Chapter 62: Three Lifelong Wishes

Chapter 62: Three Lifelong Wishes

He once told his father that he had three great wishes in life: to possess unparalleled beauties, to ride the finest steed over a thousand li, and to capture the kings of the barbarians and have them bow down in the Mingtang.

The Mingtang, located east of the Qingtai Hall, was where princes and nobles came to pay homage to the emperor.

Being placed in the south of the Mingtang meant to bow and declare oneself a subject.

The next day, starting from the morning, the Emperor had Ah Yan stay in the dragon chariot. Annoyed by his son Ah Ji’s presence, he had him moved to Ah Yan’s ornate carriage, instructing Xing En to watch over him, and had Lord Yangwu invite some of the Xu family's young followers to keep his son company.

During the procession, the Emperor first reviewed several important memorials sent by the chancellors. After finishing, he began to look through the invitations Ah Yan had received.

From last night to this morning, over twenty more had been delivered.

The Emperor skimmed through them, scoffing, "Each one trying to be clever." After his sarcastic remark, he stopped Zhang Zhongguo, who was about to deliver the reviewed memorials to the chancellors, "While you're at it, bring Linghu Lang over to join us."

Linghu Lang referred to Linghu You, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat.

To 'join us' meant to accompany the Emperor in his chariot.

Hearing this, Ah Yan looked up at the Emperor, "If you're meeting with the chancellors, I’ll go back to the rear."

"No need to go. I called for him because of your matter."

Seeing the Emperor's annoyed expression, Ah Yan was puzzled, "Why are you angry?" She had read a few of the invitations, all filled with polite, grandiose language, nothing inappropriate.

"Apart from the Lady of Marquis Yangwu and Chongyang, just look at who else is sending you greeting cards." The dog Emperor specifically picked three and spread them out in front of Zhu Yan.

They were the concubine daughter-in-law of the Hua family, the fifth wife of the Yan family, and the adopted daughter-in-law of the Zheng family.

These three women came from the families of Hu Guang, Minister of the Imperial Secretariat; Yan Xian, Libationer of the Imperial Academy; and Zheng Shi, Prefect of Jingzhao.

Laid out so deliberately, Zhu Yan immediately understood. These women shared a common trait: they were of low importance in their families, their imperial commands below third rank, and they usually didn't have the privilege to visit the Empress in the palace. It seemed that these prominent families had deliberately sent them to probe the situation.

No wonder the dog Emperor was angry.

However, Zhu Yan, as the person concerned, felt indifferent, "They haven't done anything wrong. You can't expect a woman of third rank to visit me, a fourth-rank imperial consort."

Ladies of the imperial harem are of the fourth official rank.

"You really know how to comfort yourself."

The Emperor, observing Ayan's ability to still smile, shook his head, "I forgot, Ayan, you don't care about these things." If she cared about status and rank, she wouldn't have stayed in the position of a fourth-rank beauty for five years, nor would she have refused the visitation of external-ranked wives. But he cared.

He was willing to bestow upon Ayan boundless honor and glory.

At this moment, he even regretted not bestowing the title of consort upon Ayan earlier because he hadn’t decided on a suitable title. Perhaps waiting until the autumn to hold the grand ceremony and bestowing the title then wouldn’t be too late.

The Emperor embraced Ayan, gazing deeply into her bright eyes that reflected images as clear as mirrors, his expression becoming extremely solemn, "Ayan, you are more precious than thousands of gold in my heart. I will not allow anyone in the world to belittle you."

Thousands and tens of thousands of gold?

Zhu Yan felt her heart stir upon hearing this, her emotions fluctuating slightly, but she quickly regained her composure. Feeling uncomfortable under such gaze, she averted her eyes towards the cold ice mirror beside her, sarcastically calculating how much thousands and tens of thousands of gold would amount to.

It seems she was quite valuable.

The Emperor watched Ayan's reaction for a while, feeling very disappointed. Even though they had reconciled, Ayan was different from how she was four years ago. He hadn’t seen any initiative from her.

He offered, she accepted.

He spoke, she listened.

He could only hope for persistence to pay off eventually.

Given enough time, with his relentless efforts, he believed he could eventually win her over. At least now Ah Yan was willing to engage with him.

He leaned down to kiss Ah Yan's cheek and quickly let go before she could react, "Linghu is on his way, it'll be a while. Play a game of chess with me to warm up."

Indeed, after Ah Yan and the Emperor finished their game, Minister Linghu You arrived.

Ah Yan had just counted her five-stone win when she heard Zhang Zhongguo announce Minister Linghu's arrival. The Emperor invited him in, and as the curtain lifted, she saw a young man of striking beauty entering against the light.

He had an impressive and unparalleled elegance.

Like a jade pine on a snowy mountain, he stood out brilliantly.

Ah Yan's mind echoed Princess Xiangyang's description: the most handsome man in the capital, the Emperor's favorite minister, known for his charming personality and the dream of many women.

Indeed, he seemed to fit the Emperor's preferences.

The Emperor also favored using young talents. When Linghu You was promoted to Minister of the Imperial Secretariat four years ago, he was only thirty. Entering the central government at such a young age was unprecedented. Before him, the youngest chancellor was a great general from the Taizong era who was appointed at thirty-eight after accumulating remarkable military achievements.

"Your humble servant greets Your Majesty."

"I am well," the Emperor responded, then gestured to Ah Yan, "Linghu, this is my Consort Zhu."

