From CEO to Concubine-Chapter 132: Three’s a Crowd

An emperor’s heart was hard to fathom.

Never had this thought run through the minds of the concubines in the imperial harem than it did now. Those who had been left behind to stew in their loneliness when the entourage had headed over to seek blessed refuge in the shade of the mountains had heard, without warning, that the emperor had decided to return before the summer’s end just to celebrate the coming of age of his favourite.

Torn between excitement at his return and jealousy at Imperial Concubine Yue’s ever-good fortune, they had gathered at the entrance of the inner palace, Noble Consort Dou leading them in welcoming the emperor back home. Some, such as Noble Lord Hua, brightened up with happiness as he watched his companion return, arm intertwined with the emperor’s and looking resplendent in a white and gold robe. But the genuine well-wishes were few and far in-between, which was why, when later that night, the phoenix spring carriage bypassed Yuyang Palace, a silent uproar rippled through the harem.

Ever since Imperial Concubine Yue entered the inner palace, the emperor hadn’t summoned another to accompany him at night.

At least, until now.

Talented Lady Zhao had been touted to be a favourite of the emperor a long time ago. Even if her decorous nature and her quiet, reserved personality failed to invite doting and affection, it had been speculated by those even remotely politically savvy that His Majesty, who was short of allies in court, would have used favouring her as a means to secure an alliance with the left prime minister. If nothing else, paying her attention above the other new concubines would have served as reassurance for her family.

Perhaps this was finally happening. That night, more than one ugly, gloating comment was made towards ’that person’ in Yuyang Palace, about how his days as the emperor’s favourite were numbered and how he would soon have nothing more to be smug about. Because everything added up to make sense; no matter how pretty Imperial Concubine Yue’s face was, he was of limited use to the emperor, since he had little else to offer apart from the satisfaction of subjugating such a beauty. He had no family influence to support him, no wealth to speak of, and no virtuous attributes from a lifetime of scholarly pursuits. It was only inevitable that the emperor would have to seek the rest of them out for the benefits they could offer and possibly, Talented Lady Zhao was just the beginning.

Yan Zheyun didn’t know just how many of his ’love rivals’ stayed up till the wee hours before dawn, adrenaline coursing through their veins so voraciously at the prospect that perhaps they would be next in line for a summons. Nor did he particularly care. Instead, his was a rare evening spent in the delightful company of his friends in Yuyang Palace, exchanging witty repartee over round after round of mahjong. It felt almost like those old days back in his university dorms, except his mates then didn’t all lounge around in hanfu like they were dressing up for a cos photoshoot for an extracurricular club.

It was only much later in the evening after they had all retired back to their quarters, that Hua Zhixuan had pulled him aside tentatively to ask if he was truly as fine with the emperor summoning Lady Zhao to attend to him in Qianqing Palace. Hua Zhixuan knew the real reason behind it, of course, but perhaps he was more sensitive to Yan Zheyun’s feelings than Yan Zheyun gave him credit for because he must have picked up that beneath the sensible layer of professionalism that would have made even his stern father proud—they were plotting to seize even more power in court, Yan Zheyun had his priorities straight—was a sulking boyfriend who didn’t like the idea that everyone thought his man was sleeping with some woman.

And Liu Yao probably knew it too because when the sun crawled over the horizon, news spread that Talented Lady Zhao had only spoken to His Majesty in the main hall before retiring to the side chambers of Qianqing Palace when the hour became late. She had not rested in the dragon bed, nor had she been granted a promotion in rank in the morning. Naturally, these revelations grated on the ears that were, eagerly waiting for a development that would prove to them that His Majesty was finally considering ’sharing the rain and dew equally’ (1).

Ever since the incident with the incense, Liu Yao had taken the opportunity to replace all the servants in Qianqing Palace and Tianlu Pavilion with those who had sworn to serve him with their lives. For a rumour to oh-so-casually slip out to the rest of the harem meant that this was done with intention.

Yan Zheyun knew that it was petty of him but he was only human, couldn’t be the bigger person all the time. It was impossible not to feel a cosy warmth in his chest at the thought that Liu Yao went the extra mile to minimise any misunderstandings that anyone could have had about his actions from the previous day. No matter what reason he’d had for summoning Talented Lady Zhao, it was evident that she had not performed her duties for him, duties that might have landed her with the first male heir to the throne.

Talented Lady Zhao was not present at the harem assembly and Yan Zheyun knew that this, at least, was Liu Yao’s show of kindness towards her. It was a gesture that would spare her the malicious barbs that would surely come her way should she have shown up. But the harsh words of her fellow concubines and the unfriendly, even cruel glances that she might have to endure from them would be nothing compared to what she was going to face once they put their plan in motion. Yan Zheyun was certain that Liu Yao would have told her in great detail about the risks that she would be taking if she embarked upon the path that they had tempted her to head towards...as well as the rewards.

Hua Zhixuan, Zhao Qiaoting. They were just the first steps that Liu Yao would have to take.

The day had started out promising but it was fast approaching noon and a freak summer thunderstorm was impending. The skies hung low with the pregnant thunderclouds that swelled overhead like an ominous shroud when Yan Zheyun stepped out of Noble Consort Dou’s palace. Hua Zhixuan, who had been given special permission to peruse the imperial collection of literary works was heading to Tianlu Pavilion again but Yan Zheyun declined to accompany him.

With such dreadful weather, the imperial gardens were quieter than usual, harried eunuchs rushing along the winding paths to carry out their never-ending tasks before the first droplets of rain hit the earth. But Yan Zheyun didn’t feel like going back indoors. The air was crisp with ozone, the wind a blessed relief from the muggy heat that blanketed the capital. The storm made him ecstatic; they were already steadily heading towards a drought season and although Liu Yao had promised that he’d already prepared for the eventuality, Yan Zheyun knew that the prospect of it kept his boyfriend up at night, pouring over maps and plans, again and again, to ensure that he would be able to reduce the suffering of his people should things take a turn for the worse.

Liu Yao might not have wanted the throne but he was far from a poor candidate for the job. For what it was worth, Yan Zheyun was proud of him.

Yan Zheyun was a practical man by nature, wasn’t romantic enough to frolic in the rain in the hopes that it would wash away his troubles. But tucked away in a secluded pavilion, he could take the time to sit and admire the way the drizzle was like a filter over a photograph, a silver curtain lowering itself over the garden to lend it an aura of mystery.

Granted, he wasn’t expecting to find actual mystery when he’d set out to have a private moment to himself. But when two figures stumbled into view, one tall and fierce, another slender and haughty, he couldn’t help but feel like this would be the appropriate moment for a bowl of popcorn to materialise itself in his lap.

He was forever going to be slightly salty that he didn’t have the anachronistic conveniences of a system on hand.

Pan Liqi must have caught sight of Yan Zheyun because he stopped in his tracks and straightened up with decorum. But it was halfhearted, bearing none of the courtesy an official should have towards the imperial harem. His gaze, already cold, hardened when he noticed Yan Zheyun looking between his companion and him with an air of undisguised curiosity.

Of course Yan Zheyun was curious. After hearing about their altercation in the gardens during the Luming Banquet, Yan Zheyun had wracked his brains for any useful information he could glean from what he knew of the novel but his sister hadn’t told him much about Pan Liqi that didn’t have to do with Yan Yun. He wasn’t sure if there was anything here that he could use to his advantage, whether Liu Suzhi, already a long-term ally, would once again be able to assist him in guarding against Scumbag 4 should it come to that.

Knowing Liu Suzhi’s personality, this ’assistance’ would very likely result in the permanent removal of ’obstacles’. Unless it went to that, Yan Zheyun was reluctant to rock the boat; Pan Liqi was the son of Great General Pan, whether they liked it or not. Liu Suzhi was potentially insane enough to throw caution to the wind but Yan Zheyun couldn’t risk jeopardising Great General Pan’s loyalty towards Liu Yao.

But that was something to consider if and when needed. He greeted the two men sharing his small pavilion politely. He hadn’t missed the way Liu Suzhi had made a beeline straight for him and the tiny space, which had been cosy just minutes ago, now felt stifling.

"A deputy general and a supervisor of the inner palace departments," he said with a dimpled smile. "If this concubine didn’t know better, I would think that this spelt conspiracy." He didn’t have to elaborate on the sort of conspiracy he was referring to. Pan Liqi’s expression was as dark as the clouds gathered overhead. Yan Zheyun couldn’t say what Pan Liqi must have found more insulting, the insinuation that he would try to ally with the disreputable eunuchs or that the eunuch in question was Liu Suzhi. Very probably both were like a slap to his face.

Sure enough, "Imperial Concubine Yue would do well to remember that a concubine’s role is to serve in the imperial bed, not to comment on matters he knows nothing about."

Before Yan Zheyun could reply, Liu Suzhi scoffed loudly enough to redirect Pan Liqi’s ire towards him.

"After breaking the rules and lingering in the inner palace, Deputy General Pan is feeling so entitled as to start lecturing His Majesty’s harem? If I didn’t know better, I would think this spelt a lack of proper upbringing."

Pan Liqi’s face turned red. "I have permission," he said acidly. "I had an audience with His Majesty."

Liu Suzhi raised an eyebrow. "But not with zajia," he retorted. "As zaijia has been trying to tell Deputy General Pan for a while now, zajia has no obligation to speak with you." Yan Zheyun had never heard him address himself as zajia before; wielding the self-address of eunuchs with a mockery sharp enough to cut. Pan Liqi, who looked down on pretty boys and castrated men, now had to deal with the embodiment of both sneering back at him in return.

Pan Liqi gritted his teeth, his glare darting towards Yan Zheyun and then back to Liu Suzhi again. He appeared to be on the verge of spitting something out, perhaps some salacious truth that would provide Yan Zheyun more insight into the situation, but at the last second, chose to swallow his indignation instead.

"Watch yourself, Supervisor Liu," Pan Liqi said in the end, biting out each word dangerously. "The Pan Family isn’t one that you can reckon with." To anyone else, it might have been a sufficient threat but Liu Suzhi, at least on the surface, remained unfazed. He slouched down onto the bannister next to Yan Zheyun, reclining against a pillar with the same air of boredom Yan Zheyun was used to seeing him don.

Realising that his chances of receiving any meaningful reply were close to none, Pan Liqi departed without a second word. Yan Zheyun watched the broad back retreating behind the curtain before turning an inquisitive look towards his partner-in-crime.

"What did you do to him?"

Liu Suzhi blinked at him with faux innocence. "Didn’t Langjun see?" he asked. "Zajia was just passing by when Deputy General Pan grabbed zajia roughly."

Yan Zheyun had only started watching the drama in media res and had no idea how they had even started but he was willing to bet Liu Yao’s entire fortune that Liu Suzhi wasn’t as guiltless as he was making himself out to be.

His expression must have betrayed his scepticism because Liu Suzhi let out a merry laugh. "If you must reproach me for something," he said, "you could perhaps lecture me on how inappropriate it is for a mere servant to insult the mother of a young military hero."

Yan Zheyun sighed. "Supervisor Liu..."

Liu Suzhi’s smile sharpened suddenly, twisted with a bitterness that made Yan Zheyun trail off.

"But I assure you, she was well-deserving," he added. "Would Imperial Concubine Yue like to hear about it?" The glint in Liu Suzhi’s eyes were no less icy than Pan Liqi’s had been earlier. "About how a princess fell in love with a man and the desperate, despicable lengths she went to take him away from me?"