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This was Ye Tingyan’s second visit to Qionghua Palace during the day. It was mid-afternoon in the sweltering summer, the sun shining brightly. The golden light shimmered; though there were no spring flowers along the path, it was lush and green, brimming with endless vitality.
He walked along the corridor towards the inner hall and caught sight of a small pond not far away where the lotus flowers were in full bloom. Several oddly shaped wind lanterns hung from the trees by the pond.
Seeing those lanterns, Ye Tingyan couldn’t help but pause.
Noticing his hesitation, the eunuch leading the way didn’t understand why and turned back with an apologetic smile, “Lord Ye, Her Majesty specifically instructed us, knowing you can’t stand in the sun for long, to hurry our steps and invite you into the hall to speak.”
Ye Tingyan withdrew his gaze, “Thank you for your trouble, honorable eunuch.”
The eunuch quickly replied, “No need for such courtesy, my lord.”
These lanterns were shaped like rhinoceros horns. He thought to himself.
Come to think of it, the anecdote of “burning the rhinoceros horn to illuminate the water” from the Book of Jin was something they had come across while flipping through books together in the past. At that time, Luo Wei was timid, and he had scared her by saying there were ghosts in the pond, causing her to have a sleepless night. The next day, seeing her eyes swollen like peaches, he felt very guilty and personally made many rhinoceros horn lanterns.
He hung the lanterns all over the winding corridors by Huiling Lake and performed a sword dance under the moonlight for her, saying that burning the rhinoceros horn could reveal the netherworld. He held his sword and stood guard by the lake, ready to slay any ghosts that appeared—no need to fear even if there were thousands.
Luo Wei was immediately pacified and went boating on the lake with him.
Years later, how could she still believe in such tricks?
Burning the rhinoceros horn in her own palace—to illuminate what hidden depths of her heart? But now, who would wield the sword for her?
The eunuch pushed open the heavy palace door and respectfully announced, “Your Majesty, Lord Ye He has arrived as commanded.”
Luo Wei paused before replying, “Let him in.”
The attendants in Qionghua Palace were extremely disciplined. Upon her command, the palace maids immediately filed out, and the eunuch at the door swiftly closed the palace gates after he entered, leaving only Zhang Sunwu, who had been standing guard at the door that night.
Ye Tingyan glanced at him, stepped closer, and clapped his hands in praise, “Her Majesty truly has a firm grip on her subordinates. When Lady Feng had her mishap, I was worried about how Your Majesty would manage without trusted aides. It seems I worried for nothing. In this palace, in this hall, where is there a place Your Majesty cannot oversee?”
Luo Wei was inscribing a painting at her desk and casually remarked, “Naturally, Lord Ye should be careful. There are countless palace attendants within the forbidden city. Who knows which one might be my confidant? Don’t speak ill of me, or if I hear of it, I certainly won’t spare you.”
Ye Tingyan clasped his hands and smiled, “I wouldn’t dare.”
Without lifting her eyelids, Luo Wei, holding her brush, gave an order, “Sunwu, you may leave as well.”
Zhang Sunwu placed down the ink in his hand, turned to take his leave, and entered the inner hall. Ye Tingyan approached behind Luo Wei, unintentionally catching a glimpse of him and suddenly feeling a sense of familiarity.
Thus, he asked an additional question, “When did Mr. Zhang begin serving Your Majesty?”
Luo Wei raised her head and cast a slightly wary glance at him, gesturing with her eyes for Zhang Sunwu, who had stopped, to continue leaving. She then replied, “Sunwu originally served in the library. I found him useful and transferred him to my side. Why, does Lord Ye recognize him?”
Ye Tingyan glanced at his retreating figure and shook his head. He shifted his gaze back to the painting spread out on the table and praised, “Your Majesty’s brushwork is exquisite.”
Luo Wei’s painting depicted a spring scene.
Amidst lush willows and floating clouds, a high terrace stood elegantly ornate. Occasionally, new swallows flew past the still-swaying pearl curtains. A woman sat before the terrace, gazing up at the sky. Blank sheets of paper were scattered on the ground, and fallen petals drifted like snow.
A rather common depiction of a longing wife.
The only difference was that beside this woman wasn’t a fan, hairpin, or even a tear-stained handkerchief. Seated amidst this decadent and melancholic spring day, she was polishing a long sword.
Among the floating clouds were traces of undried ink—half a verse Luo Wei had just inscribed. She no longer wrote in feibai or Lanting styles; her handwriting was erratic here, written in delicate floral script.
Ye Tingyan read along the clouds—
“The will of heaven cannot be seen. As of now, beautiful scenery passes in vain, fleeting like bubbles and morning glory. In my dreams, you bring the bright moon, but upon waking, the jasper flowers have withered in vain. Springtime blooms uninterrupted by a single thought. The young men of Wuling harbor much regret; the white crane has departed, the railings beaten repeatedly. Who locks the swallow in the tower?”
He finished reading and, without time to ponder the meaning, blurted out, “Your Majesty has written half a verse of ‘Gaoyang Terrace.’“
Luo Wei’s hand trembled, and a drop of freshly dipped ink fell onto the eastern part of the painting where the sun should be, spreading into a blotch resembling a demon’s tear.
She hastily spoke, as if to cover something up, “I heard this morning that there was another battle in North You. I read many poems of longing wives and was inspired. Now this painting is ruined. If my lord likes it, I shall gift it to you.”
Ye Tingyan’s eyes, initially wandering, quickly cooled upon hearing her words. He took a breath, calmed himself, and replied, “Since Your Majesty offers it, I won’t be polite.”
