From CEO to Concubine

Once the most magnificent palace within the imperial city, Wushan Abode was now the hub that sat at the centre of the thirteen inner palace departments. This was not to say that the higher-ranking eunuchs that ran the departments would work from here. The inner palace alone covered substantial ground and it would be inefficient for them to oversee things from a distance. So naturally, they had their own offices closer to their base of operations. 

But that didn't stop them from being a common sight at Wushan Abode, hurrying in past its imposing entrance gate to report whatever fresh news they had for their boss as he lay half-asleep on a divan within. Was this inefficient too? Incredibly. But no one had the guts to bring it up to the 'patron god' of the thirteen departments. It was far easier to just grit their teeth and bear with the nonsense, keeping their dissent to themselves and only ever complaining about it amongst closed circles. What could they do? It was their fault for not being beautiful enough to seduce an emperor or two, right? Not everyone could afford the luxury of selling themselves. 

Yan Zheyun didn't know what these eunuchs filing in and out of Wushan Abode thought about Liu Suzhi. If he'd heard their inner monologue, he would have shaken his head, patted them on the shoulders, and told them, "You're right, Xiongdi. Not everyone can be Liu Suzhi."

Liu Suzhi's success was for multiple reasons, some of which Yan Zheyun knew he hadn't even begun to decipher. But it was obvious that his remarkable appearance was just the tip of the iceberg. No amount of beauty could save someone from trouble if they were insistently stupid, such as Lady Zhang had been, just a couple of days ago. 

Yan Zheyun wondered whether he would learn anything new about this most inexplicable of his allies from the meeting he was about to attend. It was always good to know more about his business partners, after all. 

This was Yan Zheyun's first visit to Wushan Abode. Stepping over the threshold, he couldn't help but admire the lavishness of the place. Even the courtyard within was grander than Noble Consort Li's. Huge pots of pine bonsai were arranged artfully around and Yan Zheyun, whose father was an avid collector, had just about enough knowledge about them to know their astronomical cost in modern times. The bonsai detracted somewhat from the ostentatiously bright paint of Wushan Abode and lent the atmosphere an air of lofty tranquillity. 

In the midst of all this was Liu Suzhi, reclining upon the 'Noble Consort'-style divan that was the highlight of the entire courtyard. Yan Zheyun had seen many such divans after transmigrating, with their characteristic incline on one side so that whoever was lying upon them could remain semi-upright. This was even more so the case in the imperial city, where every palace could boast at least one or two, each one intricate enough to be considered a precious antique in his day but so commonplace here that they were like 2-for-1 supermarket deals. 

Liu Suzhi's divan was, of course, more special than anything Yan Zheyun had seen before, even in the emperor's quarters. For one, it was carved entirely from a white slab of stone. Yan Zheyun couldn't see any marbling and was starting to suspect that Liu Suzhi was basking in the sun like a lazy cat on a giant piece of jade. He sucked in a sharp intake of breath. Even for someone from a very wealthy background, it was hard to imagine owning a chair worth millions. 

The eunuchs queued in a humble line to submit their reports to their supervisor threw perturbed glances at Yan Zheyun. This little master's name had been the hottest topic in the inner palace for the past couple of months and his abrupt appearance here in Wushan Abode would no doubt pique the curiosity of every single pair of eyes watching him at the moment, including His Majesty's. Did he not care or was he finally realising that his temper tantrum had finally backfired spectacularly against him? 

Yes, it was no secret that following the incident at Noble Consort Li's peach blossoming viewing, Lord of Handsome Fairness Yue had the gall to reject His Majesty's summons to Tianlu Pavilion thrice in a row. This morning was the third time, but instead of leaving despondently, the messenger eunuch that had been sent to wait outside Changchun Palace had turned to extend the invite to First-class Attendant Hua instead. 

