Chapter V: The Inhabitants of the Palace

Hu Qingyue pulled An Yi to sit on a chair in the corner, pouting as she complained, "My eldest sister-in-law has kept me locked at home these past few days to embroider my wedding robes, and I am utterly exhausted."

"You are getting married in February, and your wedding robes aren't even finished yet!" An Yi said in surprise.

"I wouldn't say they aren't finished; most of it is done, except for the bridal veil." What Hu Qingyue was actually embroidering was just the robe and the veil, while the rest was being handled by embroiderers. Of course, she wouldn't mention this to An Yi. She pulled An Yi's hand and inspected it, saying, "Thankfully, no scars were left behind."

"Even if there were scars, it wouldn't matter. You could just use the Frost Dew Ointment to get rid of them," An Yi said, indifferent to whether she had scars or not.

"The Dowager Princess of Dunwang said something very true: a woman's hands are her second face, and they cannot have a single blemish." Hu Qingyue carefully examined An Yi's hands, making sure they were white, tender, and unblemished before she felt relieved.

An Yi smiled, grabbed a handful of pine nuts from her pouch, and handed them to Hu Qingyue.

As the two sisters chatted while cracking pine nuts, Liang Xiaoyue walked over. On the other side, Madam Dong also walked up to converse with Madam Luo.

After exchanging greetings and formal courtesies, Liang Xiaoyue said sincerely, "Miss An, thank you."

An Yi smiled faintly. "Miss Liang doesn't need to thank me; I collected my consultation fee."

Hu Qingyue looked at An Yi, her willow-leaf brows slightly furrowed.

"It was only right for you to collect your consultation fee. Once my nephew is born, I will still invite you for a drink," Liang Xiaoyue said with a smile.

"Very well," An Yi replied, smiling.

"A few days ago, we had a small gathering at the Songgui Tower. Why didn't you come? Manru even said she wanted to thank you." Liang Xiaoyue mentioned.

An Yi's gaze flickered slightly as she asked, "Is that so? I wonder who hosted that day?"

"Manru hosted it," said Liang Xiaoyue.

"I didn't receive an invitation." An Yi scoffed inwardly at Zhuang Manru's hypocrisy. Clearly, no invitation had been sent to her, yet Zhuang Manru put on a pretentious act of thanking her just to make others think An Yi had broken her promise. Even if an invitation had arrived, she would have declined, but that was her own affair; she would not allow Zhuang Manru to pull such a stunt.

Liang Xiaoyue was stunned. "How can that be?"

An Yi sneered, "There is nothing impossible about it; it is the truth."

"Manru has no reason to lie." As a close friend of Zhuang Manru, Liang Xiaoyue naturally doubted An Yi's words.

"I have no reason to lie either." An Yi withdrew the smile from her face and said coldly.

Liang Xiaoyue frowned. "What motive would Manru have to do such a thing?"

"Deep within the courtyard, I tread the paths to seek out fragrance. Ten thousand blossoms of silk trees bloom. I do not lament that the branches are too high to pluck, but rather resent the bystanders who stand with folded sleeves and merely watch." Realizing there were too many people around to speak too plainly, An Yi simply borrowed a Ci poem she had read in a collection a few days prior.

Knowing that Zhuang Manru held an admiration for Qing Xi, and also aware that An Yi was on extremely close terms with the Princess's Mansion, Liang Xiaoyue instantly understood upon hearing this that Zhuang Manru suspected An Yi and Qing Xi of having an illicit affair. Since Qing Xi possessed both an exceptional family background and outstanding talent, based on her understanding of Zhuang Manru, those suspicions were likely not unfounded.

Liang Xiaoyue's gaze toward An Yi shifted slightly. "Peonies reign supreme over all floral beauty, especially when cultivated within royal gardens. Does Miss An truly dislike such magnificent blooms?"

Standing face-to-face with Liang Xiaoyue, An Yi—who was exceptionally perceptive—clearly caught the change in Liang Xiaoyue's eyes. She curved her lips into a cold smile and retorted, "Even if the peony is a peerless beauty adored by the world, my preference lies with the lotus that rises unsullied from the ripples."

The more Hu Qingyue listened, the angrier she became. How dare someone try to bully her junior sister right in front of her? She stepped to An Yi's side and snapped, "With all the flowers of land and water in this world to choose from, why must my junior sister fancy some stinky blossom? Only a stinky pig-head would go sniffing around a stinky blossom and treat it like a treasure."

