Yuwen Lan discovered for the first time that someone knew his secret.
He raised his eyes to look at the seemingly inconspicuous woman in the distant corner.
Who was she?
It didn't take long for the concubines to notice that the emperor's gaze seemed to be constantly directed towards one particular area.
Following his line of sight, they saw a small table near the entrance of the hall, where two women were seated. One was as plain as a palace maid, while the other was dressed to rival Noble Consort Zhou and Consort Ning.
Everyone began to speculate silently.
Rendong whispered to Yanshu, "My lady, doesn't it seem like His Majesty keeps looking in your direction?"
Yanshu didn't take it seriously and casually replied, "I doubt it. He's probably looking at Concubine Zhang. She's quite eye-catching!"
As she spoke, she tasted the newly served West Lake vinegar fish. Mmm, the fish was tender and sweet-and-sour, with hints of crab flavor. It was truly exceptional.
Their voices carried to the side, further confirming Concubine Zhang's suspicions.
Ever since the Empress Dowager had arrived, the emperor had been intentionally or unintentionally looking in this direction. She felt certain that her attire today had finally caught his attention.
The brocade worth a thousand gold per foot, the jeweled hairpin worth ten thousand gold – they were indeed the finishing touches.
However, the distance was still too great. She needed to find a way to make the emperor remember her, not wanting to miss this golden opportunity.
So she called her personal maid Chun'e to bring her pipa, and walked to the center of the hall, saying, "On this auspicious occasion, this humble concubine wishes to sing a song for Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager, praying for your good health and fortune."
Indeed, the pipa was inlaid with mother-of-pearl and gemstones, perfectly complementing her eye-catching attire.
Noble Consort Zhou, Consort Ning, and Consort Li's eyes flickered with hidden fire, their hearts filled with jealousy and resentment.
Yuwen Lan absent-mindedly said, "Granted."
Palace servants quickly brought a round stool. Concubine Zhang sat down with her instrument, her slender fingers plucking the strings as she began to sing in a delicate voice.
"A straight stalk of purple bamboo, I'll send it to my love to make a flute..."
To everyone's surprise, Concubine Zhang was singing a folk song from Jiangnan. The melody was graceful and the lyrics were soft and coquettish, sung in the Su Zhou dialect, truly impressive.
When the song ended, the audience couldn't help but applaud.
The Empress Dowager even asked, "Are you from Jiangnan?"
The Chief Eunuch of the Ceremonial Office, Hu An, introduced her, "Reporting to Your Highness, Concubine Zhang's father is the Imperial Textile Commissioner of the Capital. Their entire family are genuine residents of the capital."
Concubine Zhang also smiled and said, "This humble concubine heard that Your Highness enjoys Su Zhou ballads, so I specially learned one or two. My singing isn't good, please forgive me for the offense."
The Empress Dowager nodded, "That was thoughtful of you."
As she spoke, she glanced at the emperor out of the corner of her eye, only to see him lift his teacup for a sip, his expression remaining indifferent, still showing no particular reaction.
Suddenly, Consort Ning was heard saying to Consort Li beside her, "The tune was indeed pleasant, but I couldn't quite understand the lyrics. Consort Li, your hometown is in Jiangnan, right? Please tell us, what was the meaning of the song just now?"
Consort Li, however, appeared troubled. She looked around and said, "Well... I'm afraid it might not be appropriate to discuss in such a formal occasion."
This statement immediately piqued everyone's curiosity –
Oh my, not appropriate to discuss? What exactly did Concubine Zhang sing about?
Consort Ning laughed, "What could be so inappropriate? Surely it wasn't treasonous lyrics?"
Concubine Zhang's face changed color, and she hastily shook her head, "How could this concubine dare?"
Consort Li covered her mouth and smiled, "Oh, it's nothing like that. Consort Ning is just joking. The song is merely crude talk from the countryside, about love and such. It goes something like 'A straight stalk of purple bamboo, I'll send it to my love to make a flute, the flute to the mouth, the mouth to the flute, a little carp wagging its tail, just like my darling's rosy cheeks. Oh my little sweetie...'"
"Oh my!" Consort Li's words were suddenly interrupted by Consort Ning, who covered her ears in mock reproach, "Consort Li, how could you! How can such language be spoken in this setting? What if it offends the ears of His Majesty and the Empress Dowager?"
Hearing this, Consort Li hurriedly stood up, putting on a panicked expression as she bowed to the high seats, "Please forgive this concubine, Your Majesty and Empress Dowager. I have overstepped..."
Well, since she was merely repeating someone else's words, the blame naturally couldn't fall on her head. So neither the Empress Dowager nor the emperor said anything, but everyone turned their gaze towards Concubine Zhang.
Only Yanshu, holding a bowl of newly served fish soup, was drinking it while inwardly shaking her head –
As they say, the bird that sticks its head out gets shot. One should only take on what they can handle, not come out to show off unnecessarily. Now look at the mess she's in!
How much better it is to just honestly eat like her!
Mmm, this fish soup is sour and spicy, it's really delicious.
Not far away, Concubine Zhang was sitting on pins and needles, caught in an awkward situation. Her earlier pride had vanished into thin air, and she could only hurriedly kneel and say, "Please forgive this concubine, Your Majesty and Empress Dowager. I learned this from the people at the Imperial Music Bureau. I'm not from Jiangnan, and I only worked hard to learn the dialect to sing well. I didn't know the meaning of the lyrics..."
