“Guipin Liu, you are overstepping. Is this the proper etiquette for speaking to Noble Lord? You ought to think carefully before you speak. Everyone knows the old saying that trouble comes from the mouth; there is no need for Guipin Liu to prove it for us again.” Sipping rose wine from a jade cup while watching the dancers whirl in the center of the hall and listening to the soft, lilting songs, Consort Shen, Shen Shuyuan, the highest-ranking female consort, tossed out the remark as though it were nothing. Whether she was giving Guipin Liu a way to retreat gracefully or speaking up on Nalan Xuan’s behalf, no one could quite tell. For a moment, everyone was left looking at one another in silence.
Those who had assumed that Nalan Xuan, the supposed second Consort Shu Meng, would lose both power and favor after Marquis Dingbei’s fall—and who had been preparing to seize the opportunity to make their own moves—could only stare in disbelief. Just look at Feng Xuanyi today: openly displaying affection before everyone without the slightest restraint, his arm remaining firmly around Nalan Xuan’s shoulders from beginning to end, his usually unreadable face transformed by extraordinary gentleness, his solicitous concern extending to every little detail, and above all, the unprecedented privilege of allowing Nalan Xuan to share a seat that even the empress could not occupy beside him. Every gesture proclaimed Nalan Xuan’s incomparable place in Feng Xuanyi’s heart—and Feng Xuanyi himself was the one deliberately proclaiming it.
Everyone was thoroughly confused. If Virtuous Noble Lord had not fallen from favor and was in fact still showered with imperial grace, then what had been the meaning of that decree against Marquis Dingbei’s household, which had come frighteningly close to wiping out the entire family, followed immediately by more than half a month during which His Majesty had completely ignored Virtuous Noble Lord?!
Guipin Liu withdrew her gaze resentfully and began eating the exquisite delicacies before her with an expression of such misery that she looked as though she had swallowed poison. Every bite might as well have been wax.
Holding a jade plate in one hand and silver chopsticks in the other, Nalan Xuan’s mouth twitched while a vein throbbed at his temple. He stared at the assortment of delicacies piled into what could only be called a mountain on his plate. The culprit responsible for it all remained completely oblivious, still wearing a faint, tender smile as he leisurely continued adding food, threatening to turn the currently “modest” peak into something truly monumental.
Unable to endure any more, Nalan Xuan looked up. His face was practically disappearing behind the mound of food. He tried to relax his expression so it would not look quite so stiff and lowered his voice to avoid attracting attention. “Your Majesty’s health is important. This minister can serve himself.”
Apparently failing to notice that Nalan Xuan was on the verge of breaking, Feng Xuanyi continued radiating a gentleness that could only be described as miraculous. He picked up a portion of assorted vermicelli and calmly placed it on the very top of the already trembling “mountain.” “Eat some more.”
Nalan Xuan’s limits were challenged yet again, and Feng Xuanyi once more succeeded in breaking through his composure. He tried to keep his voice low, but could not keep himself from grinding out every word through clenched teeth. “But this minister is al-read-y full.”
He pronounced the three words “already full” one by one, as though terrified Feng Xuanyi might somehow fail to grasp his meaning or mistake it for some coy excuse. As he spoke, Nalan Xuan even pushed the plate carrying that precarious little mountain closer to Feng Xuanyi so that the man could inspect it at close range and gain a profound appreciation of his current predicament.
No matter how small Nalan Xuan’s movements were or how low he kept his voice, every gesture made upon the imperial throne drew countless covert glances even from those who did not dare stare directly. His attempt at discretion only made everyone assume the emperor and his favored consort were flirting. From somewhere in the hall, no one knew where, a faint voice drifted over. “Bitch! Vixen!”
That single insult gave voice to what countless people were thinking. Resentment and jealousy disappeared beneath lowered lashes as graceful hands lifted wine cups with studied elegance.
Dissatisfied that all the emperor’s favor and attention remained fixed upon Nalan Xuan, an unfamiliar but strikingly beautiful female consort seated behind Consort Shen suddenly spoke. “Your Majesty seems to be in such a good mood lately. It has been a long time since the palace held such a grand banquet. Could Your Majesty share the happy occasion with us? Then we can all be happy for Your Majesty too!”