It was the first time An Yi had ever heard Hu Qingyue openly and unceremoniously scold someone to their face. Knowing that Hu Qingyue was genuinely furious on her behalf, An Yi felt a warmth bloom in her chest. She tilted her head to look at Hu Qingyue, the corners of her lips curling upward.

Just as Liang Xiaoyue was about to reply, a eunuch outside the hall suddenly announced in a loud voice, "Her Ladyship the Dowager Princess of Dunwang has arrived! His Lordship the Prince of Dunwang has arrived!"

All eyes turned toward the entrance of the grand hall.

The Dowager Princess of Dunwang was not dressed in ostentatious ceremonial attire. Instead, she wore an ivory-colored outer jacket trimmed with fur, embroidered with lake-blue lotus patterns down the front. Her hair was styled into a neat round bun, adorned with a single gold hairpin featuring kingfisher feathers and a dangling phoenix head.

While all the Imperial Princesses, Prince Consorts' wives, noble madams, and young ladies had arrived for the banquet in full formal regalia, the Dowager Princess had deliberately done the opposite. Yet this understated simplicity detracted not a whit from her elegance. As her gaze swept gracefully across the room, she naturally exuded the supreme nobility deeply rooted in her bones.

The Prince of Dunwang bore an eighty percent resemblance to his mother—delicate, refined, and gentle. He wore a magnificent bright red brocade robe embroidered with golden round flower patterns. Such attire was already flamboyant enough, but seeming to feel it was still not enough, he had pinned a bowl-sized silk flower edged in gold directly into his hair.

If not for the prominent Adam's apple on his neck, An Yi would have completely suspected him of being a woman disguised as a man; she had never laid eyes on a man dressed in such an alluring and enchanting manner.

This mother and son duo, whose dress and styling stood in such stark contrast, possessed noble statuses so lofty that the crowd hurriedly stepped forward to pay their respects. Liang Xiaoyue also walked away to join them, while Hu Qingyue and An Yi exchanged glances and followed suit. When one wishes to be eccentric, one must still consider one's status and standing; deliberately courting attention by standing out would only draw trouble, so following the crowd was the wisest course of action.

A polite smile played upon the lips of the Dowager Princess as she composedly accepted the bows of the various madams and young ladies. For those of higher rank, she would extend her hands in a light supporting gesture and say courteously, "No need for such formal courtesies."

As Hu Qingyue and An Yi followed the stream of people forward and arrived before the Dowager Princess, the older woman's eyes filled with smiles. Before the two could even finish their bows, she reached out and raised them both by the arms, saying, "There is no need for these empty formalities."

The Dowager Princess's preferential treatment of the two did not cause excessive shock among the crowd, as everyone was well aware that this Dowager Princess had never abided by conventional logic and simply did as she pleased.

Hu Qingyue frowned slightly, harboring a lingering intuition that this Dowager Princess harbored ill intentions and was plotting something concerning An Yi.

At that moment, the eunuch outside the hall bellowed once more, "His Second Imperial Highness has arrived! His Seventh Imperial Highness has arrived!"

The two princes entered the hall and first paid their respects to the Dowager Princess. An Yi tugged at Hu Qingyue's sleeve, and the two retreated quietly into the crowd with lowered heads.

A new round of salutations began, though this time Hu Qingyue and An Yi did not step forward.

Before the greetings were even concluded, the eunuch announced again, "His Third Imperial Highness has arrived! His Fifth Imperial Highness has arrived! His Sixth Imperial Highness has arrived!"

Although they were locked in a fierce, irreconcilable struggle for the position of Crown Prince behind closed doors, on the surface, the imperial princes still maintained the facade of fraternal harmony.

"His Eldest Imperial Highness has arrived!"

At this announcement, the hall fell into absolute silence. Most of the people present had never laid eyes on this Eldest Imperial Highness—the very person whose sudden emergence had entirely rearranged the birth order of the princes.

A man clad in a purple robe appeared at the entrance, and a synchronized gasp echoed throughout the entire hall.

"This Eldest Imperial Highness is even prettier than Zhuang Manru." Not recognizing the young Lord Gong, Hu Qingyue stared with wide-open eyes just like the other young ladies, whispering her astonishment.

Still breathtakingly peerless!

Still extraordinarily handsome!

Still capable of stunning everyone who laid eyes on him until they forgot how to breathe!

