“Chapter 76: The Servant of Color”

"Chapter 76: The Servant of Color"

"In October of the same year, on the ninth day."

"Wei Shuren gave birth to the seventh prince in the Yunlin Pavilion of Nanshan Garden, but the child tragically died just a few hours after birth."

"Wei Shuren was sentenced to death and discarded in the chaotic burial mound."

"Later, it was rumored that Empress Liu secretly sent Liu Zhongshi, one of her attendants, to retrieve the body, providing a simple coffin for a dignified burial."

"On the nineteenth, Talent Su Wanqing safely delivered the eighth prince."

"Like the sixth prince, the Emperor did not attend the third-day bathing ceremony for the eighth prince, nor did he bestow any rewards. He wasn't even in the palace that evening. That night, Talent Su in Minghua Palace's Jiaoji Pavilion smashed a set of gold hairpins and pearl hair ornaments gifted by Empress Liu."

——

"Autumn leaves fell in a cascade of yellow and brown."

"The biting north wind necessitates wearing three layers of clothing."

"Two months flew by, and Zhu Yan, staying in the Jiujishan traveling palace, had already switched to thicker robes. She had always been sensitive to cold, and after the first wave of chilly winds, she seldom went outside."

"Following the advice of Doctors Song and Chen, she moved from the water-surrounded Han Dan Garden to the Chaohui Tower at the foot of the north mountain. Princess Xiangyang and her daughter Anping also moved into the adjacent Wulai Pavilion."

"Now, neither Princess Xiangyang nor Qu Gu dared to mention the idea of persuading Zhu Yan to return to the capital, especially since Princess Xiangyang's daughter Anping had taken a liking to Zhu Yan's guqin music and had eagerly requested to learn from her."

"Seeing her daughter becoming increasingly bold, Princess Xiangyang was delighted and had no intention of urging Zhu Yan to return to the palace."

"She had never heard before that Zhu Yan could play the guqin."

"It was only recently when Zhu Yan saw a seven-stringed guqin in her room. Coincidentally, a wild goose cried outside. Zhu Yan, inspired, played the piece 'Wild Geese Landing on the Sandbank,' capturing the essence of the geese's call and flight, so vivid and enduring, mesmerizing everyone."

"Only then did she realize Zhu Yan’s guqin skills were incredibly profound."

"Zhu Yan had once said, 'The palace has its own musicians and music masters; there’s no need for my performance. I learned the guqin in my youth, not to entertain others, but for my own enjoyment.'"

"Since realizing she had transmigrated, Zhu Yan found herself in a strange and misfitting environment. Her response was to strive diligently to learn, acquiring as many skills as possible, absorbing all knowledge of this era to achieve perfection."

"When she was seven and her request to study at another family's girls' school was denied, her father, Zhu Qingyun, hired a female teacher at home. Zhu Yan wholeheartedly learned guqin, chess, calligraphy, painting, embroidery, and even household management and etiquette from her stepmother, Mo Shi."

"Unfortunately, since entering the palace, these skills were of little use."

"Not that they were entirely useless; at least, her arts and crafts brought some color to her life. Especially on cold days when she didn’t want to go outside, these hobbies became her best pastime. She even enjoyed teaching her pupil Anping, fulfilling her desire to be a teacher."

"Time passed leisurely in the mountains."

"With lofty mountains and vast clouds, there were no worldly disturbances."

"She found joy in watching the dawn and dusk, appreciating the autumn breeze and winter snow."

"At the end of October, during the first snowfall, Zhu Yan woke up feeling overheated as if she were in a large furnace. Intending to ask Qu Gu to reduce the number of charcoal basins in the room, she opened her eyes to find the Emperor's handsome face just inches away, with herself tightly embraced in his arms."

"Zhu Yan instantly became alert and sat up, inadvertently waking him as well."

"You're awake."

"How did you get here?"

Both spoke almost simultaneously. The Emperor replied with a smile, "I missed you and came to see you." As he spoke, he stretched out his arm, pulling Zhu Yan back into his embrace and kissed her face fervently.

"When did you arrive?" Zhu Yan couldn’t dodge in time.

"I arrived at night; you were already asleep."

"What about Tian Tian?"

"He’s left in the palace," the Emperor said, and then silenced Zhu Yan with a kiss, leaning in closer.

