The Emperor’s birthday fell on the fifteenth day of September. Xiao Xichi’s envoy traveled day and night, changing horses six times along the way, and finally arrived in the capital just before the appointed day.
At that moment, Wen Yanran was no longer in the suburbs of the capital. She had rushed back from Yao Palace at the beginning of the month to prepare for the upcoming important event.
As the Emperor’s birthday drew nearer, not only was the Emperor herself busy, but officials from various ministries and departments in the court were also exceptionally occupied. The Imperial Household Department, in particular, was so swamped that their feet barely touched the ground.
Well before September, officials from various regions had already sent woven fabrics to the capital to be made into new clothes for the Emperor. Artisans in charge of vessels and utensils were also busy crafting an array of precious ornaments – jade-carved pines and cypresses, gold-cast peaches of longevity, and the like – as gifts for the Emperor’s birthday.
They would not have dared to do such things before, but ever since the Emperor had visited Yao Palace, they came to feel that perhaps the Sovereign had some fondness for such objects, even if she was too reserved to say so openly.
The gifts were delivered in advance to Western Yong Palace. The Emperor, however, merely glanced at them casually before setting them aside, showing little interest.
Wen Yanran had her own reasons. She was hardly lacking in gold or silver, and as for jade and such, they were mostly oxides of silicon, aluminum, and sodium – of little practical use in her eyes, and certainly not worth making a fuss over.
When the clerks of the Imperial Household withdrew, bearing their treasures, they could not help but feel that their colleagues at Yao Palace had passed on misleading information.
Since the Emperor had removed many of the customary dishes from the menu, the imperial kitchens were scrambling to develop new recipes to ensure the birthday banquet would still be presentable.
Various preserved fruits from the south were naturally to be prepared, and since the Emperor did not drink alcohol, a variety of fruit juices also required careful development.
Wen Yanran had visited the Gui Palace some days earlier and learned that the Great Zhou had grapes, though she had never seen them served at table. When the grapes there ripened, she had some picked and brought over. After tasting one cautiously, she immediately understood why – the grapes were far too sour and astringent, fit mainly for winemaking. And since she abstained from alcohol, fewer and fewer were being cultivated on the royal estates.
The Imperial Household’s very foundation lay in interpreting the sovereign’s will. Upon sensing the Emperor’s slight interest in grapes, they promptly assigned more hands to produce grape juice. They peeled and seeded the fruit to reduce astringency, then mashed it to extract the juice, experimenting with adding sugarcane juice, honey, malt syrup, and the like to enhance sweetness. Their efforts earned the Emperor’s approval. They then steamed whole lambs with wild mushrooms, added various fresh fish and shrimp, and shredded or sliced the fish to stir-fry with poultry – all in an earnest attempt to cater to the Emperor’s palate.
The Emperor’s preferences also influenced the tools produced by the Imperial Household. The latest batch of iron woks made for the imperial kitchen was noticeably thinner. The responsible official remarked that if they could continue reducing the thickness of the woks, the stir-fried dishes they prepared would surely become even more flavorful.
The Iron Office had originally been under the Imperial Household Department’s jurisdiction, and though it had gradually become a separate entity, it still housed many inner court officials serving as the Emperor’s eyes and ears. Upon hearing the kitchen’s request, they readily agreed – for the Emperor’s dining pleasure, they would certainly find ways to innovate the craftsmanship of iron wok making.
Seeing the entire palace bustling with activity for her comfort and pleasure, Wen Yanran felt deeply gratified. She promptly ordered rewards to be distributed, encouraging everyone to keep up the good work – together, they would gallop down the path toward becoming a dissolute ruler.
The Director himself delivered the rewards upon receiving the imperial decree and added a bit of his own interpretation. “Now that the weather is hot, Her Majesty bestows these rewards out of consideration for our hard work – not as encouragement to overspend.”
The Imperial Household officials in charge of precious ornaments and artifacts nodded in agreement and promptly bowed. “Thank you for the reminder.”
To present a fresh new look for the Emperor’s birthday, palace craftsmen were busy renovating buildings, repairing damaged or damp areas as thoroughly as possible. Out of curiosity, Wen Yanran took note and noticed that some of the materials used for decoration included insect-repelling herbs – no wonder a faint scent of incense always lingered in the halls even when she wasn’t burning any.
During the summer, the Eleventh Princess and the Thirteenth Prince had accompanied her to Yao Palace. Taking advantage of this time, Wen Yanran had ordered renovations at the Qiyan Palace. By the time she returned, the work was still unfinished, so the two young ones were temporarily relocated to the Yuye Lodge beside the Qiyan Palace.
That afternoon, when they came to pay their respects, they happened to find the Emperor having an attendant read aloud from a legal text.
Since the Great Zhou had no audiobooks, Wen Yanran had to rely on human substitutes. Following her usual habit, she would have a passage read several times over before moving on to the next.
Nowadays, it wasn’t just the two young children who had to attend lessons – the Emperor herself was also expected to receive an education. The great Confucian scholars, headed by Grand Tutor Yuan, were summoned to the palace every couple of days to give lectures.
When they came to see her today, Wen Yanran took the opportunity to ask about their studies.
