From CEO to Concubine-Chapter 111: Best Served Cold

Change happened overnight. Yan Zheyun wasn’t sure how Liu Yao had done it but word of what had transpired at the entrance of Tianlu Pavilion, including Noble Consort Li’s and his arrests, hadn’t reached the rest of the inner palace. Perhaps Liu Yao’s network was more powerful than he’d let on.

That evening, after the dowager had stormed out in a rage, the flimsy veil that had concealed her bad blood with her son was finally ripped away for everyone present to see—or in Yan Zheyun’s case, to hear, Liu Yao had dismissed his subordinates before stepping behind the screen to pull Yan Zheyun into a hug.

"This sovereign has shown you something ridiculous (1)," he’d quipped, with mirth in his tone, but all Yan Zheyun could feel was heartache for him. This wasn’t a joke that Liu Yao, or anyone, for that matter, should have to make. No one should have to laugh at themselves in deprecation because their mother hated them so much they felt embarrassed to show it in front of others.

Yan Zheyun had tightened his arms firmly in response, feeling Liu Yao sag a little against him. "Thank you for trusting me," he mumbled.

[Thank you for trusting me enough to choose the difficult options.]

After that, Liu Yao didn’t let him out of Qianqing Palace for the rest of the day. Perhaps he’d been paranoid that the dowager or maybe spies that had been planted by Grand Protector Li would attempt to take revenge on him. Yan Zheyun had been told to stay put in, a comfortable corner set up on a cushioned divan for him as he’d indulged in books and the delicacies that Qianqing Palace’s kitchen, kept to cater to the emperor’s tastebuds, had gone out of their way to prepare for him.

They were also all sweet desserts, Yan Zheyun had realised. Traditionally from the southern region. He wondered whether Liu Yao had ordered them for him because he was making an educated guess from Yan Zheyun’s tangyuan preferences or if he had already noticed the anomalies in Yan Zheyun’s persona, the little incongruencies that he’d let slip because at the end of the day he wasn’t a professional actor.

But as long as Liu Yao didn’t ask, he wouldn’t have to tell.

That night, Liu Yao hadn’t returned before Yan Zheyun had gone to bed and he was already gone when Yan Zheyun woke up at dawn, the only hint that he’d been there by Yan Zheyun’s side was the faint lingering traces of sandalwood. Yan Zheyun turned his face into the sheet and inhaled lightly. Now that most of the aftereffects of the withdrawal had faded and Head Eunuch Cao was the one personally in-charge of inspecting the incense used in any of the places Liu Yao frequently, Yan Zheyun no longer felt so averse to the smell. It was familiar and comforting, should never have been sullied by someone’s nefarious plot.

"This servant greets Lord Yue." It was Deputy Eunuch Zheng again. Yan Zheyun realised that Liu Yao liked to assign him to Yan Zheyun. Now that he knew Head Eunuch Cao’s true identity, he wondered if Deputy Eunuch Zheng had a role in the Eastern Depot too. Or perhaps had even been sent over earlier to establish ’friendly’ ties with Yan Zheyun for the purposes of spying. He wasn’t offended by this idea; now that he had seen for himself how precarious Liu Yao’s life was, he couldn’t fault the man for some of his decisions. But he was also more confident that Liu Yao, at least, had affections for him and that perhaps that might be what was like a soothing balm to the wounds of mistrust that would otherwise feel raw.

Yan Zheyun placed his book down and folded his hands on top of it. "What is it?"

Deputy Eunuch Zheng gave him another one of those knowing smiles that always brought a slight heat to Yan Zheyun’s cheeks. Even after months of living in the imperial city and having become accustomed to the way things were done in these times, there were still a couple of things that he couldn’t adapt to easily. Having his romantic relationship under the spotlight in front of servants, all of whom had front-row seats like they were watching him act out a romantic drama with his co-star Liu Yao, still left him awkward and he suspected it would be difficult to ever shake this uncomfortable feeling off.

"Lord Yue, His Majesty requests your presence immediately."

Yan Zheyun blinked. It was only slightly past midday. Liu Yao hadn’t returned from morning court so Yan Zheyun had assumed that he had headed straight to Tianlu Pavilion to continue the heavy business of running the country. Liu Yao had been the one to insist that he stayed put in Qianqing Palace but if he wanted Yan Zheyun’s company now...

"Please lead the way."

