From CEO to Concubine

Noble Consort Li's face turned an interesting shade of purple. Good. Yan Zheyun wasn't in the mood for their petty squabbling. He'd tried his best to stay out of the line of fire but since they kept insisting on involving him, he wasn't beyond dealing misery around with a shovel. 

What did they, did everyone in this stupid place expect? For him to take their insults quietly without causing any fuss? To allow them to make light of circumstances that he hadn't been able to control, just because he hadn't been fortunate enough to transmigrate into the body of a powerful noble, or even better yet, the emperor? 

Fat chance. If they wanted to cause him trouble, he was happy to retaliate in kind. 

Surprisingly, instead of Noble Consort Li, it was Noble Consort Dou who tried to downplay the severity of the situation. Her usual stance was to remain silent on most matters that didn't call for her immediate input, so Yan Zheyun had assumed she would proceed as such. 

But not today. 

"All right, all right," she murmured, adjusting the fall of her skirts around her as they fanned out like a pale lilac half-moon fishtail. This simple gesture, accompanied by her soothing tone, dissipated some of the tension in the air and Yan Zheyun saw some of the other concubines visibly relax. "Blossom viewing is such a refined pastime, why is there any need to darken the atmosphere with talk about insults and punishment?" 

Before Yan Zheyun could say anything, Hua Zhixuan responded for him. 

"Whilst Noble Consort Dou Niangniang makes a valid point," he said with the same sophisticated reasonable lilt that his speech often took whenever he debated philosophy for hours with Yan Zheyun. "Surely the overarching rules of the inner palace must take precedent over our mere enjoyment of ourselves?"

For the first time in a long while, Yan Zheyun felt a genuine smile tug on his lips. He'd been so bothered with trying to puzzle out what to do about the emperor that his mood had taken a hit. 

"Niangniang," Yan Zheyun said. "The rules were not made to be abolished." 

Noble Consort Dou's eyes narrowed at him. Yan Zheyun didn't meet her gaze as it would be considered rude on his part, but he could tell that she was assessing him. He wondered what her role in the inner palace politics was. As a wallflower that went to great lengths to sink into the background, Noble Consort Dou was almost too easy to overlook. She reminded Yan Zheyun a bit of Imperial Concubine Pei, who had once again refused the invitation to attend today on the grounds of his ailing health. Yan Zheyun couldn't decide if the both of them really were as disinterested in gaining traction in the harem as they appeared or if he just couldn't decipher their agenda yet. 

But at least for Noble Consort Dou, Yan Zheyun had noticed that she harboured a peculiar protectiveness over Lady Zhang. She'd been very subtle about it in the past, choosing to interfere whenever Lady Zhang had been instigated by another concubine to put her foot in her mouth, but it was more obvious now that Yan Zheyun had called her out for something as serious as blatant disrespect for the imperial family. 

"Lord Yue and Attendant Hua aren't wrong," Noble Consort Li interjected suddenly, stealing the show back for herself. "But as Noble Consort Dou said, it's the start of a new season and this consort is loathed to order bloodshed right at its beginning." Her stare was hawkish as it honed in on Yan Zheyun. "Lady Zhang, as punishment for your impetuous words, you will meditate in the ancestral shrine daily until you complete a thousand copies of scriptures to appease the late emperor's soul." 

Perhaps Lady Zhang realised just how lenient her punishment was because she sank to her knees gratefully and thanked Noble Consort Li for her clemency. When she stood up again, the glare she directed at Yan Zheyun was venomous but he didn't bother looking in her direction. 

His smile widened. "Noble Consort Li Niangniang is merciful." His words were laced with a soft mockery. 

Noble Consort Li appeared unaffected but he could see the bony white of her knuckles from how tightly she was gripping onto the rim of her teacup. He purposely let his sleeve fall back a little as he reached for a peach and saw her relax after the bracelet she'd given to him came into view. 

"Since you're dutiful enough to wear the present this consort has bestowed upon you," she said, "let this consort give you a word of advice, Lord Yue." 

