Chapter 17: Hastening Spring’s End (V)

After leaving the Political Affairs Hall, Song Lan went to Pifang Pavilion as promised to meet Consort Yu Suiyun. Before entering, he heard the sound of porcelain shattering. The servants reported that the noble consort had been in a temper but quickly retired behind the curtain to tidy her appearance upon hearing of His Majesty’s arrival.

Song Lan sighed and followed the corridor, seeing the pavilion in disarray with hair ornaments scattered on the floor. He stepped over them without care—they were made of durable red bean paste color, still usable even if stained.

“Everyone leave.”

Upon hearing this, the attendants hurriedly exited. Song Lan kicked at the shards on the floor and looked toward the figure behind the pearl curtain, scolding: “Do you know what you just destroyed? A top-quality piece from Jun Kiln with its famed crackled sky-blue glaze—is this something to be casually thrown around?”

Yu Suiyun sobbed through the pearl curtain: “If Your Majesty despises me, just say so directly instead of beating around the bush.”

Hearing her words, Song Lan softened his tone: “I heard about your injured arm and came immediately. Stop sulking and come out so I can take a look.”

At these words, the young girl behind the screen finally stopped crying, lifted her skirts, and ran into Song Lan’s arms: “I thought Your Majesty wouldn’t come today.”

Yu Suiyun was a few years younger than Song Lan, at an age of innocence and charm. She was also the youngest daughter of Yu Qiushi, pampered immensely, inevitably making her somewhat willful.

Song Lan comforted her casually. Yu Suiyun quickly stopped crying and began to chatter, complaining about some unpalatable food. His fingers brushed against the jade ornaments in her hair, and he felt a deep sigh of relief inside.

Such simplicity and directness made him feel relaxed.

He read a few memorials at Yu Suiyun’s desk while she flitted around the pavilion like a butterfly, bustling about.

It wasn’t until dinner time that she eagerly pulled him to eat. Watching him enjoy the sweet porridge she made herself, she smiled brightly: “Does Your Majesty like it?”

Song Lan replied absentmindedly: “Made by Suiyun’s own hands, how could I not like it?”

Yu Suiyun rested her chin on her hand and gazed at him, suddenly inspired: “This year’s Qingming is close to the Shangsi Festival. I heard that for Qingming, Your Majesty and the Empress will hold a joint sacrifice with the ministers. The next day is the Shangsi spring hunt—may I join?”

Song Lan was somewhat surprised: “You wish to accompany me?”

Yu Suiyun said: “Being cooped up in the palace gardens day after day makes me feel stifled. Besides, my father will be there too, and I’d like to see him.”

It wasn’t uncommon for consorts to accompany the emperor, but Yu Suiyun was usually lazy and disliked such events, always finding excuses to decline. This time, her initiative took Song Lan aback. After pondering for a while, he eventually agreed.

The Da Yin Dynasty observed a three-day holiday before and after Hanshi. The second day happened to be the start of the holiday. Song Lan had lunch at Pifang Pavilion and managed to extricate himself after much delay, returning to Qianfang Hall.

Yu Suiyun watched his figure disappear beyond the garden, finally letting go of her coy expression, feeling somewhat tired as she returned to her palace and drank a cup of strong tea.

She sat in front of the hall, recalling the rain two days ago and the gloomy weather today.

For some reason, she suddenly remembered the argument with her father before entering the palace.

Back then, she was young and unwilling to enter the palace, causing a commotion at home. She accused her father of selling her into the gilded imperial city, disregarding familial bonds. Upon hearing this, Yu Qiushi became extremely angry and slammed his hand heavily on the table beside him.

“Gilded imperial court? Since you speak of gilded, you should understand everything I’ve calculated for your sake! After years of burning struggles, I’ve secured our current standing. Do you think it’s the fee for selling off children?”

Yu Suiyun had never seen her father angry before and was somewhat frightened. She poured him a cup of tea nearby but hesitated to hand it over, only muttering, “I just don’t want to be a concubine to the Son of Heaven...”

Yu Qiushi snatched the tea and drank it, sneering continuously: “What you don’t want isn’t being a concubine to the Son of Heaven—it’s something else, isn’t it?”

Yu Suiyun dared not respond, so Yu Qiushi calmed his tone and confided sincerely to his daughter: “You stayed in Huizhou for a long time after birth. When you returned to the capital, it coincided with the peak of our Yu family’s prosperity. You’ve never tasted hardship, always treated with deference wherever you go, hearing only praise. Do you think all this came from nowhere?”

He pressed his temples and slowly continued: “I was classmates with the previous chancellor. He merely basked in his ancestors’ glory, gaining the former emperor’s favor, becoming a model scholar and tutor to the crown prince. The Su family produced three generations of chancellors—how illustrious! Back then, I was just an ordinary secretary in the Zishan Hall, easily forgotten by the princes. During the Jiangnan salt scandal, your eldest sister’s husband’s family was implicated. I had no power to speak up, and she suffered unjustly, losing her life in her prime.”