In front of everybody, the emperor had chosen to slap his ex-favourite across the face? Reports from the servants present at the actual event just a shichen ago had described the gloating looks on the faces of the other concubines that had been present. It felt like Lord Yue had become too arrogant after being pampered, believing that he was above the rules and even going so far as to spite the emperor for having a past lover. Who did he think he was, to expect His Majesty's devotion? That day at the blossom viewing, the emperor had treated him so well that it was enough to turn the entire harem greener than the northern plains. And yet he still had the nerve to want more? It was no wonder that the emperor had turned his attentions to another so quickly! 

Right there and then, the other concubines had had their vigour renewed. First-class Attendant Hua had been picked today, who was to say they wouldn't be lucky tomorrow? 

But Lord Yue, according to the rumours, had remained unfazed. He'd even told Attendant Hua to go, after that poor little master, quaking in his shoes, had called out to him in hesitation. 

Some people thought that Lord Yue had just been putting up a brave front. A couple of the eunuchs present now thought so too. They scrutinised Lord Yue's face. Even though he still appeared as flawless as a porcelain doll, they didn't believe that he was as unaffected as he gave the impression of being. It had to be an act. Otherwise, why would he come and visit Supervisor Liu, if it weren't out of the desperate and misguided hope that Supervisor Liu would be able to assist him? 

Everyone knew that Supervisor Liu's words had weight with the emperor. Lord Yue wouldn't be the first fool to approach him for help and he wouldn't be the last. But Supervisor Liu never gave any of these presumptuous concubines the time of the day—

"What brings Lord Yue to Wushan Abode? Xiao Fu, find a chair for our estimable guest. The rest of you, leave the reports at the door and be on your way, I have better things to do now than listen to your boring drivel." 

"…" 

Yan Zheyun bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing at the apoplectic fits the other eunuchs were trying to hide. If he wasn't mistaken, they all held ranks too, could be likened to managerial level employees in a firm and worthy of being addressed as 'Gonggong' without any irony. But Liu Suzhi spoke to them like they were nothing better than the young eunuchs in the Department of Maintenance, whose most important task was to keep the floors free of dirt. 

Xiao Fu placed a stool near the divan and invited Yan Zheyun to sit on it. He thanked Xiao Fu with a smile and accepted. 

[And here we have CEO Liu's secretary.] 

"Godfather, Xiao Fu has to return to the Privy Purse now…" 

Yan Zheyun lowered his eyes to mask his surprise. He hadn't missed the hint of reluctance and reliance in Xiao Fu's voice. Was Liu Suzhi this close to his godsons? Xiao De didn't give him the same impression as his godbrother, the simple and unthinking way he devoted himself to his duties to Yan Zheyun had made Yan Zheyun assume the godparent model that the eunuchs often adopted was just one of mutual benefit. 

But Xiao Fu's behaviour seemed to suggest otherwise…

How interesting. 

Liu Suzhi waved Xiao Fu off flippantly. "Go, go, go," he drawled. "Seriously, you make such a big fuss out of it every morning, as though you're still a brat that needs to be weaned." He pressed his cheek against the arm he'd propped up beneath his head and gave Yan Zheyun a smile that made him look like a cat that had gotten the cream. "My godson has embarrassed himself in front of Lord Yue." 

Yan Zheyun shook his head. "Not at all," he replied smoothly. 

It wasn't until after Xiao Fu had left and they appeared alone in the courtyard, that Liu Suzhi said, "Well? To what do I owe this visit from the busy Lord Yue?" He threw Yan Zheyun as side-glance before adding, "Although, from the sounds of it Lord Yue has decided to  free up his schedule for the next couple of days?" 

Of course, Liu Suzhi would have heard about Yan Zheyun's refusal to attend to the emperor in Tianlu Pavilion. But unlike everyone else, his tone seemed to imply that he didn't think Yan Zheyun had fallen out of favour. 

Yan Zheyun responded with a smile of his own. "Otherwise, Yan Yun wouldn't be able to visit Supervisor Liu."

Obviously, this wasn't the reason why Yan Yun had declined to be summoned. A part of him was avoiding the emperor because he'd been given permission to be 'angry' and was taking some liberties with it, like a massive giant billboard spelling out 'Hey, yes, Yan Yun has feelings too', since the emperor was very dense in this area. But another part of him needed some time to himself to figure out where he stood in the relationship and what he was hoping to achieve from it. 