Linghu You had noticed her the moment he entered, meeting her clear, autumn-water-like eyes. Even though Zhang Zhongguo had briefed him, he was still taken aback. He swiftly averted his gaze. She was indeed bold, yet her beauty was as rumored.

Linghu You bowed to Ah Yan, "Greetings to Consort Zhu."

Ah Yan withdrew her gaze, stood up slightly, and returned the gesture with a clasped-hands salute. Joking aside, this was a high-ranking official, a pillar of the state. Even as the Emperor's consort, she dared not remain seated while receiving such a bow.

In the imperial court, it was customary for the emperor to treat his ministers with courtesy and for the ministers to serve the emperor with loyalty.

Only the Empress, as the mother of the nation and educator of the people, could receive a bow from the chancellor.

"Don't stand, please take a seat," the Emperor casually invited Linghu You to sit opposite him at the table, extending his hand, "Linghu, how about a few rounds of chess? Best of three."

"I am at Your Majesty's command."

The Emperor gestured for Ah Yan to sit beside him, then looked up smilingly at Linghu You across the table, "Today, I have invited Consort Zhu as my partner. If Consort Zhu and I win, you will do one thing for me. If you win, you can choose two pieces from the rare collections in the Zangben Pavilion."

The Zangben Pavilion is where the royal family stores various rare books, paintings, and calligraphic works. Among them are several unique works from great calligraphers of the previous dynasty. Usually, the Emperor would grant copies for emulation but never the originals, and here he was offering two.

Linghu You thought to himself that he often played chess with the Emperor and their skills were evenly matched. Previous games between them were for light-hearted betting, but with such a high stake this time, the Emperor must be confident of winning. He suddenly remembered seeing Ah Yan counting the chess pieces when he entered. Could it be that the Emperor's confidence came from Ah Yan?

Since entering the dragon chariot, Linghu You took a serious look at Ah Yan for the first time, then smiled at the Emperor, "I will do my best. Thank you in advance, Your Majesty."

"Don't thank me just yet."

The Emperor waved his hand, confident in Ah Yan. He had never won a game against her; the only variation was in how much he lost by.

As the game started, the Emperor played the white pieces, and Linghu You the black. The two were familiar with each other's style of play, but halfway through the game, the Emperor let Ah Yan take over.

Ah Yan didn't understand what the Emperor was up to. She had just noticed him losing several moves, and now taking over, she had to quickly remedy the situation.

After three moves by Ah Yan, Linghu You no longer underestimated her. Ten moves later, he found the game challenging. Ah Yan's style was unpredictable, sometimes aggressive, sometimes conservatively deceptive, unlike the Emperor's straightforward and bold approach.

Caught off guard, he eventually found himself in a dire situation.

Realizing his defeat, Linghu You suddenly understood where he had lost ground. He heard the Emperor's teasing voice, "It seems you've been holding back in our usual games."

Linghu You hastily responded, "I dare not, Your Majesty. Lady Zhu's style is distinct, and I had to adapt accordingly."

"Is that so? I hope you give it your all in the second game."

What seemed like a casual remark made Linghu You break into a cold sweat. He resolved to put forth his best effort in the next round, knowing too well the Emperor's character and never daring to hold back in his presence.

In the second game, the Emperor Dog did not participate, allowing Zhu Yan to play from the start.

The Emperor Dog became a mere spectator, observing the cautious moves of both players. He was used to playing fast-paced chess and found their slow and deliberate approach a contrast to the advice he once received: fast chess can disrupt the opponent's rhythm but can also lead to great losses.

For the first time, the Emperor Dog found watching chess tiring.

He eventually picked up a book to pass the time, unwilling to focus on the slow game. After what felt like either forty-five minutes or an hour, when a winner was finally declared, he eagerly asked, "Who won?"

"Your Majesty, please count the pieces. I've done my best," declared Zhu Yan, vowing never to play chess with Linghu You again, as it was too exhausting.

The Emperor Dog happily counted the pieces, especially pleased to find that Zhu Yan's white pieces had won by five. He always believed it wasn't his lack of skill, but rather that Zhu Yan was a national master of chess, rarely matched.

"Your Majesty, Lady Zhu is exceptional in chess. I admit my defeat," Linghu You conceded, standing and bowing.

"Of course, when my wife and I unite, our strength is unbeatable."

Linghu You, startled by this declaration, watched the Emperor instruct him to sit again and said, "Since you acknowledge Lady Zhu's prowess, we have a task for you."

"I plan to confer Lady Zhu as a concubine, but I haven't decided on a title yet. I've postponed the ceremony to autumn. With your exceptional learning, help me think of some unique titles. Avoid common ones like 'Hui', 'Shu', 'Xian'. I want a title that is beautiful, unparalleled, and unique."

Zhu Yan wasn't surprised by the request for a beautiful meaning.

But 'unparalleled and unique'? She couldn't help but twitch her mouth in disbelief, watching Linghu You agree without changing his expression, thinking that indeed, this is what it takes to be a Prime Minister.

When dismissing Linghu You, the Emperor Dog emphasized, "Make sure you thoroughly understand my intentions."

By the next day, Zhu Yan had received over fifty visiting cards from the wives of important officials, along with a reminder from Sister Qu that everyone now knew of the Emperor Dog's intention to make her a concubine.

She realized that the Emperor Dog's summoning of Linghu You under the guise of selecting a title was actually a ruse to spread the news through him.

The Emperor Dog hadn't issued a formal decree himself because he felt it too casual without an official document, imperial seal, or the presence of senior officials, lacking a sense of ceremony.

This was the explanation the Emperor Dog later gave her.

Author's note: