The Perilous Palace Dream - Chapter 73
Chapter 73
The summer heat scorched the capital like a burning furnace, it was once again the season to retreat to the summer palace to escape the swelter.
Just thinking about the palace’s delicious fruits, flowers, and dishes lightened Nie Qinglin’s mood, and she cheerfully ordered the palace attendants to pack her robes and dresses.
However, due to Ge traitor’s earlier use of the canals to undermine the court, the imperial procession would forego the usual water route and travel by land instead, for safety reasons.
This did make the journey bumpier and longer, but fortunately, several officials who had earned merit in quelling Ge’s rebellion were also bringing their families along for the summer retreat, so the hardship was not borne alone.
In previous years, the emperor’s summer retreats were often accompanied by high-ranking officials to show imperial favor.
Unfortunately, during the former emperor’s reign, this custom had taken a twisted turn.
Every time the court traveled to the summer palace, officials would worry endlessly, afraid that their wives might return pregnant. Even if they had remained chaste, the rumors alone were damaging. Aside from the former emperor’s unrestrained indulgence in gathering ministers and sampling beauties, there was nothing inherently scandalous about accompanying the emperor to the summer palace.
This time, alongside the noblewives of important officials, several young ladies from ministers’ households were chosen to accompany the young emperor.
The recent rebellion had finally made the old-fashioned, loyal ministers of the Wei court realize that although the emperor was profoundly filial and willing to mourn his father for eighteen years, national affairs came first.
For the emperor to sit on the throne this long without an heir was truly a misfortune for the state.
Thus, many of them repeatedly petitioned for the emperor to appoint an empress soon.
Though they were aware that the emperor was physically impaired and that appointing an empress might not produce any actual results, having an empress would at least allow for the formal adoption of a child from the imperial clan.
This was far better than risking another ambitious traitor like Ge, one who might try to install some privately raised boy onto the dragon throne.
And so, Minister Wu, together with several senior ministers, persistently submitted memorials, directing their pleas to the Grand Tutor.
Minister Wu’s righteousness during the rebellion, especially his heroic act of intercepting the imperial bridal carriage that Ge tried to forcefully seize, had left a deep impression among the common people.
The court historians were already preparing to write a biography of Master Wu Jingzhong, to be published upon his passing.
They hoped to release it while public sentiment for a loyal minister was at its peak, ensuring it would become a best-seller.
With things as they were, the Grand Tutor could no longer casually order his guards to grab the meddlesome old man by the collar and toss him out the Meridian Gate like before.
After careful thought, the Grand Tutor knocked on the table and gave instructions: the Ministry of Revenue was to select several suitable daughters of ministers to accompany the trip. Once they returned, their personalities would be assessed, and then the emperor would issue a decree to appoint one as empress and a few others as consorts.
Nie Qinglin sighed when she heard this.
Though she pitied the young women about to enter the palace, she wisely refrained from commenting further on the Grand Tutor’s decisions in state affairs.
The emperor’s carriage was specially made, with an insulated cotton-padded roof.
Large blocks of ice were placed inside, with a drainage pipe system installed so that as the ice melted, the water would flow beneath the floor.
This cooling cycle made the entire carriage surprisingly comfortable.
Nie Qinglin even had to wrap herself in a thin silk blanket to avoid catching a chill.
The Grand Tutor had ordered the officials to stay about a mile ahead of the emperor’s procession, close, but not too close…so no one could claim he was clinging to the emperor’s side and causing scandal.
The Grand Tutor had been stopping at each post station to hear reports from the local officials, so by the time he returned to the carriage, his robes were soaked in sweat.
Once inside, he began undressing right away, even pulling out the pins from his hair to let his thick black locks fall loose and cool him down.
His skin had been slightly reddened by the sun, and his long hair spilled over his broad back, with a few strands brushing against his handsome face.
Nie Qinglin had never seen the Grand Tutor with his hair undone before and now realized this immortal figure had added yet another intoxicating charm.
Wrapped in her blanket, she lightly tapped her jade ruyi scepter and recited with amusement:
“Dark clouds veil the moon, blossoms tremble in shade,
A delicate face, sweat mingled with dew, drips down the nape.
