Chapter 99: Under House Arrest

Chapter 99: Under House Arrest

In the main hall of Fengyi Palace.

The emperor and empress sat opposite each other at the head, separated by a small, low table.

The emperor opened the list presented by Empress Liu, which was a proposal for the promotion of ladies in the harem. Glancing at it briefly, he tossed the document on the table with a light chuckle, “The Empress is fair, mastering the art of impartiality.”

Empress Liu took it as a compliment, “Your Majesty, it’s not about having few, but about ensuring fairness. Fairness and justice in all matters help maintain stability and harmony among the sisters in the harem.”

As the Empress, governing the inner court and setting a maternal example to the nation, she had to ensure clear rewards and punishments.

In drafting this promotion list, she aimed to reward the concubines who had successfully borne children. Since these ladies held lower ranks, the standard was set based on their offspring: those with a prince were promoted to the rank of ‘Jiupin’, with a princess to ‘Jieyu’, and those whose children had passed away to ‘Meiren’.

Seeing Empress Liu’s reaction, the emperor wanted to say that he wasn’t really praising her.

But after all, she was the Empress.

Matters of the harem were hers to manage; he preferred not to interfere or listen to her preach.

But how could anyone be completely devoid of self-interest?

The Emperor pointed at the list and said, "Promote Lady Qin from Xiuyi to Zhaoyi, making her the first among the Jiupin." His gaze landed on the name of Lady Xu, and he looked up to ask the Empress, "Is Lady Xu's name Xu Yan?"

"Yes, she was selected during the imperial draft..."

The Emperor interrupted Empress Liu without listening to the explanation, "Have her change her name."

Empress Liu wanted to mention that there were no naming taboos in the harem, and Zhu Yan wouldn't mind, but seeing the Emperor's attitude, she realized there was no room for discussion. "I will speak to Consort Xu about it."

"You assign her a new name."

Having said that, the Emperor moved on. If it weren't for the name issue, he wouldn't have even mentioned Consort Xu. Seeing Su Wanqing's name next and the proposal to promote her to Chongyi, he paused and said, "Change the rank of Beautiful Lady of the fourth rank in the harem to Lady. Promote Consort Su to Lady."

"Your Majesty, Consort Su has borne the Eighth Prince," Empress Liu quickly reminded. "If only she is promoted to Lady, it may lead to criticism about favoring the Eighth Prince."

"If we were to strictly follow Your Majesty's standards, shouldn't Consort Xu Chongrong, who bore only a princess, be demoted from Ninth Consort to Noble Lady? And Consort Wei Chongyuan, childless, be demoted from Ninth Consort to Consort?"

"Both of them are former attendants of the Eastern Palace and have served Your Majesty for a long time. Their place among the Ninth Consorts is not unwarranted."

The Emperor laughed upon hearing this, "I find the Empress's reasoning quite sufficient. Consort Su's promotion to Lady is settled then. Just find a suitable justification for it."

Empress Liu was left speechless.

The Emperor then closed the list and pushed it towards Empress Liu, "Handle the rest as you see fit. Revise and send it to Qianyuan Hall. I will have the Ministry of Civil Affairs draft the decree."

Regaining her composure, Empress Liu sighed internally, unsure why Su Wanqing had offended Zhu Yan. Since the Emperor tended to favor those Zhu Yan favored, she had no choice but to find a workaround. Agreeing, she suggested, "Your Majesty, the 23rd of this month is Your Majesty's Thousand Autumn Festival. We could issue the edicts for the harem's promotions on that day. What do you think?"

Zhu Yan's promotion to Imperial Consort had taken place in the traveling palace, making it impossible to hold a proper ceremony.

Since then, the Emperor had ordered the cancellation of all promotion ceremonies and related banquets for the harem.

Now, promoting imperial consorts simply involved announcing the imperial decree, granting seals, attire, ceremonial paraphernalia, and various rank-specific utensils, saving a lot of hassle for Empress Liu and the Imperial Household Department.

