[Bonus Chapter] Talent

The middle aisle that ran from the dais to the main entrance of Jinshen Hall was wide enough a space for the court dancers to entertain guests during banquets. These court dancers weren't present today because the highlight of the evening was the new members of the imperial harem.

Yan Zheyun had spent nights pouring over the score he'd written for the guqin in preparation for the performance. Composing a short song for the Wu Household's concubine was one thing but coming up with something worthy of the imperial court required a whole other level of proficiency that he didn't possess. He was a confident man but he was aware of where his strengths and weaknesses lay.

The best he could do was to adapt the scores that he already knew, purposely selecting the one from that gaming soundtrack, as he was certain that no one else would have heard of it before. Naturally, as someone who was used to the headache that came along with dealing with the intellectual property rights of his company's products, he wasn't going to claim credit for it.

As Xiao De and Shuangxi busied themselves with carrying out the guqin table and arranging his instrument on it, Yan Zheyun saluted the emperor and dowager once more before explaining his performance for the evening. "Your Majesty, Empress Dowager Niangniang, this concubine-subject would like to present to you a folk song learnt from a wandering maestro years ago. Its simple melody is too rough for the grandeur of the court but I have chosen it for the occasion as, thanks to Your Majesty's benevolent rule, the whole kingdom is peaceful enough to celebrate this spring festival together." While this was a bit of shameless flattery, it was also the truth.

"Though this concubine-subject has little talent, I have attempted to adapt it to suit the refinement of the imperial city (1)." Yan Zheyun deepened his bow.

Saying so, he looked over to the row of male concubines and met Hua Zhixuan's eyes. Hua Zhixuan nodded and rose gracefully to his feet.

Yan Zheyun looked back at the dais. "This concubine-subject was initially prepared to perform a duet with First-class Attendant Hua…" he trailed off and regarded the emperor expectantly. It was best not to make any assumptions about what he could and could not do. The emperor had asked him to start at the top of the itinerary list. If Yan Zheyun invited someone to perform with him, he could only imagine how this would be interpreted as 'disrespect' by the wagging tongues of the inner palace.

The emperor nodded once. "Permitted."

On cue, Hua Zhixuan stepped out onto the carpet and mimicked Yan Zheyun's formalities.

"This concubine-subject greets Your Majesty and Emperor Dowager Niangniang. If it pleases the both of you, this concubine-subject shall reveal his incompetence by accompanying Noble Lord Yue with the dizi." His salute was faultless and he carried himself with the steady assurance of an educated man. Yan Zheyun had initially been worried about putting Hua Zhixuan in the spotlight in front of a whole room full of the very sort of people he feared but his concerns were unfounded. Hua Zhixuan might shy away from confrontation but he was also a bright scholar who was highly trained in the Six Arts (2), one of which was etiquette.

Yan Zheyun had underestimated him by fearing that he wouldn't be able to carry himself in front of the emperor. He relaxed after seeing how unaffected Hua Zhixuan was despite having an entire hall scrutinising him. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that he was wasted in the harem. He was made for the morning court.

Without further ado, they took their positions.

When Yan Zheyun had been debating how to adapt the score to make it sound grander, he kept thinking back to the name of the piece, which was 'Returning to the Dream of the Wandering Immortal' (3). The tune itself was wistful and melancholic and he had tried his best to think about what sort of imagery had invoked such sad emotions. What could a powerful immortal have seen on his travels in the mortal realm to make him feel this way? He'd considered the concept of immortality. Perhaps the immortal had lost companions and soulmates inevitably to death. Perhaps he was reminiscing on the good old times when he didn't have to sit alone in rowdy inns. Perhaps, when he roamed the wilderness at night, he didn't use to have to watch his own back.

Loneliness.

That was the conclusion he'd arrived at and the one that had prompted the lone haunting flute introduction that he'd written for Hua Zhixuan. He privately called it a remix in his head but didn't have any way of explaining the concept to his music partner. He was only familiar with the traditional scores for the guqin but not to the dizi and had ransacked his brains for ages trying to come up with a way to teach Hua Zhixuan his parts, even considering resorting to humming it out for him, until Hua Zhixuan reassured Yan Zheyun that whilst he wasn't proficient at the guqin, he'd been forced to learn it too and could convert it himself.

It was nice to work with competent teammates. He would have hired Hua Zhixuan in a heartbeat too.

The main melody of the chorus was what Hua Zhixuan started with, each note lingering soulfully in the air like it was reluctant to depart. This was followed by the Yan Zheyun on the guqin, playing the main verse in a lower register, the dizi shifting to take on the role of the harmonic line.