Arched brows swept with moth-green,
Rouge brushed cheeks glow like the evening haze…”
The Marquis of Dingguo raised his eyes to glance at the figure half-reclined on the couch, dressed in men’s clothing, swaying her head as she spoke.
She looked exactly like a dissolute young lordling harassing respectable women, spouting salacious verses without shame.
He wiped the sweat from his body, then sat beside the emperor, taking her small, bare, and slightly cool feet in his hands.
“Your Majesty has the time to flirt with your ministers,” he said, “yet when will you allow this minister to behold the beauty that makes ‘blossoms tremble’?”
With a shift of strength, he pulled the idle little creature into his arms.
Nie Qinglin frowned and tried to wriggle away from the Grand Tutor’s slightly sticky chest.
“Beloved minister, don’t fool around! My time of the month has come!” she blurted in panic.
If not for her period arriving, she would never have dared to tease the Grand Tutor while he was undressed—not even if she had the courage of a lion!
The Grand Tutor reached out and lifted the increasingly delicate and refined chin of the Dragon Pearl, saying, “So you do know your period has come, yet still insist on indulging in this chill? I was gone only a moment, and Your Majesty already ordered them to add more ice to the roof?”
“I only had them add more ice because I was afraid the Grand Tutor would return overheated from the sun…”
Before Nie Qinglin could finish her flimsy excuse, her lips were completely sealed by the Grand Tutor’s firm and skilled kiss.
Once he felt the punishment was enough for the emperor’s glib tongue, he tossed her aside, picked up the silk socks that had been flung away, and personally slipped them onto her fair little feet.
Then he wrapped her in his arms, using the warmth of his own body to dispel the chill clinging to her.
Just then, Eunuch Ruan’s voice came softly from outside the carriage:
“Reporting to Your Majesty and the Grand Tutor, Miss Shen Hong’er, the late great scholar Shen’s niece, has personally prepared a bowl of honeyed fruit soup chilled with crushed ice. She had someone rush it here by fast horse to help cool Your Majesty.”
Nie Qinglin was stunned to hear this.
Shen Hong’er was technically her Sixth Brother’s maternal grandaunt.
Her father had her late in life, and though she was only fifteen this year, she had lost her parents young and had been raised in her second uncle’s household since before the age of five.
Now that the Sixth Prince had been adopted into the Shen family, and hearing the emperor was choosing a bride, he had asked his young grandaunt’s opinion.
When she nodded, he submitted her name for consideration to join the list of empress candidates.
Unlike others who were forced into the palace at the Grand Tutor’s command, the Sixth Prince genuinely hoped his imperial younger brother would have someone by his side who understood both warmth and cold.
Though Shen Hong’er was only a foster daughter in the Shen household, she had been raised with the proper upbringing of a noble lady.
She didn’t carry the airs of a minor house, and out of gratitude to the Shens, once the Sixth Prince made the request, she agreed without hesitation.
In the past, when noble girls accompanied their parents and the emperor to the summer palace, the journey always included a constant stream of delicacies for the emperor.
Even though the empress didn’t need to cook herself, having the talent and temperament to prepare delicate dishes always won imperial favor.
But this time, none of the ministers thought to instruct their daughters to prepare soups or meals for the emperor.
This lone bowl of fruit soup, then, stood out as a rare and sincere offering.
However, when Eunuch Ruan brought it up, his lips twitched slightly and he hesitated.
“If His Majesty is truly thirsty, perhaps it’s better to have the honeyed snow pears brought up instead. Just have a glance at this bowl and appreciate Miss Shen’s sincerity.”
Nie Qinglin, intrigued by his tone, had the bowl brought up to take a look.
What she saw was… a mushy mess.
The soup had been cooked into a paste, with crushed, mangled bits of fruit.
It was… visually tragic.
Seeing the Grand Tutor frown at the sight, Eunuch Ruan quickly added, “The food taster already tried it…it won’t kill anyone… Miss Shen seems to have no talent in cooking, but she reportedly made this soup more than twenty times before sending it. Compared to her earlier attempts, this one is much improved. Her sincerity is unquestionable…”
What Eunuch Ruan didn’t say was that the very first bowl had knocked out the imperial taster, who was a veteran of countless risky meals.
One bite of that sweet soup, mistakenly loaded with salt instead of sugar had almost choked the poor man to death.
