Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Gold Step-Shake Hairpin

A few wisps of breeze drifted in through the window. Xie Shu forced herself to stay calm. At the very least, she was the only one who possessed memories of a past life. Since the Emperor lacked these memories, he was not the same person from that past life; she had nothing to fear.

In this present reality, one was an exalted Emperor, and the other was merely the daughter of a court official. They were no longer the Crown Prince and his consort, nor the Emperor Zhao Chu and his favorite Imperial Concubine who had once held the entire harem in the palm of her hand.

Having reasoned this through, a smile appeared on Xie Shu's delicate and graceful face. With polished, elegant poise, she bowed to the Emperor: "This subject's daughter pays her respects to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live for ten thousand years."

Eunuch Li, following behind the Emperor, cast a surprised glance at the Third Miss Xie. Usually, noble ladies were at least somewhat nervous when seeing the Emperor, yet the Third Miss showed not a hint of agitation. It was no wonder she was hailed as the "Number One Noble Lady of the Capital"; this composure was truly beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Her voice was extremely soft, soothing like a trickling stream, making it pleasant to the ears.

Qin Yu did not tell her to rise immediately. The reason was that upon hearing that voice, his temples throbbed violently, as if he could hear another voice from afar echoing through the sound of her own.

—"This concubine pays her respects to Your Majesty."
—"Does Your Majesty suspect me when you say such things?"
—"I am as dignified as one can be, yet others say such things about me. Is it that I am not even allowed to feel a moment of sorrow?"

The two voices seemed to overlap, though the one from the past held a hint of grievance beneath its softness.

Xie Shu waited for a moment without being told to rise. Just as she was about to look up, she heard the Emperor’s deep, melodious voice, tinged with magnetism and calm: "Miss Xie, you may rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Xie Shu rose quickly. Subconsciously, she wanted to take her leave, but Xie Huaiyu wondered if his sister had come to find him for a specific reason. In his heart, his sister was more important than official business, so he asked directly.

With an extra person in the study, Xie Shu felt incredibly uneasy. However, she knew that if she did not explain herself to her brother, he would not let her go. She gave a playful pout, her tone softening with the girlish sweetness of a spoiled sister: "I simply heard that you had returned, Elder Brother, so I wanted to come and see you."

"So, Shuer missed her brother. I have been quite busy these past few days and couldn't take you out. How about in a few days, I take you to the horse racing track in the suburbs?" Xie Huaiyu chuckled, using the tone one would use to coax a child.

Qin Yu rubbed the celadon teacup in his hand with his slender fingertips, his lips curling in a noncommittal expression.

Xie Shu’s gaze subconsciously flicked toward the Emperor. Upon seeing this, she quickly withdrew her eyes, gave a hurried "Alright," and bowed to the young Emperor once more: "Then this subject's daughter shall take her leave."

Qin Yu nodded.

The study door closed. The young girl had come in a rush and left in a rush, like a gust of wind.

Xie Huaiyu, his demeanor elegant and breezy, looked on with a gaze full of doting affection. He explained to the Emperor with a smile: "This is the only sister in my household, so my family dotes on her greatly. She is still young and impulsive; I hope Your Majesty will not take offense."

"It is of no consequence."

As for the family affairs of his ministers, Qin Yu naturally would not interfere. Yet, why had he just experienced such a hallucination? Perhaps it was because he had been reviewing memorials too late and had not rested well.

Qin Yu's gaze suddenly turned somewhat dark. He set down the blue-and-white porcelain cup: "Let us go."

"After you, Your Majesty." With official business to attend to, Xie Huaiyu rose as well.

Mei'er had been waiting outside the study for her mistress. Seeing the young lady hurry out, she was puzzled: "Why is Miss in such a rush? Was the Eldest Young Master not inside?"

In front of others, her mistress was the very picture of dignity and gentleness. This was the first time she had seen her so flustered, as if a wolf were chasing her. Even now, Xie Shu’s heart was beating exceptionally fast. She took a light breath: "There was someone else in the study besides my brother."

That must have been one of the Eldest Young Master's friends. Since her brother had entered the Hanlin Academy at a young age, he had made many friends there, all of them men of outstanding character.

Xie Shu knew Mei'er had misunderstood, but she did not want to explain. She had thought the Emperor would attend the flower-viewing banquet at the Princess Shenghua’s estate today; she never imagined he would come to the Marquis of Zhongyi’s manor, and be with her brother at that.

However, her brother was the Emperor’s study companion and had been promoted by him personally.

In her past life, the reason he had doted on her so much was partly because of her brother, who had truly served the monarch and the imperial court with unwavering loyalty.

Xie Shu gently patted her slightly flushed cheeks, forcing herself to stop thinking about it.

***

Qin Yu returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation after midday. Seeing the Emperor’s displeased expression, Eunuch Li hurriedly ordered the servants to brew a pot of pre-rain Longjing tea. Usually, the Emperor would be processing memorials at this time. Eunuch Li, thinking today was no exception, was preparing to grind the ink, his hand nearly touching the golden dragon-patterned inkstone, when he saw the Emperor wave his hand, indicating he wished to take a short nap.

Eunuch Li was surprised, but he bowed respectfully and withdrew.

The Hall of Mental Cultivation was filled with the scent of dragon-saliva incense—a pleasant aroma—but somehow, the scent slowly shifted into that of "sandalwood."