Yan Zheyun knew that it was impossible to compete with the greats. Traditional music for the guqin was also impressionistic. The musician could be likened to an artist and his instrument a brush, each note being used to paint a picture of a particular theme. But as a modern person, Yan Zheyun had one advantage over them.

No matter how technically masterful these old compositions were and how evocative their melodies could be, the composers of ancient times would always be more restrained than 21st century him, who had grown up expressing his emotions freely without too many repercussions.

The story of a resentful assassination attempt, the story of a drunken old hermit, so many stories had been told by musicians, and now he wanted to add the story of a lonely immortal to the collection. Yan Zheyun's rendition might not be good enough to surpass all that had come before it but he didn't believe that he would be completely outshone either.

Pale, slender fingers pressed and strummed over the body of the guqin. This was the generic instrument that had been placed as a display piece uniformly in all of the chambers of Zheshan Palace. As a slave, Yan Yun hadn't owned on himself back in the Wu Household. Still, it was more than good enough for its purposes, its sound rich and reverberating. In modern times, such an instrument could already fetch a small fortune.

Yan Zheyun lost himself in the music. He let the sound wash over him, mind accompanying the tragic immortal through forests and deserts as he searched futilely for the meaning of this trial he was facing. The flute's contrapuntal echo was a little easter egg he hid for himself; this was typical of western music instead of eastern but he put it in because he liked the way it sounded. It made the duet sound like a call and echo, as though the immortal's companion was out there somewhere, trying to search for him in vain, his desperate cries lost in the wind.

When the performance finally ended, the atmosphere in Jinshen Hall had shifted to a more sombre mood. More than one guest appeared deep in thought, as though the music had caused them to reflect on their own regretful life experiences.

The dowager spoke first. "An interesting effort musically," she critiqued. "But not suitable for the occasion."

When Hua Zhixuan had suggested performing this piece, he had quickly changed his mind because of how solemn it sounded. But Yan Zheyun had already thought of a reasonable justification for it and had ended up being the one to convince Hua Zhixuan that it was fine.

Hua Zhixuan wasn't wrong. There was a risk that 'spoiling the mood' would result in their having to face the ire of the emperor. But Yan Zheyun didn't want to blend in with the crowd, there would be no point in performing if so. And their dear emperor was notoriously difficult to catch the interests of. As an entrepreneur, he wasn't risk-averse. Quite the opposite, in fact.

He bowed and from the corner of his eye, noticed Hua Zhixuan mirroring him. "This concubine-subject has incurred ridicule from a poor performance (4)." He didn't think he had but this was just part of the display of humility that was the norm in these circles. "In response to Empress Dowager Niangniang, this concubine-subject had chosen this piece—"

"You don't have to justify it."

Yan Zheyun froze and lifted his head slightly, unable to believe his ears. He had been prepared to bring out an earnest explanation on how they, as the imperial family, were so fortunate to be living in luxury but at the same time should not forget the poor populace toiling to get by thousands of miles away from the wealthy capital. From what he'd gauged of the emperor's disposition, this justification would be more than acceptable. It was certainly better than the ugly truth.

[Sorry Xiongdis, I had to be a wet blanket because I don't know any happy songs by heart.]

But it turned out that he needn't have expended all that effort cooking up an excuse.

The emperor wasn't looking at him. At some point, he had taken out a small folded fan with ebony guards. He didn't fiddle with it, just clasped it tightly in his left hand as he stared past Yan Zheyun at the guqin.

The dowager's brows furrowed. "Your Majesty," she said, tone heavy with disapproval. "Noble Lord Yue's skill cannot be denied but this here is the exact evidence of what this mourner said to you earlier. This lack of restraint is inappropriate—"

"Royal Mother." The emperor didn't raise his voice against her but his tone was firm. "This sovereign enjoyed the performance." He lifted his gaze to the rest of the room. "Unless someone else here thinks that this sovereign's preferences are deserving of rebuke?"

Of course, no one else dared to say anything in response to that.

Satisfied by the silence, the emperor turned his attention back to Yan Zheyun. "Noble Consort Yue, play another piece for this sovereign."

"…as Your Majesty commands." Yan Zheyun took his seat once more, Hua Zhixuan shooting him one long, worried glance before retreating to his table. Alone in the centre of the hall now, Yan Zheyun found himself surrounded by unfriendly gazes from all sides. Even if the emperor meant nothing by this, was only invested in his music, it would still be taken to mean that he had special favour. Yan Zheyun hadn't intended to lay low anymore but things felt like they were moving beyond his control and it made him more nervous than he'd been earlier on.

This was a direct request from the emperor and he couldn't afford to mess it up. What should he play?

There was an ideal choice but he would have to be very bold to pick it.

[Should I? Should I not? This could go both ways…]

Ah, to hell with it.