If it weren’t for Shen Hong’er desperately slipping him a pouch of silver and begging him to say a few kind words to the emperor, he never would’ve taken on this terrible job.
As expected, the Grand Tutor gave the bowl a brief glance and said,“Miss Shen’s sincerity is noted. Take the bowl away. Also, have her calling card delivered later. To be able to cook a soup this atrocious… she must be a rare kind of fool. And yet, this Grand Tutor is now rather tempted, choosing a helpless orphan girl to enter the palace might actually save us a lot of trouble.”
Once the curtain dropped, the Grand Tutor muttered,“Is that Sixth Brother of yours contagious with his stuffy old-fashioned ideas? That little grandaunt of his doesn’t seem too bright.”
Nie Qinglin said nothing.
She quietly combed the Grand Tutor’s hair with a jade comb, her thoughts turning soft and conflicted.
She knew her straightforward Sixth Brother’s intentions all too well.
If only she’d known earlier what he was planning, she would have found a way to stop it, anything to prevent Miss Shen from having her whole life wasted like this.
But she had barely combed a few strokes before the Grand Tutor pulled her back into his arms again.
“These past few days have been so busy, I haven’t had a proper moment with Your Majesty in a long time. Once your period is over, I shall make it up to you thoroughly. I’ve had a specially designed mechanical bed crafted and delivered to the summer palace. Once Your Majesty removes your dragon robe… we can explore its many intricate mechanisms together…”
“… …”
When they arrived at the summer palace, they discovered that the grounds had expanded since their visit in early spring.
A number of new pavilions had been added.
These were even more refined and elegant than the previous ones, set apart in a secluded corner that formed a unique and picturesque scene.
Seeing Nie Qinglin’s look of surprise, the Grand Tutor explained,“I ordered the demolition of the former residence of Marquis Yun of the previous dynasty. The finer pieces were gifted to Prince Xiu Tuhong. As for the grandest pavilion, I had it shipped here to the summer palace and installed in the rear garden. Now Your Majesty has a new place to enjoy, so you won’t grow tired of the same old scenery.”
The ministers standing behind them all nodded in agreement.
Indeed, even the most villainous of treacherous ministers could be compared.
After the trauma caused by Ge the Traitor, the court officials realized that the Grand Tutor, who had returned safely from his ordeal in Li County, seemed more loyal and devoted than ever.
If he could continue serving the emperor with such diligence, it might be worth having storytellers in the city record his tale.
When the Grand Tutor eventually passed away, they could publish The Record of a Sinful Minister Moved by the Holy Monarch—a legendary account sure to touch the hearts of many, filling teahouses to the brim with curious listeners!
On the second night after arriving at the summer palace, the joyful emperor ordered a banquet to be held in the newly named garden, “Memories of Jiangnan,” to entertain the officials and their families.
However, as the emperor was weary from travel and needed rest, he entrusted the Grand Tutor to attend the banquet in his place.
The Princess Yong’an, who had not come with the main procession, now sat leisurely beside the Grand Tutor in the hall.
At the opening of the banquet, many noble ladies were in attendance, all casting envious glances at Princess Yong’an.
The story of the jade peach gifted before the Matchmaker Temple had already become a beloved tale in the capital. Storybooks based on it were already being printed. The noblewomen whispered in amazement, who would have thought that the Grand Tutor, whose standards were sky-high, would be tamed by a girl from a mere temple?
But the officials of each household weren’t as concerned with matters of love.
To them, it seemed the Grand Tutor had clearly been inspired by the traitor Ge—planning to use the position of imperial son-in-law as a stepping stone to force the emperor into abdication and robe himself in imperial yellow with righteous legitimacy.
With that in mind, the fact that such a figure would marry a divorced, powerless princess was something they could understand.
Still, the Grand Tutor was far more composed and tactful than Ge Qingyuan ever was, and he handled public appearances with flawless decorum…especially regarding the emperor, and also the princess. Like now, for example:
That night’s banquet featured giant crab-shell shrimp from the South Sea. Though delicious, they were grilled in sea salt, and the outer shell was not removed in order to preserve the flavor. Diners had to use specially designed little clamps to open the shells, extract the meat, then reassemble the shells to keep the heat in.
Most had either attendants behind them helping or did it themselves. But the Grand Tutor, with his long arms, personally used a fine silver fork to extract all the shrimp meat from the princess’s plate and neatly placed it into her dish.
