Concern

The sound of the pipa was clear and melodious. Xie Ning had heard it before she entered the palace—back then, she did not find it particularly pleasant to listen to. It was noisy and overwhelming, and only made her feel agitated.

But now, it was a different story altogether. The pipa was different, the musician playing it was different, and the place where it was being played was different.

The rain outside did not overshadow the sound of the pipa. As it reached a crescendo, the sound of the rain was drowned out completely.

By comparison, the sound of the flute was like an accompaniment.

In any given picture, there was a subject and a background. In this piece of music, the pipa was the subject, and the flute was the background.

Xie Ning looked at the two musicians before her. The woman was beautiful, and her red robes stood out brilliantly in the darkness of the night. She sat on a stool with the pipa in her arms, her posture graceful and elegant, reminding Xie Ning of a painting she had seen once of performers at a banquet.

The flutist stood by the pillar; half of his body shrouded in its shadow. He was unobtrusive, like the sound of his flute in this piece of music.

The woman playing the pipa held herself with poise and kept stealing glances in Xie Ning's direction.

But Xie Ning wasn't angry at all. The emperor wasn't hers; even if it wasn't this pipa player, there would always be others.

She couldn't tell the woman's age, but her figure was alluring and bewitching, something Xie Ning, still somewhat inexperienced in the ways of the world, couldn't compete with.

When the piece finished, they all exchanged appropriate courtesies. The emperor rewarded them, and Xie Ning praised them with a few words. And then?

And then, that was it. They were all dismissed.

It seemed that the pipa player wasn't the type that the emperor liked.

After they left, the emperor asked her, "Did you like the music?"

"It was very beautiful." Listening to such captivating music by the lake on a rainy day was truly an extraordinary pleasure. The last time she had heard music was thanks to someone else's connections. But this time, the emperor had specifically summoned musicians to play for her, so Xie Ning couldn't say it wasn't good.

"The music was good, but neither of those two were focused on the music itself." The emperor was well-versed in these things. "Next time, we'll have Liu Sanniang come to play." It seemed that the pipa player's attempts at coquettishness had missed the mark.

Xie Ning realized there was still a small sense of contentment in her heart.

Without realizing it, the rain outside had eased up, and they left Anxi Bridge and made their way back to Hall of Eternal Peace.

The rain continued to fall in a fine mist, and Xie Ning lifted the curtain of the sedan chair to feel the cool breeze and raindrops on her face and hair. The emperor's platform led the way, and as he turned his head, he noticed a white arm extending out by the side of the road, illuminated by the light of a nearby lantern. The arm looked like a delicate blossom, pristine and glistening in the night.

Xie Ning withdrew her arm, feeling the cool and fleeting touch of the raindrops in her palm.

The weather was cool after the rain, and Xie Ning was surprised when the emperor pulled her close. She was only wearing a thin and soft robe, and her belt was not even tied properly.

It was late, and tomorrow was another day for him to attend the morning court. The emperor held her tightly, and they seemed to fit together perfectly.

According to the rules, she could not spend the night with the emperor, but rules were meant to be broken. The emperor was in charge and disregarded the rules, and the palace maids and eunuchs outside the bedroom would turn a blind eye and not interfere.

Xie Ning thought she would not be able to sleep with the emperor on his bed.

Strangely, she fell asleep quickly.

She slept until morning, and the emperor had already gone to attend the morning court. Xie Ning felt embarrassed, and on her way back, her heart was uneasy.

It felt like she had stolen something and was hiding it in her heart, afraid that others would find out. However, if she could turn back time to last night and choose again, she would still choose to lie down with the emperor instead of kneeling and suggesting that the emperor follow the palace rules and not spend the night with her.

She thought she would still choose the former.

The courtyard of Haunting Fragrance Pavilion was spotlessly clean after being swept, and the rain had made the bamboo leaves even more vigorous and verdant. Qinghe fetched water for her and helped her change clothes, asking softly, "Did you speak with the emperor?"

"What do you mean?" Xie Ning was confused.

Qinghe became anxious, "Yesterday, when you left, I specifically asked you to talk to him."

Oh, she had forgotten.

Qinghe reminded her to tell the emperor about the incident at the flower appreciation festival not to inform on Handsome Fairness Chen but to prevent her from turning around and blaming Xie Ning for everything.

But Xie Ning had completely forgotten.

The rain had filled up the lake covered with lotus leaves, and the curved bridge submerged by the rainwater produced a symphony in the flickering candlelight.

She had never thought about Chen's matter.

"How could you forget?" Qinghe exclaimed, momentarily relieved but now plunged back into anxiety.

What could they do? They would just have to wait for the next opportunity.

Who knew when the next chance would come? What if Handsome Fairness Chen saw the emperor before then? Qinghe had witnessed the entire situation, and she was certain that Chen would report the offense if given the chance.

It seemed like their fears had come true. It was rumoured that Chen had been favoured by the emperor just a few days after the heavy rain.

Qinghe had been gathering information about Chen for the past few days. She had heard that knowing one's enemies was the key to victory, and since they were now enemies with Chen, she needed to gather as much information as possible to safeguard themselves in the future.

Handsome Fairness Chen was a delicate and charming woman, as Qinghe had seen at the flower show. Others had said that she was lively and coquettish, and the emperor liked her very much. As for her stubborn and strong-willed side, she would never show it in front of the emperor.

Qinghe lay awake in Xie Ning's outer chamber, tossing and turning all night.

Had Chen already reported their lady to the emperor? Perhaps she had cried and begged for justice, hoping for the emperor to punish her severely?

Qinghe was afraid that someone would come to Haunting Fragrance Pavilion at dawn and arrest their lady, punishing her severely. What could they do if it were to happen?

Should she go and plead with Zhou Gonggong? But he would never get involved in this mess. He was only kind to their lady because she was favoured by the emperor. If the emperor withdrew his favour, Zhou Gonggong would certainly turn his back on them.

Was their lady also scared?

They had missed a golden opportunity last time. Qinghe was restless, and even Qingmei was affected by her anxiety, feeling as though someone was watching her from behind and whispering behind her back.

Only Xie Ning remained calm. She understood Qinghe's concerns but believed that the emperor was not the type to listen to one-sided stories.