[Bonus Chapter] In-Laws

In front of the prostrations of the entire Jinshen Hall, the emperor ascended upon the dais and took the centre seat after leading his mother to her table which was at his diagonal right. There was a space on the left that mirrored the dowager's position but it was conspicuously empty. This was the more coveted spot in the inner palace at the moment because only the empress would have the right to dine in it.

"Dispense with formalities."

The emperor's formal robes were once again in black and gold, the dragon motif embroidered with so much skill that it brought to life the majestic grace of this mythical creature. Despite the lavishness of the occasion, this banquet was meant to be solely amongst family members and so the emperor had swapped out the headdress he used in court for a simpler gold 'guan' (1), which was used to decorate his bound hair by encircling it. This made him appear less like a terrifying ruler who held their lives in the palm of his hand, and more like a handsome young man of excellence.

Yan Zheyun lowered his lashes to the small wine cup he was pretending to sip from. He hadn't forgotten who was responsible for overseeing the arrangements for the banquet and didn't have so much faith left in humanity that he was comfortable sampling the fare. Now that the privy purse had stopped withholding his allowance, Xiao De had helped him stock up on some simple ingredients. Although they couldn't be seated together, he had already instructed Hua Zhixuan to tolerate any hunger pangs until the banquet was over. It was safer to eat their meal back in Zheshan Palace.

Especially since Yan Zheyun, by virtue of being himself, had a huge target painted on his back, one which extended to Hua Zhixuan by pure association. Yan Zheyun had anticipated this but had weighed up the pros and cons and decided that making friends and forming alliances was inevitable. Besides, he was no longer in the same situation as back in the Wu Household. Yan Zheyun had a bit more leeway when it came to protecting his companions and they, too, had their backing. After entering the inner palace, Hua Zhixuan was more valuable to the Hua Family than he'd ever been before. They wouldn't sit back and watch the pawn they had painstakingly groomed get destroyed just like that.

Xiao De, too, had his Godfather. Yan Zheyun should be worrying about himself instead.

Normally, just before eating, the emperor was supposed to deliver a short speech. But he didn't seem to want to expend the effort tonight because after reciting just two brief lines about how good it was to be reunited with all of them again and that he hoped they enjoyed this evening, he signalled for the head eunuch to announce the start of the feast.

It was like a large scale version of what had happened that one time Yan Zheyun was dragged by Steward Yang to assist in entertaining the fourth prince during that fateful meal. Rows and rows of palace maids filed out with trays in their hands, each one bearing plates covered in the finest delicacies. However, he wagered that they looked better than they tasted though. The same concept that applied to company functions worked here as well. Not only did the kitchens have to prepare food for too many people, all the chatting and events meant that by the time the guests got around to eating, everything was lukewarm.

[Just hang in there and you can go back to a nice steaming bowl of noodles.]

Yan Zheyun picked at his food. The hall was mostly quiet, the guests keen on demonstrating their impeccable upbringing by observing the rule to maintain silence during meals.

After an appropriate amount of time had passed, during which Yan Zheyun was bored out of his mind, someone finally stirred. At the front of the hall, Noble Consort Li rose to her feet with the support of her maid and presented a toast to the emperor.

"Your Majesty," she said with a sweet smile that was so girlish it appeared at odds with her striking makeup. "Please allow this consort-subject to be the first to wish you a happy spring festival." She lifted the cup with both hands and presented it in his direction, the long fabric of her sleeves cascading about her like the flowery fins of prized carp.

The emperor paused and placed his chopsticks back down on its holder. He nodded at her and raised his cup in curt acknowledgement. "Noble Consort has done well with the preparations for this banquet," was all he said in return, before throwing his wine back in one go. The second he set it down, a young eunuch by his side leaned forward to refill it, his sole task of the day being to hold onto the flask and ensure that the flow was never broken.

Noble Consort Li's smile faltered. She opened her scarlet lips, as though she had more to say, but finally decided against it. Her manners were still faultless as she thanked the emperor and sat back down but the glimmer of hope that had brightened her eyes all evening dimmed.

She wasn't the only concubine to try her luck. One by one, a mixture of old-timers and newcomers stood up to toast the emperor, who was off too fine breeding to fob them off discourteously. Dozens of young nubile bodies that were reenacting the historical royalty version of the 'please notice me, senpai' meme and said 'senpai' had no choice but to accept their loaded well-wishes with the perfect balance of polite disinterest.

