Chapter 5: Palace

Carved railings and painted beams, magnificent and resplendent. Looking at the Longyan Palace, Yin Yu, dressed in a goose-yellow silk palace gown, had these eight words pop into her mind. Seeing her stop, the maid behind her asked in confusion, "Niangniang, what is the matter?"

Yin Yu smoothed her elaborate hair bun, her charming face gaining an even more seductive allure as she said tenderly, "It is nothing. Let's go. Hand the things to this Palace." Walking to the door, she turned slightly and took the soup bowl from the maid's hands.

"Greetings, Noble Lady Yu." Xiao Yu-zi, the first-class favored eunuch manager by Li Zhan's side, frowned imperceptibly upon seeing the newcomer and gave Yin Yu a flat salutation.

Yin Yu clearly did not notice his coldness. Her heart was set on seeing Li Zhan, so she naturally lowered her status to curry favor with the high-ranking man by his side. "Eunuch Xiao Yu-zi, this Palace ordered the Imperial Kitchen to prepare a nourishing soup to send to His Majesty..." As she spoke, her eyes drifted toward the interior.

Xiao Yu-zi snorted inwardly, but his expression remained unchanged as he cast a faint glance at the soup bowl. "The Noble Lady has arrived at an inconvenient time. His Majesty has just retired and has ordered that he is not to see anyone. The Noble Lady should return first."

"This Palace will not disturb His Majesty. This soup..." Yin Yu's smile froze, but she quickly forced another smile and continued.

Xiao Yu-zi refused directly. "Noble Lady, please do not make things difficult for this servant. I will carry this soup in for you. When His Majesty wakes up in a while, I will convey your intentions on your behalf."

By now, no matter how thick her skin was, she had to understand that the Emperor would not see her. Yin Yu's face turned pale, a hint of hostility coloring her brow, and she indignantly flicked her wide, cloud-patterned sleeves. "Hmph!" Then, she turned and left.

Once Yin Yu's figure had faded into the distance, Xiao Yu-zi flicked his whisk, spat disdainfully, and looked at the guards on either side. "All of you remember this: if Noble Lady Yu comes to Longyan Palace again, send her straight back. Longyan Palace is not a place His Majesty allows just anyone to enter!" Having said that, he entered the Longyan Palace.

Amidst the faint scent of sandalwood, a man dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe looked up, gave the entering Xiao Yu-zi a slight glare, and continued reading memorials at his desk. His narrow phoenix eyes were as deep as a dark pool, exuding majesty even without anger. He was tall, his black hair styled up and held by a simple, lustrous, and rounded green jade hairpin. With phoenix eyes and sword-like brows, a high bridge to his nose, and lips habitually pressed thin, his handsome face and well-defined jawline would have made him look like a cold, elegant scholar from a painting if not for the dragon robe he wore.

"Your Majesty, Noble Lady Yu just came by, saying she brought nourishing soup, but this servant has already sent her away." Seeing Li Zhan's gaze fall upon him again, Xiao Yu-zi reported.

Li Zhan placed the memorial on the sandalwood desk, a hint of fatigue appearing between his brows. "Xiao Yu-zi, what day is it today?" His voice was deep, sounding like the resonance of fine ancient jade.

"Replying to Your Majesty, today is the tenth of the second lunar month," Xiao Yu-zi said, observing Li Zhan's expression.

An emotion flashed rapidly through the man's deep eyes before settling. He rose and strode to the window, gazing at the swaying willows outside. His voice carried an imperceptible sadness. "The tenth of the second month... ten years ago today, I met her for the first time in the palace..."

A look of horror appeared on Xiao Yu-zi's face as he realized who the "her" the Emperor spoke of was. So today was actually the anniversary of the day the Emperor met the late Empress... Ever since that mistress passed, the Emperor had suffered a great illness. After recovering, he never mentioned her name once, nor did he allow the imperial physicians to touch her remains. When the Emperor, returning from a victorious battle, heard the tragic news, he had thrown himself off his horse and rushed into Changle Palace, guarding that mistress alone all night without closing his eyes. Finally, when he saw the blood-written letter she had left behind, he wept bitterly. Only he had heard the desperate cries of the usually resilient Emperor. Who says men do not weep easily? It is only that they have not yet reached the point of true heartbreak!

