From CEO to Concubine-Chapter 181: Reunion

Chapter 181: Reunion

Yan Zheyun did accept Liu Yao’s suggestion to invite Hua Zhixuan over to Qianqing Palace for breakfast. Unlike Liu Yao’s intentions, however, he didn’t stay in Qianqing Palace, choosing instead to drag his friend across the inner palace over to Chuxiu Palace, where Yan Xi now resided.

He had deliberated on whether it would have been more prudent to show up alone; no doubt it would strike others as odd for a brother to bring along an outsider to the family when reuniting with his long-lost sister for the first time in years. But Yan Zheyun wasn’t confident that he had complete control over his senses. Although the odd dissociation between his emotions and those of the host body did still occasionally affect his feelings, it wasn’t as strong as it used to be. In fact, he noted with a slight sense of unease, the lines seemed to be blurring. For example, he could ascertain that he was very conflicted over Yan Xi’s timely arrival in his life, the joy at regaining a sister warring against his conviction that she was sent here as a political tool to hurt his newfound family.

But where Yan Yun’s feelings used to be very distinct from his own, he could no longer seem to tell where one started and the other ended.

Hua Zhixuan, ever astute, would be able to help him keep a level head if he so needed. Perhaps it was in his genes—the Hua Family had been involved in the imperial court for generations—but this closest of friends of his was born to be an official. As long as they were on the same side, Yan Zheyun could rely on him to provide an objective perspective on the dilemma as well as come up with a strategy that would favour his camp.

The entrance of Chuxiu Palace was pretty much the same as in Yan Zheyun’s memories, dainty and quaint but nothing so extravagant when compared to the lavishness of the other inner palaces. This was where the prospective female concubines were housed, the home of dreams, so as to speak, except that Liu Yao was a master of ruining the hopes of the young idealistic ladies that came and went.

Yan Zheyun had never entered before. Ordinarily, no male apart from the emperor should have been allowed to pay a visit. Circumstances have somewhat changed though. Given that Chuxiu Palace was now being used as a ’hotel’ of sorts for a visiting relative, no one would stop Yan Zheyun from visiting as and when he liked, or even bringing another male along with him when he did so.

This was yet another unspoken signal from Liu Yao that he didn’t consider Yan Xi as one of his women. An older brother meeting his blood-related younger sister in a communal space whilst in the company of a friend might invoke some disapproval in the highly conservative upper echelons of their society—ideally, Hua Zhixuan should excuse himself—but it wasn’t the end of the world, since the older brother should serve adequately as a chaperone.

By allowing Yan Zheyun to pretty much do whatever he wanted when it came to Yan Xi, Liu Yao was sending out a clear message that Yan Xi’s role in his inner palace was that of a little sister-in-law and nothing more. No doubt word of Liu Yao’s leniency would already have spread, not least back to the right prime minister.

Morning court should be interesting over the next couple of days, he mused, feeling both sorry for Liu Yao and slightly guilty for being glad that he wasn’t the one having to deal with this bullshit directly day in and day out. Especially now that Liu Yao had conceded to letting Yan Xi stay in Chuxiu Palace, Yan Zheyun wouldn’t be surprised if his dear ministers would take this inch and run the whole distance of the Great Wall with it.

But he trusted Liu Yao to deal with that appropriately.

Word of their arrival had been sent on ahead by Xiao De earlier that morning. As such, Yan Xi was already on the lookout for them when they reached, her lovely ingénue eyes sparkling with excitement, framed by long fluttery lashes that reminded Yan Zheyun of those pretty porcelain dolls Lixin used to receive from well-meaning aunts who hadn’t quite caught on that his bratty little tech savvy gen Z sister had other hobbies.

From behind him, he heard Hua Zhixuan’s appreciative sigh. There was no denying that she was a delight to behold. A lesser man than Liu Yao might have been tempted—ah, no, wait. A straighter man than Liu Yao was probably more accurate.

Yan Zheyun couldn’t help but think about that wryly. Sexual orientation wasn’t a well-formulated concept in this era, otherwise, Right Prime Minister Ren might be a little less cocky about his little victory.

"Big Brother, Xi Er is so happy you’re here to see me."

