From CEO to Concubine-Chapter 201: Zheyun
The lanterns in Tianlu Pavilion burnt overnight. Head Eunuch Cao stood at the entrance, greeting the court officials who arrived in dribs and drabs and escorting them in to gain an audience with the emperor.
Liu Yao held fort at his desk with Yan Zheyun grinding ink by his side. Just like old times, except the resplendent set of robes that he donned spilt across the floor to display the intricate phoenix motifs sewn onto it.
Instead of an intimate evening spent by the glow of the red marriage dragon and phoenix candles in their bedchamber of Qianqing Palace, there were only endless wartime logistics to discuss and military orders to dictate. However, Yan Zheyun could find a measure of peace in the situation, despite how far his heart had sunk upon hearing the situation reported back to Liu Yao by the only member of the eyes and ears who had returned from the north.
Yan Zheyun had suspected that there was more to the waiter than met the eye and he had more or less confirmed that the waiter was indeed a spy for the throne. What he hadn’t known, however, was that this ’Xiao Er’ had become Wu Zhong’s right-hand man...or that Wu Zhong had led the dangerous espionage operation on the northern envoys.
The young man before them was solemn, with none of the charming professional service staff attitude he had put on with ease during their brief meetings in the past. The cloth covering half his face was tattered and bloodied. Whoever had bandaged him up had done so in a hurry and Yan Zheyun could see the edges of a huge purplish scarred skin peeking through from underneath.
The unremarkable face that had made Xiao Er perfect for spying would no longer be able to go unnoticed in public.
Despite the pain he must have been feeling, Xiao Er didn’t accept Liu Yao’s offer of a seat whilst giving his report. Instead, he dropped onto one knee and humbly asked to be punished as his team had essentially failed their mission. His voice was hoarse when he spoke, as though someone had scraped his throat raw with sandpaper.
"It was a difficult task, this sovereign will decide whether punishment is necessary after a detailed report from your fifth official. Now, update us on what is most important."
After taking a deep breath, Xiao Er launched into an explanation of the events that had led up to the assassinations of Prince Yenanda and Princess Suhanala. Xiao Er had been unable to confirm that the charred bodies he’d dug out of the wreckage of the relay station belonged to these two members of the northern nobility but their attire and the location they’d been discovered in made it highly likely.
"This subordinate has reasonable grounds to believe that Envoy Daurga was behind this, especially given how he oh-so-conveniently survived the attack," he concluded at last. "The men who’d attacked the relay station were not of Great Ye’s origin and a couple of them bore familiar faces; I am mostly certain they were a part of the entourage’s guard. They didn’t bother going to great lengths to cover their tracks because they weren’t intending to leave any survivors." It didn’t matter much anyway. The deaths had occurred on Liu Yao’s territory and it would be tricky for him to absolve himself of all culpability.
"A thief yelling ’stop thief’(1)," Yan Zheyun muttered.
"Indeed," Xiao Er agreed. "In the absence of my leader, this subordinate acted on my discretion and tailed Daurga. We were already a short way from the northern border and this subordinate was intending to capture him alive for Your Majesty to interrogate but upon drawing close, I discovered only the ruins of a border town and the dead bodies of a patrol unit of the northern army. Hence, this subordinate had no choice but to abandon my initial plan and rush to notify the nearest garrison that the armistice has been broken."
The war that Yan Zheyun had dreaded because of all the ill-portent on the horizon was finally upon them.
"Where are the rest of the men?" was the first thing Liu Yao asked. His grip on his writing brush had tightened harder and harder during Xiao Er’s perfunctory reporting and to stop him from snapping it into two and injuring himself, Yan Zheyun had reached out to touch his arm subtly, draw some of his attention to himself so that Liu Yao stopped fixating so hard on the fresh loyal blood that might once again coat his hands.
Xiao Er’s jaw clenched and the pain that lanced across his face was unfeigned. "In response to Your Majesty, this subordinate only managed to regroup with three out of fourteen members of the team. Two of them have remained further up north to recuperate from severe injuries." He hung his head low as though ashamed to admit his next words. "This subordinate is useless...and failed to confirm the Fifth Official’s safety."