Yan Zheyun would have found the idea hilarious if it didn't leave a bitterness that exacerbated the gnawing of his empty stomach. With a furtive whisper, Xiao De urged him not to fall behind but Yan Zheyun simply shook his head. This was not the most effective way of approaching the emperor, who wanted nothing to do with any of them today, as far as he could tell. The performance might present a better opportunity to stand out as he wouldn't just be trying his luck by copying the actions of others.

He kept his gaze trained on his table so that he wouldn't have to watch how they fawned over the emperor, getting bolder and bolder as the drink in their blood accumulated. The fruit platter in front of him contained slices of fresh muskmelon. It was the only thing on the table that he was curious about. As far as he knew, it was the wrong season for muskmelon, which should only sprout shoots in spring.

He busied himself with brainstorming reasons that could explain this phenomenon, ranging from ingenious olden day techniques to the author of 'Hurt Me in a Million Ways' writing some rubbish because they were a modern-day big-city kid who had no real clue when what grew and where.

"Your Majesty, this concubine-subject drinks to your health." The lazy low drawl that cut through the growing chatter was out of place at such a bustling feast. Yan Zheyun looked up at the speaker, who was the male concubine seated at the start of his row. Unlike the other higher-ranking concubines that sat near him, he was dressed in a plain midnight blue robe that wasn't ornately embellished at all. More than a concubine, he resembled a young minister.

His body was slender but not as slight as some of the male concubines starved themselves to become. And all just so they could compete with their petite female counterparts. For example, Yan Zheyun believed that his original body, which had trained steadily in the gym, would have been able to lift Liang Ruhan with one arm. In his quest for the slimmest waist in the harem, he had to be malnourished.

The emperor, who had scarcely deigned to look at any of the concubines who had addressed him earlier, looked him straight in the eye. "Same to you," he replied. They toasted each other.

Yan Zheyun's eyes shifted from one to the other. The emperor hadn't made any mentions of this concubine's name and yet he was the only one the emperor didn't reserve the cold treatment for. The question was why.

He observed this concubine, taking in the way he reclined back on one arm while toying with the wine flask he'd grabbed out of his servant's hands. Apart from the modicum of propriety that he'd shown earlier while talking to the emperor, he was a lot less measured in his behaviour normally, his manner bordering on rough.

For him to get away with this in front of an entire hall, he must either be the emperor's beloved or someone so important that even the most rigid of rules could be made flexible for him.

"Royal Older Brother is so lucky to have such a considerate harem!" A familiar voice interrupted Yan Zheyun's musings, its false gaiety making his skin crawl. "As this brother-subject has always said, your relationship with Gracious Consort Yao has always been the object of envy, and rightfully so!"

The emperor remained unperturbed by his brother's 'good-natured' teasing. "This sovereign recalls that his royal younger brother also has a substantial rear court (1)."

Yan Zheyun had known that sooner or later this showy scumbag gong wouldn't be able to resist announcing his presence. Sure enough, the fourth prince's gaze flitted over to where Yan Zheyun was sitting and he seemed to deliberately raise his voice.

"It's incomparable to Royal Older Brother's, of course!" the fourth prince replied. Perhaps he'd had a bit too much wine because his speech was slightly slurred as he continued with a hint of petulance. "Mine could have been better if Royal Older Brother hadn't asked this brother-subject for such a precious favour but of course, as long as you're having fun, this brother-subject cannot say anything, right?"

His laughter grew more boisterous. His consort leaned towards him. The first emotion she'd displayed all evening was that of a fearful worry.

"My husband, you've had too much to drink—" She tried to confiscate his cup but he nudged her hand away.

The rest of the hall fell deathly silent. The fourth prince no longer hid the fact that he was staring straight at Yan Zheyun. "Is he not to your liking, Royal Big Brother?" he asked suddenly.

The ice which had thawed in the festive atmosphere returned to the emperor's eyes.

"Because if he were, why is he still just a mere beautiful lord—"

This careless comment overstepped more boundaries than it appeared to on the surface. 'Beautiful Lord' was the rank one below 'Noble Lord' but Yan Zheyun was certain that the fourth prince hadn't mixed them up by accident. The characters used for this title were the same as those used to refer to someone as a 'Beauty'. Hua Zhixuan had been jokingly calling Yan Zheyun that the whole of today but the praise didn't feel oily as it did when coming from one of the scumbags.

