Liu Yao's birthday was fast approaching. It caught Yan Zheyun by surprise when Noble Consort Dao gently took him aside after one of the inner palace assemblies and mentioned it to him in private. It was kind of her. Should anyone have caught wind that the emperor's prized, pampered consort had no idea that his birthday was nigh, Yan Zheyun was certain that tongues would wag hard enough to reach the morning court and come tomorrow morning, there would be new memorials on the emperor's desk asking him to demote Imperial Noble Consort Yue who was not befitting the role.
But the truth of the matter was that Yan Zheyun could hardly be blamed. He had tried asking Liu Yao about his birthday in the past but it was difficult to do without prying too hard and Liu Yao had always been evasive. Yan Zheyun hadn't been certain about whether he was committing some terrible astrological taboo here by inquiring about what could be the emperor's bazi; the answer was probably affirmative.