"Yan Yun is all ears, Niangniang." 

"Let bygones be bygones." 

Yan Zheyun Gracious Consort Yao let out a snort. He could agree with the derision in it emphatically and took some delight in the furious blush that crept up the sides of Noble Consort Li's neck. Clearly, her hypocrisy wasn't lost on her. 

He looked around meaningfully before presenting a humble bow to her. "Noble Consort Li is wise indeed," he said. "Everyone present will undoubtedly benefit from your teachings." His implication was obvious; Lord Yue was more than happy to let bygones be bygones, it was others who insisted on repeatedly bringing up their past grievances. 

"Well, then," Imperial Concubine Hui said brightly. She'd fallen conveniently silent after Lady Zhang had escalated the conflict, only chipping in to play the peacemaker and change the topic once everything had settled down once more. "Little Brother Yue, this big sister must admit to curiosity about your dancing skills, I have heard so much remarkable praise about them, could you perhaps demonstrate a routine for us as an eyeopener?" She sounded earnest, like her true intention was to discuss the art of dance with him, but Yan Zheyun wasn't poor Lady Zhang and didn't buy it so easily. 

From Lord Yue to Little Brother Yue in just the handful of sentences she'd ever spoken to him. Yan Zheyun had never had an older sibling and was very certain that he didn't want one as duplicitous as Imperial Concubine Hui. 

"Yan Yun is sorry but unfortunately, I have neglected to practice and forgotten the steps learnt from Miss Yu Lan," he apologised insincerely. "It is embarrassing to have to admit this in front of Brothers and Sisters but Yan Yun only has a repertoire of one dance." 

"That's more than enough, Brother Yan," Hua Zhixuan said cheerfully, from where he was hovering by Yan Zheyun's side like a fussy mother hen. "One dance for the right audience is more than sufficient. After all, what use is a whole wealth of talents without anyone to display them for?" 

Gracious Consort Yao snorted again, this time so forcefully he had to wash it down with the peach fragrance wine he'd specifically sent for. 

"Truer words have never been spoken," he praised with a worryingly mischievous glint in his eyes. "Imperial Concubine Hui ah, rather than attempt to mimic Lord Yue's talents, I'm afraid you might have to start with figuring out how to steal Lord Yue's audience from him."

…Yan Zheyun really didn't need any additional help in securing his title of 'Public Enemy No. 1'. 

Imperial Concubine Hui let out a false laugh. "Gracious Consort Yao is pleased to joke, this concubine was merely hoping to be able to enjoy a spectacular performance on a day as lovely as this…" 

"Niangniangs and Gracious Consort Langjun." A melodious voice spoke up from the back of the pavilion. Yan Zheyun turned to look. 

It was Talented Lady Zhao Qiaoting. Hua Zhixuan had told him before that the left prime minister and his family were the only ones amongst the six old noble clans to openly support the emperor. It made sense, then, that this legitimate daughter from such prestigious lineage would be sent into the palace to secure the alliance between the throne and her household. 

Given how rational the emperor was, she would be an ideal choice for empress. She even looked the part, carrying herself with a poise that rivalled all her higher-ranking counterparts. Her expression was suitably respectful but not to the point where it diminished the quiet confidence she conducted herself with. 

Lady Zhao stepped into the middle of the pavilion and curtsied. "Qiaoting greets everyone and would like to make a suggestion." 

"Oh?" Noble Consort Li said levelly. "It is rare for Talented Lady Zhao to contribute to these discussions. What would you like to say?" 

"In Response to Li Niangniang, Dou Niangniang so rightly mentioned that blossom viewing is a refined pastime, Qiaoting was thinking, spring is the time in which the scholars would gather in pavilions to practice the arts of poetry and painting. We are fortunate to have so many cultured brothers in our midst, why not use this opportunity to display their talents in these fields instead?" 

Yan Zheyun felt Hua Zhixuan stiffen up next to him. He reached under the table to pat his knee. The reminder of his carefree past must rankle but Hua Zhixuan kept his feelings buried beneath a genial facade all the time and if Yan Zheyun hadn't known to look for the subtle changes in his body language, he would have missed the signs of Hua Zhixuan's quiet despondence. 

"This isn't a bad suggestion at all," Noble Consort Li said approvingly and the mild headache that had throbbed in Yan Zheyun's skull since early afternoon exacerbated. He wasn't in the mood to compose odes to nature's gifts or whatever theme was trending in this ancient era—

True enough, "Then, this consort shall declare the topic of the day to be 'peach blossoms'—"

"Niangniang, how about 'plum blossoms'." 

Imperial Concubine Hui sucked in a sharp breath. Noble Consort Li's expression went from cordial to livid in less than a second and even Chen Qi, whose attitude seemed to alternate between bitchy and bored indefinitely, had fallen deathly still. 

"Zhang Qian!" Yan Zheyun had never heard Noble Consort Dou raise her voice before. The blood had drained from her face and her hand shook as she pointed an accusatory finger at Lady Zhang. "I've told you time and time again to watch your mouth—"

"Why should I?" Lady Zhang spat. The meekness with which she spoke to Noble Consort Li morphed into an unbridled defiance when it came to Noble Consort Dou. Her lips wobbled and her eyes were bloodshot as she shouted, "Why should I?! Big Sister was the one to tell me about the plum blossoms, a remembrance of a past that none of us can beat." Her face twisted with ugly jealousy and her tone became bitter. "You're the one who said that because of that person, nothing would come of marrying Big Brother Crown Prince, so why should it be any different for him?!"

"Stop it," Noble Consort Dou squeezed her eyes shut like she didn't want to have to see her like this. "Lady Zhang's behaviour is disgraceful and she should be sent back to her palace at once to reflect—" 

"NO!" Lady Zhang screamed, the shrillness piercing Yan Zheyun's eardrums and making him flinch. She seemed to have lost complete control over her emotions, which had always appeared very volatile to him. 

Lady Zhang was still rambling on to herself. "I've always been the prettiest girl in the capital, my father is His Majesty's important official, my brother is His Majesty's study companion, and yet all His Majesty chooses to see is this worthless slave, why a slave—"

"Because this sovereign wishes for it to be so." 

The cold voice that cut through the terse atmosphere in the pavilion carried the biting chill of winter in it. 

His Majesty enjoyed dropping in unannounced, it seemed. Lady Zhang's commotion had captured everyone's attention and Yan Zheyun couldn't say whether the eunuchs stationed around the pavilion had attempted to alert their masters within or not. 

"Greetings to Your Majesty!" He joined in with a loud chorus of voices as everyone scrambled into action, paying respect to this one man that they shared as their husband but who didn't have to spare any of them a glance if he didn't feel like it. 

"At ease." Noble Consort Li had vacated her spot for him again, which seemed to be her lot in life, as far as Yan Zheyun could tell. But instead of taking a seat, the emperor remained standing with his hands clasped behind his back, looking down at Lady Zhang, who remained kneeling at his feet, shoulders shaking from fear or agitation, it wasn't possible to say. 

"Your Majesty," Noble Consort Li said hesitantly. "You're familiar with Little Sister Zhang's personality…she's always been very childlike in her directness, just now she lost her temper and said things that she would never dare to say if she hadn't been provoked—"

"Provoked?" the emperor murmured. His tone was mild but Noble Consort Li fell abruptly silent. "She would never dare? On the contrary, this sovereign thinks she's a very bold character." He started listing her transgressions one by one, so casually he could have been discussing the preparations for the next family banquet with the wielder of the phoenix seal. "Discussing this sovereign's past, causing a racket in this sovereign's gardens, and calling this sovereign's Yan Yun a slave, there isn't a braver person in the inner palace than our dear Lady of Bright Deportment Zhang." 