Her bright, watery eyes blinked innocently, thick lashes fluttering like fans. She looked utterly guileless, curiosity written across a face as pure as blank paper.
“Guiren Bai really does possess an extraordinarily perceptive mind,” Guipin Liu said with an ambiguous smile. “You have only recently received His Majesty’s favor, yet Little Sister already understands His Majesty’s thoughts so well that you have spoken for everyone at once. This elder sister may be a few years older and have entered the palace before you, but I truly cannot compare with Little Sister at all.” Her words sounded almost supportive, yet just as easily could have been the mockery of someone watching from the sidelines.
Elio’s Notes: Guiren (貴人) is a formal imperial-consort rank.
Guiren Bai seemed not to understand the hidden meaning in Guipin Liu’s words at all. Her innocent smile only brightened further. “Guipin-jiejie is teasing me. Of course His Majesty treats me well, but His Majesty treats all the other brothers and sisters well too~ Ah! Guipin-jiejie is helping His Majesty change the subject again. Your Majesty still hasn’t told this consort what the happy occasion is!”
She shamelessly played the innocent, speaking in a sweet, coaxing voice that somehow stopped just short of becoming irritating. The flirtation was perfectly judged and successfully drew Feng Xuanyi’s gaze toward her. Guipin Liu, meanwhile, rolled her eyes almost imperceptibly and gave a mocking snort loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.
Feng Xuanyi ignored all the surrounding chatter, his attention fixed entirely on Nalan Xuan. The tenderness in his gaze was almost tangible, making Nalan Xuan uncomfortable from head to toe. He avoided it as though it were some terrifying flood or savage beast.
Feng Xuanyi either failed to notice Nalan Xuan’s attempts to evade him or simply chose to ignore them. With a single wave of his hand, Mo Yan, who had been waiting at the side for some time, stepped forward. He drew a bright yellow scroll from his sleeve, unfolded it methodically, and proclaimed in a solemn voice, “By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: We are mindful of Heaven’s grace, which preserves this blessed bloodline, esteems its gifts, and shelters our dynasty. The Changyu Clan is said to descend from this ancient lineage, passed down from generation to generation, revered among the people and likewise honored by the imperial house. Noble Lord Nalan is a member of the Changyu Clan recorded in ancient texts. We have been fortunate to receive his assistance and, through him, to continue the imperial bloodline. This is truly a great blessing and should rightly be proclaimed to all beneath Heaven. Noble Lord Nalan is hereby promoted to the rank of Imperial Noble Lord, granted authority to assist in administering the Six Palaces, and charged with aiding the empress in overseeing the imperial harem. Respect this decree!”
Elio’s Notes: Imperial Noble Lord (皇貴君) is a very high male-consort rank in the novel’s fictional hierarchy, above Noble Lord and only one step below the empress.
The laughter filling the hall vanished into absolute silence. Court officials and imperial consorts alike stared in stunned disbelief. They were shocked that the emperor would publicly acknowledge—and so openly publicize—a clan known almost entirely through oral tradition, one mentioned only rarely and obscurely even in miscellaneous historical writings. Even more unbelievable were the words “continue the imperial bloodline,” which struck the hall like a bolt from a clear sky.
“Ha… Your Majesty must be joking.” The only person in the entire court who could probably voice such doubts at a moment like this was He Liangyu, the dignified father of the empress and Left Chancellor. The elderly man forced a smile onto his face, but it could not conceal how pale shock had made him. “Everyone has seen how deeply Your Majesty favors Noble Lord. Noble Lord possesses fine character as well as both talent and beauty, so Your Majesty’s promotion of him to Imperial Noble Lord is certainly not excessive. But as for this matter of imperial heirs and bloodline—” He rose from behind his table, stepped forward, and bowed respectfully. “Forgive this old minister for speaking plainly, but Noble Lord is indisputably a man. Your Majesty should not tease your ministers by claiming that he carries an imperial child.”
At He Liangyu’s words, everyone’s taut nerves relaxed at once. Although the astonishment had not completely vanished from their faces, smiles began returning one by one as people murmured agreement among themselves: “Your Majesty must be joking.”
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