Chapter 35 Peony Flower

Chapter 35: The Peony

Stars filled the night sky, the windows had long been shuttered, and the charcoal fire already glowed.

Those who served the emperor possessed a unique ability—moving soundlessly, never disturbing their master, yet arranging everything flawlessly.

A Wu lay with eyes glazed and distant, her body slumped bonelessly in the man’s embrace.

The bedchamber was hushed and intimate, the air thick with the heady scent of spent passion.

It was intoxicating, so much so that she wished never to wake, to remain like this forever.

A thief, she'd stolen another woman's husband, another child’s father, yet she felt no guilt. She wanted to take what the noblewomen claimed as theirs.

Now, because of their lovemaking, she lay curled against the most powerful man in the world.

It gave her the illusion that everything was within reach.

Her slender fingers traced the hard planes of his chest, marked by his efforts with her.

She lifted her gaze to him. His eyes were half-closed in apparent satisfaction.

Yet here he was, a man of wealth and power, now exuding a languid detachment, inscrutable.

Then, he spoke abruptly, “Never say such words again. They are vulgar.”

A Wu, pliant as silk, replied in a honeyed voice, “Zelang, A Wu won’t say them again.”

But she knew he liked hearing them—he just couldn’t accept that part of himself.

He was a devoted father, pouring all his efforts into grooming his crown prince, yet now, in bed, he measured himself against his son. He couldn’t reconcile it.

The Jingxi Emperor’s expression remained cold. “And do not mention him.”

A Wu bobbed her head like a sparrow. “Mhm! A Wu will obey His Majesty in everything!”

She nestled her face against his chest, murmuring softly, “A Wu’s heart belongs only to Zelang. She remembers no other man, so of course she won’t speak of them.”

The Jingxi Emperor’s sharp eyes opened slightly, his gaze lowering.

She looked up at him with eyes liquid with pleasure, her cheeks flushed, clinging to him with intoxicated devotion.

As if sensing his scrutiny, her rosy lips parted, releasing a saccharine murmur, “But Zelang is truly extraordinary. A Wu always fears she might die in your arms. If A Wu perishes like this, Zelang must never forget her.”

He stared at her, utterly entranced.

A jade-skinned beauty, soft and pink, telling him she'd happily perish in his embrace—begging him to remember her—

For a moment, the Jingxi Emperor was spellbound. Then, abruptly, his amber eyes cooled.

She was just spinning pretty lies!

This wicked temptress, this enchantress, had a thousand ways to bewitch him. How could he let himself be fooled so easily?

She said these things only because he was the emperor.

His mouth twisted in displeasure as he uttered coldly, “From now on, you will not call me Zelang.”

He seized her wrist, pushing her away from his chest. “You have no right to that name.”

A Wu fell silent...

Her lips parted wordlessly, staring helplessly into his cold, stern eyes.

Unfathomable is the emperor’s heart—she suddenly understood that saying now.

He was no ordinary man, harder to please than any man.

Her spirits sank.

The air grew still. The Jingxi Emperor clearly sensed her dejection and glanced up at her.

A Wu turned her face away, biting her lip, unable to bear looking at him.

She had already softened her body, using every trick in the book, fawning like a puppy to coax and beg for his favor.

During their earlier intimacy, he had enjoyed it immensely, yet not even off the bed yet, he treated her with such cold indifference.

She had her dignity too. Even a dog wouldn’t grovel this shamelessly.

Give it to her straight—if it wasn’t working, she’d quit.

Then, the Jingxi Emperor raised his hand and gently touched her slightly disheveled hair.

His cool touch held a surprising tenderness.

A Wu scoffed inwardly—was this a slap, then a sugar cube?

Her cheeks puffed, remaining silent.

The Jingxi Emperor tenderly tucked her loose strands behind her ear, though his voice remained cool and authoritative:

“We’ve endured endless flattery. Do you truly imagine We’re blind to your games?”

Yet A Wu no longer cared to respond.