He did not know what kind of feelings the Emperor held for the Empress. Was it because he hated her for her heartless departure that he refused to mention anything about her, or was it because he could not accept the news of her passing and chose to remain silent? Perhaps it was both, but besides the Emperor himself, who could say for certain?

"Tell me, how do you think I should deal with Zhou Yi?" After a long silence, while Xiao Yu-zi was immersed in his own thoughts, Li Zhan suddenly turned his head and asked as if in passing.

Xiao Yu-zi was startled and fell to his knees with a thud. "This servant does not dare to discuss politics, Your Majesty!"

Li Zhan chuckled, though the smile did not reach his eyes. "If it were Changge, she would say that although General Zhou has committed an offense against a superior, considering the magnificent military merits he has earned for the State of Li, he should be dealt with leniently. However, the punishment must also serve as a warning to others to establish imperial authority..." It was just that in this world, there was no longer anyone who dared to answer his questions with such tireless devotion regardless of the consequences—someone who did not treat him as the monarch of the State of Li, but as a person seeking an opinion. It was only after losing her that he understood the meaning of bone-deep pain, heart-wrenching and uncontrollable.

"Your Majesty... the Empress was a rare and extraordinary woman in this world, but it is a pity her beauty was short-lived... However, the deceased are gone. Your Majesty must take great care of your health!" Xiao Yu-zi's nose felt inexplicably sour. He had accompanied the Emperor since childhood, watching him grow from an unfavored prince in the Cold Palace to an emperor above all others. He understood the Emperor's reserved and emotionally restrained nature too well; yet, at this moment, the Emperor was expressing his longing and remembrance for that mistress without any concealment...

Li Zhan supported his forehead with his hand, a bitter smile curling his lips. "He was her beloved senior brother; their bond was like that of siblings. Even if Zhou Yi held private feelings for her, I cannot be too ruthless, otherwise Changge would blame me from the other side... No, she left so decisively, even abandoning the child in her womb. In the end, she refused to even look at me once. She has always been blaming me. She blames me for killing her father and brothers, for stripping her of her martial arts, and for punishing her with confinement... She must surely hate me, otherwise, why would she not even entrust me with a single dream?"

Xiao Yu-zi raised his sleeve to wipe his reddened eyes, choking out, "Niangniang loved you so much, how could she..."

"Go out. I wish to rest." Li Zhan closed his eyes, and his gaze instantly returned to its cold, waveless state, as if the person reminiscing in sorrow just now had not been him.

"Yes." Xiao Yu-zi bowed and withdrew.

When the room finally grew quiet and he was left alone, Li Zhan wordlessly removed the hairpin from his hair, gently stroking the patterns on its surface. The delicate, warm sensation remained the same, but the person who had gifted him the hairpin would never again smile gently as she helped him style his hair.

Outside the magnificent palace, a woman with long hair dressed in black stood quietly in the wind. Her hair danced softly, the tips brushing against her exquisite, jade-like face. Her eyes merely gazed toward the direction of the imperial palace, for a long, long time.

"Mistress, it is cold outside. Let us go inside," Fuyin said softly, approaching Changge with a cloak in hand to wrap around her.

Changge continued to look at the imperial palace, her voice faint. "A-Yin, actually, I have never liked the imperial palace."

"I know." Fuyin's heart ached. Her mistress should have been a phoenix soaring freely through the nine heavens, yet for the sake of a man, she was willing to be trapped within the palace walls.

"But now, I cannot wait to go in." She turned around and smiled, a smile devoid of both joy and sorrow, a fleeting moment of splendor.

***

A message to the readers

Where are the readers~~ Come out, come out~