But it wasn’t Tianlu Pavilion that Deputy Eunuch Zheng took Yan Zheyun to. Yan Zheyun’s confusion mounted as the sedan he was permitted to use led him straight out of inner palace gates and into the administrative section of the imperial city. To perplex him further, Deputy Eunuch Zheng called a halt right outside the imperial prison, and his entourage came to a standstill in front of its ominous gates.

"Not to worry, Lord Yue," Deputy Eunuch Zheng soothed. He must have caught sight of the seriousness on Yan Zheyun’s face because he added, "His Majesty is here to give Lord Yue the justice owed."

Justice? Of course, in this society, the emperor’s word was justice. But what justice did Liu Yao owe to him? Yan Zheyun had no idea. Was this about Noble Consort Li? But if so, then they would be standing in front of the Department of Careful Punishment instead. There was no reason for a woman belonging to the emperor to be moved out of the inner palace, not even for trial for her crimes. But otherwise...

Everything became clearer once Yan Zheyun was led into a side room that had a cell at one end. It looked and felt far cleaner than the interrogation chamber he had seen during his short stint in jail just a couple of days ago and the reason for it was probably the tall figure seated in a grand preceptor chair (2).

Even though that broad back was facing Yan Zheyun, he would recognise that profile anywhere.

Liu Yao turned his head as Yan Zheyun walked across towards him and Yan Zheyun caught the faintest sliver of iciness on his features, which melted off the instant their eyes met.

"You’re here," Liu Yao said, reaching out for Yan Zheyun like he was wont to do. Whether it was subconscious or deliberate, Yan Zheyun had noticed that Liu Yao liked holding his hand, his grip warm and gentle but firm and unrelenting all at once. It was dichotomous almost, as though Liu Yao was happy to pamper him insofar as he was within grasp, and Yan Zheyun knew that he should technically mind the undercurrent possessive streak he could detect but it didn’t trigger the impatience or irritation he thought that it would.

Perhaps they both just wanted someone to belong to in this world.

"Your Majesty sent for me?" In front of others, Liu Yao never insisted that Yan Zheyun address him by name.

"Mn." Liu Yao gestured lazily towards the cell. "Does this sovereign’s Yan Yun recognise these men?" His eyes never once left Yan Zheyun’s face; whoever was behind those bars were completely inconsequential to him.

Yan Zheyun, on the other hand, noticed some familiar faces, one of whose had turned so ashen upon laying eyes on him that Yan Zheyun could already envision what he would look like as a fresh corpse. Yan Zheyun also recognised his companion, who had also been guarding the door of Qianqing Palace that night and some of the other guards who had been alerted to the commotion and who had assisted in pinning him down.

Head Eunuch Cao must have reported to Liu Yao in detail about what had happened that night when Yan Zheyun had sneaked into Qianqing Palace. It had only been a mere week or two since that incident with the Yulin Army guards that had been on duty but with everything more important going on, Yan Zheyun had set it aside to prioritise Liu Yao’s health and then the deadly politics that they had no choice but to play. The harassment, which would have been severe in modern times, had felt so trivial in comparison that Yan Zheyun had set it out of sight and out of mind even though the thirst for revenge had burned in him whilst it had been occurring.

This was why he hadn’t brought it up to Liu Yao yet, Liu Yao, who had the hardest multitasking job in the world and didn’t need his boyfriend to add more baggage to it.

But Liu Yao had been paying attention to him. This enveloped his heart with a sudden warmth that reached his eyes and he tightened his fingers until they slotted themselves naturally between Liu Yao’s and intertwined.

"They are," he said. "Your Majesty summoned Yan Yun to..." He left it hanging.

Liu Yao stood up. The men in the cell had already fallen to their knees but it was strange that they weren’t pleading for mercy like Yan Zheyun would have expected. Whether this was because they only acknowledged the grand protector as their master or whether Liu Yao had earlier intimidated them into silence, Yan Zheyun didn’t have the full details of what was going on.

But what he could guess was this; Liu Yao was leaving their fates in his hands.

Liu Yao’s next words confirmed it for him. "It was Yan Yun that was slighted. Hence, this sovereign shall leave the punishment in your hands."

The only thing more satisfying, Yan Zheyun surmised, than Liu Yao avenging him, was Liu Yao offering him the opportunity to do so himself.

"Yan Yun thanks Your Majesty." He took a step closer to the cell but paused when he felt a strong arm encircle his waist. A small smile toyed on the corner of his lips but the tiny high windows at the top of the room were slanted in a way that placed the cell’s inhabitants in the light, their flaws and miserable states visible for all to see, whilst keeping their interrogators shrouded in menacing darkness. As such, no one could see the amusement on Yan Zheyun’s face.

Liu Yao called him here but he was...still jealous? That at least one of these men had had the gall to make moves on his concubine?

"That one there," Yan Zheyun said at last, referring to the guard who had attempted to drag him off. "Second from the right. As Yan Yun recalls from their conversation, he has a history of abusing the young eunuchs in the palace." His words became coldly authoritative as he spoke. Even though he didn’t realise it, he had readopted the tone that he used whenever he highlighted the faults of his employees who had made one too many mistakes to be forgiven. "To allow him to remain in his post would be a detriment to both the culture and the safety of the inner palace."

"Very well," was Liu Yao’s even reply. "He shall be executed at dawn." 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

The guard finally found his voice, stammering out a high-pitched plea but it was sharply cut off by his own disbelief as Yan Zheyun added, "Please wait, Your Majesty. Death would be too easy for him."

Liu Yao raised an eyebrow. "This sovereign does not think that Yan Yun is pleading for clemency."

"Of course not." Yan Zheyun blinked up at him with wide eyes. "Yan Yun was just thinking since he’s so fascinated with eunuchs, why not bestow upon him firsthand experience?" But something else occurred to him immediately after. "It would be dangerous to allow such a repeat offender to remain in the vicinity of so much temptation though," he said, wrinkling his nose. Not to mention, Yan Zheyun didn’t want to keep a resentful troublemaker close enough to cause problems for himself. "He might find another way to commit his crimes...Yan Yun suggests sending him to tend to the imperial ancestral grounds after castration."

"..."

The imperial ancestral grounds were so remote and isolated that they were a form of exile. Historically, princes that had been stripped of their titles for heinous crimes were sent to keep watch over the place. To send a eunuch here was to break off all hope that they might have for a bright future, not to mention a guard who had no intentions of being a servant in the first place.

It might be easier to just kill him and be done with it but that seemed like letting him off the hook too easily.

Liu Yao observed Yan Zheyun for so long that Yan Zheyun was starting to think that his idea had been too pernicious, enough to disgust or at least warrant Liu Yao’s disapproval. But before he could come up with a way to hide his big fluffy fox tail, Liu Yao tapped him gently on the nose with fond resignation.

"You’re just pretending to be well-behaved, aren’t you?" he murmured, his eyes crinkling at the corners when Yan Zheyun failed to conceal his surprise that Liu Yao would call him out for it without any warning. "As Yan Yun wants."

"T-Thank you, Your Majesty," Yan Zheyun rushed to say after he recovered from the shock. "As for the rest..." He considered that they were members of the Yulin Army and that Liu Yao still hadn’t told him how he was resolving the matter with Grand Protector Li; Yan Zheyun had no news about what was going on in court at the moment and his relationship with Liu Yao was still too ambiguous for him to pry into this comfortably because one wrong move could shatter the peace that they shared.

Besides the perpetrator, none of the others had done anything too untoward. There was no need for so much bloodshed, not if it would tarnish Liu Yao’s reputation or weaken the regard his officials had for him. The last thing Yan Zheyun wanted to do now was to rock the tenuous boat that Liu Yao was currently sitting on. If Liu Yao executed them now for whatever reason, Grand Protector Li might just be able to use it to instigate dissent within the Yulin Army against the throne and nothing was more dangerous than having the army meant to guard the imperial city turn its fangs against the people it was meant to be protecting.

"Yan Yun suggests a lighter punishment for the guard that was on duty at Qianqing Palace’s gates that evening." He pointed the man out. "As for the rest, they were merely following orders and should not be blamed for performing their duties to the best of their abilities." Even if those abilities were abysmal, he didn’t add. There would be a more appropriate time to discuss that with Liu Yao. He had serious doubts about Liu Yao’s safety.

"If this is what Yan Yun wishes," Liu Yao replied. Yan Zheyun tried to read any dissatisfaction in his eyes but there was nothing but an affection that was so intense Yan Zheyun had to avert his gaze or risk becoming flustered in front of a roomful of strangers, even if they probably had better things to think about at present than scrutinise his blush.

When had Liu Yao become so...demonstrative of his feelings? Yan Zheyun felt like it was a very recent change and it flummoxed him a little, caught him off-guard at the most inopportune of times.

It was also a bit exciting though, if he had to admit it.