She thought to herself—even if she exaggerated to please him, so what? Those words cost her effort. Didn’t they require thought?

If it were someone else—like the crown prince, an eager boy who’d kneel to worship her, offering her everything—would she even need to rack her brains like this?

Then, the man’s words reached her ears.

“Do you seek quick riches, or do you aim for something lasting?”

Hearing this, hope flickered in A Wu’s chest, and she looked up.

The man lying on the bed had his dark hair loose, robes disheveled, yet his gaze remained composed and commanding, his words carrying the authority of one who held absolute control over all things.

Hope stirred within A Wu, though she dared not dwell on it too much.

Just dodged calamity, she needed to catch her breath.

So she lowered her eyes, kneeling at his side, and whispered, “What if... A Wu wished for something lasting, to stay by Your Majesty’s side for a lifetime?”

She no longer dared to call him Zelang.

The Jingxi Emperor studied A Wu carefully. The young woman, having tasted his favor, now glowed all the brighter, like rain-drenched peonies in full bloom.

And so, a pang of tenderness struck him.

She was just sixteen, still so young, around the same age as his heir and only a year older than Princess De Ning. A little temper was only to be expected—he ought to have been more tolerant.

At last, he spoke: "A Wu, in this world, those who achieve greatness must endure what ordinary people cannot and bear what ordinary people cannot. Even I, as the emperor, am no exception."

A Wu stared blankly, uncomprehending.

The Jingxi Emperor said, "Power is an unsheathed blade. A blade has edges—to grasp it, one must first suffer its sharpness. Seated above countless subjects, I look down upon kneeling masses, but they are also countless sharp blades."

He spoke with gravity, and this time, A Wu understood: "Water buoys a boat yet can also sink it. If an emperor falls, he will be shattered to pieces."

He held the world in his grasp, and obtaining any woman could be his with a snap of his fingers. But these women must never threaten or violate his foundations—yet here she was, testing his patience at every turn.

Before, she was merely a stray performer from some noble house, perhaps just a matter of the Jingxi Emperor’s own fastidiousness. But now, she was also the crown prince’s former concubine—this complicated matters.

He would never allow anyone to threaten his imperial majesty or the Yong dynasty’s Great Hui Empire.

Yet the Jingxi Emperor said no more. Instead, he lowered his gaze, absently tracing circles on A Wu’s hand.

Her hands were pliant as willow fronds, delicate and tender, as if they could melt into his palm.

On the back of her hand were four tiny dimples, slightly indented.

The Jingxi Emperor’s fingertips pressed lightly against the little dimples. The sensation was so pleasing that once he held them, he couldn’t bear to let go.

He examined them closely: "These are Fortune’s fingerprints. You truly have some luck."

A Wu asked, "Really? Are these truly marks of fortune?"

The Jingxi Emperor replied, "Yes."

Such slender hands, yet adorned with these four little dimples, lending them an air of innocent charm.

Her face lit up: "No wonder I met Your Majesty—it must be because I have eight little dimples!"

She stretched out both hands, preening visibly.

The sovereign who commanded armies gazed at her features, and he smiled faintly—a rare occurrence. "Then that means eight fortunes."

At that moment, his edges softened, even taking on a hint of tenderness.

A Wu watched him curiously, feeling an odd sense of familiarity, and suddenly thought of her own father and brother.

She wondered if, before the crown prince and Princess De Ning, he must be doting without reserve.

She even let herself dream the impossible—what if she were also his child?

To have him hold her, dote on her, protect her, and give her everything she desired.

She could do as she pleased, making them pay tenfold for their past cruelties!

At this thought, her heart trembled. This wild, desperate yearning shocked even herself.

But the perceptive man noticed the shift in her expression and scrutinized her face. "What are you thinking?"

A Wu gazed at the man before her, imagining his usually stern face warmed by a father’s tenderness. The more she thought, the more she yearned for it.

So much so that a sudden possibility occurred to her.