"Wei Er!" A large cracking noise echoed through Jinshen Hall. The dowager had slammed her palm on her table, hard enough for her rings to chip off flecks of wood. "Watch your tongue, where is your sense of propriety?!" She turned a sharp glance to her older son. "Your Majesty, your younger brother is drunk, you should dismiss him from the feast before he embarrasses himself further."

The emperor's lips flattened. "This sovereign's royal younger brother should abstain from drink if he truly were such a lightweight." But his tone implied that he wasn't convinced. "Never mind." He flicked the back of his hands towards the main doors. "As per our royal mother's wishes, Liu Wei should return to his manor to rest."

The fourth prince let out a faint gurgle of protest but appeared powerless to resist the eunuchs who had arrived to assist him with standing. Yan Zheyun frowned. He recalled from memory that the fourth prince's tolerance was quite high. Yet, he didn't appear to be faking the drunken stupor that he was in, tossing aside all decorum as the eunuchs half-dragged and half-carried him out, his entourage in tow. Was there the possibility that he'd been drugged? But Yan Zheyun didn't know enough about the court politics to figure out who would have the motivation.

Once the doors shut once more, he tried to fall back into a semblance of relaxation.

But the empress dowager had noticed him and had other plans. Her gaze was like a honed knife that threatened to stab through him as she eyed him up and down with clear dissatisfaction.

"Your Majesty, since we're on the topic, this mourner wishes to speak to you about your newly appointed Noble Lord Yue."

Yan Zheyun stiffened up imperceptibly. Beneath the table, his fingers clenched into the folds of his robes but he didn't let his nerves show. Because he'd been married to his work, Yan Zheyun had yet to experience meeting his significant other's parents. He imagined that it must feel a little like this but with lower stakes. Meeting modern parents didn't come with the threat of punishment or death, for one.

The emperor turned to regard his mother. "What does Royal Mother wish to ask this son?"

The dowager's flat stare finally left Yan Zheyun's face. She shot the emperor a look of reproach. "Emperor, this mourner knows that you are at an age where you are still easily swayed by emotions. This mourner has also heard some stories about his lack of restraint…such as how he'd uncouthly sought out the imperial entourage in the gardens after nightfall."

"…" Yan Zheyun had nothing to say to that. He hadn't even been aware of the emperor's presence but even he had trouble believing himself.

She adjusted the folds of her sleeves primly in front of her, looking every inch like an intimidating matriarch, who had every right to scold the younger generation for their transgressions. "It's not that this mourner wants to nag at you, but Your Majesty, you must consider the harmony of your inner palace before your personal preferences. Such impudent behaviour from a concubine should be punished rather than encouraged. Some just aren't deserving of promotion in rank, let alone three and a sobriquet! Emperor, ask yourself, is this going too far?"

Liang Ruhan was close enough that Yan Zheyun heard his huff of pleased laughter, and his low utterance of, "The empress dowager speaks the truth."

Upon the dais, the emperor's previous ire with his brother had been replaced by a respectful placidity that clashed with what Yan Zheyun knew of him. He replied with, "Royal Mother is right to chastise this son."

Before the dowager could make an approving remark, however, he added, "But Noble Lord Yue's promotion is fair."

"How can you call this fair?!" was the dowager's infuriated retort. "Noble Lord Yue has done no deeds of merit and he hasn't even served in your bed since his arrival. Furthermore, there are no other members of the Yan Family who have any notable achievements—"

"Royal Mother." The emperor placed his cup back down. The noise of porcelain clacking against wood wasn't loud but his tone was sufficient to halt her tirade. "The first rank was the general promotion granted to all. The second rank was for pleasing this sovereign during our interactions. The third rank was in acknowledgement of his talents and the sobriquet was in honour of his exceptional beauty. Is this explanation enough for you?"

It sounded like a bunch of flimsy excuses that only had weight because they were made by the ruler of the kingdom. That didn't stop Yan Zheyun's ears from burning when he heard them. Like a moth drawn to a flame, he couldn't help but look up at the dais, his eyes meeting the emperor's dark inscrutable pair.

"Noble Consort Yue."

Yan Zheyun found himself rising to his feet and moving to the centre of the hall to present himself with a respectful bow.

"This concubine-subject is present."

The emperor drummed lightly on the table. "This sovereign recalls Noble Consort Li mentioning that the newcomers have prepared performances for this evening?"

"In response to Your Majesty, that is correct."

"Then as the highest-ranked of them, you shall be the opening act. This sovereign trusts that you won't disappoint?"

Yan Zheyun couldn't ask for more.

"As Your Majesty commands," he said.