#50: The Dream of Gaining a Deer and Catching Fish (VII)

She had never stopped Song Lan from entering her inner chamber, and now it was too late. Song Lan turned and walked towards the flower screen in her hall. Luo Wei stood up, intending to stop him but thought better of it and silently followed him.

Song Lan lifted the door curtain and saw that no lamps were lit in her cramped inner chamber.

As he walked to the palace door, he remembered the unresponsive palace maid and felt a twinge of strangeness—night watch maids usually slept lightly; how could they remain unconscious even after the imperial carriage arrived?

Moreover, he had been in such a hurry that he overlooked many details, like whether Luo Wei woke up too quickly.

However, these thoughts only lingered for a moment. Seeing the emptiness around, they soon vanished.

Luo Wei followed him inside and lit a lamp behind him.

The inner chamber was dim and cold, with no incense burning.

Song Lan stood for a while, hearing only the subtle sound of wax melting as the candle was lit, which somewhat settled his mind. He took three sticks of incense and solemnly placed them in the incense burner, then performed the ritual.

Luo Wei knelt on the prayer mat beside him, hands clasped together: “Zilan, do you feel more at peace?”

Song Lan replied, “Sister’s place is very good.”

For some reason, that strange suspicion lingered, and the air seemed to carry a faint familiar scent—somewhat melancholic, somewhat chilly—like the sandalwood Luo Wei used to burn.

This sandalwood was originally favored by his older brother. Now, Luo Wei burned it less often. When he stayed over, the fragrances she preferred were much sweeter.

Ye Tingyan leaned against the wall of the inner chamber, trying to quiet his breathing.

First, he heard their conversation in the hall, footsteps approaching closer and closer, finally stopping just a few steps away. For some unknown reason, Song Lan entered this cramped inner chamber, and Luo Wei followed him inside.

Since his eyes were injured, his hearing had improved significantly, even able to hear the sound of their lips moving as they spoke outside.

Song Lan seemed somewhat distracted. After a simple bow, he prepared to leave. Ye Tingyan had just breathed a sigh of relief when he suddenly heard the sound of fabric rubbing against each other.

He remembered Luo Wei draping a thin veil from the dressing table—it was extremely light, fluttering like cicada wings. Meanwhile, Song Lan preferred to wear white or black robes in the harem.

The veil brushed against the emperor’s hem, eliciting a soft gasp—just before leaving, he turned back to kiss her!

In an instant, what Ye Tingyan first recalled was encountering Luo Wei in front of Qianfang Hall days ago.

He didn’t know what Luo Wei and Song Lan talked about, only remembering her red eyes, her vivid lipstick slightly smudged, looking erotically enchanting. It wasn’t hard to imagine what intimate actions occurred between the affectionate emperor and empress.

Despite telling himself countless times, as the moment approached, he found himself in so much pain that he could hardly speak.

When Song Lan left Qionghua Palace, seeing Lady Li still uncontrollably yawning at the entrance, he couldn’t help but mock himself for being overly suspicious—he knew Luo Wei had confidants in the inner court, but surely not bold enough to this extent. It was just that recently, the slightest sound

had made him jumpy, overly suspicious.

After walking a few steps, he saw the Left and Right Lin Guards greeting him from across the street. On a whim, he casually ordered, “Star Four, go investigate if any of the palace guards stationed in front of Qionghua Palace tonight were absent?”

“Yes.”

The guards close to Song Lan now were all replaced by Vermilion Bird officials. Among the seven most trusted, named after the stars of the Southern Vermilion Bird constellation, “Star Four” held the fourth position.

After receiving the order, Star Four silently departed.

Only after confirming that Song Lan had left Qionghua Palace did Luo Wei dare to send the palace maids out and reopen the hidden door of the inner chamber.

Ye Tingyan sensed the light and instinctively shielded his eyes. Luo Wei saw him curled up behind the door, looking pitiful, and couldn’t help but be startled.

She quickly blew out the candle in her hand and leaned forward to ask, “What’s wrong with you?”

In the dim light of the inner chamber, she only noticed his reddened eyes when she got closer, feeling a bit remorseful: “I only remembered your eye ailment, that you can’t tolerate bright light. I didn’t expect you to be unable to endure this darkness either?”

Ye Tingyan took the handkerchief she offered, wiped away a few tears that overflowed from the corners of his eyes, and joked, “Your Highness’ dark place is indeed too dark.”

Luo Wei remained silent. Earlier, she was sure the inner chamber was pitch-black, and without lighting a lamp, nothing could be seen clearly, so she dared to let him in.

She didn’t know if he guessed her thoughts, but his tone now seemed somewhat sarcastic compared to earlier.

Perhaps it was just her illusion.

Luo Wei reached out to help him up: “It’s late. You should return early. Song Lan received the military report from Youzhou. If he gets whimsical, who knows if he’ll look for you at the Vermilion Bird Office.”

But Ye Tingyan refused to get up. He grabbed her hand to support him and slightly lowered his gaze: “Is this your contingency plan? You asked me to keep her alive for three days because three days is exactly the travel time from Youzhou to Biandu. With the young General Yan returning to court, such a major event will surely distract His Majesty from focusing on the Vermilion Bird.”