After the new year, the Eleventh Princess and the Thirteenth Prince had begun their formal education. Wen Yanran had initially intended to have Chu Fu teach them calligraphy, but since he was currently stationed at the Right Camp, she instead wrote to him and asked for a few sample characters, which the children could use as models for copying.
Guided by the inner attendants, the two arrived early to pay respects to their sister. Since they had not yet established residences outside the palace, their personal wealth was limited, so they could only offer a couple of sheets of their own calligraphy as birthday gifts.
Wen Yanran smiled faintly. “Seeing you both study diligently makes me happy.”
The lingering summer heat had not yet faded in September, and the kitchen had prepared a cooling soup of hawthorn and mint. The two children had worked up a sweat walking all the way from the Yuye Lodge, so Wen Yanran invited them to stay for a bowl before heading back.
Now that they had begun their studies, they had also been assigned companion readers – youngsters from prominent families like the Yuans and Songs, as well as relatives from their maternal clans. With peers of their own age to keep them company, they had recently become noticeably more cheerful and lively.
Some ministers in the court observed from the sidelines and noticed that although the Emperor had dealt harshly with Wen Jiangong, she showed no lack of fraternal kindness toward the younger siblings remaining in the palace – never once restricting their studies or social interactions.
Fifteen minutes later, an inner attendant came to report that the plant “resembling the dandelion” which the Emperor had previously requested had been sent by General Zhong via swift horse, and to prevent wilting, the plants had been properly placed in flower pots during transport.
“Have the gardeners tend to them for a while, then send them to Jingyuan.”
Wen Yanran gave the casual order before burying herself once more in reviewing memorials. Recently, she had been exceptionally diligent in governance – aside from attending court sessions and studying, she devoted herself entirely to state affairs, working from morning until evening each day. Since officials both high and low would receive three days of leave for the Emperor’s birthday, Wen Yanran had to complete three days’ worth of work in advance.
On the very day of the Emperor’s birthday, a grand morning court assembly was naturally held in the Qianyuan Hall.
Seated upon the imperial throne, Wen Yanran gazed calmly at the ranks of officials below as they bowed to her in turn – even if she had initially felt a flicker of birthday excitement, the elaborate rituals had long since reduced her to a state of tranquil composure. Moreover, the sheer number of court officials was so vast that merely completing the ceremonial proceedings took half a day, during which she had to sit obediently upon the throne, receiving homage without respite.
Whether officials from the capital, provincial administrators, or even vassal states, all were required to present memorials congratulating the Emperor on her birthday. Wen Yanran was well aware that a considerable portion of these were ghostwritten by advisors – and as a former overworked laborer herself, now turned emperor, she could extend the utmost goodwill in understanding the officials’ perfunctory gestures. After all, once those congratulatory memorials were delivered to the palace, the Emperor herself always had others read them on her behalf…
In addition to memorials from officials within the realm, Wen Yanran also received blessings from beyond the borders. Luonan, for instance – their new ruler had been installed by the Great Zhou itself, so their attitude was naturally reverent. After Tai Province was pacified, the trade routes connecting the small western states to Jianping were reopened. The rulers of Qiuche and other states had dealt with He Tingyun on several occasions and knew well her capabilities – if her subordinates were so formidable, the Emperor herself must be even more extraordinary. Thus, they promptly dispatched envoys bearing tribute of precious gems and rare spices.
Beyond the ceremonial bows, representatives from various regions were also required to report on state affairs at court – according to regulation, during the Emperor’s birthday celebrations, officials could only report good news, never bad.
During the reign of Emperor Li, this had caused great distress among his ministers, as the state had been in continuous decline, making it difficult to selectively find any good news at all. By the time Wen Yanran succeeded to the throne, however, the difficulty had not diminished – quite the opposite. As the Emperor’s rule grew more solid, good news sprang up like bamboo shoots after spring rain from every region. Xiao Xichi, for example, had simply replaced the ruler of Luonan outright. Any news from other regions that fell short of such feats would inevitably appear lackluster in comparison.
Loyal tribes like Qingyi naturally came to offer birthday congratulations, while those with divided loyalties, such as the Wuliu tribe, also sent envoys to take their places in the hall. The Wuliu were the most powerful among the border tribes. Previous Great Zhou emperors had relocated neighboring tribes to prevent the Wuliu from absorbing other populations and growing too strong. However, as the Great Zhou weakened, border troubles emerged – heavy taxation drove masses of people to flee beyond the borders, inadvertently providing the Wuliu with reinforcements from the Central Plains.
Besides the Great Zhou, the grasslands where the Wuliu tribe resided also bordered the nation of Luojia. Luojia was a major power whose strength could not be underestimated. When Wen Yanran first learned of this, she briefly entertained the notion of initiating military conflict to deplete some financial and human resources – only to be met with –
[System:
[Warning] No clear vassal relationship exists between [Great Zhou] and [Luojia]. The player cannot perform operations related to [War].]
Wen Yanran: “…”
She really couldn’t comprehend the internal logic behind this system warning.
The sounds of ceremonial music filled the great hall.
Envoys from various regions stepped forward in turn. When it came to the southern representatives, those from areas closer to Jianzhou should ordinarily have taken precedence. However, due to Xiao Xichi’s recent installation of a new ruler in Luonan, the opportunity to appear first was ceded to the envoy of General of Huairen.
