No sooner had she finished speaking than the sound of hurried footsteps approached from outside the hall, followed by a voice dripping with ingratiation:
“Greetings, Consort Su!”
Su Su saw Qian Youde leading two lines of palace attendants carrying red-lacquer trays, all wearing forced smiles as they entered the hall. Upon crossing the threshold, Qian Youde made a swift kowtow. “Your Highness, I bring congratulations! His Majesty himself has granted your promotion this is truly an extraordinary honor!”
Su Su sat down, picked up her teacup, and took a sip without even raising her eyelids. She spoke lightly: “Qian Gonggong, your information travels fast.”
Bowing low, Qian Youde’s smile seemed ready to overflow, and he raised his voice an octave. “Your Highness, what joy! As soon as I received the decree, I immediately brought everyone from the Imperial Household to offer congratulations. Please have a look!” He personally lifted the embroidered silk to reveal jewels sparkling on the headpieces. “This set of gold-inlaid phoenix headwear is the latest tribute from Suzhou; the ‘After Rain Sky’ Yun brocade is specially supplied by the Jiangning Weaving Office; the rouge is made from pearls collected in the South Sea…”
He rattled off his list, but Su Su’s gaze seemed to pass through the splendor, resting on empty space. In her previous life, she would have been thrilled by these gifts but now, it all felt like watching a spectacle that had nothing to do with her.
“Set it down,” she finally said, her tone as calm as a breeze, betraying no hint of emotion.
Qian Youde’s smile faltered slightly, but he quickly forced it back into an even more deferential expression. “Yes, yes. Normally, a promotion would require moving to another palace, but His Majesty specially instructed that Your Highness prefers tranquility, so we have carefully renovated Changxin Palace according to the proper standards for a consort of your rank.”
He clapped his hands, and the craftsmen and palace attendants waiting in the courtyard immediately filed in, moving with practiced efficiency.
“Replace these window screens with soft smoky gauze!”
“Lay the new Persian-style crimson carpet with gold ruyi cloud patterns!”
“Use that set of Su embroidery with a hundred sons and a thousand grandchildren for the canopy!”
In less than half a day, the once-simple and almost austere Changxin Palace was completely transformed. Glazed lanterns hung in the corridors, purple sandalwood screens divided the space, and even the window lattices were covered with translucent gauze like cicada wings. Sunlight poured in, filling the room with radiance.
Chunlan and Qiu stood behind Su Su, slightly overwhelmed by the sudden opulence.
“Your Highness, is there anything else lacking? I will see to it immediately,” Qian Youde asked, wiping sweat from his brow as he cautiously gauged her expression.
Su Su finally rose slowly, her eyes sweeping across the room’s new splendor. Sunlight filtered through the fresh window gauze, casting dappled patterns across her serene profile. Her fingers lightly brushed the newly placed cloisonné vase on the table; its cold touch traveled up her hand, and at last, a faint, enigmatic curve touched her lips.
“Qian Gonggong… you’ve troubled yourself.”
Qian Youde bowed repeatedly, as if granted a great pardon. “Not at all! Not at all! If I have erred in the past… I humbly ask Your Highness for your magnanimity, your magnanimity indeed.”
He hastily gave a signal, and a line of palace attendants filed in, kneeling in unison to pay respects.
“Now, according to the regulations for a consort of your rank, the Imperial Household has arranged your attendants,” Qian Youde enumerated with a bow. “Two chief eunuchs, responsible for all palace arrangements; four palace maids, attending to your daily needs; twelve additional eunuchs, ready for orders.”
He pointed to the two elder eunuchs at the front. “These are Zhang Anlu and Li Dequan, both serving in the palace for over ten years, most reliable and steady.”
Then he indicated the four young maids. “Chun Tao, Xia He, Qiu Yun, and Dong Xue all well-mannered and efficient.”
Su Su’s gaze slowly swept over the kneeling attendants. The new maids lowered their heads respectfully; the eunuchs stood rigid and alert. The faint curve on her lips deepened slightly such a complete arrangement was a world apart from just a month ago, when she could barely get coal for the hearth. The irony was exquisite.
“You’ve arranged everything quite thoroughly, Qian Gonggong.”
“It is my duty! Your Highness’s status is exalted, and I would never dare to be negligent!” Qian Youde said, bowing again, then made a precise kowtow. “If Your Highness has no further instructions, I shall take my leave so as not to disturb your peace.”
Su Su lifted her eyelids slightly, her gaze briefly flicking over his obsequious face, and lightly responded with a single word:
“Mm.”
Receiving this approval, Qian Youde felt as if pardoned, bowing repeatedly and almost stumbling backward as he left the hall.
Once the attendants had departed, Qiu whispered, unable to contain herself: “A few days ago, they even withheld coal. Today, they’re fawning like this faces changing faster than flipping a book!”
Chunlan gently tugged her sleeve to signal silence, her eyes on Su Su.
But Su Su had already moved to the newly placed rhombus-patterned mirror. In the reflection, her cloud-like hair and jade-like complexion were framed by the resplendent palace attire, her beauty surpassing the past. Only her eyes remained deep and still as an ancient well, untroubled by ripples.
“I am merely watching how the winds blow,” she murmured to herself, her voice light, tinged with a worldly coldness. “In this palace, warmth and cold have never been fixed.”
Qian Youde had left the hall, and only once he was a distance away did he dare…
He wiped the cold sweat from his temples with a handkerchief, pressing it hard. The little eunuch beside him couldn’t help murmuring quietly, “Godfather, this Consort Su… she looks so good-natured, not like the stories say…”
“You know nothing!” Qian Youde interrupted sharply, his heart still pounding. He lowered his voice. “The quieter they are, the deeper and more unfathomable! Back then, if we had delivered these fine gifts, she would have been all smiles, maybe even comparing them with other consorts. But just now… that gaze, that composure so still it makes your skin crawl! This lady has experienced great ups and downs, a complete transformation. Mark my words: from now on, any tasks in Changxin Palace are top priority. Anyone who dares slack off, I’ll make sure they pay!”
……
Meanwhile, Shen Gaoyi had left Changxin Palace, heading back to the Imperial Study, but his heart was already tightening. He had thought this assignment would be simple deliver the decree, oversee the palace transfer, report back. He never imagined Consort Su would react this way.
In the Imperial Study, Li Qianche was reviewing memorials, the red brush hovering above the Southwest Military Supplies Report. He did not lift his head, and his voice was flat, betraying no emotion:
“Everything arranged? Where was she moved to?”
Shen Gaoyi knelt. “R—returning to Your Majesty… Consort Su… she does not wish to move.”
The red ink on the brush paused heavily, a bright scarlet blot spreading over the character for “urgent” on the memorial.
“She does not wish to move? Why not?” Li Qianche slowly lifted his gaze, ice cutting through his tone as he fixed Shen Gaoyi with a piercing stare. “I wonder, since when did the consorts in the harem get to choose their own residences?”
“The Consort said… Changxin Palace is most suitable,” Shen Gaoyi said, bowing so low his forehead nearly touched the floor tiles. “She said it is quiet, she is accustomed to living here, and the Imperial Household just renovated it. Your Highness… she looks quite satisfied.”
“Satisfied?” Li Qianche threw down the red brush, then strode to the window. The yellow dragon robe caught the candlelight, casting a sharp streak of gleaming shadow. “Chuxiu Palace is next to the Imperial Garden, Changchun Palace adjacent to the library both far superior to Changxin Palace. Why refuse to move? What is her meaning?” A barely perceptible anger crept into his voice.
Shen Gaoyi trembled, choosing his words carefully. “Your servant observes… Her Highness’s expression is calm, not feigned. It seems… she genuinely cherishes the quiet there.”
“Is she sulking?” Li Qianche spun abruptly, eyes sharp as an eagle, trying to read an answer from Shen Gaoyi’s face. “Because of her prior demotion, is she deliberately being contrary to me?”
“Your servant… truly cannot tell,” Shen Gaoyi said, cold sweat streaming. “Her Highness… shows no trace of resentment.”
Li Qianche’s eyes darkened. He recalled Su Su when she first entered the palace, newly promoted to Noble Consort, how she had fussed to secure the closest palace to Qianqing Palace, exhausting him countless times. And now, given a far superior residence, she stubbornly chooses the remote, cold Changxin Palace…
“Could it be…” He tapped his fingers unconsciously against the window frame, the light tap tap echoing, and a thought shot unbidden into his mind. “She has made up her mind to stay farther from me?”
The thought was like a fine needle, pricking the softest part of his heart, bringing an unfamiliar, prickling mixture of bitterness and tightness.
“Your Majesty, please calm your anger!” Shen Gaoyi saw the change in expression and hastily kowtowed. “Perhaps after experiencing this rise and fall, Her Highness has grown indifferent. Or… perhaps she is considerate of Your Majesty’s busy affairs and does not wish to trouble Your Majesty with the palace transfer.”
“Considerate?” Li Qianche snorted, but there was no warmth in it. “If she truly cared to be considerate, she would not choose to wall herself up in that corner!” The words slipped out before he realized, carrying an unmistakable edge of frustration and… loss.
He paced a few steps, then stopped and tilted his head. “Tell me, the Imperial Household has renovated Changxin Palace?”
Shen Gaoyi hurriedly replied, “Yes, it has been redecorated according to the proper rank, every item the finest no negligence whatsoever!”
Li Qianche paused, his eyes reflecting a complex mixture of feelings even he could not fully name: confusion, anger, perhaps even helplessness at her ‘ungratefulness.’
“Enough,” he finally waved his hand, his tone laced with fatigue and resignation. “If she likes it, let her be.”
Shen Gaoyi felt as if pardoned and was about to bow and leave.
Li Qianche’s voice rang out again:
“Relay my edict,” his voice regained the icy authority of the Emperor.
“Since she resides in Changxin Palace, all provisions shall be according to the highest rank of consort. Should I hear of anyone slacking….”
“Your servant understands! I will personally oversee it, and dare not err in the slightest!” Shen Gaoyi kowtowed repeatedly, covering his wildly beating heart as he retreated.
Silence returned to the Imperial Study. Li Qianche stood alone by the window, dusk drawing long shadows that made him appear tall and solitary.
He recalled Su Su’s former coquettish demands, her coldness after being demoted, and just now, when he heard of her refusal to move, the sudden, uncontrollable surge of irritation that had risen in him…
This woman does she truly feel heart-weary?
Or… has she simply adopted a smarter way to maneuver around me?
“Su Su… ah, Su Su…” He let out a very soft sigh into the deepening dusk outside the window. “What exactly… are you thinking?”
The evening wind stirred outside the hall, carrying a few dry leaves that twirled across the bluestone floor with a soft rustle, like the woman he could no longer read. In this labyrinthine palace, she silently traced patterns that both confused him and compelled him to follow.
Fine leaving her in Changxin Palace would do. At least for now, she remained within his sight, not vanished beyond the palace walls.
The thought made him pause briefly. Then, a wry, self-mocking smile tugged at his lips.
He was the Emperor, ruler of the world when had he ever needed to worry so much about a consort’s residence?
Yet his thoughts refused to obey, drifting inevitably toward her, toward those eyes so calm that they unsettled him.
He wanted desperately to see behind that fathomless stillness, to uncover what lay hidden in her mind.