to meet love or desire. What is rare is to meet someone who understands you.
The young Emperor couldn’t yet claim to understand her but he was trying, earnestly, to make her understand him. And with each passing day, it became harder and harder for her heart to stay unmoved. Habits, once formed, were not easily broken.
Now, whenever the Emperor was occupied with state affairs, he would visit her himself when he could. When he couldn’t, Feng Tianbao would always come to deliver word of his condition. If ever it grew late and the eunuch didn’t appear, even the calm and steady Fusang would start murmuring, “Has His Majesty been too busy today? Why hasn’t Feng Gonggong come by?”
Hearing that, Meng Guqing could only turn away, pretending not to hear. Before long, footsteps approached, the maid Caiwei entered and curtsied.
“Your Majesty, Princess Yang’a is here.”
Meng Guqing asked for the princess to be shown to the east guest room, where visiting consorts were received. She rose, rubbing her stiff neck from reading, and after checking that her attire was in order, went to meet her guest.
Princess Yang’a seemed to have changed somewhat recently. She hadn’t entered the palace all month, but now, each time she came to visit the Empress Dowager, she made sure to also greet her younger sister-in-law, the Empress. Sometimes, when bringing small curiosities from the common folk for the Empress Dowager, she would prepare an extra set for Meng Guqing as well, nothing expensive, but thoughtful nonetheless.
Since the princess had taken the initiative to be friendly, Meng Guqing couldn’t remain aloof. Fortunately, one sought closeness and the other treated her politely, so their interactions were courteous and pleasant, though shallow. Their conversation rarely strayed beyond small talk, and each meeting ended soon enough.
Today, however, something was different. From the moment Meng Guqing entered, she noticed that Princess Yang’a’s expression was off, distracted, her words disordered, her mind clearly preoccupied. Now and then she even ground her teeth in anger.
Puzzled, Meng Guqing glanced at Fusang. The princess had been brought in by her, had something happened that she didn’t know about? But Fusang shook her head; the princess had been in this state from the moment she arrived. It had nothing to do with Fengyi Palace.
Meng Guqing sat with the princess for about fifteen minutes before someone came in to deliver a message. She excused herself to attend to business, but when she stood, Princess Yang’a also rose.
“Your Majesty, please don’t let me keep you. I’ve been busy these days as well, and though I rarely have time, I thought it’s been too long since I properly spent time with Royal Mother, so I plan to stay in the palace for a few days. That way, I can also talk with you when you’re free. I hope Your Majesty won’t find it troublesome.”
If the princess wanted to stay in the palace, Meng Guqing had no objection. However, she had heard that Princess Yang’a cherished her husband deeply and almost never stayed overnight at the palace. Her son, the young prince, was only ten, how could she feel at ease leaving father and son alone at home?
Still, she smiled and expressed her welcome. Princess Yang’a had always stayed in the Empress Dowager’s palace when visiting, so all it required was a word to Fanchun Gugu hardly any trouble at all.
As long as it didn’t involve anyone from Fengyi Palace offending Princess Yang’a, Meng Guqing usually didn’t pay much attention; until dinnertime, when Caiwei brought back a shocking piece of gossip: Princess Yang’a’s consort, Marquis Anyi, Dong Min, had been caught cheating!
It all started the previous year, when the princess and her husband returned to their hometown to accompany her late father-in-law’s spirit back for burial. In those times, a family’s prestige was tied to its prosperity, especially the abundance of sons. The Marquis’s family, too, had many local relatives. To show favor and generosity, the princess had held a grand banquet, inviting all their kin and guests. Among them was the Marquis’s widowed aunt, who came with her son and daughter.
That daughter, Wang Fu, was said to be strikingly beautiful. The princess, finding her gentle and well-mannered, had even spoken kindly with her, though she made sure to prevent her husband and this cousin from ever being alone together, believing that as long as she stayed vigilant, she had nothing to worry about. But who would’ve thought they’d already begun seeing each other behind her back?
By the time the princess found out, that cousin Wang Fu and her family had already been set up in a separate residence by the Marquis himself. Fortunately, he was still observing the mourning period for his mother, so nothing “substantial” had yet occurred. Still, Princess Yang’a, who had lived her life in comfort and dignity, was so furious she nearly exploded. She led a group of strong servants from the princess’s residence, stormed over to the Wang family, and had the widow and her two children beaten and thrown out of the capital.
In the past, the Marquis had shown hints of straying before, but each time the princess had swiftly stamped it out with thunderous force. She assumed this time would be no different, after all, their ten-year affection wasn’t fake, and their son was adorable. She still wanted to continue the marriage and thought expelling that family from the capital was already a great act of mercy.
But Anyi Marquis Dong Min was truly reckless this time. No sooner had the princess thrown the family out than he secretly brought them back again, finding them an even better house. When the princess confronted him, he swore passionately that if she couldn’t tolerate his relatives, she might as well drive him out of the princess’s residence too.
Whether he was truly acting out of familial duty or simply guilty at heart, Princess Yang’a knew perfectly well. And because she knew, the sadness and anger only cut deeper. Still, her pain carried a trace of hope, after all, in all their past quarrels, it was always the Marquis who came to coax her; when she returned from visiting their mother, it was always he who came to fetch her. Remembering their shared years, she told herself privately: If he just comes to the palace to admit his fault and severs ties with Wang Fu, I’ll forgive him. After all, I did publicly humiliate his relatives; as Anyi Marquis, it must have wounded his pride…
Although she kept the matter from the Empress Dowager to avoid worrying the elder, by the next day, the entire palace knew about it. Everyone was watching eagerly, betting on how long it would take before the Marquis came crawling back to fetch the princess home.
Thanks to the palace gossip-monger Caiwei, Meng Guqing followed the drama with great amusement, occasionally exchanging opinions with her two maids. But when four or five days passed with no sign of the Marquis, Princess Yang’a finally lost her composure. After some maneuvering, the task of mediating between husband and wife landed on the Empress.
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