Yan Zheyun felt his heart plummet. Perhaps his hold on Liu Yao’s arm had become too painful because he felt strong fingers gently pry him off before enveloping his hand in a warm, reassuring clasp.
"But you do not confirm his death either."
Xiao Er shook his head. "That I do not. The Fifth Official is skilled in our arts and plenty resourceful. When the attack happened, the Fifth Official had made himself responsible for the protection of Princess Suhanala and Prince Haerqi. He had likely managed to rescue Prince Haerqi to a safer place. This subordinate lost his tracks when they led into the great mountain range and is confident that his pursuers would not fare better than me."
Some of the sorrow that had flooded Yan Zheyun’s chest at the thought of losing one of his first friends in this world eased. Xiao Er was right. He should not assume the worst when there was still hope.
"There’s one more thing, Your Majesty," Xiao Er said with a frown that distorted the burn marks on his face even further. "This subordinate was responsible for monitoring Prince Yenanda’s behaviour. He was...engaged in intimate activities with the male prostitute that had been gifted to him at some point during his stay in the capital. However, during the ensuing commotion, this subordinate was unable to find the corpse of the male prostitute anywhere near the site of the incident. This leads me to believe that he was either complicit in the death of Prince Yenanda or they intended to use him as evidence that Great Ye was responsible for the assassination."
Outside Tianlu Pavilion, a blanket of snow coated the garden. If the weather was this harsh now, it would be unthinkable up in the north. What would possess the overlord of the north to invade at this time of the year? There were only a few possibilities. The harsh climate had brought the northern tribes to the brink of starvation and they had no more choice but to attack the border towns for resources. Or...they had the resources to attack now because they’d been planning to do so for a long time and were confident that Great General Pan, who had always been a scourge to them, would be unable to win as easily now.
Whatever it was, it didn’t bode well for Great Ye.
"It is imperative that the Fifth Official and Prince Haerqi are found."Liu Yao drummed his fingers on the table. "There is no use in fathoming the overlord’s rationale at this stage, let us focus on a solution." He turned to Head Eunuch Cao. "Deliver this sovereign’s edict. Great General Pan is to make haste and return to the north at once to recommence his role as commander of the northern army."
Yan Zheyun looked over at him, resisting the urge to smoothen out the deep furrow that had sat on his brow ever since the messenger arrived on horseback.
"Your Majesty, if this consort may be so bold as to make a suggestion."
"Speak your mind, Zitong (2), there are no outsiders here."
Yan Zheyun inclined his head even as he felt his heart skip a beat at Liu Yao’s use of that unique term of address. ’Zitong’ was the appellation of the empress by the emperor. It was both a term used out of respect and acknowledgement of the empress’ status as the official wife. Liu Yao had turned to regard him when he spoke, gaze apologetic, and Yan Zheyun didn’t have to ask to know that Liu Yao was sorry that this was the way their big day had turned out.
But when you were married to the ruler of the kingdom, it was just inevitable. Rather than sit in an empty bedchamber waiting for a husband who would not be able to come home, he was just glad he had the opportunity to help where he could.
"Xiao Er is at his limit and it would be unsafe to send him out again." Ignoring Xiao Er’s soft noise of protest, Yan Zheyun continued, "The Western Depot is already assigned to supervise the north on Your Majesty’s behalf. Your Majesty could consider their suitability in carrying out this mission." Yan Zheyun had a bit of a personal agenda here; no one would be more obsessed with keeping Great General Pan alive than the Chief of the Western Depot and if Wu Zhong’s and Prince Haerqi’s safety was paramount to gaining an upper edge in the war, Yan Zheyun knew Liu Suzhi would go to extremes to get the job done.
If Great General Pan didn’t die, did that mean Liu Yao would remain safe? He could only pray that he could change the course of destiny.