"Arrange it as you see fit," the Emperor said offhandedly, standing up as if having completed a task. He had no desire to deal with the trivial matters of the harem, preferring to hear about the affairs of the north from Su Yiquan.

Unfortunately, Su Yiquan had left the capital yesterday. This time, the Emperor had sent him to the north to serve as the Protector-General of the Anbei Protectorate and handle all diplomatic affairs with the Gaochang Kingdom. Accompanying him were the Deputy Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, Yan Zhou, and the former marriage envoy, Xu Jie, now appointed as the Border Pacification Commissioner of the third rank.

The former Protector-General of the Anbei Protectorate, Zhang Su, had been recalled to the capital to serve as the Great General of the Right Dragon Warrior Army, responsible for selecting talents in the military examinations in August.

After leaving the Phoenix Rite Palace, the Emperor boarded his palanquin and headed to Fuhua Palace.

"Has the Hermit of Qingping been brought here?" the Emperor asked Xing En beside his sedan.

"He's waiting at the gate near the Left Yimen Door."

"Have Yang Xin bring him to Fuhua Palace," the Emperor instructed.

The Hermit of Qingping was the Taoist priest Zhu Yan had previously wanted to capture. His interrogation by the Ministry of Justice had finished long ago. Recently busy, the Emperor had first sent the dossier to Fuhua Palace for Zhu Yan to review, not having the time to accompany her to meet him. Remembering this only today, he took the opportunity to visit the inner palace.

He had noticed Zhu Yan seemed more at ease in Fuhua Palace than in Qianyuan Hall, so he didn’t arrange for her to meet the Taoist priest in Qianyuan Hall, instead asking Yang Xin to bring him to the inner palace.

Zhu Yan in Fuhua Palace had already received a message sent by the despicable Emperor that she would be meeting the Taoist priest today.

Truth be told, after reading the thick dossier, Zhu Yan was shocked but increasingly curious to meet the Taoist priest.

The Taoist had traveled through over 280 of the 328 states in the fifteen administrative regions of the Dayu Dynasty. The dossier was like his personal travelogue, detailing his exploits of deception and trickery in each place – an astonishing breadth of experience.

Apart from his deceitful methods, his extensive travels were actually Zhu Yan's dream.

Moreover, according to his confession, when he met Zhu Yan's father, Zhu Qingyun, and foretold the family’s fortunes, it was Xiahou Yuan, the eldest son of the prefect of Yingzhou, who had invited him. He had fabricated the story of her mother’s grace and beauty at Xiahou Yuan's behest, intending to make her break off an engagement so that Xiahou Yuan could propose himself.

Zhu Yan didn’t quite believe this.

Zhu Qingyun worked under Xiahou Yuan's father, and if the Xiahou family had truly wished to form a marriage alliance with the Zhu family, Zhu Qingyun would have been delighted. Moreover, Zhu Yan remembered that soon after her engagement to Mo Wangzhi, the Xiahou family had arranged an engagement banquet for Xiahou Yuan with a lady from the prominent Lu family.

Furthermore, Zhu Yan recalled that after the age of ten, to avoid any impropriety, she never saw any young men from the Xiahou family again, let alone this elder son who was three or four years her senior – she had no memory of him at all.

Zhu Yan felt that the content of the dossier from the Ministry of Justice, being so detailed, should be true. Besides, there seemed to be no reason for the Taoist priest to falsely implicate the Xiahou family. After all, her father had served in Yingzhou for over twenty years, rising through the ranks alongside the prefect of Xiahou, with whom he had a deep friendship.

Therefore, she wanted to clarify what exactly had happened.

The Emperor entered the main hall and saw Zhu Yan still flipping through the dossier. He asked in surprise, "Haven't you finished reading it yet?"

"I finished a while ago," Zhu Yan replied, not getting up. "The Ministry of Justice has a good foundation in documentation. Each case is described very vividly; I just took it out to review."

The dossier in her hands was a copied version.

