The moment sharp-eyed Xiao Jiu saw Nalan Xuan begin moving again, he immediately straightened and called loudly, “Her Majesty the Empress has arrived!”
The corner of Nalan Xuan’s lips lifted in an almost imperceptible smile. Keeping Xiao Jiu and He Xiang beside him had indeed saved him considerable trouble. At the very least, when it came to flattering their master and making an impressive show of pomp and authority, the two were remarkably useful.
Surrounded by attendants, Nalan Xuan walked forward at an unhurried pace, arriving fashionably late.
No matter how arrogantly people bared their teeth and claws behind his back, meeting him face-to-face was another matter entirely. Proper etiquette could not be ignored. Even if their gestures were less than perfectly sincere, they still had to go through the motions. Noble Concubine Xiao was no exception. No matter how much anger she had bottled up with nowhere to vent moments earlier, now that Nalan Xuan stood before her, she still had to submit obediently.
The assembled consorts and young lords rose from their seats, knelt, and bowed respectfully. “May Her Majesty the Empress enjoy ten thousand blessings and perfect peace.”
Whether any of them meant it sincerely was irrelevant. Nalan Xuan rather enjoyed the sensation of looking down upon everyone from above, especially knowing that those kneeling below each harbored their own schemes and would gladly tear him apart if they could, yet were forced to present themselves as obedient and respectful. The feeling was indescribably satisfying.
Nalan Xuan behaved as though he had heard nothing. He simply seated himself upon the phoenix chair, accepted the tea He Xiang offered him, and took a small sip. The fragrance lingered pleasantly on his tongue. He narrowed his eyes and enjoyed it leisurely while everyone below remained kneeling on the floor.
Without an order from the empress, no one dared rise. A few of the less patient ones had already begun to shift awkwardly on their knees, muttering under their breath and undoubtedly cursing Nalan Xuan’s ancestors back eight generations.
The opening display of authority was now complete. After the consorts had knelt for some time, Ji Yu’s heart was pounding like a drum, while Xiao Jiu and He Xiang, witnessing the spectacle, felt increasingly certain they had chosen the right master. With this kind of backing, throwing their weight around in the palace would be effortless.
Only after Nalan Xuan had enjoyed himself enough did he slowly open his eyes. He looked down at the dense group of people kneeling before him as though genuinely surprised and spoke with almost apologetic concern. “Why are you all still kneeling? Ah, yes. I forgot. Xiao Dezi, why didn’t you remind me?”
“This servant knows his fault. Please punish me, Master.” Ji Yu immediately knelt, accepting responsibility for something that had nothing whatsoever to do with him.
“That’s enough. Everyone may rise. Just remember to remind me next time.” With one casual sentence, the matter was settled. He had “accidentally” left all these distinguished ladies and young lords kneeling for so long, yet the only consequence was a mild reprimand for one palace servant beside him. That was power. That was status in the palace—the right to swagger openly over others. Nalan Xuan might normally have looked down upon such things, but since Feng Xuanyi had handed this power to him for free, how could he possibly fail to make full use of it?
Countless people were furious enough to grind their teeth, yet could only swallow their resentment in silence. If they wanted someone to blame, they could blame their lower ranks, their insufficient imperial favor, or simply the fact that they were not the one sitting above everyone else.
“Thank you for Your Majesty’s grace.”
Everyone rose and returned to their seats. The prescribed morning and evening observances were ordinarily little more than an excuse for the harem to gather, chat, exchange gossip, and relieve the loneliness of palace life. But now everyone except Nalan Xuan was seething with anger. Naturally, no one wanted to speak for fear that one careless word might bring disaster down upon them. Of course, peculiar people existed in every age, regardless of sex or status. There would always be someone convinced of their own importance, someone certain they could act without consequence, someone who genuinely believed fairness existed beneath heaven and clung indignantly to that conviction until reality battered them bloody and finally showed them how ridiculous they had been.
“Isn’t Her Majesty being a little too lax? It’s already noon, yet only now are you willing to see us. I wonder whether we’ve done something wrong to make Your Majesty dislike us so much.”
Noble Concubine Xiao’s single sentence plunged the entire hall into silence. Everyone stared down at their noses and pretended not to have heard anything. She had indeed spoken what many of them were thinking, but not everyone was reckless enough to throw themselves onto the point of a spear. Some time had passed, and quite a few young, hot-blooded newcomers with overly high opinions of themselves had entered the palace, but every veteran of the harem still remembered enough to remain cautious. The empress seated above them had once brought down Consort Meng, whose family background and favor had both been at their peak, and quietly removed the faultless Empress He from her position before claiming the phoenix seat himself. Nalan Xuan might currently have no child left to strengthen his position, but he was still the empress. Giving him a wide berth remained the sensible choice. If some ignorant newcomer wished to step forward and test the road ahead, however, the palace veterans were more than happy to watch.
So whether cautiously observing or trembling inwardly, not a single person tried to smooth matters over or steer the conversation away from the dangerous subject.
“Whether everyone else has done something wrong, I couldn’t say. Whether you have, I imagine only you know. Why bother asking me? No one here is deaf. As for the idea that walls have ears, perhaps someone needs to—” Nalan Xuan paused with a troubled expression, deliberately pretending ignorance. “Tsk. You truly look unfamiliar. How exactly should I address you?”
Noble Concubine Xiao took the insult head-on. Being treated like some nameless nobody was humiliating enough. Her peach-blossom eyes widened, her lips trembling before she finally ground out, “This concubine is Xiao Qi. My father, Xiao Junzheng, is a Commander-in-Chief of the Secondary First Rank at the imperial court.”
Nalan Xuan sneered inwardly. No wonder she strutted around so arrogantly. She was simply relying on her family’s influence. Feng Xuanyi’s method of tying powerful families to himself through the harem truly never grew old. As expected, an emperor ruled his realm not only from the court hall but from the bedchamber as well.
Before Nalan Xuan could respond, He Xiang became indignant beside him. “For someone supposedly born and raised as a proper young lady of a distinguished household, Your Ladyship seems remarkably unfamiliar with etiquette. Her Majesty asked you a question. Never mind that you did not kneel while answering—how can you not even begin with ‘Reporting to Her Majesty the Empress’?”
“You—!” Noble Concubine Xiao flew into a rage, yet she understood perfectly well that striking a dog meant answering to its master. If she confronted He Xiang openly, she would never hold the advantage. Yet if she simply swallowed the insult, would that not mean admitting she ranked below even one of Nalan Xuan’s servants?
“That’s enough. It’s nearly noon already. Everyone should return to your own palaces and rest.” Rather than waste more words on people who meant nothing to him, Nalan Xuan preferred to move directly to what interested him.
Everyone rose and took their leave. They had waited the entire morning only to exchange a handful of indifferent sentences.
One by one they withdrew. Han Ruifeng had only just begun to rise when Nalan Xuan immediately said, “Noble Lord Han, remain for a while. Keep me company and chat.”
Han Ruifeng paused and sat back down. Only after everyone else had left did Nalan Xuan put down his teacup and speak. “It has truly been a long time since the two of us sat down and spoke this calmly.”
“I am honored that Your Majesty still remembers me. This minister is overwhelmed,” Han Ruifeng replied with perfect courtesy.
Nalan Xuan’s eyes abruptly narrowed, and a faint thread of danger entered them. “Since when did we become so distant that we needed this much formality between us?”
A cold snort sounded above him, but Han Ruifeng remained perfectly composed. There was no longer the slightest trace of the timid, restrained servant he had once been in Prince Rong’s Residence.