"Noble Beauty Yang, how are you feeling today?"
"Answering Your Highness, I've fully recovered," Zi Hua replied, curtseying.
Empress Zhao nodded. "Good. As an imperial consort, you should take better care of your body. Any illness of yours might affect His Majesty's health, too."
"Your Highness, it's not like Noble Beauty Yang contracted a contagious disease," Concubine Lin snickered, butting in. "Rather, she just has a strange habit of kneeling in the rain."
Empress Zhao sighed. "Noble Beauty Yang, I heard about what happened two nights ago. Why didn't you come to Phoenix Palace?" she questioned. "As mistress of the rear palace, it is my duty to listen to your problems and provide fair aid. Had you trusted me, I would have soothed your worries."
"I... I have no excuse for my foolishness back then, Your Highness."
Head lowered apologetically, Zi Hua found herself believing the empress. She wasn't the type of legitimate wife who would mindlessly simmer with jealousy and scheme to make the concubines' lives harder. On the contrary, she had treated all of them equally thus far, with the exception of Noble Consort Meng, who was regularly absent from morning assembly.
If only she hadn't been consumed by panic and blame that day...
But it was too late for regret; Yue'er's incident had already caused an emotional rift between them, and despite the empress's belated sympathy, nothing changed Wise Consort Tang's credit.
"Perhaps Sister Yang was concerned about Your Highness being the one who sentenced her beloved lady-in-waiting," Virtuous Consort Liu remarked. "Oh! Sister Yang, don't mind my speculation," she added.
Zi Hua felt like she'd swallowed a stone. If this were Xiping, she would've frankly retorted: "I very much mind. Take it back."
Alas, one had to bow their head under higher roofs.
"N—"
"Baseless speculation is lowly slander."
An airy voice covered her reply, drawing the hall's attention away. Zi Hua blinked in surprise at its owner.
Wise Consort Tang had spoken up... for her?
"It was merely a jest. You needn't take it seriously," Virtuous Consort Liu said, flicking invisible dust off her sleeve.
"You called it 'speculation' earlier," Wise Consort Tang pointed out.
Her face was as hard as a block of ice, but her normal apathy was mixed with cunning.
"As for taking you seriously... That's the funniest thing you've said today," she continued, mimicking Virtuous Consort Liu's action as though she was the insignificant dust being swept away.
The message didn't fall on blind eyes.
Zi Hua stifled a laugh, and she wasn't the only one. Wise Consort Tang's sharp tongue was like a prized sword—never easily flaunted, but sure to draw blood once it was. Even Virtuous Consort Liu laughed along stiffly, clinging to her dignity by playing it off as joke.
"Ah ha ha... Sister Tang, I heard you gifted Sister Yang's servant a hundred-year ginseng," she changed the topic forcefully. "I didn't know you were one for charity."
The "charity" in her sentence was a double-meaning sword. One wrong reply and Noble Beauty Yang would find herself on the same level as a low-born maid. The other consorts anticipated Wise Consort Tang's retaliation, too eager to blink.
But she simply looked at Virtuous Consort Liu coldly, then turned away.
The latter's mortification was palpable in the void of silence, and she barely resisted a scowl.
This was why she loathed the rare occasions when Tang Xiang Lian opened her mouth—she either had nothing pleasant to say, or she would shut up the moment it became unfavourable to her, leaving the other person hanging awkwardly. How unrefined and bothersome!
Madame Pei glanced at Virtuous Consort Liu's darkened eyes and quickly filled the silence. "Your Highness the Empress, I saw many servants moving the Que Kingdom's tributes to the imperial treasury yesterday. Is it true they've sent more tributes this year than the past three years combined?" she asked.
"Indeed. They have increased the yearly tribute twofold despite barbarians declaring war against them this spring," Empress Zhao shared.
"How sincere of them!" Madame Pei gasped. "To express loyalty to our empire even in times of need..."
"In my opinion, this display of generosity is precisely because they're in times of need," Virtuous Consort Liu pitched in, dignity recovered. "Now more then ever, they need Li Empire's backing."
"How insightful, Virtuous Consort! I didn't consider that."
"Still... Will the barbarians attack Li Empire next?"
"Shush! That's highly unlikely."
"Yes, our empire has the mightiest military on Yuan Continent..."
The discussion about warfare and geography didn't last long. It slowly shifted to the contents of Que Kingdom's tributes—sapphires as large as goose eggs, statues made of pure gold and the like—and other subjects Zi Hua lacked interest in.
When morning assembly finally ended, she rushed outside, but was a few steps behind. Wise Consort Tang's procession was already gone.
***
Step. Step. Step.
"Mistress, isn't that His Majesty the Emperor?" Chun'er pointed at a tall figure in the distance.
Zi Hua stopped walking. Petals crunched beneath her feet, feeling just like her clenched heart when she saw the familiar figure standing under the plum blossom trees up front. Scattered servants surrounded him subtly, ensuring his safety while deterring intruders.
All she wanted was to take a shortcut to Clear Lotus Palace...
But the memory of a few nights ago flashed in her mind, along with the irrational words she'd thrown in his face.
Guilt crept in like the rustling wind. In retrospect, she wouldn't blame Tian for being mad—she sounded like an ungrateful brat back then.