She raised a hand to her flat stomach and whispered reproachfully, "Your Majesty is so cruel. Earlier, you almost had me killed. What if I already carry Your Majesty’s bloodline? How could you raise a hand against your own flesh?"

She hoped to conceive his child, so that what she couldn't have, her child might receive.

When this thought arose, it stemmed purely from an instinct to demand more from him. Unbeknownst to her, this idea aligned perfectly with the aspirations of countless women in noble houses and palace quarters—to secure a more stable position through bearing children.

For women in this world, climbing the social ladder through their own efforts was nearly impossible. Perhaps only one in millions might achieve it over a century. But A Wu was an ordinary woman, without special talents or abilities, never destined to be that one in a million.

Thus, she instinctively turned to the path many women would naturally consider.

Yet at this moment, her careless words made the Jingxi Emperor frown slightly before he chided her mildly, "Don't talk nonsense."

A Wu's earlier petulance had already vanished. Her mind was now wholly occupied with her new scheme, so she snuggled into his arms, squirming and pressing against him as she teased, "I will! I'll say whatever I want!"

Her charming, playful manner pleased the Jingxi Emperor greatly. He was willing to indulge her, like petting a happy puppy.

A Wu was naturally good at coaxing. Sensing the softening of his demeanor, she grew even bolder.

She clung to his firm waist, rolling playfully in his arms, and teased, "You've had me so many times—for all we know I could be pregnant already. I want to bear the Emperor's sons and daughters!"

After his initial frown, the Jingxi Emperor's fingers traced the curve of her waist—soft as fresh cream, delicate as new spring growth.

If this body could indeed nurture his heir—

He whispered a promise, "If you truly bear me a child, I will give you the stars."

A Wu gasped, surprised and suddenly hopeful. "Really?"

The Jingxi Emperor rarely smiled, but now he did. "Would I deceive you?"

A Wu rubbed her belly wistfully. "What if I'm already pregnant now—"

The Emperor's expression darkened abruptly. "If you were pregnant now, I would have reason to doubt."

A Wu stared at him blankly before realization struck.

If she were indeed with child now, by the time the pregnancy advanced, he might not be able to tell whether it was his child or grandchild.

Biting her lip, she ventured cautiously, "But... no matter whose it is, wouldn't it still be Your Majesty's bloodline?"

The Emperor's face turned cold in an instant.

Frightened by his sudden imperial wrath, A Wu hastily pleaded, "Your Majesty, don't be angry! Let A Wu bow her head to the floor, alright?"

She moved to kneel between his long legs, ready to bow her head to the floor.

But the Jingxi Emperor's powerful arm encircled her slender waist, his large hand gripping the nape of her neck, forcing her to look up.

A Wu looked into his dark amber eyes—intense, sharp, and imperious.

Her fear deepened. Trembling, she whispered, "Your Majesty?"

Serving an emperor was like serving a tiger—his moods were unpredictable.

—Of course, it was her own fault for saying what displeased him. She should slap herself!

The Jingxi Emperor looked down at her. "Now that you mention it, I recall something."

A Wu shivered. "Your Majesty...?"

The Jingxi Emperor asked, "How did you and the Crown Prince meet? Where were you before encountering him?"

During the Crown Prince’s southern tour to assess flood damage, he suddenly fell for this woman and later even brought her back with him.

Bringing a woman along on official business was a serious breach of protocol. Whispers spread through the court, prompting rebukes from the moralist officials and tarnishing the Crown Prince's reputation.

The Jingxi Emperor couldn’t shake the suspicion that someone had deliberately set a trap for his son.

At this, A Wu hesitated.

She knew she couldn’t breathe a word about Lu Yunjian.

From the words exchanged between the Empress and Lu Yunjian today, it wasn’t hard to sense the hidden tensions swirling around the Eastern Naval Fleet.

Court politics were treacherous—one wrong move could trigger a storm capable of toppling the court.

If this matter only concerned the Emperor’s private morals, there might still be wiggle room. She might beg for mercy, banking on the Jingxi Emperor’s fleeting favor.

