Seducing the Heart - Chapter 16

The birthday of Emperor Yun was the annual Wan-Shou Festival.

In the past, whenever this festival arrived, the world would rejoice together. The Emperor would grant a general amnesty, and for several days, the government offices would not process any criminal cases. However, this inadvertently allowed lawbreakers to become increasingly rampant, taking advantage of the hiatus. It wasn’t until the year before last, when the old Prime Minister Cheng submitted a memorial explaining the flaws of this system, that the practice was finally abolished.

Despite this change, the grand imperial banquet held in the palace remained as magnificent as ever, and the requisite congratulatory gifts were certainly no less numerous.

From the hour of Chen (7:00 AM – 9:00 AM), carriages laden with gifts flowed in and out of the palace in an endless stream. A crowd of maidservants stood ready to count the rare treasures being unloaded, while a head eunuch supervised the process to ensure no one dared to risk their life by pocketing the goods.

The head eunuch was named Tianxi. He had served in the palace since Yun Mosheng ascended the throne and was deeply trusted by the Emperor.

Tianxi watched the palace maids as they tallied the gifts, giving orders in a high-pitched, thin voice: “Everything sent here is a rare treasure. Count them carefully before they enter the treasury; there must be no carelessness.”

Tianxi looked left and right, estimating that the efficiency was acceptable. He flicked his horsetail whisk and walked over to the guards. “You lot as well, keep a sharp eye out. Right now is a time of mixed company; there is no guarantee that some blind little thief or assassin won’t slip in. If anyone dares to disturb the Emperor, watch your heads!”

“Yes, Eunuch,” the guards replied respectfully.

Yun Mosheng stood in his sleeping quarters, his arms outstretched as two maidservants adjusted his robes.

He had already hosted the officials at the noon banquet, an event he found quite tedious. The evening banquet, however, was a family affair where all the princes and concubines were invited. This was the highlight of the day.

“Your Majesty, it is time for the evening banquet. Please follow this servant to the Qiansheng Hall.”

“Tianxi, you have worked hard today. Go and receive your reward. Afterward, feel free to wander the palace; I am granting you leave.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty!” Tianxi smiled so wide his eyes disappeared. He hastily knelt and kowtowed several times to express his gratitude.

Tianxi’s adopted son, Deshun, had been waiting outside the hall for his godfather. Seeing him so happy, he couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Godfather, why so joyful? Did His Majesty just reward you?”

“Oh, my silly son, do you really think I care about the few coins the Master rewards?” Tianxi flicked his whisk, and the joyful expression on his face vanished instantly. “I simply know what kind of reaction will please the Master. Money is never as important as one’s life.”

Having stayed by Yun Mosheng’s side all these years, Tianxi knew what he should and shouldn’t know. The Emperor was heartless and temperamental. Even those closest to him could become pawns in his hand, sacrificed at any moment. Tianxi had survived this long entirely by reading the room and knowing when to play dumb.

“Silly son, you have much to learn. Don’t go hovering around the front of the hall today; it’s not a good job. Walk with me instead. Stay far away; that hall is getting quite ‘lively’ right about now.”

Lively was an understatement. In the eyes of those harboring secret motives, even the gifts they presented to the Emperor were subjects for calculated schemes.

“The two pairs of ancient porcelain that Brother Kang gave Father are quite interesting. The drawings on them…” Yun Su pretended to examine them closely, narrowing his eyes. “Could they be scenes of palace music from the previous dynasty?”

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere chilled significantly. Emperor Yun’s greatest taboo was anything related to the former dynasty, especially ancient porcelain depicting palace music, which almost certainly originated from the former imperial palace.

“Yun Su, what do you mean by that?” Yun Kang squinted. He clearly hadn’t expected the treasure he had spent so much effort to acquire would be used against him like this.

Meanwhile, Yun Jin sat with Qin Zhanluo, pouring wine and toasting her, completely unaffected by the tense atmosphere nearby.

“This King Su is truly reckless. To provoke someone so openly, he has no fear of future retaliation,” Qin Zhanluo remarked nonchalantly, elegantly sipping a third of her wine.

Yun Jin set down her cup and picked up the flask to pour herself another half-measure. “Brother Su has always been brash and dull-witted. He certainly didn’t spot the flaw in that porcelain himself.”

She wondered who had manipulated him into being the spearhead for this offense.

“Your body is weak. Drink less wine to avoid a headache,” Qin Zhanluo reminded her softly after watching the situation for a moment.

“Do not worry, Princess Consort.” Yun Jin lowered her voice, leaning slightly toward Qin Zhanluo’s ear to reassure her in a tone only the two of them could hear. “The wine in this flask was tampered with by my people beforehand; it is diluted with water.”

As Yun Jin spoke, her breath brushed lightly against Qin Zhanluo’s ear. The Princess Consort gave a faint response but did not say more.

Yun Jin turned back to see King Kang, after a brief silence, explain in a few words that the paintings were not scenes of former palace music. King Su wanted to argue further but was persuaded to back down by people sent by King Rui.

It seemed King Su’s sudden attack was likely tied to King Rui.

Yun Jin’s attention was fixed on the dispute, so she did not notice that Qin Zhanluo’s earlobes, hidden beneath her dark hair, were beginning to burn.

“Enough. Today is my birthday. My sons should focus on wishing me longevity and stop mentioning the gifts,” Yun Mosheng said, finally breaking the silence after watching the drama unfold for a while.

Yun Mosheng secretly thought that Yun Su was too incompetent, not even realizing he was being used, while King Rui… he certainly had some depth. Rui had wanted to show off, intentionally leaving a opening for the Emperor to find. It was a clever calculation.

“Yun Shen, why did you have someone stop me just now? There was clearly something wrong with that porcelain. Didn’t you personally arrange that back then? Are you afraid?” Yun Su questioned Yun Shen in a low voice, still unable to suppress his anger at failing to have the Emperor punish Yun Kang.

“Brother Su, calm your anger. Why would I be afraid? It’s just that Father remained silent, meaning he didn’t want to get angry on his birthday. Of course, if you two had continued to fight, Yun Kang would have been exposed, but you wouldn’t have been in Father’s good graces either,” Yun Shen sighed. “Brother, I did this for your own good.”

Hearing this, Yun Su felt it made sense. Realization dawned on him, and he hurriedly apologized to Yun Shen.

Yun Shen merely gave a generous smile, indicating it was nothing. But in his heart, he thought differently: Yun Su was originally a perfect shield because of his recklessness, but he was unfortunately too stupid. To ensure no leverage remained in Yun Su’s hands, this person could no longer be kept.

Yun Shen narrowed his eyes, his mind already formulating a plan. Since he couldn’t use Yun Su to get rid of Yun Kang, he would simply use Yun Kang to get rid of Yun Su in the future.

Halfway through the banquet, Yun Jin used the excuse of being unable to handle her wine to step away, but she walked with a clear purpose toward the Fengli Palace.

This was the site of the sleeping quarters where her biological mother, Virtuous Consort Xian, had lived before her death. Now, it was a wasteland where no one set foot. For all these years, it had never been repaired.

“Is this not… King Jin?” Tianxi’s thin voice suddenly rang out, giving Yun Jin a brief start. “Why is Your Highness not at the banquet? Have you lost your way and ended up here?”

“So it is Eunuch Tianxi. It has been a long time; is the Eunuch well? I have simply drunk too much tonight and felt sentimental about the past with my mother in this Fengli Palace. I wanted to come and take a look for old time’s sake.”

“But this…” Tianxi looked at Yun Jin with a troubled expression. “Your Highness knows that His Majesty ordered the Fengli Palace to be sealed off long ago.”

Yun Jin’s eyes flickered. She took out a white jade pendant and handed it to Tianxi. “Eunuch, look, the night is deep. I will just go in for a walk and will not use any lights.”

Tianxi pocketed the jade pendant but continued to hesitate. “I was just taking a stroll through the palace; how did I happen to run into Your Highness? This is…”

Understanding his intent, Yun Jin smiled and pulled a solid gold ingot from her sleeve, surreptitiously handing it over. “I hope the Eunuch can be flexible.”

Tianxi weighed the gold in his hand, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his face. “Your Highness, after you go in, you can only wander around briefly. I… I haven’t seen a thing.”

“My thanks to the Eunuch.”

Watching Yun Jin enter, Tianxi turned away and let out a heavy sigh. He hoped the Prince would be clever enough to discover some clues. Consort Xian had been kind to him in the past, but he had no way to save her back then; his heart was heavy with guilt.

“I have limited ability; this is all the help I can give,” Tianxi muttered. Seeing a few young eunuchs approaching with lanterns for patrol, he hurried forward to meet them. “What are you doing? Why patrol here? I just saw a shadow running toward the Imperial Kitchen. I don’t know which palace maid is sneaking off to steal food. Hurry, follow me to catch the thief!”

After leaving the Fengli Palace, Yun Jin quickly returned to her seat in the Qiansheng Hall. She was frequently ill, so no one paid much attention to her absence under the guise of being drunk.

Qin Zhanluo never questioned where Yun Jin had gone. During her absence, she had even helped deflect questions from a few concubines who had asked about her on a whim.

As the evening banquet neared its end, various delicacies had already been served, and a new round of dishes was brought out.

“My consorts, my sons, come and try the handiwork of the chef newly hired by the Imperial Kitchen.” Yun Mosheng was the first to taste a dish, nodding in approval. He seemed to find the food very much to his liking.

Yun Jin also sampled a few dishes. Among them, the one that interested her most was called “Golden Jade Peace.” This dish used a pumpkin as the outer shell, filled with cooked minced meat and a mixture of fruits and vegetables. It tasted both novel and delicious.

“What does the Crown Prince think of these dishes?”

Knowing the Emperor wanted to praise the Imperial Kitchen, Yun睿 (Yun Rui) answered truthfully, “Father, I find the dishes prepared for this family banquet to be delicious, especially the final dish, ‘Golden Jade Peace,’ which is particularly ingenious.”

“And the rest of you? What do you all think of this ‘Golden Jade Peace’?” A smile played on Yun Mosheng’s face as he listened to the chorus of agreement.

“Succulent, delicious, and ingenious. I think so too. The creator of this dish is the surprise I have for you today.” Yun Mosheng clapped his hands and said with a laugh, “Come out and let them see who has returned!”

Yun Jin looked toward the hall entrance. When she saw clearly who was entering, her eyes flickered.

It was the only daughter of the Prince of the State of Yuan, the Emperor’s niece in name.

Xingnan, she had returned.

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