The Empress Dowager loved tranquility.
The Qifeng Pavilion where she resided was quite a distance away from the Tiyuan Hall.
Rong Xun and Tan Taisi left the Tiyuan Hall and boarded a carriage once more, hurrying toward the Qifeng Pavilion.
Having listened to the emperor nagging for ages back at the Tiyuan Hall, Rong Xun’s stomach was long since empty.
The meager bit of food he had eaten that morning barely kept him full, and it had been digested ages ago.
Rong Xun swallowed secretly, wondering if there would be anything to eat when they went to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager.
Tan Taisi rested one side of his head on a single hand, leisurely perusing the copy of Travelogues of the State of Jing in his hands.
There was a small writing desk inside the carriage, usually stocked with light reading material for people to pass the time.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Rong Xun reaching out to rub his stomach, then retracting his hand without any further action.
He didn’t make any extra moves.
The journey to the Qifeng Pavilion took about the time it took for an incense stick to burn, neither too long nor too short.
Rong Xun was terribly bored and wanted to chat with Tan Taisi, but the latter was reading with such intense concentration that he most likely wouldn’t pay him any mind.
His stomach was growling, yet he couldn’t find anyone to talk to.
Rong Xun felt that he was truly to be pitied.
If he had known, he should have brought Wenxi into the palace with him; that way, he would at least have had someone to talk to.
Right, Wenxi wasn’t here, but Duofu was.
He actually rather liked that plump, fair-skinned little eunuch.
Noticing that Tan Taisi’s attention wasn’t on him, Rong Xun grew a bit bolder, lifting the curtain of the carriage window and sticking his head out.
“Duofu.”
Duofu was walking alongside the carriage, as fast-paced travel was forbidden within the imperial palace.
The carriage moved slowly, allowing Duofu and the others to keep up with ease.
“Prince Consort, what are your orders?”
Duofu hurriedly approached the carriage, tilting his head up to ask.
“I don’t have any orders, I just wanted to ask how much longer it will take?”
“About half the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Is the Prince Consort tired?”
“No, no, no, I’m not tired.”
Rong Xun just wanted to find someone to talk to, that was all.
“Duofu, how old were you when you entered the imperial palace?”
“This slave entered the palace when I was eight years old.”
Duofu answered truthfully.
Rong Xun let out an oh, and wanted to continue his idle chatter.
“Then you…”
“This is the imperial palace; the Prince Consort would do well to observe some propriety.”
A voice devoid of any detectable joy or anger interrupted their conversation.
Though Tan Taisi was looking at the book in his hands, he was constantly keeping track of Rong Xun’s every move.
Duofu had served Tan Taisi for many years, and at the first sound of his voice, he knew Prince Chen was displeased.
After giving Rong Xun a bow, he hurriedly retreated to follow the carriage at an unhurried pace, not daring to step forward another inch.
Seeing that his conversational partner was gone, Rong Xun felt it was all rather pointless, so he dropped the curtain and sat up straight.
Inwardly, he muttered complaints about Tan Taisi being utterly heartless.
“Feeling bored?”
The wheels crushed against the stone-paved path, producing a considerable rumble.
Conversations held inside the carriage wouldn’t be overheard by outsiders.
Faced with Tan Taisi’s question, Rong Xun didn’t quite know how to answer.
If he said he was bored, wouldn’t that be implicitly admitting that spending time with Tan Taisi was exceptionally tedious?
If he said he wasn’t bored, wouldn’t that be telling a blatant lie with his eyes wide open?
Since Tan Taisi had asked like that, he must have already noticed.
After a brief internal struggle, Rong Xun cautiously nodded.
He genuinely felt bored, and his stomach was still starving!
“Since you feel bored, why not read a book?”
Tan Taisi tossed a copy of the Classic of Xia and Yu from the book rack over to Rong Xun.
“I hear that you usually enjoy delving into literature, so this book should surely suit your tastes.”
Where on earth did he hear that from?
The phrase delving into literature had not the slightest connection to him whatsoever.
Rong Xun picked up the book resting on his knees and glanced at the title.
He had an impression of it in his mind, though naturally, it wasn’t his own memory.
It was the original owner’s memory; the original owner had probably read this book, but didn’t remember it deeply.
Besides, he wasn’t the original Rong Xun.
The things he disliked the most were these obscure, hard-to-understand texts.
Yet, to avoid exposing his identity and arousing Tan Taisi’s suspicion, Rong Xun opened the book and forced himself to read it through gritted teeth.