But once she became entangled in power struggles, she would be in grave danger.

She meant nothing to the Jingxi Emperor—she’d be ground to dust in a heartbeat.

Now, all she needed to do was keep her head down and survive.

So how could she conceal the truth?

She hadn’t been a virgin when she joined the Crown Prince, and he was well aware of it—another landmine.

By all rights, they should never bring it up, but what if they did?

If father and son confronted the matter openly, wouldn’t she have to fabricate a story about a previous man?

Her thoughts twisted in knots. When she looked up, she met the Jingxi Emperor’s sharp, piercing gaze.

Panicked, she didn’t dare hesitate and could only lower her head, admitting, "Your Majesty, before the Crown Prince... A Wu was once betrothed."

The Jingxi Emperor seemed indifferent, his voice devoid of inflection. "Oh? There was another man?"

A Wu breathed an inward sigh of relief—this cover story was a godsend.

She answered earnestly, "He was A Wu’s childhood sweetheart, a neighbor’s elder brother. Our parents arranged the betrothal. But after our hometown suffered disaster, we fled together and were accidentally separated. I never saw him again."

The Jingxi Emperor’s eyes sharpened. "Was he your first man?"

A Wu flushed and hesitated.

The Emperor let out a sudden sneer, as if struck by a thought. "So Mo Yao wasn’t the first."

A Wu froze in confusion.

Was he jealous that the Crown Prince had her earlier, or was he resentful on the Crown Prince’s behalf that the esteemed heir apparent wasn’t her first?

Did he want the Crown Prince to have been her first—or not?

A Wu stammered softly, "Though we were betrothed, we were young then. Even if he had insisted, I wouldn’t have given myself to him. We were only... close."

The Jingxi Emperor repeated, "Close?"

He raised his hand, his thumb grazing her lower lip. "You must have kissed?"

A Wu’s lips tingled as the man's calloused fingertips brushed against them, arousing an indescribable feeling.

She stared at his strikingly aristocratic features, her heart fluttering with the thought that the Old Emperor was surprisingly seductive.

Yet, she couldn’t answer his question.

The Jingxi Emperor smiled, his expression unreadable. "If you kissed, just speak plainly."

A Wu’s ears turned crimson. Eyes glistening, she admitted in a whisper, "Yes... we kissed..."

Jingxi Emperor: "Why did you let him?"

A Wu: "He was kind to me..."

Jingxi Emperor: "How?"

A Wu: "He caught fish for me to eat."

A vein pulsed at the Jingxi Emperor’s temple.

Some lousy fish—and he could kiss her so freely!

That was A Wu, pure and innocent, a young maiden no one had ever dared to approach!

Rage burned in his chest, so intense he wished he could slice that damn neighbor boy to ribbons!

A Wu paled in fright, trembling uncontrollably. His moods shifted like the wind!

The Jingxi Emperor’s icy gaze seemed to pierce through her. "How old were you then?"

A Wu: "Sixteen..."

The Jingxi Emperor’s face turned thunderous. "What were they teaching you? So young, yet already meeting boys in secret, letting them kiss you like that? Do you even know what men think? What good intentions could they possibly have?"

A Wu burned with humiliation, stammering helplessly, "We... we were promised to each other..."

Back then, she truly believed she would marry her neighbor brother, just as her father and mother had.

The Jingxi Emperor grew even more displeased. "Did he touch your body?"

A Wu shook her head. "No."

Some tension left his face.

A Wu blurted out truthfully, "We only hugged a few times."

Hugged—

He had even hugged her!

Rage burned in his chest.

If only she’d lied, perhaps he wouldn’t feel so wretched.

But she was painfully earnest.

Seeing the anger in his eyes, A Wu hurried to placate him, "Your Majesty, please don’t be upset. It’s all in the past. We only hugged—nothing improper. Don’t work yourself into a state. Your Majesty should preserve your royal health..."

She couldn’t understand—he was usually so controlled. Why was he like this now, she thought?