Before Luo Wei could say anything else, he snatched the painting from behind her, blew dry the ink blot, quickly rolled up the scroll, not giving her a chance to reconsider.
Luo Wei felt a pang of regret but couldn’t say anything outright. Frustrated, she threw down her brush and said irritably, “I knew he would send you to ‘assist’ me. Speaking of which, I’ve always been curious how His Majesty, with his suspicious nature, could trust you so much.”
Ye Tingyan responded cheerfully with an “Oh,” and asked, “Then does Your Majesty understand now?”
Luo Wei only smiled without answering.
His earlier snatching of her painting suddenly reminded her of the reason he gained Song Lan’s trust in North You.
—Danxiao, shattered.
When presenting that painting, Song Lan knew that the person before him could so accurately hit the mark because they were fundamentally the same kind of people.
Others might not know, but he understood. For a neglected and unloved prince like Song Lan, even with the utmost protection from his older brother, deep down, there was always a sense of dissatisfaction.
He yearned for the intense power, the feeling of submission, and freedom from any constraints. He wouldn’t want to be a pitiable weakling under the wings of his relatives, nor would he want to receive others’ favors. They only wanted to bestow favors upon others, standing high above and looking down.
This is my world, sustained solely by my nourishment.
If that painting piqued his interest, then Ye Tingyan’s act of carving out his slave mark upon returning to the capital at Dianhong Terrace would likely earn even more respect—pretending to be weak and innocent for a purpose, yet being ruthless when taking action. How much this aligned with his desires.
It was said that these days, Song Lan often summoned Ye Tingyan to the rear hall of Qianfang for private discussions lasting two hours, indicating great appreciation.
Unfortunately, he loved to use such people, sending him confidently to keep an eye on her, unaware that such individuals harbored minds as intricate as his own. Even mutual understanding didn’t guarantee loyalty.
Luo Wei gently brushed Ye Tingyan’s face, changing the subject, “What did His Majesty instruct you?”
“His Majesty said that with the Consort pregnant, he had no other options.” Ye Tingyan grasped her hand, idly caressing it twice, “He doesn’t want to bother, so he has assigned half of the task to me, ordering me to assist the Empress well—what does Her Majesty plan to do next?”
He paused, whispering, “My Lady, you were aware that the Consort was pregnant a month ago, weren’t you?”
To his surprise, Luo Wei hesitated and shook her head.
“I was also surprised that Suiyun was pregnant,” Luo Wei said, “Her pregnancy means I was wrong—now that His Majesty shares our thoughts, it spares us much trouble.”
Ye Tingyan’s mind raced, “Then what was your surefire plan? Now that His Majesty wants to remove the Grand Tutor, what I previously told you becomes even more concerning—the Grand Tutor’s influence gone, you in court...”
Before he could finish, Luo Wei interrupted, “I am, after all, the Empress.”
She repeated, “I am, after all, the Empress. I have over a decade of affection with His Majesty. At worst, I’ll simply let go of power and cease interfering in politics.”
Ye Tingyan tightened his grip on her hand, “Cease interfering? My Lady, I saw that military defense map in your secret chamber. When I saw it, I asked what you sought.”
Luo Wei’s eyes grew cold, “What did you see? There’s nothing in my secret chamber. Even if you inform His Majesty, and he brings troops to search, they’ll find nothing.”
Ye Tingyan released her hand, speaking slowly, “It seems Your Majesty still doesn’t trust me.”
Luo Wei said, “With the Grand Tutor still in court, there’s no point in discussing it. Lord Ye worries too much.”
Ye Tingyan pretended to be angry, “Isn’t it all for your concern?”
Luo Wei pursed her lips, softening her tone, “I know your intentions, but the Grand Tutor—I must eliminate him.”
She embraced him proactively, leaning closer, “You wanted to know my plans, and now I can tell you. My lord is clever; help me think if there are any flaws in this plan, or if you have any hidden cards, tell me.”
Ye Tingyan half-hugged her waist, seeing her tiptoeing to embrace him with some effort, so he used a bit of strength, lifting her and placing her on the table.
Luo Wei didn’t mind, sitting on the table and chatting with him at length until streaks of golden light seeped through the door. Only then did they finish their conversation. Before leaving, Ye Tingyan, holding her painting, mused, “Your Majesty has shared so many bloodless, brilliant ideas, but I still don’t know why you were so confident of victory before?”
“In three days, I will visit Xiuqing Temple to pay respects,” Luo Wei jumped off the table and said indifferently, “This visit will not disturb the common folk. The Grand Tutor will also be there. This involves royal secrets, and I shouldn’t divulge it, but to show my sincerity, I can’t help it. If you really want to know, on that day, I will tell you everything.”
Ye Tingyan finally seemed somewhat satisfied. Holding the scroll, he bowed respectfully, “I obey Your Majesty’s command.”
Zhang Sunwu escorted Ye Tingyan out of the hall. Upon returning, he saw Luo Wei laying out fresh rice paper, seemingly wanting to paint another picture, but her restless mind caused her to abandon it after a few rough strokes.
Seeing his serious expression, Luo Wei asked, “What did he ask you?”
Zhang Sunwu replied, “Lord Ye asked what my family does.”
Luo Wei hesitated, “Have you met him before?”
Zhang Sunwu shook his head, “Never met him. Calculating the timeline, we shouldn’t have met. If it feels familiar, perhaps we crossed paths in the library.”
Luo Wei felt somewhat reassured. Zhang Sunwu took a few steps closer and added, “The Young Master of Yan has sent a letter, but dares not put it in writing. He says he will inform Your Majesty on the day you visit Xiuqing Temple.”
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