And the princess? She merely nodded lightly in thanks and placed the shrimp meat in her mouth with visible reluctance. This scene made many of the noble ladies secretly gnash their teeth.
That was shrimp meat personally peeled by the ethereally handsome Grand Tutor! How could she not even take a moment to admire it, and just eat it so indifferently? Was she still dazed from temple life and unable to appreciate this kind of tenderness from a man?
They had seen the Grand Tutor out with his concubines before, but he had never tended to their meals or tea with such care.
Was this truly the same Lord Marquis Dingguo—the one who had once killed without hesitation on the battlefield?
Nie Qinglin herself was silently grumbling.
The Grand Tutor was always meticulous about what she ate, and who knows which quack physician had told him that South Sea shrimp were prolific egg-bearers, and unlike other “cold” seafood, they were ideal for women who wanted to conceive.
So for the past few days, there had been shrimp at every meal.
Though each dish was cooked differently, it was still shrimp meat from the same shell.
Eating it every day was becoming unbearable! What kind of madness had overtaken the Grand Tutor?
Did he seriously intend for her, still living inside the palace, to conceive a child? Could it be that he had discovered some hidden illness in himself, and now…seeing that his concubines had failed to bear children for years…he was desperate enough to turn to her, hoping to “sow seeds” in this “new field” of hers?
After finally forcing down the shrimp, Nie Qinglin curiously looked out into the hall.
Through the pearl curtain in front of her, she glanced toward the Shen family’s table.
Since Shen Hong’er had entered the selection for empress candidates, her cousin the Imperial Concubine Shu, who had returned to the Shen estate, had accompanied her to the summer palace.
Their table was the most remote, squeezed into a corner of the hall.
Palace servants often passed them by when delivering dishes and wine.
But the round-faced young girl sitting next to Concubine Shu didn’t seem to mind.
After a few bites of food, she opened her similarly round eyes and began curiously observing the gathered nobles around her.
That round-faced girl was none other than Shen Hong’er—the same one who had prepared the now infamous fruit soup.
She really was quite an honest girl…
Remembering the events from earlier that day, Nie Qinglin couldn’t help but smile.
Since the emperor was “unwell,” once the Grand Tutor finished handling state affairs, he only needed to accompany the “Princess Yong’an who had arrived later at the summer palace.”
While the Grand Tutor was still busy in the study, Nie Qinglin wandered the garden alone.
She happened to run into a few of the young ladies chosen for the empress selection.
When she looked up at the group of young women bowing to her, she was stunned.
In the Great Wei, women’s hairstyles favored elaborate complexity especially on formal occasions.
If one didn’t prop up their hair with padding into a towering cloud, they were practically unpresentable.
But Nie Qinglin had worn a male hairstyle since childhood, and never adapted to those gradually increasing layers of pomp.
Every time she tried to wear a high cloud bun, her neck ached terribly.
Though she liked beauty, she always gave up and opted for simpler palace-style buns without the internal supports.
Yet now, the few ladies walking toward her all wore hairstyles nearly identical to hers, as if they had all been styled by the same handmaid.
Not only that, their makeup also mirrored the soft, elegant look she often wore—fresh and natural.
Nie Qinglin couldn’t help but wonder: were these future imperial consorts aiming to capture the emperor’s heart… or the Grand Tutor’s?
Still, there was one exception.
Among the group of “Princess Yong’an look-alikes,” Shen Hong’er stood out distinctly with her ornate headdress and high cloud bun.
Looking at all the sparkling hairpins adorning her head…was she wearing every hair ornament her cousin Concubine Shu owned?
After the other young ladies had merely gone through the motions and taken their leave, only the young lady from the Shen family stayed behind.
In a soft voice, she asked, “Forgive my rudeness, Your Highness… but may I ask if His Majesty’s health has improved?”
Nie Qinglin paused for a moment and carefully observed the heavily made-up girl before her.
Yet despite the makeup, the youth on her face couldn’t be hidden.
Smiling, she took her hand and said, “Stand up and speak properly. By seniority through my sixth brother, I should be calling you Aunt. Were the Ministry of Rites officials blinded by pig fat? How did they manage to select a family elder to be brought into the palace?”