The Jingxi Emperor clamped down on his temper, then fixed A Wu with a stormy gaze: "After leaving your hometown, what else did you encounter?"

A Wu: "Nothing much. I drifted from place to place with the crowd, until a wealthy family took me in as a servant. That’s how I met His Highness the Crown Prince."

She spoke frankly, unafraid.

Back then, when Lu Yunjian decided to send her to the Crown Prince, he had set it up carefully—first releasing her into the masses, where she was later taken in by a poorhouse, and then selected from there to become a maid at a manor.

Due to the floods in that area, with countless refugees, tracing anyone's path was next to impossible.

—In this regard, Lu Yunjian was damn clever. The southern coastal regions were his territory, and he wasn't about to leave any loose ends.

The Jingxi Emperor searched A Wu’s guileless eyes for any trace of deceit but found none.

He continued: "You left your hometown in the sixteenth year of Jingxi’s reign, didn’t you?"

A Wu: "Mm."

The Jingxi Emperor frowned, thought it over, and understood: "That year, floods struck the eastern coast. I allocated relief funds and dispatched imperial envoys to inspect and comfort the people."

A Wu, upon hearing this, shot back: "I never saw any silver! Everything got washed away—we didn’t even have food!"

The Jingxi Emperor: "There were soup kitchens."

A Wu: "But all I got was a few bowls of watery porridge!"

The Jingxi Emperor: "Wasn't thin porridge better than nothing? Moreover, I later distributed warm clothes and established poorhouses to shelter refugees."

Great Hui was vast, and the eastern floods were just one of many affairs of state. He had allocated relief funds but perhaps not with full effort.

With so many people needing help, even ensuring that a weak woman like A Wu received a few bowls of porridge was something at least.

A Wu: "I never saw any warm clothes!"

The Jingxi Emperor said with a cold edge: "Who knows what your eyes were fixed on."

A Wu wanted to argue but bit her tongue—he was the Emperor, after all. She swallowed her words.

Unwillingly, she turned her pouting face away, refusing to debate further.

The Jingxi Emperor watched her pouting face and found it amusing. His anger suddenly dissipated.

He was the sovereign of Great Hui, father to his people. As the Son of Heaven, he was meant to care for them like a parent.

She was his subject. He should have protected her.

It was his failure to govern Great Hui well that had left someone like her to scrape by alone. Whatever she had endured was only natural—he could hardly blame her.

This was the Emperor’s failing—his benevolence hadn't stretched far enough, leaving a lonely woman without shelter.

Moreover, she had already been favored by him, bearing traces of his touch.

His long fingers lightly traced the slender curve of her neck, where the red marks he'd left still showed.

He had nearly taken her life.

A wave of protectiveness and guilt surged within him.

He sighed and said, "A Wu, today I have a thousand—no, ten thousand—reasons to kill you. Your death would keep father and son from falling out and keep my name clean."

A Wu gazed at the emperor before her, noticing an uncharacteristic trace of weary resignation in his usually calm eyes.

Jingxi Emperor: "Yet I did not kill you. Since even I refrained from taking your life, I won't let anyone else do it either."

As he spoke these words, he saw A Wu looking up at him with adoration and reverence, her eyes full of soft devotion, her expression completely at ease—as if he were the only, the last ray of light in this world.

Such a gaze would flatter any man.

Jingxi Emperor continued: "However, I cannot keep you here. If you remain in Nanqiongzi, you won't survive."

A Wu felt a cold dread as she quickly realized the truth of his words.

Having first served the crown prince and then caught the emperor's eye, she was bound to be reviled and would inevitably face countless enemies who wished her dead.

These enemies could be the crown prince and his consort, the empress, loyal court officials, or even the noble empress dowager—the emperor’s own mother.

With Jingxi Emperor far in the inner court, those in Nanqiongzi could find endless ways to end her life.

Once she perished, what could the emperor do? At most, he might have a few executed, but the dead could not return to life. If she died, she would simply be gone.

