“Children are wonderfully simple. They aren’t constrained by worldly power, nor are they bound by the loves and hates, grudges and entanglements of the past. As long as two people love each other and their hearts are one, a child will be conceived. No matter how much the parents try to hide it, cover it up, or deny it, facts speak louder than words.” Yelü Zhen spoke lightly, seemingly in quite a good mood.
So that meant…
“So that means Feng Xuanyi loves you, and you love him too. Even now, after all his lies, betrayal, and hurt, you still love him.” The secret buried deepest in Nalan Xuan’s heart was spoken aloud, and that gentle voice, as though afraid of waking someone from a dream, suddenly sounded unbearably shrill in his ears. “Even though he personally killed your first child.”
Yelü Zhen said it so casually, almost cheerfully, yet his words echoed through the great hall like a nightmare.
“So what?” After a brief silence, Nalan Xuan arched a brow and replied coldly, “If I remember correctly, a year ago, you were the one who told me that when someone of the Changyu Clan conceives, the pulse doesn’t reveal itself until two years later. Even then, the pregnancy doesn’t show, and the child isn’t born until another six months after that. Unless my memory has failed me, I’ve only been back at the palace for two months at most. That makes this joke rather far-fetched.”
Yelü Zhen did not care. Nalan Xuan’s rejection and denial were both entirely within his expectations. “I only came because I was curious whether you still loved that man. Whether you believe me or not has nothing to do with me. I’ve already learned what I wanted to know. As for the rest, do whatever you like.”
Nalan Xuan narrowed his phoenix eyes, the sharpness in them wholly unconcealed, yet he made no attempt to stop Yelü Zhen as the man slipped past the palace guards and vanished into the night as a black shadow. Even if what he said is true, I won’t allow it to become reality.
His right hand unconsciously settled over his lower abdomen. Beneath his magnificent robes, his stomach remained perfectly flat; no one would believe that a new life was growing there. Ruthless resolve flashed through his eyes, and a sinister, bloodthirsty curve touched his lips. Feng Xuanyi, you’d better pray every word he said was nonsense. If it’s true, then this really did fall straight into my hands. Ning Xuan may have allowed emotion to rule his reason, but I, Nalan Xuan, will show you exactly what it means for reason to erase feelings that should never have existed in the first place!
“I truly don’t know whether I should be glad you appeared… or regret that your existence will come to nothing…” His distant gaze melted into the darkness beyond the window as he murmured softly to himself.
The next day, amid the unease of the consorts in every palace, another round of morning observances arrived. Today, however, there were two new faces among them.
“This concubine Yina’er and this humble subject Keshuqi pay respects to Your Majesty the Empress. May Your Majesty be blessed with peace and good fortune.” After joining the other members of the harem in their formal greetings, the two newcomers were required by ancestral custom to separately pay respects to the Central Palace as a display of humility and obedience. Unfortunately, paired with those keen, sharp-edged gazes, their flawlessly proper conduct was difficult to associate with the word humble.
Yina’er was strikingly beautiful, every movement suffused with allure, but her gaze was too sharp to conceal her ambition. Keshuqi, by comparison, was far more restrained. Although he made no deliberate effort to avoid meeting the eyes of those above him, his gaze lacked Yina’er’s aggressive edge, giving him instead an air of hidden depths that was difficult to fathom.
“Rise.” At Nalan Xuan’s word, everyone took their seats. “You’ve only just entered the palace, and you’re far from your homeland. Differences in food, clothing, daily necessities, customs, and habits will inevitably take some getting used to. If you need anything, simply tell the others in the various palaces, or come directly to me. Consort Shen and Noble Attendant Liu, pay a little more attention to them over the next few days.”
“Yes.” Liu Yin and Consort Shen accepted the order.
“Thank you for Your Majesty’s grace.” Yina’er and Keshuqi immediately rose, knelt, and offered their thanks.
“Noble Concubine Xiao, what’s the matter? Why do you look so pale?” The words sounded concerned, yet somehow carried a trace of coolness and unmistakable schadenfreude.
The imperial harem had always been like this. Conflict would not cease merely because old faces departed and new ones arrived, nor would anyone generously spare the newcomers in the spirit of keeping family scandals within the family. Instead, open and covert struggles rose and fell without end, everyone eager to draw a clear line between friend and foe.
Noble Lady Bai’s remark immediately drew everyone’s attention. One distinctly unfriendly gaze after another landed on Xiao Qi, and only then did they realize that she did not merely look unwell—she looked frightening. Her face was almost deathly white, her bloodless lips pressed tightly together as though she were desperately enduring something. Her eyes were hollow and slightly unfocused. Although the underfloor heating had already been lit in the various palaces, she was drenched in sweat as though she had just been pulled from the water, looking so weak she might collapse at the slightest touch.
Her voice matched her appearance, so feeble that she seemed liable to run out of breath at any moment. “Your Majesty, this concubine is feeling unwell today—”
Before Xiao Qi could finish, Noble Lady Bai interrupted with a soft laugh.
“Feeling unwell? Hehe, I don’t think Your Highness is physically unwell at all. I think something simply isn’t sitting well with you.” It was rare for Noble Lady Bai to get an opportunity to suppress Xiao Qi, who normally relied on the power of her maternal family to throw her weight around the harem and speak without restraint, so naturally she seized the chance to indulge herself. “Your Highness, you really ought to take this in stride. His Majesty is the sovereign of an entire nation, not one person’s sovereign alone. Three palaces and six courtyards are only to be expected. Two new younger brothers and sisters have merely joined us, and you already can’t get used to it? Then how are you supposed to endure the years ahead? In this harem, no matter how extraordinary someone’s imperial favor might once have been, when has any flower remained red for a hundred days? You really should learn to let it go.”
As she spoke, Noble Lady Bai seemingly glanced toward the empress above them by accident. Those words were meant for Xiao Qi, but they were also meant for Nalan Xuan. No matter how exceptional his favor had been, no matter how spectacularly he had monopolized the emperor’s attention, the very first night after the arrival of the new favorites had already broken Feng Xuanyi’s habit of summoning the empress every day and spending every night at Fengyi Palace for two straight months. True, His Majesty had not summoned anyone else from the harem last night either, but his attitude alone was enough to show that he did not absolutely need the empress. The empress might receive more favor than the others, but Feng Xuanyi had also conveyed a message to everyone in the harem: they still had a chance. As for how much favor each of them could ultimately obtain, that would depend on their own abilities.
“Noble Lady Bai, is this the proper etiquette you owe me when you speak?” Xiao Qi’s voice might not have been as loud as usual, nor her tone as cutting, but the intimidation in it was undiminished. A seemingly careless glance from her was enough to make Noble Lady Bai shudder and grit her teeth in silence.
“Noble Concubine Xiao, that’s taking it too seriously. Noble Lady Bai was only thinking of you, wasn’t she? She was worried about you and wanted you to relax. Why are you getting angry instead?” Liu Xiaoyun and Xiao Qi held the same rank of Noble Concubine and were therefore equals. Liu Xiaoyun lifted her teacup, took a small sip, and continued gently, “It’s only such a trivial matter. Is there really any need to make such a fuss? If every consort in this harem were as quick-tempered as you, then when you first entered the palace, wouldn’t the rest of us have turned the whole place upside down?”
“Since Noble Concubine Xiao is unwell, she should return to her palace and rest early. The rest of you may withdraw as well.” Nalan Xuan unexpectedly spoke up at that moment, openly siding with Xiao Qi. Everyone was caught completely off guard. After all, the two people who usually got along worst were precisely Nalan Xuan and Xiao Qi. What kind of performance were they putting on now?