Within the opulent palace, filled with precious artifacts, a woman with a slender figure, dressed in a light blue flowing silk skirt, leaned against a chaise longue behind a yellow pear-wood screen carved with a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix. Though her face was obscured, one could guess she possessed a peerless beauty.

Standing beside her was the Emperor, dressed in his ink-colored dragon robes, his figure imposing. He stood with his hands behind his back, watching her. His face was calm, yet his tone held a hint of indulgence: "Why are you acting up again? Who in the palace has displeased you?"

Perhaps because of his indulgent words, the woman became even more spirited. She spoke with a hint of grievance: "No one has displeased me. I am just angry with myself."

The Emperor standing before her could not help but chuckle: "I am burdened with a thousand tasks, and there is a pile of memorials waiting for me. Is the Imperial Concubine sure she wants to be angry with me at this time?"

The woman did not even lift her face: "Then Your Majesty should go attend to your memorials first."

"Tell me, what do you want this time?" The Emperor truly laughed now. He waved for everyone in the hall to withdraw and stepped forward.

...

Just as the dream was about to continue, Eunuch Li’s voice, filled with a hint of caution, drifted in from outside the hall: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."

Qin Yu opened his eyes abruptly. Because he had been dreaming, his deep voice was still a bit raspy as he asked: "What is it?"

Eunuch Li felt that the Emperor’s mood was somewhat off, but he dared not ask too much, standing at the door to wait: "Your Majesty, Princess Shenghua has arrived."

The Emperor gave a faint "Hmm" and reached out to rub his tightening temples.

The inner hall was dim, making Qin Yu’s stunningly handsome face appear somewhat obscure. He had rarely dreamed since he was young; how was it that after returning from the Marquis of Zhongyi’s manor today, he had begun to dream, and the content of the dream was so absurd?

The key was that he could not see the woman’s face clearly; he could only be certain that the man standing there was himself.

An Imperial Concubine...

That an Imperial Concubine could be so spoiled and arrogant in front of him, waiting for him to coax her—it was truly preposterous.

Qin Yu could not make sense of it, so he decided to stop thinking about it altogether. He smoothed his ink-colored, gold-embroidered dragon robe, his demeanor imposing and elegant, and rose to walk outside.

Once the Emperor emerged, Eunuch Li allowed Princess Shenghua to enter. The Princess had been pampered since childhood; in this world, the two people she was most attached to were her "Sister Shu" and her Imperial Brother.

Thus, she was exceptionally happy to see her brother, bowing with perfect etiquette: "This younger sister pays respects to Imperial Brother."

"Rise."

"Thank you, Imperial Brother." Princess Shenghua stood up, beaming with joy. Eunuch Li signaled a maid to bring a stool for the Princess. As soon as she sat down, she couldn't help but pout: "Imperial Brother, you don't know, but Sister Youning prepared a special 'Dance of the Rainbow Feather' today, hoping to perform it for you. You didn't go, and Sister Youning was so sad."

Eunuch Li served tea with a respectful demeanor, smiling at the words. The Empress Dowager was dead set on making Miss Chu the Empress, which was why she had even reached out to Princess Shenghua, but it was clear the Emperor had no interest in Miss Chu.

"I had matters of state to attend to."

"Of course, that is what I told all the young ladies." Her brother had just ascended the throne, so naturally, he was busy with a thousand tasks. Princess Shenghua hadn't been unhappy, but as she stroked the red jade cup in her hand, she suddenly thought of something: "I remember that last year, the Eastern Li Kingdom paid tribute with two 'Cloud-Hair Flower-Face' gold step-shake hairpins. I wonder if Imperial Brother could bestow them upon me?"

The Emperor would certainly not be stingy with two hairpins. However, it was no secret in the capital that Princess Shenghua loved begonias; all her belongings were adorned with them.

"Has Shenghua grown fond of peonies instead?"

Her brother was in the mood to joke with her, which meant he was in a good mood today. Princess Shenghua answered with a smile: "Imperial Brother, you truly misunderstand me this time. I was thinking that these peonies would especially suit Sister Shu. She would look beautiful wearing them, which is why I asked you for them."

Since Eunuch Li had accompanied the Emperor to the Marquis of Zhongyi’s manor today, he was particularly sensitive to the name "Shu." Eunuch Li asked: "Is the Princess speaking of the Third Miss of the Marquis of Zhongyi’s manor?"

Princess Shenghua nodded vigorously, already imagining how Sister Shu would look wearing the two hairpins: "Exactly. Sister Shu is as beautiful as a flower, with skin like congealed fat. She will surely look lovely in these hairpins."

Thinking of the Third Miss Xie’s appearance earlier that day, Eunuch Li nodded.

"Eunuch Li."

"This old servant will fetch them at once." Hearing the command, Eunuch Li bowed happily and said.

Before long, Eunuch Li brought the hairpins the Princess had requested, encased in a jade box. Princess Shenghua was enchanted the moment she saw them. She clutched the jade box to her chest, unable to wait, and said to the Emperor: "Then I shall not disturb Imperial Brother any longer with your memorials. I will take my leave."

The Emperor nodded.

Once Princess Shenghua left, the Hall of Mental Cultivation returned to silence, save for the aroma of the dragon-saliva incense drifting from the gilded censer. Eunuch Li was about to take his leave when he heard the Emperor say: "Go and summon Imperial Physician Jiang."

"Is Your Majesty’s health unwell?" Eunuch Li was startled and asked hurriedly.

Qin Yu glanced at him coldly. The Emperor’s oppressive aura left Eunuch Li daring not to ask further, and he rushed off to summon the physician.