She fully understood then—she had to hold on tight to Jingxi Emperor. The most dangerous place would also be the safest. She must enter the palace, and she must secure her status.

Only by attaching herself to Jingxi Emperor and fighting her way up could she preserve her life.

Jingxi Emperor cupped the nape of her neck with his long fingers, pulling her close as he said, "That is why I want you to learn the rules, to enter the palace. What I can give you, I will. But first, you must learn how to stand with me."

A Wu replied, "Your Majesty, A Wu dares not stand with Your Majesty. A Wu will kneel at your feet."

Countless talented men across the empire studied for ten years, rising at the crow of the rooster, all hoping just for his notice.

Though she relied not on scholarship or martial skill, but merely on her beauty—so what? She was still young, still beautiful, and she could use it to buy her way to power.

Her beauty had been her curse, the reason for her suffering. Now, she would use it to her advantage.

Bending her slender back, she lowered her head and reverently cupped the emperor’s long, elegant hands in hers, placing a reverent kiss to them before whispering timidly, "A Wu will obey Your Majesty in all things."

Jingxi Emperor looked down at her nervous, overly formal manner. "There is no need for such fear," he said.

A Wu blinked in surprise.

Then, with a pout, she murmured, "Your Majesty’s will is impossible to read... A Wu cannot help but tremble..."

His gaze softened as his fingertips gently traced her delicate skin. "A Wu, whatever you desire, you may tell me."

Sensing the genuine affection in his words, she felt ambition stirring.

She boldly raised her arms and looped them around his neck.

Jingxi Emperor did not stop her, merely watching in silence.

Clutching him, A Wu nestled against him and whispered coquettishly, *“A Wu loves peonies. Will Your Majesty give A Wu peonies?”*

Clearly taken aback, Jingxi Emperor raised an eyebrow. "Nonsense!"

Even the most expensive peonies wouldn’t cost more than a thousand coins.

She protested, "There are no peonies in Nanqiongzi anymore."

"The autumn peonies are blooming—they are everywhere in Nanqiongzi," he replied.

A Wu: "I wanted to buy peonies, but they wouldn’t sell them to me. They said the flowers were reserved for Princess De Ning’s hair-pinning ceremony."

Jingxi Emperor: "Ridiculous. De Ning’s ceremony is still a month away. Why would they need the flowers now? And even if they did, would they really need every peony in Nanqiongzi?"

A Wu: "But they just refused to sell them to me! They wouldn’t!"

The Jingxi Emperor paused briefly, then understood. "When the ruler shows favor, those below will flatter excessively. No doubt the lower officials are currying favor."

A Wu gave him a look that said, "Told you!" as if she had caught him in a small misstep, her tone both playfully accusing.

The Jingxi Emperor had no reply.

He cared little about flowers, but to this young woman, it seemed a matter of great importance.

After a brief hesitation, he said, "I will issue an order. For De Ning’s hair-pinning ceremony, fresh flowers will not be used. Only artificial flowers shall be arranged instead."

A Wu's eyes widened in surprise before understanding—his earlier remark about "the ruler showing favor" clearly showed his displeasure at how his daughter’s ceremony was causing such disruption.

Noticing her understanding, the Jingxi Emperor explained calmly, "The flower growers of Nanqiongzi provide flowers to the palace for free. If they cannot sell flowers for a month, their losses will be severe."

Hearing this, A Wu laughed. "Who cares about that! Now I can buy flowers again! You're so good to me, the best to A Wu!"

Jingxi Emperor: "It’s just a few flowers."

But A Wu clung happily to his arm. "A Wu is happy anyway!"

Her light, sweet scent wafted over as the delicate young woman swayed his arm playfully.

Her bright, clear eyes sparkled, even her fluttering lashes brimming with joy.

For a fleeting moment, the Emperor seemed lost in thought.

He collected himself, turning his face away with an impassive expression.

Yet his gaze, fixed on the window, had softened nonetheless.