He recognized every single character on the page, but once they were strung together, he couldn’t make sense of a single thing.
Before long, Rong Xun felt as though all the classical prose in the book was fluttering away right in front of his eyes.
Nothing made sense anymore.
Rong Xun’s mind gradually drifted, staring at a single open page for about the time it took to brew a cup of tea without turning it once.
His eyes were fixed on the book, but his thoughts had long since flown off to the cosmos.
Watching Rong Xun’s current appearance, Tan Taisi couldn’t help letting out a soft, involuntary chuckle.
Catching himself, he pulled the corners of his mouth back down and focused once more on the travelogue in his hands.
The book he was holding, however, turned out to be quite interesting indeed.
After the time it took for an incense stick to burn, the carriage finally came to a halt.
Outside, Duofu announced into the carriage, “Your Highness, we have arrived.”
Rong Xun gave a start, instantly snapping back to alertness.
Duofu’s announcement of their arrival sounded sweeter to his ears than the chirping of larks.
He was finally free from this torture.
Treating the copy of the Classic of Xia and Yu like a hot potato, Rong Xun tossed it back onto the book rack, anxious to get out of the carriage.
Seeing him act this way, Tan Taisi suddenly wasn’t in a hurry anymore.
He remained seated without moving, closed the book in his hand, and lazily leaned backward.
“Is the Prince Consort so eager to see the Empress Dowager?”
“It’s not exactly that, I’m just a bit tired from sitting in the carriage for so long.”
Clueless about what Tan Taisi was playing at, Rong Xun slowly sat back down.
“Do you like this book?”
No sooner had he sat up straight than Tan Taisi posed the question.
Rong Xun blinked.
Should he answer that he liked it, or that he didn’t?
Torn for a moment, Rong Xun bit the bullet and nodded.
After all, the original owner was supposed to be a top student; he had to put up a front to some extent.
“Since you like it, then I’ll gift this book to you. As it happens, this Prince is also quite interested in it, so once the Prince Consort finishes reading it, we can discuss it together.”
Rong Xun’s already stiff smile grew even stiffer.
Him? Discussing things with Tan Taisi?
This had to be the funniest, most absurd joke he had heard all year.
He was a pure science student; back in school, he couldn’t even be bothered to memorize the Ode to Red Cliff.
And now he was expected to discuss scholarship with someone?
Having delivered this remark, Tan Taisi stood up, lifted the curtain, and stepped directly out of the carriage.
Duofu bowed to Tan Taisi, then fetched the footstool from the carriage and set it neatly in place.
“Prince Consort, this slave will help you down.”
Looking at the distance of less than half a meter, complete with a placed footstool, Rong Xun waved a hand at Duofu.
“No need, no need, I can manage this little distance.”
Gathering up his cumbersome robes with one hand, he hopped down from the carriage in two steps.
Knowing that Tan Taisi was coming to pay his respects today, the Empress Dowager had instructed her personal matron to wait outside the Qifeng Pavilion from early on.
Duofu and the others had just stepped back when an elderly matron leading several palace maids walked toward Tan Taisi and Rong Xun.
“This slave greets Your Highness and the Prince Consort.”
“Matron Lin, it has been a long time.”
Tan Taisi raised a hand to signal them to rise.
Lin rose and beamed at Tan Taisi with a kindly expression.
“The Empress Dowager is waiting inside for you and the Prince Consort. Your Highness, Prince Consort, please follow this old slave this way.”
Tan Taisi gave a slight nod, his gaze sweeping over the newly renovated Qifeng Pavilion, which suddenly reminded him of the days when his imperial father used to bring him here to practice archery over a decade ago.
More than ten years had flown by, and the world had long since changed beyond recognition.
Entering the main hall, a wave of sandalwood incense drifted toward Rong Xun.
Without leaving a trace, he looked over this luxurious palace, secretly marveling that it was indeed just as grand as one would expect from the residence of the emperor’s grandmother.
Passing through a doorway, Rong Xun followed behind Tan Taisi and caught sight of the person seated in the main seat.
“Your son greets the Empress Mother.”
Tan Taisi bowed with utmost respect to the person on the main seat.
Rong Xun followed suit, kneeling on the ground to bow to the figure seated above.
“Greetings to the Empress Mother.”
“Rise, hurry and rise, grant them seats.”
The Empress Dowager hurriedly waved her hand, bidding them both to stand and take their seats.
Once seated, Rong Xun finally got a clear look at the Empress Dowager’s appearance.
Perhaps because everyone here married young, even though the Empress Dowager was already a grandmother, she looked much younger than Rong Xun had imagined.
At most around forty, not yet forty-five.
The Empress Dowager’s gaze shifted back and forth between Rong Xun and Tan Taisi, her face filled with gratified smiles.
She picked up the handkerchief in her hand to wipe the corners of her eyes.
“The Empress Mother has finally looked forward to your return.”
The Empress Dowager’s eyes were slightly reddened, and her words carried deep emotion.
“When your imperial brother passed away, he was still speaking of you, worrying that you had guarded the border for so many years without anyone by your side to care for you through cold and warmth. Now seeing you settle down, the heavy stone in the Empress Mother’s heart can finally be put to rest.”
“Thank you, Empress Mother, for keeping me in your thoughts all these years.”
Pausing for a moment, Tan Taisi curved the corners of his lips ever so slightly.
“Your son thanks the Empress Mother and His Majesty for the imperial marriage.”
While his words expressed gratitude, no one listening could possibly mistake the tone for sincerity.
Instead, it sounded rather sarcastic.
Surprised, Rong Xun glanced over at Tan Taisi.
The Empress Dowager, however, seemed oblivious to the subtext in Tan Taisi’s words, continuing with a beaming smile.
“We are all family, why mention thanks? The Emperor often speaks of you as well. How wonderful it is that you’re back! From now on, you must frequently enter the palace. The Emperor is still young, after all, and if you can assist him more with state affairs, I will feel much more at ease.”
“The Empress Mother jests.”
Tan Taisi unconcernedly smoothed his sleeve.
“The Emperor was tutored firsthand by the late Imperial Brother, so handling state affairs should come quite naturally to him. Since your son has never studied such matters, I truly wouldn’t be of much help.”
His reply was entirely reasonable, yet his tone carried a subtle undertone of disdain or mockery.
It left people feeling irritated while failing to give them any grounds to find fault.
Nervously, Rong Xun swallowed.
It seemed that the relationship between Tan Taisi and the Empress Dowager wasn’t as harmonious as he had imagined.
Regardless, the Empress Dowager was still Emperor Longxi’s empress consort, and Tan Taisi still had to respectfully address her as Empress Mother.
Wasn’t he afraid of offending the Empress Dowager by acting this way?
Just when Rong Xun thought a storm was about to break, the Empress Dowager merely fell silent for a few seconds before acting as if nothing had happened.
She instructed the palace maids to serve tea and pastries, placing them before the two men.
“The Empress Mother remembers this is your favorite pastry. When you return later, I’ll have Lin pack some up for you to take back to the manor.”
With that, she turned her gaze toward Rong Xun.
Her look carried a hint of exploratory inquiry.
“Previously, this old mourning woman had never heard that the Yong’an Marquis had such a striking youngest son; he truly is a peerless beauty.”
“Thank you for the compliment, Empress Mother.”
Rong Xun kept firmly in mind what Tan Taisi had told him on the way here: no matter what the Empress Dowager asked, he shouldn’t speak more than necessary.
From the brief exchange between the Empress Dowager and Tan Taisi just moments ago, it wasn’t hard to see that the Empress Dowager was no ordinary person either.
“At the time, I was still worried, but seeing you today, you and Si’er are a truly well-matched pair.”
As she spoke, the Empress Dowager beckoned to Rong Xun.
“Come, come to my side, let me take a good look at you.”
This familiar cliché had finally arrived.
Rong Xun’s gaze flickered.
“Yes.”
Lifting his hems, he carefully stood up.
Seated nearby, Tan Taisi didn’t make a single move, nor did he display any extra expression.
He simply pinched a pastry from the jade plate and played with it in his hands, appearing completely unconcerned about the situation over on Rong Xun’s side, as if he found it rather tedious.
With his heart in his throat, Rong Xun walked over to the Empress Dowager, knelt down, and paid his respects.
Upon arriving in this place, he maintained vigilance toward everyone, let alone the person before him, who was the Empress Dowager of the realm, Emperor Chongwen’s biological mother, and the current emperor’s own grandmother.
A woman who had climbed all the way from empress to Empress Dowager could certainly not be underestimated.
Following the rules, the matron had taught him earlier, Rong Xun didn’t dare to make the slightest mistake.
The Empress Dowager scrutinized Rong Xun’s face closely.
For a good while, she said nothing, nor did she tell Rong Xun to rise.
As Rong Xun knelt there, it wasn’t long before his legs began to grow numb.