"If you praise them, I should indeed reward them," the Emperor said with a smile as he sat down beside Zhu Yan, taking her hand. "Since you enjoy reading these case files, I'll have them select similar ones and send them to you."

Zhu Yan hummed in agreement, not refusing.

"I’ve instructed the Imperial Astronomical Bureau to select an auspicious date. On the 28th of this month, a lucky day, Ah Ji will officially accept Xu Xian as his tutor. Xu Xian was the former head of the Stone Drum Academy, an expert in 'The Spring and Autumn Annals of Gongyang', and highly respected among scholars. He is quite capable himself."

"Your Majesty, please make the arrangements."

Zhu Yan felt confident relying on the Emperor for matters concerning their son's education. The Emperor's expectations for his son were as high as those of the most demanding modern parents.

Unless one day she fell out of favor and the Emperor gave up on Ah Ji.

But that would be a different matter entirely.

Soon, Yang Xin brought in the Taoist who claimed to be the Wandering Taoist of Qingping.

Zhu Yan looked at the Taoist entering the hall and was taken aback. He had lost a lot of weight, and his robe hung loosely on him. The neatly groomed beard he once had was completely shaved off, and he seemed to have lost half his vitality, no longer possessing the elegant demeanor and the image of a transcendent being he had before.

The Wandering Taoist met Zhu Yan's gaze, recognizing her as the cause of his misfortune. He had traveled the world relying on small tricks and some knowledge of Taoist arts, never imagining he would fall so hard.

Had he known of Zhu Yan's powerful connections, he would never have agreed to help the young man from the Xiahou family.

The Wandering Taoist didn't dare hesitate. He faced the young man in a bright yellow round-neck robe exuding an imposing aura, commanding respect without anger, and immediately knelt to offer a grand salute, "This humble Taoist pays respects to Your Majesty and Empress Yuan. May Your Majesty live for ten thousand years, and may Empress Yuan’s beauty and grace never fade."

"Never age? Eternal beauty and grace?"

Zhu Yan let out a cold laugh, no wonder the file's final comment about him was: He tells people what they want to hear, and tells ghosts what they want to hear, "Then wouldn't I become an old witch?"

"How could Your Highness be a witch? Surely you are a celestial being descended to the mortal world."

The Emperor, listening to this, was quite pleased. "You do know how to speak well."

Seeing this, Zhu Yan pushed him gently, signaling him to leave. The Emperor, reluctant at first, moved away when Zhu Yan pointed towards the screen on the left side. Seeing her stern demeanor, he rubbed his nose and got up to move.

Zhu Yan, unusually, did not call for him to be brought back.

After all, the authority she now wielded, one that commanded such reverence, was granted by the very person before her. She owed it to him to let him enjoy his moment.

"I beg the Imperial Consort for leniency. At that time, I had no choice. As a wandering Taoist, I always adhered to my principle of not meddling in others' marital affairs. However, when the eldest son of the Prefect's mansion approached me, I had to agree in order to get a 'travel permit'," the Hermit of Qingping explained.

A 'travel permit' was a document required for journeying.

Whenever he went to a new place, he either sought affiliation with a Taoist temple or forged a permit. Unfortunately, the permit he forged in Yingzhou was discovered. To avoid punishment and a year and a half of imprisonment, he eventually agreed to the request of the Prefect's eldest son.

"Did the Prefect's eldest son really approach you?" Zhu Yan questioned skeptically. "But I don't even know Xiahou Yuan."

"I would never dare to lie. Xiahou Yuan approached me, saying he wished to marry you and couldn't bear to see you, a noble lady, become a merchant's wife. He asked me to help him facilitate this good match..."

"Nonsense, Xiahou Yuan was already engaged to a lady from the Lu family at that time," Zhu Yan interrupted, finding his story increasingly absurd.

Hearing this, the Hermit of Qingping realized that the detailed reasons he provided weren't recorded in the dossier, and he quickly understood that the clerks at the Ministry of Justice dared not write it down.