He'd deviated so far from his original plan upon discovering that Young Master Huang was the emperor. And then he'd unwittingly started looking at the emperor as a boyfriend figure instead of his liege. 

This complicated matters a lot more than he'd anticipated because now he was invested in more than survival. He wanted to stay alive, he wanted to amass more power, but he also wanted a wholesome, healthy relationship. Of the 21st century variety, with all its equality.

It was a lot to desire. But Yan Zheyun had never been easily contented. 

To his credit, Liu Suzhi didn't ask why he'd decided to act up. This left Yan Zheyun free to bring up the bracelet.

"Please forgive Yan Yun's impatience, but has there been any progress with the favour that I asked of Supervisor Liu?" He didn't mention the bracelet outright because he'd learnt the hard way that he could never be too cautious. Even visiting Liu Suzhi in person was something he'd dared to do only after the opportunity had presented itself suddenly today. Anyone eyeing his movements would think that he'd fled to Wushan Abode in sheer dumb panic straight after the messenger eunuch had 'slapped his face', to try and get Liu Suzhi to remedy a problem he'd caused for himself. 

Liu Suzhi made a noncommittal noise. "Your favour is of very fine make and the craftsmen are struggling with it," he said around a yawn, eyes half-hooded like he was about to doze off at any moment. "There's either nothing wrong with it, which we both know has to be untrue, or any attempts to pry it open by force would inadvertently destroy its contents. The men I've hired may be experts but they'll require a bit more time. What you're asking isn't the same as undoing a spoiled clasp on a trinket from a cheap jewellery store." 

"Supervisor Liu is right, I've allowed my worries to get the better of me."

Liu Suzhi chuckled. "And who could blame you? The inner palace is a horrible, deceitful place, full of lies and traps at every corner. Even something as innocent as a gathering to admire the new spring blossoms can invite such underhanded tactics, such as the one used to get Lady Zhang into trouble."

Yan Zheyun looked up sharply. "You're saying that Lady Zhang was sabotaged?" 

"Oh, I'm not saying anything at all. I'm merely recounting what my subordinates told me, that after the gathering had come to an abrupt end, a little eunuch was caught sneaking away with a jar of peach fragrance wine. When questioned, he'd insisted that he'd stolen it out of greed. But after tasting its contents, Xiao Fu discovered that someone had added a more potent wine into the mix. Not enough to be easily noticeable but sufficient to make a lightweight like Lady Zhang heady." 

"He hasn't confessed who he was working for?" 

"Not at all," was Liu Suzhi's cheerful reply. "Not even after a trip to the Department of Careful Punishment, which is admirable indeed." 

"…" Admirable because he'd guarded his secrets even whilst being tortured? 

Yan Zheyun wasn't sure what to do about this information. Even after months of trying to sort out all the factions and allegiances within and without the imperial city, he'd only scratched the surface. He couldn't even begin to guess who would go to such lengths to target Lady Zhang and for what purpose. She might not even be their end-game. They could have been making use of her to demonstrate that Noble Consort Li wasn't capable of managing the harem well, that Noble Consort Dou was unable to control the concubines in her palace, or that the Zhang Family had raised a hellion for a daughter. They could even have just intended to use her to besmirch Yan Yun's name even further and point out all his inadequacies. The possibilities were endless. 

"Whoever did this to her must know her drinking habits well," Yan Zheyun ventured but his comment just made Liu Suzhi roll his eyes. 

"Who doesn't?" he said with a mocking twist to his lips. "With just a little bit of drink, Lady Zhang is more than ready to make a fool of herself for the entire inner palace to see, this is such a common occurrence that you'd think she would have learnt to listen to her good Big Sister Dou by now."

"…' Yan Zheyun didn't know what to say to that. 

"But this brings me to my point." Liu Suzhi's eyes met Yan Zheyun's. "A word of advice, Lord Yue. Don't let your weaknesses show."