He tuned the guqin to a new key, flicked his sleeves back, and began.

This time around, he chose a traditional composition, one which was over two thousand years old. After the first few familiar strains, he heard a ripple of malcontent from the area where the concubines were seated. No doubt they were whispering about his shamelessness. But with the emperor watching from above, no one would comment aloud.

It wasn't a long score at all but it was filled with a beautiful yearning that Yan Zheyun portrayed masterfully through a series of vibratos. Apart from the significance of the piece, he'd selected it because he'd once used it to win multiple competitions. Yan Zheyun had practised it so hard that he could play it blindfolded.

Although everyone was watching him, he dedicated his performance solely to the emperor, taking care to keep his touch of the strings both cajoling and playful.

…flirting was a whole other ball game in ancient times.

When the song ended, he looked up and saw that the emperor's eyes were still focused on his hands. Instead of hiding them in his sleeves, he gently folded them on the strings to display their elegant beauty.

"Once again, I've incurred ridicule." Yan Zheyun worried his lower lip as he waited for a verdict. The emperor was a man of few words and had a terrible habit of leaving his subjects hanging, Yan Zheyun had realised. He wondered if he would ever manage to get close enough to call him out on it.

The emperor tucked the fan back into his robes. He must be aware that an entire hall was observing his every move, trying to catch a glimpse of his true feelings. But he didn't say anything, just gestured at his head eunuch.

Head Eunuch Cao's eyes widened but decades of servitude meant that he knew his master's habits like the back of his hand.

"Royal Mother," the emperor said as he rose to his feet. "This sovereign has had a good evening here at the feast but is exhausted from handling court matters and would like to retire now."

The other concubines paled when they heard the news. What did the emperor mean? None of them apart from that opportunistic Yan Yun had had the chance to perform! They exchanged frantic expressions and tried to catch Noble Consort Li's eye. If there was anyone amongst them who would have the authority to speak up, she was the closest to it.

Sure enough, Noble Consort Li called out to the emperor hesitantly. She didn't care that the cheap slave had robbed the other newcomers of their opportunity to impress. She had only made arrangements for the performance to show how magnanimous she was. Since Yan Yun was foolish enough to make so many enemies at one shot, she could sit back and relax as she observed how the others tore him apart without her having to lift a finger.

But she wasn't satisfied that the emperor was leaving so soon. The chance to be near him was so rare, if she didn't seize it now, who was to say when she would have another shot at it?

"Y-Your Majesty, please reconsider, all the other younger brothers and sisters have worked so hard to put on a show for you today." She glanced up at him imploringly.

"Exactly." The dowager was on her side for once. "There is no morning court tomorrow because of the holiday, it wouldn't hurt Your Majesty to have some company. It is the eve, after all, and there are fireworks later."

It was the tradition for the entire family to unite in the evening of the eve of the spring festival and stay awake until the hour of the new year arrived. In the capital and richer cities, officials would make arrangements to have a fireworks display, a sign that the rulers were celebrating this occasion with the people. The imperial family too would watch this together on the highest viewing platform in the inner palace.

But the emperor remained unmoved by her reminder. "There is no morning court, but this son still has state affairs to sort." He bowed to her. "Begging Royal Mother's pardon, this son will take his leave now." His words were polite but there was no arguing with his tone.

When he reached the edge of the dais, he suddenly seemed to remember that Noble Consort Li had spoken to him. He looked at her, the directness of his gaze bringing a slight flush to her cheeks. She felt her heart soaring. Could it be…?

"Noble Consort Li has made this sovereign recall," the emperor said casually. "This sovereign might be tired but no doubt all of you are tired too, from working so hard at honing your talents." His gaze swept across the room before landing squarely on Yan Zheyun, who stood there watching him with a hint of helplessness.

If the emperor walked out now, his life tomorrow would drop back down to hell.

"How about this? To ensure that no efforts have gone to waste, this sovereign commands everyone else to enjoy the rest of the performances for the evening." He paused. "Liu An."

The little ninth prince startled awake from where he'd started to snooze in his seat. "Y-Yes, Big Brother?" he mumbled, rubbing the grit from his eyes as he struggled to appear awake. But he was so out of it he'd forgotten to use the appropriate honorific.

"You're dismissed." It was long past the ninth prince's bedtime.

The boy melted into his seat with relief. "Thank you, Big Brother."

The emperor's lips tugged upwards. "Continue as you were, this sovereign won't be joining in the rest of the festivities…" A thoughtful look appeared on his face. "However, Royal Mother's concerns aren't to be disregarded. Cao Mingbao!"

The head eunuch bowed low. "Yes, Your Majesty?"

"This sovereign shall flip Noble Lord Yue's tablet tonight (5)."