Consort Ning and Consort Li didn't speak further, joining the others in watching coldly from the sidelines.
After a moment, it was the Empress Dowager's lady-in-waiting, Zhushu, who came to smooth things over, "I suppose folk songs are often like this. Concubine Zhang surely meant no harm."
As she finished speaking, the Empress Dowager raised her hand slightly, "Enough. It's a festive day, everyone return to your seats."
Concubine Zhang responded and only then dared to stand up, slinking back to her seat with her pipa, thoroughly embarrassed.
Consort Li also sat back down, and when no one was paying attention, exchanged a glance with Consort Ning, their eyes conveying an unspoken understanding.
The palace servants brought out new dishes, and Consort Ning, Noble Consort Zhou, and others continued to vie for conversation with the Empress Dowager, while Yuwen Lan's face remained impassive throughout.
The Empress Dowager, while responding to everyone, glanced once more towards the distant corner, inwardly pondering, could it be that the emperor has taken a liking to the one who's been quietly eating this whole time?
That's truly... an unique eye.
As cold dishes, hot dishes, desserts, and soups came one after another, just as Yanshu was about to eat herself to bursting, the New Year's Eve banquet finally came to an end.
The Empress Dowager rose to leave, and everyone stood up to bow and respectfully see her off.
Yuwen Lan also rose from his seat, and while watching the Empress Dowager exit the hall and board her palanquin, he tried to listen to that girl's inner thoughts.
He heard her burping silently and smacking her lips, thinking, [Everything was so delicious tonight. If only there were more spicy dishes, it would have been perfect. Let's see, today is the eighth day of the New Year, when's the next feast? The Little New Year? Oh my, that's half a month away...]
Yuwen Lan: ???
Why is it all about food?
Then he heard her sigh inwardly, [Since I'm here, I might as well make the best of it. If I can't have sexual pleasure, at least I can enjoy the pleasure of good food.]
Yuwen Lan: ???
What does she mean by that?
What is this "sexual pleasure"?
Why are this woman's inner thoughts so... bizarre?
Yuwen Lan almost stopped in his tracks.
However, if he did so, he might startle her.
He held back with all his might, pretending as if nothing had happened, and stepped out of the hall.
Fu Hai, the head imperial attendant, could sense that His Majesty was a bit different tonight.
After leaving the Hall of Gentle Ceremony, although he went to the study to read memorials as usual, he didn't pick up his brush to make any comments for a long time, seeming lost in thought.
Fu Hai was secretly pondering this when he heard the emperor ask, "Who was sitting at the end tonight?"
Having served by the emperor's side for many years, Fu Hai quickly answered, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the one who came out to perform was Concubine Zhang, the daughter of Zhang Tong, the Imperial Textile Commissioner of the Capital."
After he finished speaking, he saw that the emperor had no reaction.
So he hurriedly added, "The one sitting next to Concubine Zhang was Li Beauty from Yongning Palace."
At these words, the emperor finally spoke again, "Where is she from?"
Fu Hai knew he had guessed correctly and quickly replied, "This servant remembers that Li Beauty is from Ande County in Qingzhou Prefecture. She entered the palace three years ago through the imperial selection."
Qingzhou...
Yuwen Lan pondered silently. That place is hundreds of miles away from the capital, how could she know about his affairs?
Then he heard Fu Hai thinking to himself, [Well, well, looks like this Li Beauty is about to rise in status. Who would have thought that the first one to catch the emperor's eye in the harem would be a mere Beauty?]
Yuwen Lan was disturbed by these thoughts and raised his hand, saying, "You may go."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Fu Hai bowed and retreated, still contemplating in his mind, [What's going on? If he's taken a liking to her, why not summon her to serve? It's getting late, my emperor, a moment of spring night is worth a thousand gold!]
Just as he thought this, he suddenly felt a cold glare from above. Fu Hai shuddered, unable to pinpoint what had offended the emperor. He could only hasten his steps and retreat out of the hall.
Finally, silence fell around him. Yuwen Lan tiredly rubbed his temples. After a moment's thought, he called out again, "Someone come."
This time, it was a member of the Imperial Guard in a fish-scale armor who entered.
"Go to Ande County in Qingzhou Prefecture and investigate the matter of the imperial selection from that year."
The Imperial Guard acknowledged the order and immediately set out to carry it out.
Yuwen Lan picked up the memorial on his desk again, but his mind still couldn't fully focus.
His thoughts kept returning to the woman at the banquet.
— Three years ago, on his way back to the capital, he had fainted due to a sudden thunderclap. When he awoke, he had gained the ability to read minds, but gradually lost the function a man should have...
For years, he had been secretly sending people to gather information and seek medical help, but to no avail.
This was a grave matter, especially for him as the emperor. He had always kept this secret under tight wraps, not even his confidants or close eunuchs knew about it.
So how did that woman know?
Who exactly was she?
Where had things gone wrong?
As his mind became increasingly tangled, he set aside the memorial and summoned another eunuch wearing a round-collared robe.
"Keep watch over Yongning Palace. I want to know everything, no matter how trivial."