Shen Hong’er grew nervous at once and quickly replied, “Your Highness, please don’t be angry… It’s… it’s because I’ve long admired His Majesty’s grace and was eager to enter the palace. I used a lot of effort just to take the spot of the third young lady of the Bai family, who suddenly fell ill…”
As she spoke, her eyes brimmed with tears, and she regretted saying too much in front of the princess.
Nie Qinglin was briefly dumbfounded.
She had originally thought this was her sixth brother’s scheme—using both favor and pressure to get this little orphan girl into the palace.
But she hadn’t expected this little aunt to look so eager, practically itching to leap into the dragon’s lair.
Just like the Grand Tutor had said… she really might not be too bright!
Still, seeing her sixth brother’s mother and this Shen Hong’er being left out in the cold in a corner of the hall left Nie Qinglin feeling uneasy.
Taking advantage of the Grand Tutor stepping away to toast with other ministers, she summoned Eunuch Ruan and instructed him to have a few more tasty hot dishes specially delivered to the table of those two women.
But this gesture immediately drew the attention of the noblewomen at the surrounding tables.
When Eunuch Ruan himself brought the dishes with junior eunuchs, the food delivered was clearly not available at any other table.
Such favor—who had ordered it?
The emperor wasn’t present.
Could it have been the Grand Tutor?
This thought left many of the ladies stunned.
Was the Grand Tutor’s taste truly so… varied? It was understandable if he fancied someone like the princess—elegant and distinct, like a rare orchid.
But that painted, clumsy young girl, who didn’t even seem to apply rouge properly…what about her could have caught the Grand Tutor’s eye?
This… this might be their one chance to get close to the Grand Tutor.
If they could win his heart, they might avoid the fate of being sent into the palace to serve that puppet emperor.
Everyone knew: the status of a concubine in the Grand Tutor’s manor was far more real and enviable than the empty titles in the harem.
And if what their politically savvy fathers had said was true, that the Grand Tutor only married the princess to stage a regime change, then even the most pampered princess could lose favor one day!
With that in mind, perhaps being infatuated with the Grand Tutor wasn’t such a foolish dream after all.
Just look at the girl from the Shen family, whatever seductive tricks she had used, she had succeeded in making the Grand Tutor personally order food in her favor.
That said it all.
A man with such great power—how could he eat the same dish every day without getting sick of it? But now the question was: what kind of look and style could one adopt tomorrow to truly catch the Grand Tutor’s eye?
Leaving the worries of the other young ladies aside, Nie Qinglin had plenty of her own.
Why did her monthly bleeding always end so quickly? She had only been at the summer palace for three days when the crimson tide began to recede.
Nanny Shan, of course, knew the details, and by the second day of its disappearance, she had already informed the Grand Tutor.
So even if she wanted to pretend a few more days—there was no chance now.
That day during daylight, the emperor was competing in archery with the ministers in the shaded woods of the summer palace.
The Grand Tutor’s gaze was like that of a starved tiger eyeing its prey.
He held a bow in his hand, but his eyes were roaming up and down the dragon-robed, valiant young emperor at his side—clearly weighing where best to sink his teeth in.
Nie Qinglin, irritated by his gaze, deliberately drew her bow with dramatic pulls, letting the string creak loudly with each draw.
That puffed-up-cheeked, pouty look of hers only made Wei Lenghou’s heart burn hotter.
He wished he could drag this little dragon-robed emperor off to some secluded spot right that moment and properly discipline her.
The Grand Tutor had always been one to act on impulse.
Now that the treasonous desire had taken root, he wasted no time.
Leaving the group of ministers behind, he suggested the emperor turn his horse, and…with only Nanny Shan, a few palace maids, and guards in tow, they rode straight to a hidden spring nestled in the thick forest.
Nanny Shan had already brought attendants ahead of time to set up the place, surrounding it with privacy screens.
The ground was layered with coarse palm fiber beneath, and on top of that, soft mats woven from fragrant herbs were spread.
Lying on it was cool yet soft—truly a lawless little hidden paradise.
When the Grand Tutor dismounted and lifted the young emperor, whom he hadn’t been able to get close to for days, down from the horse, Nie Qinglin stared wide-eyed, thinking: What exactly is the Grand Tutor planning? Surely… surely he doesn’t mean to go completely out of line like I’m imagining, right!?
