After the Substitute Male Bride Fled, the Emperor Turned Dark - Chapter 5

The next day, before dawn had even broken, Lan Ruo came to pull back his covers. “Your Highness, it is time to rise. You must pay your respects to the Empress Dowager today.”

Fang Zhiyan buried his face in his pillow and mumbled incoherently, “It is not even light out yet. Let me sleep a little longer.”

“This is your first time paying respects to the Empress Dowager! Arriving late would be a great sign of disrespect!”

Fang Zhiyan snapped awake. Right, he had to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager today. He still remembered what the Emperor had said before leaving last night.

“Do you remember the white cat you saved at Chenxiang Temple? That has been the Empress Dowager’s beloved pet for many years.”

What did those words mean? Was it simple small talk, or was he testing something? As a poor boy from Suzhou, how could he know anything about Chenxiang Temple or a white cat? The fact that Fang Zhiwei shared this history with the Empress Dowager was a massive headache for him. It did not fit into his plan of staying alive by staying unnoticed.

“What are you wearing today?” Lan Ruo asked.

“Did your young mistress know anything about His Majesty? Do you know his likes?”

Lan Ruo thought for a moment. “The Master once mentioned that His Majesty dislikes the color of pale reeds, while the Empress Dowager prefers simple and quiet elegance.”

Fang Zhiyan decided, “Today, I shall wear the color of pale reeds. Use all the dangling step-shake ornaments and gold hairpins.”

Following his orders, Lan Ruo picked out a palace dress in the color of pale reeds and adorned his head with gold ornaments. He looked bright and ostentatious, unquestionably the most conspicuous person in any crowd.

Fang Zhiyan looked at himself in the bronze mirror and nodded with satisfaction. “Excellent. Anyone who sees me will know immediately that I am the seductress type.”

Lan Ruo was speechless. Even the most prestigious Consort Shu was not as flashy as he was being. One could clearly see his determination to annoy both the Emperor and the Empress Dowager in one go.

The Palace of Jingyang was not far from the Empress Dowager’s Palace of Cining; it was about a fifteen-minute walk.

Fang Zhiyan walked along the palace path with Lan Ruo and Fu’an following behind. Along the way, they encountered many other concubines of various ranks also heading to pay their respects. When they arrived at the gates of the Palace of Cining, seven or eight people were already waiting.

Fang Zhiyan had originally intended to stand at the very back, but his eyes darted around, and he changed his mind. He walked to the very front with his head held high, swiveled his hips to shove aside a girl in a pink dress, and unceremoniously took the first spot in line.

The girl in pink had woken up early specifically to make a good impression on the Empress Dowager. She had not expected to be pushed aside and stared at Fang Zhiyan, her small face flushing red with anger.

Fang Zhiyan tilted his chin up and gave her a look of utter disdain. Internally, he was frantically bowing to her in apology. Sorry, little sister, but today I am playing the role of the wicked, arrogant favorite who bullies others.

“Your Highness, Concubine Zhuang,” a crisp voice rang out beside him.

Someone was stepping up to defend justice; the show was starting. Fang Zhiyan glanced over dismissively and saw a woman with a round face smiling at him.

“My name is Liu Yi. I saw Your Highness at the Palace of Chuxiu yesterday,” the round-faced candidate introduced herself. “Everyone knows that among the sisters who recently entered the palace, Your Highness is the one most favored by His Majesty. However, since we are all newcomers, there is no need to make things difficult for one another, is there?”

Fang Zhiyan gave a thin smile. “Do not be offended, sister. I simply wish to be the first to go in and see Baishuang.”

Fearing people might not know who Baishuang was, he raised his voice, acting purely affected and delicate. “You know, that cat I happened to save at Chenxiang Temple back then.”

Hearing him mention saving the Empress Dowager’s cat, the crowd looked at one another in silence. For a moment, no one dared to speak up again. This Concubine Zhuang was already highly regarded by the Emperor, and now she had the Empress Dowager as a backer.

Across the wall, Mother Song, who had overheard the entire exchange, wore a complicated expression. After not seeing her for a few years, Miss Fang had certainly changed a great deal.

“Your Highnesses, Ladies, the Empress Dowager requests your presence.”

Fang Zhiyan showed a look of joy, lifted his skirts, and marched inside.

The Empress Dowager sat on the main seat. She was in her fifties, well-preserved, with a kind face and a dignified yet approachable aura. She wore a sapphire-blue robe and a gold hairpin set with rubies. Fang Zhiyan followed the crowd in paying respects. His posture was elegant and his movements were perfect; no flaw could be found.

“You may all rise,” the Empress Dowager’s voice was gentle yet authoritative. “Be seated.”

Everyone took their seats. The Empress Dowager looked over the concubines one by one, her gaze finally resting on Fang Zhiyan.

“Are you the girl from Assistant Minister Fang’s family?”

Fang Zhiyan stood up and gave a respectful bow. “In reply to the Empress Dowager, it is this concubine.”

“Come closer, let me have a good look at you.”

Fang Zhiyan felt a bit nervous. He stood before the Empress Dowager with lowered eyes and a submissive expression. The Empress Dowager looked him up and down and suddenly smiled.

“You have grown even more beautiful.” The Empress Dowager took his hand and had him sit on an embroidered stool beside her. “Did you rest well yesterday?”

Fang Zhiyan kept his head down, acting shy. “Thank you for your concern, Empress Dowager. Everything was well.”

The Empress Dowager instructed Mother Song, “Go and bring those emerald bracelets of mine.”

Mother Song presented a brocade box as ordered. If he were an ordinary woman, he would have declined politely once or twice. Instead, Fang Zhiyan looked delighted, his eyes fixed greedily on the box. The Empress Dowager’s smile faded slightly, but she still signaled Mother Song to give him the box.

Within half an hour of returning to the Palace of Jingyang, the head eunuch from Consort Shu’s palace arrived. He spoke of the scene that had occurred that morning at the gates of the Palace of Cining.

“Fang of the rank Concubine Zhuang is found lacking in virtue and is hereby confined to her quarters for one month.”

Fang Zhiyan put on a face of deep distress. However, as soon as the head eunuch stepped out of the Palace of Jingyang, he clapped his hands and laughed. “Wonderful! Simply wonderful!”

Fu’an, overhearing this from the doorway, felt his heart go cold. He whispered to Lan Ruo, “I fear Her Highness has been traumatized by the blow. Please go in and comfort her, Lan Ruo. Favor will surely return sooner or later.”

Lan Ruo rubbed her nose and mumbled, “No need. It is possible she is actually happy.”

Fu’an was left speechless.

The days of confinement were even more comfortable than Fang Zhiyan had imagined. He did not have to wake up before dawn to do his makeup, he did not have to walk or talk with stiff formality, and he did not have to worry every second about being exposed. He slept until the sun was high in the sky every day, wandering around the hall in his most comfortable inner robes.

At first, Fu’an worried that Her Highness had given up on herself due to the confinement, but he soon realized she was genuinely enjoying it.

“Your Highness, the lunch from the Imperial Kitchen has arrived,” Fu’an said, bringing in a food box.

Fang Zhiyan opened it to see two lonely vegetable dishes. Fu’an carefully watched his expression. “The Palace Affairs Office is full of snobs. They think Your Highness has been cast aside, so they have become negligent.”

“It does not matter.” Fang Zhiyan himself did not care much. “I only regret that you all have to suffer with me.”

Fu’an was moved nearly to tears. “What are you saying, Your Highness? We all think you are very kind.” That incident at the Palace of Cining must have been a case of being possessed by something foul!

Fang Zhiyan took a bite of greens and suddenly remembered something. “By the way, have my painting tools been found?”

“They have been brought out,” Lan Ruo replied.

When he was in Suzhou, he had no other skills, but he was quite good at painting. His maternal grandmother said he took after his birth mother and was born for this craft. Unfortunately, his family was poor and could not afford good paper or ink. He could only draw on old books and waste paper or use a stick to draw on the ground. Later, he made a fair amount of money painting portraits for people on the street.

This palace was deep and the loneliness was hard to bear; he needed something to pass the time.

“Lan Ruo, help me move a table into the courtyard.”

“Your Highness, it is hot outside.”

“A calm heart keeps one cool.”

Lan Ruo could not argue with him, so she and Fu’an moved a desk under the osmanthus tree in the courtyard. Fang Zhiyan felt a sense of delight. He spread out the rice paper, ground the ink, and dipped his brush.

He drew a turtle.

Lan Ruo leaned over to look. “Your Highness, what is this you have drawn?”

“A turtle.” Fang Zhiyan assumed she had never seen one. “You probably have not seen this kind; they are in the rivers.”

Lan Ruo was silent for a moment. “I can tell.” It was quite ugly and not at all what she had imagined.

Fang Zhiyan amused himself by switching brushes and dabbing light yellow dots on the turtle’s shell. “Look, these are osmanthus flowers falling on its shell. It has an artistic mood, does it not?”

Lan Ruo really could not see any artistic mood, but as long as Her Highness was happy, it was fine. After finishing the turtle, Fang Zhiyan drew a cat crouching on a branch. It was a bit crooked, but it had a certain clumsy charm.

“Is this the Empress Dowager’s white cat?” Lan Ruo asked.

“Yes, the one saved at Chenxiang Temple.” Fang Zhiyan recalled the white cat he had seen recently and studied his own drawing. “Do you think if the Empress Dowager saw my painting, she would think I made her beloved pet look ugly?”

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