Perhaps some of his worries showed on his face, because Liu Yao squeezed his hand again, breaking him free of the foreboding thoughts that threatened to send him in a deep spiral of anxiety.
"Ah Yun, the hour grows late," Liu Yao said gently, no longer using formal speech even though they weren’t alone in the room. "I know you do not wish to return to Qianqing Palace alone but the antechamber has a divan that you should rest on for a while."
Yan Zheyun hesitated before nodding. The Ministers of the Sixth Ministries were due to arrive any moment too. Although Liu Yao had made it clear that it would be fine for him to sit in, Yan Zheyun didn’t want the meeting to turn into a debate on the appropriateness of the inner palace weighing in on morning court affairs. That was an issue for another time when they didn’t have such pressing matters on their hands.
"I’ll take my leave then...Your Majesty ought to take a break soon too."
"After this meeting, I promise."
With one last long look at Liu Yao’s fatigued face, Yan Zheyun departed.
The soft conversation that resumed behind his back was indiscernible. Yan Zheyun shut the door firmly behind him and shook his head when Xiao De stepped forward with his long fur cloak.
"We aren’t leaving Tianlu Pavilion just yet," he said. "I’ll wait for His Majesty in the antechamber. Xiao De, send an order to the Imperial Buttery for some herbal soup that will help rejuvenate His Majesty...a fish soup with walnuts, red dates, and water lily fruits should do it." Despite making it clear that he was concerned Liu Yao would overwork himself, Yan Zheyun was more than certain Liu Yao would have no choice but to work through the night...and probably the following day as well.
Emperors didn’t have the luxury of a healthy lifestyle.
With Xiao De’s hasty departure, Yan Zheyun walked into the antechamber alone, dismissing the maids who made to accompany him. This was a room that he had dozed off in often, the divan lined with comfortable silks and furs, as though Liu Yao feared that he would bruise himself if he lay down on anything less than the finest. The antechamber also served as a small private library, with Liu Yao’s favourite collections, but Yan Zheyun often had no presence of mind to read whenever he was here—Liu Yao was a master at coaxing him into sleeping or coaxing him into sleeping with him—so tonight was the first time he was stepping in here with no potential for interruptions.
Although he was tired, his brain was wide awake from the constant buzz of a thousand unsettling thoughts about the future. To distract himself, he walked towards the bookshelves and—
"Ziyu, let me tell you a secret. If I ever build a hidden room, the lever to it will be a collection of Xin Qiji’s poetry. Do you know why?"
Whose voice was that? Liu Yao?
He gazed around the room sharply, the familiar haunting lilt resounding in his ears even though there was no one else around him.
His head started to throb. What was going on? He’d been too caught up in his day-to-day life and it had been a long while since the odd hallucinations he’d been having, that strange sense of displacement, had plagued him. Why had it returned now? So suddenly, so forcibly?
It felt like something was trying to break into his skull. He tried to stem the pain but the hand that he brought up to his temples was clammy with a cold sweat. Still, he could hear someone say, "Qingyu Wan (3)."
It took him a while to realise that it was he who had spoken aloud.
The green jade bowl. Jade.
I look in the crowd hundreds and thousands of times but of them, I catch no sight. Suddenly, I look behind me; that person is standing there, just outside of the lantern’s light (4).
"Ziyu, where are you?"
Almost like in a trance, his fingers reached out for the third volume on the second shelf, as though some part of his soul was wired to remember that this was the secret Liu Yao was talking about, that there was a double meaning to Liu Yao’s teasing words, that he had kept tucked away, far more than just a youthful glee in creating a personal hidden chamber to share with a childhood companion.
The poetry book slid out with surprising ease...and invoked a low rumbling as the mechanisms behind it started to shift.
Every inch of Yan Zheyun screamed at him to stop now, that to walk in would be a serious invasion of Liu Yao’s privacy. But just like how he couldn’t seem to control his hand, his feet appeared to have a mind of their own—
—and he stepped forward and came face to face with—
Haughty phoenix eyes painted on with adoring brush strokes and a face that he could draw in his sleep.
The world went dark.