Yan Zheyun froze. "Could…Supervisor Liu elaborate?" he asked tentatively. He knew what Liu Suzhi was referring to. It was the other reason why he'd decided to drop by in person. But he wanted a third person's perspective on the situation. 

But, "Supervisor Liu cannot." 

Bright, cunning eyes watched Yan Zheyun through dark lashes. Liu Suzhi fiddled with the long pipe in his hands. The smoke that it was emitting had a familiar pungent scent that Yan Zheyun recognised. Recreational drugs were illegal in his country in modern days but he'd smelled this stench before in private booths in entertainment centres and club toilets. 

It might be naive of him but he hadn't thought he would come across it in ancient times too. But Liu Suzhi didn't seem high or anything. Yan Zheyun wasn't sure. Perhaps the effects weren't the same as the modern versions of the same drug? 

He edged his seat a little further away, which elicited an amusement burst of laughter. 

"Since you clearly don't want to spend more time around me than necessary," Liu Suzhi said, "ask me what you've really come to ask so that I may go back to my nap." He rolled over onto his back and stretched, his long red sleeves slipping off the edge of the divan to trail onto the floor. 

[This is what a favoured concubine should look like,] Yan Zheyun thought. 

He averted his gaze towards the aesthetic gnarled trunk of the pine bonsai just behind Liu Suzhi. 

"What do you know of 'that person'?" he asked quietly, inevitably resorting to using that term of address the harem seemed to have reserved for the emperor's past lover like his name was unmentionable. It reminded Yan Zheyun of Harry Potter's Voldemort but this didn't make it as funny as it potentially could be, not when they were talking about a dead man that still haunted the inner palace with his mysteries. 

Liu Suzhi's sigh was almost inaudible. "Right after I told you to hide your weaknesses," he murmured, shaking his head like Yan Zheyun was a particularly bull-headed pupil of his. But he answered the question anyway. "I don't know much about him and I don't care to know much." He closed his eyes. "But I am aware of two things, would Lord Yue like to hear them?" 

"Please." 

"Very well. Firstly, his family name is Yun and his style name is Ziyu. He was one of two study companions to the emperor and he died of grief on the night of His Majesty's wedding." Liu Suzhi's smile widened when he said that like he found the mere thought of it laughable. 

Yan Zheyun had to agree. 

"Secondly, if word got around that you've been asking about him, the emperor might not kill you but the dowager will." 

The empress dowager? He could guess the sort of role someone in her position might have played. Perhaps she'd beaten the mandarin ducks apart with a stick (1)? 

But before he could ask, Liu Suzhi rolled onto his other side, facing his back to Yan Zheyun in a blatant dismissal. 

"I'm tired now," he said, propping the hand holding his pipe upon his hip as he curled up into a ball. Yan Zheyun was used to his eccentricity by now, the odd appeal of his capricious ways. 

Recognising that he wasn't going to get any more answers out of Liu Suzhi, Yan Zheyun rose to take his leave. As he turned to go, he heard Liu Suzhi mumble sleepily after him. 

"One more thing, Lord Yue. For your sake, it would be worth remembering that a good emperor is very often a poor lover." 

Yan Zheyun paused. "Is Supervisor Liu speaking from experience?" he asked suddenly. 

This earned him one of those little huffed out breathless laughs that always made Liu Suzhi sound like he was ridiculing the world. "We aren't all as lucky as Lord Yue. No, unfortunately, mine was terrible at either." 

"…" Yan Zheyun hesitated for a second before replying with a piece of advice of his own. "For Supervisor Liu's sake, it would be worth smoking a bit less…" He didn't know what the term for 'pot' was in this era but Liu Suzhi cottoned on anyway. 

"Thank you for the concern," he said, sounding anything but grateful, "but it isn't necessary." 

"It's bad for your health." 

Yet another laugh. Yan Zheyun wasn't sure why he was bothering. 

"That's the emperor's problem, not mine. Besides, this is the only way I can hope to see that man…" 

He drifted off.. After realising that no explanation was forthcoming, Yan Zheyun gently plucked the pipe from his slack fingers, extinguished it, and went away.