Yet, facing the same face and the same colored robes, An Yi experienced an entirely different sentiment. At this moment, the young Lord Gong resembled a sheathed treasured sword, concealing every single ounce of his sharp edge. His gaze was aloof, his smile gentle, and his expression tranquil. He was no longer the free-spirited young Lord Gong who roamed the pugilist world with unbridled elegance and a fast horse; he was Prince Qin Yue, the Eldest Imperial Highness wearing a mask, just like her former self in the modern world—forcing all her fury deep down into the bottom of her heart to seek justice for her mother, never letting outsiders catch a glimpse.

Looking neither left nor right, the young Lord Gong walked with the stride of a dragon and the step of a tiger straight to the Dowager Princess and paid his respects.

"Yue'er, no need for such formalities." The Dowager Princess supported him with both hands, her form of address for him markedly different from how she addressed the other princes.

Sensitive and astute politicians subtly shifted in their seats. Did the Dowager Princess's close affinity with the Eldest Imperial Highness signify that the Prince of Dunwang's household stood firmly on the side of the Eldest Imperial Highness? Although the Prince of Dunwang held a sinecure position with no real administrative duties, the Southern Capital Garrison consisted entirely of his former subordinates.

After paying his respects to the Prince of Dunwang as well, the young Lord Gong greeted several imperial princes and commandery princes, pausing to exchange words with a few of them.

Standing too far away, An Yi could neither hear their conversation nor clearly discern their expressions, but she could easily imagine that there was no genuine warmth between them. Those imperial princes could hardly harbor any favorable feelings toward this sudden half-brother—especially the Second Imperial Highness, who had inexplicably been demoted from the Eldest Imperial Highness to the second.

Then the Fourth Imperial Highness arrived.

The Fourth Imperial Highness was none other than the former Third Imperial Highness—the son born to Imperial Noble Consort Huang, the elder sister of Madam Huang.

The Emperor had a total of eleven imperial princes. The remaining four were still too young and would presumably arrive later in the company of their respective mothers.

The palace maids serving within the hall softly invited everyone to be seated.

An Yi returned to Madam Luo's side. Since everyone entering the palace today possessed high official ranks, their seats were positioned relatively near the back; Hu Qingyue and Madam Qin's seats were not far away.

The young Lord Gong took his seat beside the Prince of Dunwang, his gaze sweeping across the noble women on the opposite side. Failing to spot An Yi, a flicker of disappointment crossed his eyes. Had she not accompanied her parents into the palace for the banquet?

"Who are you looking for?" the Prince of Dunwang asked.

"No one," the young Lord Gong denied.

The Prince of Dunwang chuckled. "No need to deny it. I know who you're looking for. She's here; she just paid her respects to my imperial aunt a moment ago."

The young Lord Gong curved the corners of his lips, picked up the teacup on the table, and took a small sip.

The Prince of Dunwang let out a sigh. "The two of us really shouldn't be sitting together."

"I thought you were already used to it," the young Lord Gong said indifferently.

The Prince of Dunwang laughed. "One shouldn't get used to it; one must learn to enjoy it. I thoroughly relish the admiring gazes women cast upon me. If we sit separately, I'll be able to tell which of us is truly more eye-catching."

"You can have all their gazes. I have no need for them."

"Even hers?" The Prince of Dunwang raised an eyebrow.

The young Lord Gong glanced at him sideways.

The Prince of Dunwang smiled. "Rest assured, rest assured. Even if I coveted anyone, I would never dare covet her—she is, after all, my nineteenth imperial aunt. Tell me, if you eventually marry her, will you expect me to call you imperial uncle, or will you call me uncle?"

"You can call me—"

"Her Imperial Dowager Majesty has arrived! His Imperial Majesty has arrived! Her Imperial Noble Consort has arrived, Imperial Noble Consort Li..." The eunuch outside the hall rattled off a long string of titles without even stopping to catch his breath, abruptly cutting off whatever the young Lord Gong was about to say.

Princess Lanyin and Princess Qingrou accompanied the Empress Dowager by her side.

Everyone in the hall rose simultaneously to pay their respects.

After the Empress Dowager took her seat, the Emperor proclaimed in a clear, resonant voice, "Rise."

An Yi stood up and raised her eyes. Standing upon the jade terrace, the Emperor of the orthodox dynasty wore bright yellow imperial robes. He possessed a tall, robust stature and stern, chiseled facial features, along with a pair of deep, luminous eyes identical to those of the young Lord Gong—eyes so piercing that none dared meet his gaze directly.