From CEO to Concubine

The first two weeks of spring brought along with it a tranquil warmth that coaxed colourful buds out of their slumber and returned a splash of vibrancy to the stark imperial gardens. However, no matter how much the concubines of the inner palace wished for this to be a metaphor for their relationship with the emperor, it was not to be. Day in and day out, only one person was allowed to attend to the emperor in Tianlu Pavilion, and even then, he was never summoned to serve in Qianqing Palace at night. 

But that was still more than the rest of them dared to dream about. 

Today, in Yongkang Palace, maids in the courtyard tended fastidiously to the bushes of thriving winter jasmines, their bright yellow flowers adding to the splendour of the empress dowager's residences and brightening up the healthy glow of their cheeks. How lucky they were to have been assigned here for this task by the gugu-in-charge of the roster! His Majesty was usually too busy with state affairs to pay the empress dowager frequent visits but he'd come over this morning right after court and was currently taking a turn amongst the winding paths with her. 

Some maids yearned for freedom from the palace, hoping that one day, they would chalk up enough merit to end their servitude to return to life outside the imperial city's walls. If they were good enough, they might even be able to earn themselves a suitable marriage to a kindly palace guard, arranged by the emperor himself! Such a case, though rare, was invaluable, as it would mean that their husbands would have to think twice before ill-treating them, for fear of dishonouring the emperor's intention. 

But others were more ambitious. They sneaked jealous glances at the fair, young maiden who stood on the dowager's other side, whose plain palace maid attire couldn't conceal her fresh-faced, innocent beauty. 

Liu Yao didn't pay any attention to the hopeful gazes directed his way. His mother laid an arm on top of his as he supported her during their walk, making sure that she didn't trip on the stone path underfoot, even though they both knew that she was still young enough yet to be wrestling power from him openly in the inner palace and subtly in his morning court. 

From afar, they were an ostensible picture of filial piety, but only the both of them knew of the frost that coated the edges of their polite, clipped conversation or the sharp pinpricks of pain Liu Yao endured as the tips of her lacquered nail guards dug into the flesh on the back of his hand. 

"This son has been amiss in his duties to his royal mother and begs her forgiveness," Liu Yao said, more out of necessity than any real emotion. Once upon a time, before he'd realised he'd lost what little of her love he'd ever had, he might have felt a real pinch of remorse at the thought of neglecting his mother. An emperor's toil, should he wish to do a good job, was endless, and time had to be made to pay respects to the elders who had raised him. 

Oh, she'd raised him, all right, into a man who couldn't even look at her without suffocating hate building up in his chest, into an emperor who had to rely on the never-ending flow of memorial scripts as an excuse to stay away from her palace because he had no idea when he would lose control and do something he'd regret, such as staining his hands with her blood. 

For the most part, his mother seemed content to not have to look upon him too, possibly because the sight of him made her reel inwardly in revulsion as she was forced to recall again and again that her son preferred the company of men. 

The 'Southern Wind' (1) had always blown strongly through the country, especially in the capital, where the rich and noble dandies had the inclinations and the means of indulging in all sorts of delicious dalliances with the pretty young boys in the brothels. The late emperor and the rest of Liu Yao's ancestors, going all the way back to the founding father of the empire, had admitted male concubines into their harem. This was so commonplace and not a taboo, insofar as they also remembered to fulfil their duties of begetting heirs to continue the imperial line. 

But Liu Yao knew why his mother couldn't stand the idea of it. And with not a small measure of vindictiveness, it was one of the main reasons why he allowed Liu Suzhi to get away with as much as he did. 

"Emperor," the dowager said solemnly, addressing him with his job title but with none of the usual courtesy she would attribute to it. His mother always took this tone when she was about to admonish him for something, which she was perfectly entitled to do in her capacity as dowager, as long as she stuck to matters of the inner palace. 

But whether Liu Yao chose to obey her was a different story, of course. His eyes shifted to the blushing girl next to his mother before returning to the path ahead. 

"What is it, Royal Mother?" 

The dowager sighed like merely talking to her oldest son was sufficient to aggrieve her. "This mourner has received word that Your Majesty has been concentrating all his affections on Lord of Handsome Fairness Yue." She used Yan Yun's full title as was appropriate but slight inflection in her pronunciation made it sound like the words had left behind a foul taste in her mouth. 

Liu Yao's reply was unperturbed. "The reports Royal Mother has been listening to have undoubtedly been exaggerated." His deliberate use of the term 'report' made her freeze. It would have been imperceptible if not for the firm grip he had on her arm. 

But the dowager continued on as though she hadn't noticed what he was getting at. "To establish peace within the inner palace, an emperor's love must be balanced," she preached, shooting him a look of long-suffering disapproval, as though he was no different from the chastised young boy hovering outside her chambers after making a minor mistake in his lessons. 

"Royal Mother's concerns are unwarranted. This son merely appreciates his diligence as a companion in my study and has requested his assistance there more often." This was largely true. Apart from a stolen kiss here and there, he hadn't done much more than to keep Yan Yun by his side as an efficient aide and a pleasant sight for the eyes whenever they grew tired of staring at scripts. 

In part, Liu Yao hadn't pushed for more intimacy because he was still coming to terms with the uncanny feelings he seemed to have harboured too quickly, too suddenly for this boy. But it was also because he had sensed a change in Yan Yun's demeanour after Yuanxiao. He'd retreated from a ready devotion, which had sometimes been clumsy and sometimes alluring, to something cooler, more distant. 

