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Chapter 8: Capturing One’s Heart (攻心)

“Your Majesty, this flower…” Gao Dezhong swept his gaze through the several pots of Ge Jinze before him. Although the flower was easy on the eyes, if one were to talk about noble standing, it wasn’t the most precious. So why did the emperor suddenly like this flower?

“We think this Ge Jinze is interesting,” Emperor Chengxuan said, reaching out to brush his fingers upon the purple petals. It was cold and smooth to the touch. A comfortable sensation. “Send a few of these pots to Taoyu Pavilion.”

Gao Dezhong lowered his head, examining the flowers more closely. If memory proved correct, Taoyu Pavilion’s master was just a small Imperial Concubine. For the emperor to bestow these pots of peonies, wasn’t it to boost this Imperial Concubine Zhao’s status in the harem?

If he had sent other types of flowers, it wouldn’t be as big of a deal. However, Moutan Peonies weren’t simple. They were noble. If one said they weren’t noble, then what else could be considered as that?

Although the emperor favored other imperial concubines, it was merely on a physical level. And he would not stick with one continuously. What kind of person was this Imperial Concubine Zhao? The emperor did not remember much about her, only that she had entered the imperial palace recently. That said, she had already offended many of the other masters of the harem. Stunning in appearance as she was, her temperament was unfortunately lacking. This was precisely why the emperor had forgotten about her in the past. Previously, Imperial Concubine Zhao had been a wanyi, enduring the provocations of other imperial concubines. For her to have found a way out of her poor situation was quite surprising. Could Master Zhuang’s stupidity have all been an act back then?

However, if that’s the case, why had she acted so brainless to the point of inspiring His Majesty’s dislike? Doing so shouldn’t have gained her any benefit. But if this weren’t the situation, then how could one’s personality change so much so quickly?

“Are you still wondering why We want to gift Moutan Peonies to Imperial Concubine Zhao?” Emperor Chengxuan watched Gao Dezhong lightly, the corners of his lips tilted upward. It seemed he was in good spirits.

“This slave does not dare,” Gao Dezhong said, sweat quickly running down his back. To guess the emperor’s intentions was worthy of capital punishment. How could he possibly admit to it?

“Enough.” Seeing his palpable fear, Emperor Chengxuan waved his hand. “Hurry and send the flowers to Taoyu Pavilion.”

✿

“Your Majesty, the consort, this slave heard that today His Majesty had bestowed a few pots of Ge Jinze to Taoyu Pavilion,” said Consort Rou’s personal maidservant, Shiwu. As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Consort Rou’s expression darken.

“Are you sure it was Ge Jinze?” said Consort Rou, her stare a blizzard striking down on Shiwu’s form. Even her voice, normally beautiful, brought chills. Shiwu lowered her head. “Yes, master.”

“Good. What a good Imperial Concubine Zhao.” Consort Rou smiled, cold as ice. “This palace gave her a warning, yet she slapped this palace in the face in return. She actually seduced the emperor, causing him to send her Ge Jinze!” She thought she could use that precious breed of peony to bully her. To warn her that her rank wasn’t considered much in the imperial harem. Who knew that woman would turn around and provoke Consort Rou instead?

Since young, she was skilled in playing the zither. Even the most talented zither players in the palace could not compare to her. Not only that, she had a pleasant voice and appearance. After entering the palace these past few years, Consort Rou had finally grasped the emperor’s affection. Never had it crossed her mind such a low-ranked Imperial Concubine would go against her.

“Looks like Imperial Concubine Zhao likes Moutan Peonies,” Consort Rou lightly said. “Go to this palace’s storeroom and take out a bolt of palace silk with a Moutan Peony pattern. Send it to Taoyu Pavilion. Make sure to choose the one with the Thousand Layers of Weizi¹ pattern. Don’t make a mistake.”

“Understood.” Frightened, Shiwu retreated. Released a sigh once she was outside.

✿

Zhuang Luoyan propped her chin on her palm, watching as the servants brought over several pots of Ge Jinze. She leaned back against her sofa, limbs spawled with no regard for how she appeared. Meanwhile, Tingzhu massaged her legs. Zhuang Luoyan closed her eyes, feeling comfortable.