Before Yan Zheyun could dictate the dynamics of their relationship, she reached out to take his hands in her own, giving them a tight squeeze before swinging them from side to side. Coupled together with her youthful visage—if she were born in modern times, she would still be in senior high—she was not unlike a little girl behaving cutely in front of an older sibling while asking to get pampered.

For the first time since seeing her, he finally felt a sense of familiarity. Not towards her directly, but it brought on a wave of nostalgia for the twins. Still, from his memories, he knew that her relationship with Yan Yun didn’t include this level of closeness. As the only legitimate son of the ex-prime minister, Yan Yun had been groomed since young to be a successor. His day had been filled with lessons by a whole variety of teachers and there wasn’t a slot in there reserved for doting on a younger sister. On her part, Yan Xi had been a bubbly little girl, chasing behind her brother on the rare occasion they crossed paths in the sprawling compound of the prime minister’s estate. However, she too had her work to complete in order to grow into her role as a cultured, elegant young mistress of one of the most prominent families in the realm. Since Yan Yun hardly knew what she was up to most of the time, Yan Zheyun had no clue either.

But he could safely say that this level of affection she was displaying towards him wasn’t the manner they used to interact with each other.

Perhaps it wasn’t fair to hold her to the same standards as her twelve-year-old self. Time had a way of changing things and a part of Yan Zheyun hated the self-preserving cynicism he had cultivated after getting sabotaged one too many times. In his eyes, she was just a child.

But Xiaoma had been a child too. Sympathetic or not, he wasn’t the sort to make the same mistake twice.

Concealing his reservations about her, Yan Zheyun reached out to give her a light pat on the head. "Xi Er has grown up," he said gently, not without warmth but with a hint of polite detachment that was aimed at making her tone down some of her overt familiarity.

Whether she’d noticed or not, she didn’t let it show on her face. She greeted Hua Zhixuan with equal enthusiasm when introduced before leading them over to the small but cosy hall of her quarters, all the while chatting nonstop about all the things she wanted to do now that she could, such as restarting embroidery lessons and practising the guzheng. Within, her maidservant had already laid out tea and some desserts, a much humbler fare than Yan Zheyun was used to seeing these days but he hardly minded.

His attention was on her maidservant anyway, whose beauty was cold and aloof, in sharp contrast to that of Yan Xi’s. What was more telling about her, though, were her mannerisms. Although she was attempting to conceal it by keeping her gestures minimal and staying mostly in the background, he could tell that there were discrepancies in her behaviour that set her apart from the maids who were specially trained for the palace.

"Big Brother finds Big Sister Ling very pretty?"

Yan Xi’s impish teasing made Yan Zheyun redirect his gaze levelly at her just to see her watching him with a light-hearted curiosity that he couldn’t determine whether she was feigning or not. Instead of answering her question, he replied with one of his own, "Was your maidservant...not assigned to you after your arrival?"

He couldn’t bring himself to say ’Big Sister Ling’. It had an odd ring to it, which made it sound too much like they were talking about a non-existent wife, who would be Yan Xi’s sister-in-law.

Yan Xi blinked. "Ah, no," she said, giving him a sweet smile. "Big Sister Ling used to take care of me back when..." She lowered her gaze as she trailed off, a flicker of uncertainty and fear crossing her face like she was remembering something bad. "The gonggong that brought me here yesterday was very kind to provide me with a maidservant too but...Xi Er isn’t used to having so many people around..."

Every glance, every gesture was calculated to induce heartache. Yan Zheyun was aware of it but it was hard not to feel pity for a young girl in her plight. Even though she was, well, perfect in a way that made him uncomfortable, he found it difficult to continue to pry once she hinted at the elephant in the room; her unspoken past.

Luckily, Yan Zheyun seemed to be the only person present with 21st-century compassion. Hua Zhixuan toyed with the lid of his teacup nonchalantly—he didn’t actually take a sip, they had an unspoken agreement that they weren’t touching the food today—before shaking his head. "Young Mistress Yan, you’re new here and that’s understandable but you must forgive this lowly one for pointing out that it would be best to choose your words carefully before you speak. Your big brother and your big brother-in-law have an enviable relationship and it would not do to make any insinuations that might threaten it, don’t you agree?"

Yan Zheyun had to use his hand to block his smile. Hua Zhixuan chose to refer to himself as ’this lowly one’ instead of ’this concubine’, really driving home the fact that no one here saw Yan Xi as a potential inner palace ’little sister’. Looking at Hua Zhixuan now, sitting there with his unassuming scholarly air, Yan Zheyun was suddenly reminded of his highly competent legal team.