Luo Wei didn’t answer, only saying, “A few days ago, Master said he couldn’t guarantee her life, but keeping her alive for three days would be fine. Now that you’ve accomplished this, I am quite reassured. As for other matters, there’s no need for Master to worry further.”

“Your Highness has great influence. A single letter can bring the young General Yan back from afar, even going so far as to kill a government official to create an unavoidable reason to return,” Ye Tingyan, hearing her words, tightened his grip and pulled her down, embracing her. Then he leaned close to her ear and softly said, “Back then, the young General safeguarding His Majesty’s ascension to the throne was also giving face to Your Highness, right? So... is he also one of Your Highness’ ‘close ministers’?”

The two words “close minister” were pronounced with deep meaning. Luo Wei didn’t know what madness had overcome him. She wanted to scold him but, thinking about it, felt too lazy to expend the effort. Instead, she reached out to smooth his collar tenderly, softly saying, “Whether he is or isn’t, what does it matter?”

Ye Tingyan looked down at her.

As if possessed by a demon, he saw again the slightly smeared lipstick on her lips.

The vivid red color, overflowing from her beautifully shaped lips, left a trace that provoked endless imagination, mocking him. Enchanted, he reached out to wipe it off but couldn’t erase it no matter what, until Luo Wei, in pain, bit his finger: “What craziness has gotten into you again?”

Only then did he snap out of it, stunned, and stopped his hand. Looking again, he realized that both his fingertips and her lips were clean, without any horrifying bloodstains.

—After all, she hadn’t applied lipstick during nighttime sleep.

He mocked himself and finally managed to steady his mind, looking around this cramped inner chamber.

The former Empress resided in the main hall of Qionghua, with her bedroom just behind it. On his first night here, he almost went to the wrong place, wondering why Luo Wei chose this remote corner as her bedroom. Now he realized it was likely due to the secret room within this inner chamber.

Song Ling once firmly believed in gods and spirits, but Luo Wei merely respected them without true belief.

Now, it seemed she didn’t just disbelieve—she was downright heterodox.

Since the Zhou dynasty, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism had merged, influencing each other. But he had never heard of anyone worshipping all three simultaneously, let alone placing them in the same room—she even positioned the secret room’s entrance atop the Buddha’s head, truly making one laugh and cry.

Ye Tingyan leaned against the wall to stand up, stretching his stiff neck. By chance, he glanced behind him.

Just one glance immediately shocked him.

On the wall of the secret room facing the door hung an enormous map of Great Yin.

From this distance, he could see the detailed markings on the map—the mountains, rivers, and countless red dots. He was very familiar with this map—it was the military defense distribution of Great Yin!

Before he could examine it more closely, Luo Wei blocked his view and closed the secret door.

Together they walked out from the inner chamber, all the way to the window. Luo Wei half-sat on the beauty couch, wanting to push open the flower window through which he came. Ye Tingyan suddenly said behind her, “When I first entered Biandu and pledged my loyalty to Your Highness on Gaoyang Terrace, I once said that Your Highness uses me because His Majesty no longer trusts as he did before, and the Grand Tutor is watching hungrily. To protect yourself, you had no choice but to act this way. Today, I overstep, suddenly wanting to ask—”

His voice was as ethereal as a ghost: “The central plains have deer, and the world chases them. What do you seek, Your Highness?”

Luo Wei’s fingers trembled, but she still reached out to push open the flower window. A gust of night wind blew through, ruffling the hair at her temples.

•

Just as Ye Tingyan had previously guessed, the return of Yan Lang caused a massive ripple in the already turbulent court.

Great Yin valued literature over martial prowess, but there were very few military families spanning three generations, and even fewer renowned ones.

The Ye family, formerly northern aristocrats, had always guarded the northern borders, but their ancestors were all city defenders.

The Yan family was different. Their current prominence stemmed from a famous general during the Ming Emperor’s reign.

General Zhuochou originally bore the surname Zhou but later changed it to Yan. He fought numerous memorable battles against Xiyeh. During the Mingtai era, thanks to this extraordinary talent, the Xiyeh people retreated beyond Pengcheng, losing their former dominance.

It was said that the Ming Emperor and General Zhuochou were sworn brothers, bestowing upon him the honor of “wearing shoes and sword into the palace, entering the court without rushing, and being praised without naming.” The Yan family held one of the four tiger talismans of the empire. Though not as extensive as the Ye family, they were a genuinely illustrious military clan.

When the young Zhao Emperor ascended the throne, Yan Shizi, who was still in Biandu, preemptively mobilized the suburban camp to confront five routes of the imperial guard, providing the capital for the emperor’s smooth entry into the golden hall. After ascending the throne, the emperor intended to bestow further honors, but the sudden attack by the northern alliance on the Youzhou border forced Yan Shizi and his father to rush to Beiyu without receiving rewards.

Though the five-nation alliance remained restless, the Yan family had never lost a battle in the three years guarding the north.

With the border troubles unresolved, the emperor’s northern tour in spring was meant to bring rewards. No one knew why, at such a time, the young General Yan would suddenly request to enter the capital—after all, the influence of noble families typically waned after five generations. In the eyes of those in Biandu, the northern border troubles were no longer so urgent, and the power held by the Yan family seemed to warrant caution from the sovereign.

Luo Wei sat before the lotus pond in the small garden of Qionghua Palace, which had not yet withered, revealing a faint smile.