But Liu Yao didn't know how to fix it. Cao Mingbao had told him that Yan Yun had asked about the floating lantern. What was Liu Yao supposed to say about that when he hadn't even managed to coach into words the jumbled mess that his feelings had tangled themselves into? 

Sensing Liu Yao's inattention, the dowager bristled. "Emperor, you think you are doing that boy a favour by making him an obvious favourite?" She raised her voice as she allowed herself to get worked up, her overwhelming dislike of him making this most cautious of women forget that there were some topics that even the dowager shouldn't broach. "You know what happens what you show your preferences—"

How dare she. How dare she bring this up—

With great effort, Liu Yao subdued the anger warring in his chest, threatening to burst out of its cage along with his heart, which was already battered and bleeding from everything this woman who professed to have given birth to him had done to it. 

"Royal Mother," his words trembled with the colossal effort required to wrestle it under control, to keep up this semblance of cordiality he donned in front of the dowager like a mask. "Why do you think this sovereign became emperor?" 

A strange look flitted over the dowager's face at the abrupt interruption of her rage. "What is my son talking about?" she said stiffly, not quite meeting the fiery intensity burning in his gaze. "Your Majesty is the rightful ruler of this country, the oldest legitimate son of the late emperor and this mourner. There was no question that you would ascend to the throne."

"That's this sovereign's birthright, not this sovereign's reason." He patted his mother's arm before releasing it, clasping his hands behind his back as he leaned in to whisper in her ear, "This child became emperor because Mother left me with no choice. I had to do it so that threats like the one you've just given me would no longer work. Let it not be said that this child didn't learn the lessons you taught him." 

He stepped away, just in time to capture the hate that flickered over her features. The corners of his mouth lifted. This was the sort of place the inner palace had become, where even its masters bayed for each other's blood, blood that they shared in their veins. But since she'd only given him misery, he was determined to repay her in kind. 

[Let's wait and see, Mother.] He might move on one day with someone new but he wouldn't ever forget what was owed to Ziyu. Some dues had to be paid. 

On the surface, of course, he still had to play the part of the dutiful son. 

"Royal Mother has had a long walk," he said evenly, even though they hadn't even completed one round. His glance slid over to the maid by her side. "This is Royal Mother's new maid?" 

The dowager's expression was inexplicable. "Yingchun, greet His Majesty." 

The girl sank into a graceful curtsy, effortlessly highlighting her delicate figure as she peered up at him with shy, doe-like eyes. "Yingchun pays Your Majesty respects, may Your Majesty have thousands of golden mornings to come." 

A mirthless laugh slipped from his lips. "Yingchun. A good name, just like Royal Mother's favourite winter jasmines." 

The girl's dimples deepened in their soft grooves. "This servant was indeed named after 'the flower that welcomes spring', Empress Dowager Niangniang was kind and bestowed this honour upon this servant." 

The emperor nodded. "Since you're Royal Mother's favourite, you should rightfully serve her favourite son too." Liu Wei would, without a doubt, be ecstatic to obtain such a faithful replacement. Perhaps their royal mother would even have to direct her incessant lecturing in that direction for once, to remind Liu Wei that no matter how much his new bride resembled the boy he still coveted, he needed to 'balance his love' too.

He gestured for Cao Mingbao and the old servant hastened over from where he was waiting patiently by a moon gate. 

"Pass on this sovereign's verbal edict." Liu Yao spoke over the girl's soft stuttering. "Yingchun, a maid in Yongkang Palace, has earned the esteem of this sovereign with her humility and the sincerity with which she served the Empress Dowager. Hence, this sovereign sanctions her marriage to the Bright Prince of the First Rank as a concubine, for her meritorious service." He lifted a hand to stem the dowager's enraged protest, relishing in the sickly pallor of his mother's livid face. "No need to thank me, Royal Mother, this sovereign trusts that you must have a lot to say to Yingchun in preparation for her entry into Fourth Brother's manor. This sovereign shall depart now and let you get to it." 

Without waiting for a dismissal, he sank to one knee respectfully to give the dowager a proper, faultless parting greeting, before striding out with Cao Mingbao close on his heels. 

Once his entourage was on its way, the smile on his mouth faded. "Even those who have always felt unshakably powerful sometimes make mistakes," he remarked casually. 

Cao Mingbao's reply was just as ambiguous. "When a dog is cornered, it will start to do ineffectual things like try to jump over a tall wall." 

Liu Yao snorted. "Or it could bite." That was what he'd chosen to do after they'd pushed him too far. 

"It could," Cao Mingbao agreed. "Hence, Your Majesty must be careful at all times." 

Liu Yao thought about the girl's porcelain skin, her large almond eyes, the dark curtain of her hair, which was the same shade of the night. His dear mother had gone out of her way to find such a stunning resemblance but her heartlessness had caused her to overlook the most important detail; it had never been something as paltry as appearances that had helped Yan Yun to captivate him. 

This maid's fawning adoration of him, her bubbly nature, the cheerful sparkle in her gaze, they all sat at odds with the quietness of Yan Yun's soul, which was as tranquil as a still lake mirroring the sky, and what made him impossible for Liu Yao to resist. 

Liu Yao thought about how muted Yan Yun had become these couple of days, seated at the edge of the divan and shutting himself away in hours of reverie that Liu Yao was not privy to. 

He frowned. "Cao Mingbao." 

"This old servant is at Your Majesty's command." 

"…how does one…cheer up one's concubine?" 

"…"