For the first time since the start of their visit, Yan Zheyun saw her smile falter but it soon plastered itself back on flawlessly, with an apologetic shade to it now.

"Xi Er wasn’t cautious and didn’t mean anything by it," she fretted, grasping at her skirts in a display of anxiety. "Big Brother, Xi Er won’t cause you any trouble, I promise."

He wasn’t sure whether he believed that but he reassured her anyway. "Your Big Brother Hua is just looking out for you. Even though you’re only living in the palace temporarily, there are many rules and regulations here and mistakes can be dangerous." He meant this part sincerely. "My worries will be alleviated once you settle down safely outside but until then, it’s best to lay low, Xi Er, do you understand what Big Brother is saying?"

At the mention of her returning outside, Xi Er shook her head piteously. "Xi Er doesn’t want to be separated from Big Brother," she said in a plaintive voice. "Xi Er is frightened, Big Brother, what if they take me away again?"

"With your brother-in-law’s protection, who would dare harm you again?" he replied evenly. "Anyway, we don’t have to discuss this now, Xi Er has just returned and needs a good, relaxing rest." It was evident that she didn’t want to be sent out of the palace. Whether this was truly because of fear, of love for him, or some other more sinister reason, they would have to figure out. It could even be a troublesome combination of the above and if there came a time when Yan Zheyun had to stand against the little sister he’d promised the host body he would protect...

He didn’t want to think about it now. There were enough other things to deal with as it was; for all he knew, Scumbag 2’s death would drag him through the mud and today would be the last day he saw Yan Xi.

They didn’t remain here for long. Yan Zheyun could tell that Xi Er wanted to speak to him alone but he deflected it with concerned inquiries about her health as well as discussions on when she wanted the momos to come and help her pick up her hobbies again. Between Hua Zhixuan and himself, they kept the conversation trivial, all too aware that ’Big Sister Ling’ was pretty much openly keeping tabs on everything they said.

It was only after a long walk back, just outside Qianqing Palace, that Yan Zheyun turned to Hua Zhixuan and asked for his opinion.

Hua Zhixuan raised an eyebrow. "I only had one thought going through my mind the entire time," he said. "I was wondering whether the bond between siblings truly was that strong, such that both the big brother and the little sister, despite being cut off from their noble way of life and being subjected to unsurmountable hardship, still managed to retain such grace and poise in their bearing that they could put princes and princesses to shame?"

Yan Zheyun chuckled but didn’t reply. He knew what Hua Zhixuan meant. If Yan Xi had indeed been sold to a normal brothel, like the trail Liu Yao’s intel had discovered seemed to suggest, then Right Prime Minister Ren wouldn’t have dared to send so-called ’sullied goods’ into the inner palace. If she had been raised as a valuable courtesan and trained to serve only powerful men, her behaviour might have demonstrated utmost refinement—Yu Lan, his previous dance teacher came to mind—but even then, those standards weren’t as exacting as the ones noblemen and women, or more importantly, those of the inner palace, were held to.

Yan Zheyun had suffered through those endless lessons in propriety upon first arriving in the palace. Yan Xi covered it up with a facade of childlike innocence but it was the little subconscious things that gave her away, like the precision of her posture, the angle at which she placed her feet on the ground, and even the width of her smiles. Few concubines in the harem were as well-schooled as she was; even Yan Zheyun, who could remember the rules, was reluctant to keep to them at all times, if only because Liu Yao spoiled him by closing one eye when there was no one else around to disapprove.

A pair of siblings sold into slavery shouldn’t have been capable of passing off as nobles anymore. If his excuse was that he’d brought along his etiquette classes when transmigrating, what was hers?

"Tell me, Brother Hua," he murmured. "Have you ever heard of the concept of shouma1?"

Literally ’lean horses’ (you can probably guess why...). This was a practice that developed in the Ming Dynasty, where promising young girls were bought and carefully raised into concubinage or prostitution. These elite courtesans would often be very educated and refined to cater to their clientele but there were also records of some of them being raised to become political gifts for powerful, influential men (like a best of the best sort of scenario). Either way, it resulted in a hedonistic commodification of women.