“Master, Hele Palace’s Consort Rou sent over a bolt of Thousand Layer Weizi palace silk,” said Yunxi as she returned from the outside. Noticing that her master had shut her eyes to rest, she made sure to speak softly.

“Thousand Layer Weizi?” Zhuang Luoyan’s eyes flitted open. As soon as she caught sight of the item in Yunxi’s hands, a smile blossomed on her lips. “This is in fact something good. Place it in the storage.”

“Master, this slave has heard from Consort Rou’s side that…” Yunxi furrowed her brows. Found it a bit difficult voice her concerns. Unfortunately, she was only a servant. If the master did not speak, she could not open her mouth indiscriminately.

“Let her drive herself crazy. So what about Weizi and Ge Jinze? They’re only flowers in the end.” Zhuang Luoyan was a normal woman. She wouldn’t actually consider herself as a flower, nor draw parallels between one and herself. This type of flaunting would not affect her. It was merely the act of a man sending some flowers. 

Yunxi found it harder and harder to understand her master’s way of thinking. In the face of Consort Rou’s provocation, her master stood indifferent. Furthermore, these few pots of Ge Jinze had been sent by the emperor, yet her master did not seem moved at the slightest.

Once she dismissed Yunxi, Zhuang Luoyan rose to her feet. She reached out for Tingzhu’s hand for balance. With a turn of the head, she could see from the window a tree adorned with red flowers. “Today, she gave me a gift. I will definitely remember to return her good intentions.”

A shiver ran down Tingzhu’s spine. As a palace maid that had worked in the imperial palace for a couple years, naturally she met with a lot.  However, she had rarely experienced such soft-spoken words like those of Imperial Concubine Zhao.

In the words of the older female servants who had trained taught her, in the imperial harem, the women who spoke the most gently were the most frightening. Tingzhu took in the light smile of Imperial Concubine Zhao. Slowly lowered her head.

The older female servants had also said that in the imperial harem, it was better to follow a vicious master than a pure and honest one. In this kind of place, if a master wasn’t vicious enough, their servants would fall into ruin with them.

Truly loyal servants would not serve two masters within the imperial harem. A servant that was not loyal suffered a bad outcome. The corners of Tingzhu’s lips tilted upward. The imperial palace was one large battlefield. Once one bet on something, one mustn’t regret it. She herself had already placed her bets.

Come lunchtime, Feng Jin tossed his Imperial Brush aside, ignoring the proposals on his desk. He rose to his feet. Lifted the end of his robes from the seat. “Help Us change clothes.”

Afterward, he left the building. Gao Dezhong noticed his impassive expression. “Your Majesty, this slave has heard that Music and Dance House has come up with new dance. Why don’t we summon them over for an appearance?”

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“It’s nothing but a rehash of old techniques,” said Feng Jin. “Why don’t We take a stroll instead?”

April was full of bloom, the gardens full of color. Butterflies fluttered around; all in all a beautiful sight. It was a pity that Emperor Chengxuan was used to seeing the charming scenery of the palace. These sights did not seem special to him.

After passing through a pear garden, they came across a lotus pond. Because it was still the start of April, their leaves had yet to sprout. Despite being virtually empty, the lotus pond had already been cleaned prior. Yet the sight still inspired others’ pity. Feng Jin clasped his hands behind his back as he watched this lotus pond expressionlessly.

“Master, we can’t keep going forward. There’s a lotus pond right ahead that hasn’t yet bloomed.”

“Fine.” A pause. “The pear blossoms over there sure are beautiful.”

“This is the largest pear garden in the imperial palace. It is currently the time of year when pear blossoms bloom the most magnificently. A single breeze, and it seems as if it snowed.”

Overhearing the women in the pear garden, Gao Dezhong wanted to order them to retreat.  Who knew the emperor would not allow it? By the looks of it, perhaps the emperor wanted to snoop.

The reason why Feng Jin did not want Gao Dezhong to have the women retreat was because he recognized a voice. It belonged to Taoyu Pavilion’s Imperial Concubine Zhao. No other imperial harem member was fond of pear blossoms, for the word “pear” sounded the same as the word “leave.” Due to superstition, most people would avoid this place. So why did this Imperial Concubine Zhao appear here?

“After one night, the spring wind will arrive. Ten thousand pear trees will bloom.” Zhuang Luoyan had recited two lines of a poem, admiring a white pear blossom. “It’s pure and tranquil here. It’s the best.”