Yu Suiyun grew up in the peach groves of the Yu family in Huizhou. Her eldest sister was ten years older, and she only vaguely remembered seeing her once before being sent away.

But she knew this deceased elder sister was her father’s heartache, and she didn’t dare approach. She could only console him: “Father now holds immense power, second only to the emperor. You’re no longer the same person as before.”

Yu Qiushi glanced at her and tapped the table with his knuckles: “Do you think the path I’ve walked from then until now has been easy? Suiyun, when you were born, I sent you to Huizhou because I was afraid! I feared having empty hands, unable to protect you, fearing loss amidst the swordplay and bloodshed. Only after securing my footing did I dare bring you back. But how much easier is the road now compared to before?”

“But Father is the current emperor’s teacher,” Yu Suiyun said, puzzled. “I heard that when no one paid attention to the emperor in Zishan Hall, Father saw his latent dragon potential and devotedly supported him. Now, the relationship between Father and the Emperor is a fine tale.”

“A fine tale?” Yu Qiushi mocked himself. “I imagined that if I and the Emperor could have the same bond as Chancellor Su Wenzheng and Ming Emperor, earning a posthumous title like ‘Wenzheng’ for our Yu family’s enduring honor would be ideal. Unfortunately, the Emperor is not Ming Emperor, and between him and me—”

He sharply refrained from continuing and instead said: “Our Yu family is an ancient surname of the Da Yin Dynasty, producing countless civil and military officials. But before I became chancellor, we were nearly extinct. The grace of a gentleman lasts five generations—an example not far off. How can we not plan ahead?”

He grabbed Yu Suiyun’s hand tightly. She didn’t resist and could only listen as her father earnestly said: “I support the young emperor, though we rely on each other, it’s always been precarious, like floating duckweed. But if you enter the palace and bear the emperor’s heir, everything will change! Our Yu family needs a closer blood connection with the emperor. While the emperor’s wings are yet unfledged and the harem sparse, if you gain his favor, your father and brother’s future careers and our family’s glory will have hope.”

Yu Suiyun couldn’t refute him at the moment and could only cry: “But the Emperor and Empress are so affectionate. How can I intervene?”

“Affectionate? That’s merely superficial affection,” Yu Qiushi sneered eerily. “You needn’t worry. How many more years can the Empress rest easy? It’s all restraint for now. When the Emperor ascended the throne, he relied on the Empress’s imperial sword and her backing. He had to focus on the central palace to suppress me. Times have changed; some old matters are better left unsaid. Does the Emperor not harbor worries?”

With that, he abruptly released her hand, stood up, and looked down at her: “Suiyun, it’s not that I don’t love you. If you enter the palace and gain the Emperor’s favor, that’s the best protection. You’ve lived a sheltered life; who knows if you’ll have a place in the future crowded harem? If you go now, the Empress is lenient and won’t make things difficult for you. This comfortable nest of the Prime Minister’s residence can’t raise you. Go and glimpse the true darkness.”

With that, Yu Qiushi turned and left, unwilling to engage further with his daughter. Yu Suiyun tearfully chased after him, calling: “Father, is there truly no other path for me?”

Yu Qiushi didn’t turn to look at her, coldly saying: “Beneath the prime minister’s gate, there are no father-daughter ties. If you can harden your heart, forsake all the splendor and wealth, seek your beloved with nothing left, and if he accepts you, willing to abandon his position to roam with you, I won’t force you. Erase your name from the family register; consider the Yu family as having no such daughter. But if he refuses, if you can’t let go, and still remember a bit of parental nurturing, then stay home and prepare for marriage.”

He left without another word. Yu Suiyun collapsed in tears, knowing every word her father spoke was true, and realizing her beloved couldn’t abandon his official position. She trembled uncontrollably, feeling like she had fallen into an icy abyss.

Two years passed...

“Consort Noble...”

Yu Suiyun snapped out of her thoughts, raising her head to see the maid Qiao Neiren who had accompanied her from her family estate. She smiled faintly: “Feigning coquetry and tantrums are indeed the favorite acts men adore.”

Qiao Neiren brought over a fresh cup of tea and whispered: “Today, the Emperor will surely visit the Empress again—speaking of which, the Empress isn’t one for coquetry, more like a wooden statue. Consort often praises the Empress’s wisdom, why doesn’t she act accordingly? The Emperor originally shared a decade-long bond with her. If things escalate, he might dissolve the entire harem for her. In that case, Consort wouldn’t have needed to enter the palace in the first place.”

“If the Empress were to feign coquetry, she wouldn’t be the Empress,” Yu Suiyun blew at the foam on her tea, nonchalantly saying, “She currently holds great power. What’s wrong with keeping a certain distance? Moreover, your Emperor quite enjoys it.”