Unable to push the Emperor away and hearing that her son Tian Tian wasn't there, Zhu Yan felt a sense of emptiness. As she was reluctant to respond, she heard the Emperor's heated breath near her ear, carrying a warning, "My dear Ayan, I've missed you terribly. Be compliant, or I won’t mind being forceful."

Zhu Yan suddenly felt as if her strength had drained away.

She thought that she should have learned more about how to use her charm.

When she woke up again, it was already noon the next day.

"It snowed heavily last night, and it's very cold outside. How about we eat something and then go back to sleep?"

Hearing the Emperor's words, Zhu Yan tilted her head up, touching his bearded chin, only to be kissed on the forehead and held tightly in his embrace.

"Get up."

Zhu Yan spoke faintly, knowing if she didn’t get up now, she might not manage to for the rest of the day. The room was suffused with warmth from the charcoal fire, making her feel slightly dizzy. She pushed the Emperor gently, "You get up first."

"Alright," the Emperor affectionately nuzzled his chin against Zhu Yan's fair neck, reluctantly withdrawing his hand from her chest. He then rolled out of bed, without uncovering the quilt, instead carefully tucking her in before calling for attendants.

As Qu Gu and the palace maids entered, the Emperor retreated to the adjacent room.

While assisting Zhu Yan, Qu Gu noticed her sullen complexion and explained, "The Emperor’s arrival was sudden, and no one in the traveling palace was informed. When he arrived, he ordered not to disturb Your Highness, so I didn’t dare wake you."

Zhu Yan hummed softly in response, then asked, "Is it still snowing outside?"

"It stopped this morning. However, the snow has almost reached knee-height. Ping An led the palace servants to shovel snow this morning and cleared the main path to the palace gate."

"Who came with him?"

Qu Gu paused briefly, quickly realizing Zhu Yan was referring to the Emperor, and replied, "Besides Xing En and Lin Fu, who serve him closely, the rest are Imperial Guards stationed outside the palace."

Zhu Yan didn’t respond, dressed in her fur coat, and after washing up, let Qiu Hong style her hair in a simple drooping bun, tied at the back of her head, with loose strands hanging down. She applied a light makeup and fine willow-leaf eyebrows before the Emperor entered, wearing a maroon overcoat.

"I remember sending a red fox fur coat here a while ago," the Emperor said, holding Zhu Yan's hand and examining her attire, then looked up at Qu Gu.

"Yes, it’s in the cabinet," Qu Gu quickly responded. During the two months Zhu Yan had been in the traveling palace, the Emperor and Empress frequently sent food, clothing, and other necessities, resulting in several temporary courier stations set up along the road from the capital to the traveling palace for convenience.

"Wear it today, it's warm. Go fetch it."

Qu Gu promptly complied, retrieving a red fur coat from the cabinet beside the soft couch. The Emperor personally draped it over Zhu Yan, then smiled, "This red fox fur was a gift from the Donghu this autumn. When I saw it, I thought it would make a perfect coat for you. The color suits you."

"Zhu Yan didn’t resist, only wishing to comply and hasten his departure."

"However, even as the snow melted and the skies cleared, the Emperor did not leave. Instead, Imperial Attendant Linghu You, Deputy Director of the Secretariat Yu Gao, and Chief Steward Zhang Zhongguo visited the traveling palace several times."

"It wasn’t until early December, after receiving three urgent letters from Xie Wu, the Director of the Secretariat, urging the Emperor's return to the capital and mentioning that Prince Zhang Han of Qi had already arrived in the capital, along with a letter from Empress Liu, that the Emperor finally decided to return to the capital."

"'You will return with me,' the Emperor declared."

"'I don’t want to...' Zhu Yan began to refuse, but was abruptly interrupted by his domineering response."

"'You must come back. I will be too busy to visit again. Think of our son Tian Tian; he misses you every day. In this cold weather, he is too young to go outside. You weren’t there for his birthday, and you cannot be absent for the New Year.'"

"He coaxed her, 'I promise to bring you back here next summer, and you can stay for half a year, just like this year.' This was his final compromise, as Zhu Yan seemed much more relaxed here than in the palace."

"Hearing about her son, Zhu Yan hesitated."

"The Emperor didn’t give Zhu Yan any chance to change her mind. Instead of letting her ride in a carriage, he had her accompany him on horseback, leading the way back to the capital with the Imperial Guards. Qu Gu, Ping An, Princess Xiangyang, and her daughter followed behind with the luggage in carriages."

