Defying an imperial decree was, by law, punishable by death. Of course, Feng Xuanyi would never execute Nalan Xuan. Once the decree had been issued, the former empress was consigned to the Cold Palace without a single person daring to object, while the new empress refused to move into the Central Palace. Feng Xuanyi’s solution was actually very simple. An imperial decree carried the weight of a mountain; once spoken, it naturally would not be withdrawn. As for whether the person concerned accepted it, Feng Xuanyi had never cared. Nalan Xuan’s reactions and opinions were therefore summarily overruled. By noon that very day, Fengyi Palace had been thoroughly cleaned and refurbished, after which the still bedridden Nalan Xuan, who remained too weak to move, was forcibly “invited” there in an eight-bearer sedan chair. Since ancient times, Nalan Xuan was probably the first person in history to take the seat of empress with such utter reluctance, and certainly the first empress for whom a sovereign emperor had repeatedly exercised such tolerance and accommodation.
As for the consorts who had assumed that Nalan Xuan had fallen from favor after losing the child, they could only suffer another disappointment and slink back to their respective palaces to begin preparing for the next round of trouble before it came.
Ever since being moved into Fengyi Palace, Nalan Xuan had not taken a drop of water or a grain of rice, nor had he spoken a single word. It was as though he had decided that he himself did not exist and was nothing more than empty air. No matter who spoke to him, he would not respond; no matter who tried to persuade him, he ignored them. He even cast aside the daily morning and evening observances required by ancestral custom, simply lying there in silence, maintaining the exact position he had been in when he was first carried into the palace.
The empress was the sovereign’s formally wedded principal spouse and master of the Central Palace. The great crimson bed curtains were as red as blood, embroidered with golden phoenixes spreading their wings as though about to take flight. Yet in Nalan Xuan’s eyes, he could no longer tell which was redder—the curtains before him, or the blood that had poured from between his legs that night when the child was forcibly taken from him.
From the time he had been incapable of moving at all until the day he could finally endure the pain and barely manage to walk, Feng Xuanyi never once came to Fengyi Palace, as though he had completely forgotten that such a person still existed there.
Days of illness and his refusal to eat or drink had nearly destroyed Nalan Xuan’s body. That face beautiful enough to topple kingdoms remained as exquisite as ever, yet it had lost all radiance, as though every trace of vitality had been drawn out of him in an instant, leaving behind nothing but the shell of a walking corpse. His pallid face was almost translucent.
After his inexplicable slip of the tongue that day, Xiao Dezi never voluntarily mentioned the matter again. He continued attending to Nalan Xuan dutifully and respectfully, just as before, except that there now seemed to be a trace of heartache in his eyes that a servant had no business showing.
“Master, it’s already late. Perhaps you shouldn’t go outside.” Seeing Nalan Xuan preparing to leave wearing only a single thin inner robe, Xiao Dezi could hardly remain calm. It was midsummer, but anyone needed only to look at Nalan Xuan’s paper-white face to understand how weak the miscarriage had left him. The dampness was heavy at night, yet after spending so many days lying there like an ice sculpture, ignoring everyone no matter how hoarse they called themselves, Nalan Xuan had suddenly decided to go outside dressed in practically nothing. Xiao Dezi froze in the middle of trimming the candlewick, then abandoned it and hurried after him.
Nalan Xuan continued to act as though he heard nothing, as if he were the only person remaining beneath heaven and earth. The bright moon hung high overhead, and the night was cool as water. The air outside was so fresh that it almost tasted sweet. He wondered whether the air beyond the imperial palace might be even sweeter. Under the astonished gazes of everyone around him, he walked straight out of Fengyi Palace alone. They were only servants; even knowing that something was wrong, who among them would dare block the path of the reigning empress?
Unable to be in two places at once and knowing that following Nalan Xuan would give him no authority to stop him anyway, Xiao Dezi abruptly turned around and ran toward Yonghe Palace. The emperor was staying there tonight, and at present, the only person capable of stopping the empress was the emperor himself.
“Well, well. If it isn’t Steward De from Her Majesty the Empress’s side. What wind has blown such a great deity as yourself into our humble little temple?” Xiao Dezi had barely reached the entrance of Yonghe Palace when Tong He, the personal attendant of the current rising favorite Han Ruifeng, blocked his path. Han Ruifeng had become the newest darling of the imperial harem, second only to Nalan Xuan in the speed of his rise, having leapt several ranks within a short period to become Noble Lord Han.
“I request an audience with His Majesty.” Xiao Dezi could not be bothered with Tong He. He understood better than anyone how a master’s favor could stir up endless gossip and rivalry among the servants beneath them. Precisely because he understood, he knew that wasting words with Tong He here would accomplish nothing except expose him to more unpleasant mockery and ridicule.
“Oh dear.” Xiao Dezi might have intended to avoid trouble whenever possible, but Tong He clearly had no intention of letting the matter end there. Instead, he stepped forward and planted himself between Xiao Dezi and the palace gates, deliberately assuming an expression of regret. “Steward De, please stop there. His Majesty is spending the night at Yonghe Palace, and the person summoned to attend him is our young master. Even if this were an order from Her Majesty the Empress, barging in so openly would hardly be appropriate. Besides, this was His Majesty’s own command. He personally chose our young master, so spoiling His Majesty’s pleasure would be terribly improper. If Her Majesty truly has something urgent to attend to, I’m afraid Steward De will simply have to wait here for a while. Though I doubt they’ll be finished anytime soon. Why don’t I bring you a chair so you can sit outside? It’s summer, after all. The weather is hot, and you can enjoy the cool night air out here. Wouldn’t that be pleasant?”
“I won’t trouble you. I’ll go inside myself. Whether His Majesty chooses to see me is His Majesty’s decision, not something for a servant like you to decide.” Xiao Dezi tried to go around Tong He and enter the palace, only for the other man to seize his arm.
“His Majesty’s decisions certainly aren’t for a servant like me to make, but don’t forget that you’re nothing more than a servant yourself. There are two masters inside that room. And you think you can interfere? Ah, that’s right, I almost forgot. You’re relying on that faded master of yours, aren’t you? Even if he carries the title of empress, it’s nothing more than an empty shell. Resorting to such petty tricks to compete for favor is rather beneath him, don’t you think?” Tong He smiled smugly, displaying to perfection what it meant for a fox to borrow the tiger’s might and for a dog to swagger beneath its master’s authority. “You’ve spent far longer in the palace than I have, Steward De, so surely you understand the difference between an old love and a new favorite. How could His Majesty favor the same person forever? Everyone falls out of favor eventually. It’s only a question of time. An old love can never compete with a new favorite, and now that time has come. Your Her Majesty the Empress is the old love. Our Noble Lord Han is the new favorite. So please do us a kindness and don’t choose this particular moment to cause trouble, all right?”
“You—!”
Clap, clap, clap. Crisp applause suddenly rang out. The person who once occupied Yonghe Palace’s main hall had been moved into a side hall, while the former occupant of that side hall had moved into the main residence. Noble Attendant Liu Yin approached the palace gates with a smile that was not quite a smile. “Noble Lord Han truly deserves his reputation as the newest favorite. Even the servants at his side are all so sharp-tongued and extraordinarily knowledgeable about the great principles of life. Such profound reasoning leaves even me with no choice but to admit defeat.”
Arrogant though Tong He might be, a master was still a master and a servant was still a servant. When they met face-to-face, the required courtesies could not be neglected.
“That’s enough. I merely came to watch the excitement. How could there be a show if no one performs?” Liu Yin lazily gathered his long hair together, utterly disregarding Tong He’s expression, which had instantly darkened. “Xiao Dezi, you should hurry inside. As for whether His Majesty will see you, that is beyond my control.”
Two large crimson palace lanterns hung before the sleeping chamber. The moment Xiao Dezi stepped through the outer palace gate, their piercing red light entered his vision, and even as a mere bystander, his heart could not help turning cold.
He hurried toward Han Ruifeng’s sleeping chamber, praying only that nothing would happen to his master during these few moments of delay.
“Ah… ahh… ngh… Your Majesty… mmh…”
Before Xiao Dezi had even reached the doors, Han Ruifeng’s soft, suggestive moans were already spilling from inside. They were like the teasing scrape of a cat’s claws, faintly brushing against the heart from a distance and making the already sweltering summer night feel even more unbearably hot. Even the palace attendants stationed outside, long accustomed to such sounds, could not help blushing and lowering their heads awkwardly to avoid appearing to listen.
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