'Just apologise, Hua. Everything will be fine after you apologise.'
She sucked in a breath and was about to walk up when melodious laughter floated into her ears. Tian moved, revealing the person he was facing.
And Zi Hua froze. The scene in front of her was beautiful, but her feet just wouldn't move.
A delicate young woman was twirling in graceful circles while looking behind her. At Tian. And his reaction... He smiled, then swooped forward, catching her by the waist right as she was about to fall backwards.
He didn't let go after she regained her balance, and their eyes told a sugary, longing story that gave Zi Hua cavities.
They were a couple dancing in the pink petal rain, lost in each other and oblivious to the rest of the world.
"That's Lady Talent Jiang," Yuan'er whispered, referring to the young woman. "His Majesty favoured her after seeing her dance in the imperial gardens once."
Zi Hua barely heard her.
Tian laughed, then. She wasn't the reason for it. He didn't even notice her closeness.
"Mistress, this must be destiny! Why don't you join them?" Chun'er suggested, too excited to take her eyes off the embracing duo.
Yuan'er looked at Zi Hua's pale face and nudged Chun'er. "Maybe we should leave..."
"What? No! This is the perfect opportunity!" Chun'er protested. "Mistress, your rank and status are higher than Lady Talent Jiang, and you were favoured before her. His Majesty definitely won't ignore you. You can regain favour with this!"
Nonsense.
She didn't want to be the third wheel. Might as well leave so at least one of them was happy.
Zi Hua spun around. "Chun'er, Yuan'er, let's go."
"But mistress!"
"Now," she cut Chun'er off harshly.
Chun'er squeaked in dissatisfaction, but she took the hand Yuan'er offered and didn't care less.
The scene beneath the plum blossom trees was imprinted in her mind like a brand.
She didn't belong here.
'I'm never taking shortcuts again.'
***
Palace of Tranquillity, eastern chamber.
Clink.
"Mistress, have you decided who will be Yue'er's replacement yet?"
A fresh cup of tea appeared before Zi Hua, along with Qiu'er's question.
She spaced out at her reflection in the tea. The lost, clueless face that stared back reminded her of the second-rank servant who had been attending to her closely these days—Yuan'er. The difference was Yuan'er had more faith in her than herself... And she was more transparent, too.
Heaven knows Zi Hua spent ages perfecting her straight face so nobody would find out she actually disliked the expensive and precious tea specially reserved for imperial palace residents. In truth, she much preferred sweet fruit juice which tasted of happy memories... But ironically, bitter tea was more fitting now.
She downed the tea in one gulp and let it wash away the clot in her heart.
Clink.
"Yuan'er," she replied at last, gasping slightly at the dry aftertaste. "Pass on the news to her tomorrow, Qiu'er."
Qiu'er bowed and retreated. "Yes, mistress."
Unbeknownst to both of them, a shadow moved outside the bedchamber window, creeping back to the servant quarters soundlessly.
Chun'er sat on her small, hard bed and gripped the threadbare sheets. Angry tears rolled down her face.
'It's not fair...' she sniffed.
She cared about the mistress's wellbeing the most. She had the mistress's best interests at heart.
Yuan'er was a coward who would only hold mistress back. Worse yet, mistress listened to her, willingly stepping out of the emperor's sight.
Anyone could see that she, Chun'er, was better suited as lady-in-waiting.
'So why wasn't I promoted instead?!'
***
Dragon Palace. Night.
"Your Majesty, Her Highness the Empress has sent the name list for this year's summer retreat for your review."
Head Eunuch Ming bowed, presenting a scroll with a phoenix seal respectfully. Li Zhen Tian gave it a cursory glance—the empress had created satisfactory lists over the past three years; he was prepared to habitually approve it.
But suddenly, his eyes snagged on a name.
Yang Zi Hua.
In a rear palace full of vain and noble flowers, she stood out akin to her beloved sunflowers—bright, determined to thrive, and... not meant to be here.
Perhaps that was why he found himself inadvertently drawn to her.
Her every smile. Every move. Every word.
His gaze lingered... and sometimes he caught himself.
"An emperor can never devote himself to one. He belongs to his empire, his people."
Teachings from childhood would echo in his mind, then, and he would reluctantly pull away, visiting the other consorts. But he never stopped searching for her shadow, even when everyone thought she had lost favour; he bided his time while appeasing the greedy snakes at court, all too eager to push their daughters into his bed like courtesans at a brothel.
They could have been together again soon, if only her lady-in-waiting and Concubine Lin's accident hadn't happened.
Even then, that shouldn't have warranted a fight. Between her childhood attendant and his own unborn child, his verdict clearly tilted towards the former.
Why couldn't she see that? Why couldn't she be considerate like the others?
How could she have been so ignorant, stomping on his sincerity—his patience, his accommodation—like it was nothing?
He was the emperor.
She was his consort.
She had no sway over him. None.
If she found his favour cumbersome and hypocritical, there were dozens waiting to suffer it in her stead.
With a quick and vexed stroke of his brush, ink stained the scroll. "Ming Xiao, return this to the empress," he ordered.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
As he reached for it, Head Eunuch Ming unintentionally glimpsed the modified list.
"Noble Beauty Yang Zi Hua" was crossed out.