The emperor's sudden appearance was like a bucket of ice water poured over Lady Zhang's head. Stricken, she scrambled forward on her knees to clutch at the hem of the emperor's robes, but he shifted just out of her reach and her fingers closed despairingly over thin air. 

"Your Majesty," she stuttered plaintively, a far cry now from her earlier impetuousness. "This concubine-subject knows that she's in the wrong, this concubine-subject humbly begs Your Majesty for forgiveness, I-I spoke without thinking—"

"What wrong could you possibly be in?" was the emperor's airy reply. "This sovereign was just about to commend Lady Zhang on the novelty of her chosen theme. No one has brought it up in the last five years." 

He signalled to Head Eunuch Cao and it wasn't long before servants were carrying in a table with parchment, ink, and brushes on it. It was obvious that he'd already sent them to prepare the materials before making a shocking entrance. 

Then, he beckoned in Yan Zheyun's direction. "Yan Yun, come. Assist this sovereign." 

All eyes landed on Yan Zheyun. He felt his limbs freeze. He knew that he couldn't show his reluctance but still, it took a heavy jab in the ribs from Hua Zhixuan's bony elbow to get him going. He walked stiffly over to the emperor's side and bowed before picking up the ink stick. It was so familiar to him by now that he could recognise the ridges of its imprint just by touch alone. 

Without another word, they fell into the same routine. Even though the knot of complicated emotions in Yan Zheyun's heart was starting to fester, accompanying the emperor felt as easy as breathing, their habits so in sync with each other that he couldn't help but feel like they were made to fill in the spaces in each other's lives. 

It was a dangerous thought to have and he reminded himself firmly that he was being unrealistic. Just look at Lady Zhang. She'd clearly deluded herself into feeling this way too. 

Yan Zheyun had seen many styles of the emperor's calligraphy before, including the strong cursive he seemed to reserve for Meiyue Tower and 'that person'. Today, however, the emperor's strokes were slow and measured as bit by bit, a barren plum tree came to life beneath the tip of his brush. 

It was a simple painting and didn't take long to complete. But somehow, Yan Zheyun felt time stretch on endlessly as he stared at it.

He couldn't be completely sure but something told him that this was the very tree he'd met the emperor under in that desolate garden. Back then, he'd wondered why His Majesty would be wandering such an abandoned part of the imperial city at night. Surely not for the same childish reasons as his royal little brother? 

But now he knew. The longing poem on the lantern of remembrance, the envious hints about 'that person' that Lady Zhang had dropped, and even the painting of the plum blossom that had served as a backdrop to his first meeting with 'Young Master Huang'. 

[Who are you thinking of when you draw the tree I once stood under?]

Someone had departed from this world but not from the emperor's heart. 

[I'm not happy about this.] He knew it wasn't fair. People were allowed to have exes, dead lovers. It was senseless being jealous about a has been that could never return, even if now that he'd noticed it, the shade of the emperor's old love seemed to linger around every corner of the memories they shared. 

"Yan Yun." 

He blinked and looked up, just as a fresh brush was pushed gently into his hands. He recognised it as the priceless set that was from the emperor's study. 

"Would you write a poem for the theme?" The emperor's words were a whisper just over Yan Zheyun's left ear. 

Yan Zheyun tightened his hold and steeled his determination. "Your Majesty permits Yan Yun to write anything?" 

"This sovereign does." 

Very well. Since His Majesty was so fond of testing Yan Zheyun, he would repay the favour with a test of his own. 

The brush truly was of superior make, better than anything Yan Zheyun had used before. With each stroke, the tip realigned itself perfectly and the resulting piece was the most beautiful Yan Zheyun had ever written in his life. It was a pity that he had to copy Yan Yun's calligraphy style. 

He borrowed the first line from a famous poem and wrote: 

[If life was still as when we first crossed paths (1), I would only know of one fateful meeting under the moon. 

The plum trees don a different dress for each lover, what was serendipitous to me was a mere coincidence to you.]