"They reached the capital in half a day and first went to the Qianyuan Hall's Renben Hall. After changing and freshening up, they hurriedly went to Fengyi Palace."

"Zhu Yan's visit was twofold: to pay respects to Empress Liu and to thank her for caring for her son Tian Tian during the Emperor's stay in the traveling palace, as he hadn’t dared to take Tian Tian outside in the cold weather and had entrusted him to Empress Liu in the palace."

"'It's good you’re back.'"

"Empress Liu extended her hand to support Zhu Yan, preventing her from kneeling, and examined her closely. She then smiled, 'It’s been a long time. The traveling palace seems to have been beneficial for you. You look a bit plumper than before you left, and finally, there’s some flesh on your face.'"

"The Emperor disagreed with this observation, 'Gaining weight has nothing to do with feng shui. It’s all thanks to Physician Chen. He has been taking care of Ayan's health for half a year, and her complexion is much better than last winter.'"

"'In that case, Your Majesty should properly reward Physician Chen,' suggested Empress Liu."

"'He deserves to be rewarded,' the Emperor nodded."

"Empress Liu, taking Zhu Yan by the hand, seated her beside herself, 'It’s one thing to visit the traveling palace for a summer retreat, but I never imagined you’d stay for half a year without even writing me a letter.'"

"Zhu Yan hadn’t written to the Emperor, so how could she dare write solely to Empress Liu? After all, the Emperor, thick-skinned as he was, had taken for himself the peace amulet she embroidered for her son Ah Ji, rather than giving it to him."

"At that moment, facing Empress Liu, Zhu Yan could only express guilt and gratitude, 'I sought the tranquility there, but it was you, Your Majesty, who kindly sent things and took care of Tian Tian. I'm truly grateful and apologize for the trouble caused.'"

"'Tian Tian is adorable; you can rest assured leaving him in my care. I should be thanking you…'"

"'Enough with the thanks, both of you.'"

"The Emperor, impatiently interrupting Empress Liu, preferred a harmonious harem but felt extremely uncomfortable seeing Zhu Yan's warmth towards Empress Liu, surpassing that towards himself. He looked at Zhu Yan, 'Xing En has gone to Renben Pavilion to fetch Tian Tian. I've instructed them to head directly to Fuhua Palace. You've been in the cold; return to the palace early to rest. Remember to take a half dose of Snow Decoction Pill to ward off the chill. I'll visit you tonight.'"

"'Understood.'"

"Zhu Yan, excited at the thought of seeing her son Ah Ji soon, respectfully bid farewell to Empress Liu."

"With Qu Gu absent, the Emperor had Liu Shangyi personally escort Zhu Yan back to Fuhua Palace."

"Once Zhu Yan left, the Emperor's expression darkened immediately, 'What's happening with Chongyang?'"

"'A few days ago, Chongyang reported that Yao Niang from her household, supposedly favored by Your Majesty, is pregnant. She requested me to bring the lady back to the palace. I didn’t dare to make such a decision on my own.' Initially, Empress Liu found the news ludicrous. If Yao Niang truly had the Emperor's favor, why wasn’t she brought to the palace in the first place? After all, this wouldn't be the first time the Emperor favored a beauty in the Princess's residence, with precedents to follow."

"But she couldn't believe Chongyang would lie about such a matter."

"'I only slept with her once, then let Chongyang send her away. How can she be so sure the child is mine?'"

"Empress Liu, setting aside her astonishment, hurriedly responded, 'Chongyang says she didn’t send Yao Niang away. She has been staying at the Princess’s residence all this while.'"

"'She's been there for four months. If the dates align, and the child is indeed Your Majesty's, I thought it best to bring Yao Niang back to the palace,' Empress Liu said, sneaking a glance at the Emperor."

The Emperor's face showed a hint of mockery, "She's really something. I have no time to deal with her, yet she keeps adding troubles for me."

"Your Majesty, about the child..."

"Send Li Yuanzheng with two skilled gynecologists, along with two midwives and Lady Cai, accompanied by Xing En, to Chongyang's residence for a thorough examination and confirmation," the Emperor ordered with a furrowed brow, knowing well that Chongyang wouldn't dare deceive him in such a matter.

It was very likely true.

"If it's confirmed, there's no need to bring her into the palace yet," the Emperor added, instructing Empress Liu.

Empress Liu almost thought she misheard, looking up at the Emperor in surprise. Seeing his serious expression, she could only comply.

"Author’s note:"

"Today's update, muah~~"