HMAM CH 66 Withdrawing To Advance
Ye Mao was perceptive and quickly instructed the palace maid to fetch a jade comb to help Jing Ye tidy his clothes, crown, and hair.
Jing Ye secretly sighed at the loss of dignity, and once Ye Mao had arranged everything properly, he coldly said, “The Noble Consort Xiang has behaved inappropriately in zhen's presence; her conduct was reckless. She is to be confined to Fengyang Palace and is forbidden to leave without a decree.”
The two Wuhuan maidservants were shocked and knelt down, saying, “Niangniang truly acted without intention; we hope Your Majesty will be forgiving!”
However, “Consort Xiang” remained unfazed. He sat up, leaned against the back of the couch, and the faint blush on his face faded. His bright eyes, clear as autumn water, fixed a steady gaze on Jing Ye.
Jing Ye stated, “The Wuhuan King is understanding, but this presumption is a bit too much; such behavior truly seems to mock zhen!”
The young man pursed his lips and replied, “This subject's Addu did not intend to mock Your Majesty; he simply believes that compared to a princess, Your Majesty would prefer Gesha.”
Faced with his slightly aggrieved expression, Jing Ye felt a twinge of guilt. He simply uttered, “Let us return to the palace,” before turning and leaving the hall.
The maidservants looked nervously at the emperor as he departed without a backward glance, and just then the young prince, barefoot, came down from the platform, saying, “I have something to ask you,” showing none of the softness or grievance from before.
The next day, the imperial edict was issued. Li Tingqiu had collided with the imperial sedan and entered Fengyang Palace at night; his merits could not offset his offenses, so he was stripped of the title of the lord of Bixue City and demoted to his former position. The officials were greatly astonished.
Only last night, there had been a grand victory banquet, with countless rewards; how could he provoke the emperor’s wrath in a single night and be returned to his old rank? The officials trembled, knowing they could not guess the emperor’s thoughts.
In the sleeping quarters, Lu Baizang pressed forcefully against Jing Ye, gritting his teeth and speaking in a mockingly bitter tone: “This subject left Your Majesty for just one day, and you already have new loves and old loves? Who else is there, en? That little brat from Pingyue City, or is it…?”
Jing Ye struggled, exclaiming, “Don’t think wildly; zhen have nothing with them!”
“Nothing?” Lu Baizang pulled down Jing Ye’s inner robe, biting in a place that couldn't be described, “Does Your Majesty take me for a fool? The moment that Wuhuan prince set foot in the palace, this subject could see it…”
Jing Ye’s body startled. He gripped his chin, “If you knew, why didn’t you tell me!”
Lu Baizang licked his lips, saying, “What should this subject tell Your Majesty? That little thing is indeed handsome and a new face, how could this subject let Your Majesty know and give advantage to the newcomer?”
Jing Ye replied, “You still do not trust zhen.”
Lu Baizang whispered, “Trust what?”
Jing Ye said, “Having you all is enough for zhen.”
Originally still simmering with anger, Lu Baizang couldn’t help but laugh upon seeing Jing Ye’s serious expression, letting his fingers glide over the young man’s hair.
Jing Ye wrapped his arms around him, hesitated for a moment, and with a flushed face, leaned in to kiss the center of his brow.
It was rare to have such peace.
“…”
“Take your hand away from zhen.”
“Aw no, Your Majesty.”
In the imperial study, Gu Hong sat to one side, organizing documents and memorials for Jing Ye, while Lin Xiaosheng handed the treasury statements from March to May for Jing Ye to review.
Ye Mao entered with freshly brewed tea and cautiously observed the three of them, saying to Jing Ye, “Your Majesty, the Noble Consort Xiang has sent a maid to convey that she feels deeply ashamed for her improper conduct in front of His Majesty last night. She has prepared a new pipa melody and hopes Your Majesty can find time to visit Fengyang Palace…”
Without lifting his head, Jing Ye stated, “No.”
Ye Mao replied, “Understood.” Just as he was about to turn, Gu Hong stopped him, saying, “Wait.” He then turned to Jing Ye and said, “Your Majesty, the Wuhuan King sent the princess over a long distance to strengthen the bonds between our two nations; his goodwill should not be neglected.”
Jing Ye frowned and raised his head to look at him while Lin Xiaosheng paused in flipping through the account books.
Gu Hong called out, “Your Majesty.”
Jing Ye lowered his head, replying, “Zhen understands.”
Ye Mao, having gauged the situation, understood what was needed and bent down to exit and respond.
He continued to edit memorials until dusk before returning to the personal quarters for dinner. That evening, Jing Ye was indeed exhausted; he rested his head against the headboard and spoke a few words with Lin Xiaosheng before closing his eyes and falling asleep.
Lu Baizang and Gu Hong sat outside. The former glanced at the latter, sneering, “Withdrawing to advance, I cannot compare to you.”
Gu Hong lowered his gaze, saying: “We both know that His Majesty cannot be without anyone by his side; since there will eventually be someone, it’s better to choose an ally, right?”
Lu Baizang sneered; he wasn’t like Gu Hong. Gu Hong had both personal feelings for Jing Ye and loyalty to the imperial family, so he treaded carefully, weighing loyalty and love with calculated plans.
In contrast, although he held the title of Villa Master Lu, he felt much more carefree.
Tsk, if only his precious beloved was just an ordinary commoner, then he could easily seize that person and keep him close by day and hold him at night. How much better than now, where he had to practically fight for the opportunity to share the emperor’s bed.
Imaginings always become more sincere the more one thinks about them; Lu Baizang couldn’t help but feel a wave of sadness wash over him, convinced that he must be truly unfortunate.
Since Jing Ye had already commanded Ye Mao to agree, he naturally could not refuse. The following day, after court, he ordered the imperial sedan to proceed to Fengyang Palace.
Upon dismounting the sedan and arriving at the palace gate, there were no attendants to deliver messages. As Jing Ye continued into the hall, two Wuhuan maidservants were coming out and knelt to pay their respects upon seeing the emperor.
Ye Mao followed Jing Ye into the hall.
Before they could pass the screen, they heard the sound of a pipa; however, it was quite different from the melodious songs sung by the palace entertainers, containing a ferocious sound akin to battle.
As Jing Ye reached the edge of the screen, Ye Mao, understanding the situation, kept silent.
He saw the young prince sitting on a snow-white fine wool blanket, one leg curled under him, resting against the side table, a pipa cradled in his arms. He plucked the strings with a casual hand, transforming small Jiangnan tunes that young girls would play into sounds of a thousand horses charging.
Jing Ye stood and listened for a while, then spoke up, “Gesha?” He remembered this was how the young man referred to himself.
Gesha halted his playing, stopped the strings, and turned his head with a charming smile, “Your Majesty!”
Jing Ye sat down at the table, saying, “Your pipa playing is exquisite; did you learn that from…” Jing Ye tried to recall their conversation from that night, hesitating and then saying, “Cough… the elders of your tribe?”
Gesha shook his head and stood up, saying, “This subject learned the pipa from Addu when I was a child.”
“The Wuhuan King?” Jing Ye noticed the way Gesha’s fingers gently stroked the instrument, “You and your brother are very close.”
Gesha blinked and smiled again. This smile was different from his previous ones, and Jing Ye thought that perhaps he finally looked like a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy.
Jing Ye remarked, “Since you are so close, why come all this way to a foreign capital?”
Gesha idly strummed the strings, saying, “Your Majesty, among the Wuhuan warriors, once one turns fifteen, they must go live alone on the grasslands for two years before returning to the tribe. I came to the capital; while I cannot become a warrior, as long as I can help Addu, it doesn’t matter where I am.”
He spoke casually, but the sacrifices he made were undeniably significant. To leave the homeland where he had lived since childhood and come to a foreign capital city a thousand miles away was no small thing—let alone adjusting to different customs and manners of living; he had to abandon his noble identity as a prince to become the concubine to another man. To flatter this man—even if he is an emperor—could certainly be seen as humiliating.
The only thing that calmed him and allowed him to accept all this was his affection for his older brother.
He truly was still just a child.
The emperor couldn’t help but feel a trace of pity, thinking to himself that if Jing Xiao Yun and Jing Le were to grow up loving each other like this, he could rest easy.
With that in mind, he said, “Your brother sent you to the capital to forge an alliance; as long as the Wuhuan and Han peoples maintain good relations, zhen will ensure you are not treated unfairly.”
His words were quite clear.
If the Wuhuan followed in the footsteps of the Xirong, everything would be a different story.
Gesha smiled, and although he was clearly a tall, young man now, when he smiled, he had two dimples that added a touch of innocence to his charm.
“Will Your Majesty treat Gesha well?”
This almost playful question made Jing Ye completely equate the young boy before him with Jing Xiao Yun. He reached out instinctively, intending to ruffle the loose hair of the youth, but then realized he couldn’t reach high enough, so he simply patted his shoulder, saying, “The Wuhuan King has helped zhen deal with the Xirong people, so taking care of his brother can hardly be seen as taking advantage of him.”
When noon came, the emperor took his leave. After sending off the most exalted figure of this empire, the maidservants brought out the lunch. Gesha sat at the table in thought, seeing the maid Hong Su come to serve him dishes, he said, “How can I trouble Sister Hong Su.”
Hong Su smiled slightly, replying, “Gongzi sent me to serve the prince; this servant cannot be negligent.”
She was originally one of Gu Hong's servants, having served in Jing Ye's personal quarters for a long time, but had been sent to Fengyang Palace by Gu Hong recently; it was easy to guess the reason for her presence.
Gesha tasted a spoonful of the lotus leaf soup and grimaced, finding the food here too delicate; he preferred the roasted beef and sheep’s milk that Addu made casually.
He commented, “His Majesty is quite different from the rumors I've heard during our journey here.”
Hong Su covered her mouth and laughed, saying, “Those are all things of the past; ever since His Majesty woke from a severe illness a year ago, his temper has changed drastically. At first, we servants didn’t dare believe it, but later, he truly seemed like a different person, and we had to accept it.”
Gesha asked, “How was he before, and how is he now?”
“Before…” Hong Su frowned, recalling with a pained expression, “Before His Majesty was just as the prince heard along the way; it’s better not to speak about it.”
Gesha considered for a moment and said, “Afterward, he appears to be very kind now, and indeed, his nature is quite good?”
Hong Su chuckled, “What the prince says is absolutely right.”
Gesha looked down, inhaling the aromatic scent of the lotus leaf soup; there was no such fragrance in the lands of the Wuhuan.
He recalled his childhood when he used to accompany Addu and Barin (translated as uncle) to hunt on the grasslands. He had once ignored the warnings and run into a pack of wolves, getting bitten by a nearly adult wild wolf; fortunately, Addu had arrived in the nick of time.
When he was unconscious, he heard Addu sigh, saying, “You must find someone with a good character to care for you in the future, as only then can I feel at ease.”