“Master, we cannot stay here for long. These pear blossoms…” Tingzhu wanted to explain why pear blossoms were unlucky, yet she did not know how to bring it up.

On the other hand, Zhuang Luoyan wanted to express that a man’s heart had nothing to do with flowers. However, she kept her thoughts to herself. “In this world, to stay together is everyone’s wish. Separation is avoided like the plague. For this reason, people dislike pear blossoms. I am an ordinary person. As such, I am not an exception to this. Yet in this world, for things to stay or leave is part of life. If one is afraid of not knowing when separation may occur, why not treasure the time you have together? Once you separate, just reminisce about the good times. When the other party has left, when the flower has withered, I don’t want to recall unhappy memories.”

“Master…” Tingzhu felt that her master’s words were a bit pitiful. She remembered what had happened to her master upon entering the imperial palace. “However, isn’t it good for two people to stay together for a long time?”

Although it seemed as if Zhuang Luoyan had finished her speech, in reality she had held back from saying the rest of her thoughts. The harem was full of women yet there was only one emperor. How could there be any long lasting love? The best path was to receive a noble and high rank and live the rest of one’s life peacefully. To enjoy one’s life to the fullest. However, she saw that Tingzhu’s face had an expression of pity, and felt that she must be more scholarly in her methods. “It’s merely infatuation. The act of placing another in one’s heart. If he leaves, I feel miserable. If he stays, I feel joy. Unfortunately, when he is about to leave,I will feel as if knives have pierced my heart if I beg him to stay. So isn’t it better not to see or hear it happen? Memories are enough.”

In the imperial harem, there were two types of women. One type lived their life for the sake of status and benefits. The other type lived for love. The latter was pitiful and miserable. The former was pitiful and hateful. Tingzhu carefully went ahead and brushed off the pear blossoms on Zhuang Luoyan’s shoulders. “Master, the wind has picked up. Let’s return.”

Zhuang Luoyan felt like she couldn’t put on this scholarly act anymore. After uttering those words, even she found them cringey, much less Tingzhu. She nodded and said, “We shall return.”

When people who lived in a bustling society used the word love, it might not always carry the word’s true meaning. Yet when it came to women in the ancient times, the husband was God. Affection would equal love in their eyes. For Zhuang Luoyan to say such words, Tingzhu remembered them in her heart.

She turned her head and mentioned that she caught a glimpse of golden robes beyond the flowers. Zhuang Luoyan lowered her gaze, using Tingzhu’s hand as support as she walked. “Tingzhu, todays words were merely wishful thinking on my part and a dream on yours. Don’t take it too seriously. If you forget this, I’ll also pretend that this was just a dream. If one is unaware that love did not arrive, one would not be in pain. Ignorance is bliss.”

“Understood.”

If a man was with a woman that had given him her heart, his affection for her would be a bit deeper. For an emperor who had been used to seeing women compete in the imperial harem, finding an imperial concubine that wholeheartedly loved him was rare. Even if he didn’t love that woman, he would still treat her very well.

Sometimes when the body was satisfied, the mind should also be.

After leaving the pear blossom garden, Zhuang Luoyan looked over her shoulder to gaze at the garden once more. Who said that pear blossoms signified departure? Wasn’t today’s unexpected meeting a pleasant surprise?

“Master, let’s not dawdle,” said Tingzhu, misunderstanding that Zhuang Luoyan was having difficulties accepting her fate. She couldn’t help but offer a few words of comfort.

“It’s fine. I’m just having a look,” Zhuang Luoyan said, turning away from the sight of the garden. She adjusted her crystal plum blossom hairpin. Slowly went on her way.

On the bank of the lotus pond, Gao Dezhong and all the servants behind him knelt on the ground. That Imperial Concubine Zhao was only a low-ranked concubine, yet she was still a master of the palace. As servants, they could not listen to her words.

Feng Jin thought for a while before lightly saying, “Stand up.”

If one was unaware that love had not arrived, was it true that it would be painless?

✿

I’ll try to edit this a bit more later. I accidentally upgraded to the “block editing” version of blog post and it’s driving me nuts!

Not much to say here besides ZL is planning something again. And Consort Rou’s gift is more harm than good.

Next release: Saturday August 31, 2019 at 12 pm EST.