The Hermit of Qingping pondered the reputation of the Imperial Consort he had heard from the Zhu family and the evaluations of her in the capital. She was said to be aloof but not cruel. Combining this with her gaze when he entered, which lacked malice and appeared clear and pure, he decided honesty was the best approach.

Facing a clear-minded ruler, it was better to be frank rather than return to the Ministry of Justice and face those indifferent executioners.

"The eldest son only told me that he has always been fond of you, wishing to marry you as his wife. Unfortunately, his mother disagreed, saying your beauty was too overwhelming for a wife and only suitable for a concubine. They arranged another marriage for him, so he resorted to this strategy. His plan was to take you as a concubine after you broke off your engagement, and once he divorced the Lu lady, he would make you his principal wife."

As the Hermit of Qingping spoke, his voice grew softer, and he didn't dare to look up to see Zhu Yan's reaction. He then said loudly, "Little did he expect that the Consort is blessed with extraordinary destiny, not of the mortal world, and destined to enjoy the wealth and honor of the entire realm..."

"Shut up," Zhu Yan frowned, finding the flattery grating for the first time. "Get out."

"I shall leave immediately."

No sooner had the words left her mouth than the Hermit of Qingping, clutching his head with both hands, began rolling along the golden-bricked floor towards the exit.

Zhu Yan's eyes nearly popped out in astonishment.

"He's quite a character."

The despicable Emperor emerged from behind the screen, laughing heartily, then said to Zhu Yan, "He shouldn't be a Taoist. He would be better suited as a performer in the Ministry of Music and Dance."

The Hermit of Qingping immediately seized the opportunity, "I am willing to become a performer."

However, the despicable Emperor paid him no attention, calling out for Yang Xin and gesturing with his hand, "Take him away."

Almost without resistance, the Hermit of Qingping was quickly gagged and carried away by Yang Xin and his men.

The despicable Emperor sat down in the main seat and pulled Zhu Yan into his arms, "I've already ordered the Censorate to investigate Xiahou Dun, the Prefect of Yingzhou. The empire has been at peace for too long, and extravagance is rampant, especially among officials. Corruption is deeply rooted and rampant, just a matter of degree."

"As for this Taoist," the despicable Emperor flipped through the dossier with a rustle, "though he has committed no major crime, the accumulation of his minor offenses is enough for a severe flogging, enough to be lethal."

"Your Majesty really intends to punish them? Without them, I would not have entered the palace," Zhu Yan said coldly. When she learned the truth, she found the reality more absurd. A person she had never met had so drastically altered her fate.

"A Yan, an innocent man can be guilty if he harbors guilt within his walls."

The despicable Emperor touched Zhu Yan's face, his expression turning serious, "I am glad you entered the palace. Otherwise, with your beauty, no merchant's son could have kept you. Unless, after marrying, you never left the house. But look, even before your marriage, you already attracted attention."

"A Wang has left the merchant class. He plans to take the civil service examinations and enter officialdom."

"But he would have to start as a minor official, from the eighth or ninth rank..."

"Even as a minor official of the eighth or ninth rank, he would still be an official of your court," Zhu Yan retorted irritably, brushing away the despicable Emperor's hand.

The despicable Emperor gritted his teeth and said bluntly, "A Yan, be realistic. Even a minor official cannot protect you. Let me put it this way: if I show the slightest interest in the beautiful wife of a minor city gate official, do you believe someone would deliver her to my palace the very next day?"

"You scoundrel, shameless! Get out, I don't want to see you recently," Zhu Yan yelled furiously, standing up to leave the hall. She felt suffocated and walked towards the door. Turning back, she said to the despicable Emperor, "About the Taoist we just saw, find a place to confine him for ten or eight years before releasing him."

Confining a man who had traveled all his life to one place for ten years was punishment enough, a repayment for the years she was pushed into this harem.

She feared that if she didn’t specify, the despicable Emperor might have the man executed.

Author's note: