From CEO to Concubine-Chapter 220: The Yan Siblings
Under the scattered blossoms, a fair maiden wept on her knees. It was a poetic sight to walk in on, much like stepping into one of the paintings of the Four Great Beauties, each with a more tragic end than the last.
But Yan Zheyun was not in the mood to admire the scenery.
"This child-subject greets Royal Mother a golden afternoon." Yan Zheyun’s entrance into the scene was accompanied by a proper salute, calm and unassuming, giving the dowager no means to link him to Yan Xi and criticise him for lacking manners too.
His faultless opening was met with a cold smile.
"What an illustrious family our new empress comes from," was the dowager’s acerbic reply. "This old lady daren’t associate herself with such."
Perhaps his presence and status in the harem bothered the dowager as much as hers did him. Still, instead of expecting Yan Zheyun to show up regularly in her palace to pay respects to his elders, the dowager had used her ’preference for peace’ and ’intention to dedicate oneself to copying the Buddhist scriptures’ as an excuse to avoid these greeting sessions. Yan Zheyun was more than happy to comply; as the saying goes, ’what the eye can’t see lends the heart tranquillity’ (1).
This was the first time since his coronation that he couldn’t avoid his newly minted mother-in-law, whose distaste for him was stronger than the rough wines used by the northern soldiers to keep warm on patrol in the bitter winter months. If left to him, he would have been more than happy to never cross paths with her for as long as they both resided within the inner palace. But because the most dog-blooded of drama was written into the stars for him, he just had to run into her as his convenient sister stirred up some very possibly intentional trouble.
"On such a beautiful day as this, what has ruined Royal Mother’s mood?" Yan Zheyun’s gaze flickered down towards Yan Xi before shifting away. A part of him couldn’t help the frisson of sympathy it felt. However, those emotions belonged to the modern half of him who believed teenagers her age should be living carefree, attending school, making friends, and going through the bittersweet experiences of first love.
But the far more rational part of him wanted little more than to send her far away from the people he loved before she became a liability he could no longer afford. He didn’t have to be the most intuitive of inner palace scheming concubines to know that she was not on his side.
The dowager adjusted her sleeves loftily. "What can this mourner even say? Notwithstanding some differences between an emperor’s palace and a commoner’s house, at least in the past, this inner palace could still be considered a home. The master had his position in the front and his family members in the inner courtyard understood their place."
The momo that supported the dowager by the arm quickly followed her lead without missing a beat. "My poor mistress!" She cried. "Dowager Niangniang, you’re already approaching your golden years and yet have to be troubled by such unrest in His Majesty’s harem. No wonder Niangniang grows weary, the things in this palace remain the same but at the end of the day, the people are no longer the same."
Yan Zheyun could detect the insinuation that he was fulfilling the empress’ duties of keeping the inner palace in check. If this were any other servant, he could chastise them for having the audacity to judge their betters; such was the way things worked in ancient times. A parent, a teacher, a liege could critique and hold one accountable for one’s actions but a child, a pupil, or an individual of inferior status could do little but grin and bear with it.
However, this momo belonged to the dowager. A coarse saying was very apt in this situation; ’before beating the dog, check who their master is first’.
The dowager shook her head with a sigh. Her eyes, resplendently framed by her elaborate makeup, carried a hint of affected pity when they met Yan Zheyun’s, the evident patronisation in them making him uncomfortable. He didn’t let it show, waiting calmly instead for her to get to the point.
"Don’t blame this mourner for the unfavourable words. Since the empress calls me ’Royal Mother’, then I will take the initiative to deliver a lecture in the hopes that you will heed my advice." Her gaze dropped from Yan Zheyun’s face to Yan Xi’s, the corners of her mouth curling upwards mirthlessly as though she was looking at a joke, and a poor one at that, hardly worthy of her attention. "The historical annals often provide the best warnings and this mourner is sure that you are familiar with the two sisters who served Emperor Xiaocheng of Han and the tragedy they inflicted upon the kingdom.
Emperor Xiaocheng. Or as modern scholars named him, Emperor Cheng of the Western Han Dynasty. Infamous for his licentiousness, his neglect of court affairs, and his preposterous relationship with a pair of twin sisters Zhao Feiyan and Zhao Hede, Emperor Xiaocheng even went so far as to depose his original empress to let Zhao Feiyan take her place.
As for Zhao Feiyan, who was she? Nothing but a dancer sold into a princess’ estate to be trained as a dancer. As a matter of fact, it was Yan Zheyun’s dance instructor, the most sought-after courtesan in the kingdom, who currently held the title of ’Great Ye’ Zhao Feiyan’. To bring Empress Zhao up now was to compare Yan Zheyun to her, a dancer who was just lucky enough to catch the eye of the ruler. Naturally, the role of Zhao Hede would fall on Yan Xi to enact.
"A male dancer as an empress...what next? A shouma for a concubine?" The dowager shook her head, her hair ornaments glinting in the sun, pins made of precious metals and studded with the finest of stones the kingdom had to offer. She stood tall, every ounce of her bearing conveying the arrogance of the old clan aristocracy, a challenge to everything Liu Yao and Yan Zheyun were working so hard to achieve. "What is the world coming to? Your inability to bear a child for His Majesty means that your place in the harem will never be secure," she pointed out flatly. "Who better to help you rectify this than a sister of your bloodline, is this mourner correct? But Empress, you must be aware, that to know a person’s face is not to know a person’s heart. Just like Zhao Feiyan and Zhao Hede, did they not start out relying on each other in the inner palace to survive? Going so far as to serve together in the dragon bed at the same time? But once all their opponents had been defeated and they saw each other, the last two standing on the battlefield, did they not turn against each other at the first given opportunity? Setting that aside, although the Zhao sisters did not directly meddle in morning court politics themselves, they stole Emperor Xiaocheng’s attention away from important state affairs, leading to turmoil within the country. This mourner thinks the beauty of the Great Ye’s Yan siblings does not pale in comparison to Western Han’s Zhao sisters. Empress, are you planning on leading His Majesty down the path of no return as well?"
...
If Yan Zheyun had still been a pampered consort, a spoiled concubine, then he could have laughed off the dowager’s accusations light-heartedly. He could have willfully sulked and said, "Oh, so it’s my fault now that I’m good-looking?" That was the privilege afforded to those on the side; concubines, pets, maids that climbed their masters’ beds successfully, they were nothing more than toys for the men they were bound to. When the masters were happy, they could live in a lap of luxury. When a new plaything came along, their role was to try their best to stay pretty, to capture the attention of their old flame, to try and remain relevant in the household by giving the master a good time.
But the empress of a kingdom was a wife. And along with the prestige of that title came the shackles of responsibility.
The Seven Grounds For Abandonment (2). In ancient times, these were recorded as the seven reasons to ’put one’s wife away’. This was a worse fate than divorce, it was grounds to abandon one’s wife, grounds that society supported and would bring upon her the harshest of censure, effectively ruining her future. As empress, he was put in the position of serving as the role model for all wives and, rather controversially, all mothers of the country. No doubt, the morning court and the dissenting voices within the inner palace would only hold him to the highest of standards when it came to policing his behaviour.
Just because of his gender, Yan Zheyun was already guilty of the inability to produce children. This alone had resulted in Liu Yao fighting against his morning court just to make him empress. Now, in just a short minute of conversation, the dowager was accusing him of jealousy, of impropriety with other men. His skin was thick enough, weathered enough for years of company politics that he didn’t feel particularly insulted. But it wouldn’t take long for the dowager’s words to make their way to the morning court, lending even more validity to the old coots there who spent time that could be used to govern the country wisely critiquing Liu Yao’s personal affairs.
And that wasn’t the end of it. The dowager wasn’t content to make this just about a dissatisfied mother-in-law berating her incompetent ’daughter-in-law’ about failing to run the household well. By dragging the Yan Family into this, she wanted the ministers of the court to think about the threat Yan Zheyun could pose to their status. The Yan Family was in shambles after they were torn down by their political enemies but now, Liu Yao had made it clear that he had the intention to restore some, if not all, of their former glory to them. The dowager’s timely regaling of the story of Zhao Feiyan had yet another layer to it; as a result of Emperor Xiaocheng’s favouritism of the Zhao sisters, their relatives gained political power and controlled a large portion of the morning court.
The Yan Family might only have this pair of siblings alive now and as a girl, Yan Xi was less of a concern to the old ministers.
But Yan Zheyun was a man. There was no telling whether their young, unpredictable Emperor Xuanjun would one day be so enamoured with his beautiful empress that he would lose his mind and give Yan Zheyun an actual say in court.
The dowager didn’t have to spell this out for Yan Zheyun for him to understand her veiled accusation. The leeway Liu Yao granted him behind the scenes would not go unnoticed for long, this was something they had both thought about beforehand and already discussed. Especially after Yan Zheyun had regained his memories as Ziyu, Liu Yao had been expressly clear that he did not wish to keep Yan Zheyun cooped up in the inner palace, wiling the time away as he waited for his husband to return. Yan Zheyun would not have been satisfied with that either. Thus, they would have to face the mounting disapproval from the morning court together.
But here, within the harem, Yan Zheyun could still stand his ground and defend Liu Yao without any hesitation. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺
"I’m afraid this child-subject does not know what Royal Mother means," Yan Zheyun replied. He reached out to place a hand on Yan Xi’s shoulder, playing the role of a gentle, reassuring older brother effortlessly. "My humble younger sister (3) is of an age where she is playful and is merely visiting the gardens today in a bid to ease her boredom. His Majesty is currently attending court and apart from the little prince, who has a few more years yet before he comes of age, there are no other male relatives within the inner palace. The rules of the inner palace are indeed strict but His Majesty has stated that Xi Er is his sister-in-law and a guest in our household; visiting dignitaries have had the opportunity to admire our enviable imperial gardens, surely, as the host, we have no need to begrudge Xi Er the chance to either."
The dowager’s stare bored into him but it was her momo who spoke up with a cold smile. "Fengjun is magnanimous but the rules are the rules. In the event of an ’accident’ happening, who is to take responsibility then? Fengjun must know, that Dowager Niangniang was going to summon Prince Xi of the First Rank into the inner palace today for a meal."
Yan Zheyun regarded her coolly before replying, the sudden frostiness in his tone making the servants around them turn pale. "This palace noted that Momo is a long-time servant of Royal Mother and as such has reserved my opinions but I can no longer hold my tongue when Royal Mother’s reputation is at stake. Do you acknowledge your mistakes?"
The momo’s expression turned livid but she tried her best to temper it as she dropped to her knees. "This old servant does not know what I have done to offend and begs Fengjun to enlighten."
"As you say, the rules are the rules. A prince who has already left the inner palace to live in his estate outside cannot reenter the inner palace without His Majesty’s permission. If Royal Mother’s servants had been more vigilant and made it clear to Qianqing Palace from early on in the day that permission was being requested for Prince Xi to visit, then measures to prevent ’accidents’ could be put into place more efficiently, is that not right?"
The momo’s jaw tightened. "Fengjun is still quite new to the palace and has not had the chance to visit Dowager Niangniang often," she said stiffly. "So perhaps Fengjun is unaware that His Majesty has only ever been the most respectful to Niangniang and has never once asked for Niangniang to ask for permission for Prince Xi to visit—"
"Then His Majesty is filial indeed," was Yan Zheyun’s curt interjection. He raised his head and met the dowager’s gaze levelly. "Royal Mother, it is plain to see that the only similarity between Emperor Xiaocheng and His Majesty lies in that one character ’Xiao’’, filial." Hidden beneath his long sleeves, his fists were tightly clenched. The mere insinuation that Liu Yao would even be tempted, the incessant attempts to turn them against each other, he was frankly sick of it all. "Even if this child-subject wanted to be Zhao Feiyan, we will have to see if His Majesty is willing to play the part of the most ineffectual emperor of the Western Han Dynasty and I think it is safe to say that he would not."
The dowager raised a lofty eyebrow. "The empress is so loquacious. You’ve said it all, what else is there for this mourner to add?"
If she chose to dismiss them and leave, Yan Zheyun could be confident that this incident would blow over. But she stood there, watching his next move like she was biding her time for his next misstep.
How tedious. Perhaps she wanted her ego stroked after he had diffused the bomb she planted for him, perhaps she just couldn’t stand the sight of him and wanted to make his life difficult. But he knew that unless he apologised today and took on the role of the penitent child, she wasn’t going to let them off the hook that easily. He swept his robes to the side and was about to drop into a kneel to ask for her insight on how he could better himself in her eyes when a loud splash caught their attention.
Through the orderly trunks of the peach blossom trees that lined the cobbled path, just beyond the sweeping curtains of willows by the pond’s edge, a frantic crowd was gathering.
"The ninth prince has fallen into the water!"
