By the time she realized it wasn’t a figment of her imagination, the man had already stepped onto the pavilion’s stairs.
Nan Shu spun around in a panic. Her sleeve inadvertently swept across the items on the table, sending the paper and brush tumbling to the ground.
The goat-hair brush rolled and came to a stop at the man’s feet.
Yan Pingxiao frowned slightly and halted his steps.
Ever since Shen Lan Shu’s death, he had been afflicted with headaches. The abbot of Fahua Hall could administer acupuncture to alleviate the pain. Today was his day of rest, so he had come to see the abbot as usual. He had intended to return to the Imperial Study afterward, but the rain unexpectedly grew heavier, forcing him to take shelter for the time being.
The rain and mist were dense, blurring his vision. It was only when he drew closer that he saw someone was already in the pavilion.
Tang Shunfu glanced at the woman’s slightly panicked back. Seeing her attire, he noted she was neither a consort nor a palace maid, but rather seemed to be the young lady of some noble house.
Nan Shu calmed herself from the shock, her fingers twisting the hem of her skirt into a series of pleats. She hadn’t expected to run into Yan Pingxiao here. Thankfully, she had remembered to wear her veil, or it would have been all over.
“This subject pays her respects to Your Majesty.”
The pavilion was small, so Nan Shu couldn’t pretend not to have seen him. She could only bow her head, lower her voice, and offer her salutations.
Yan Pingxiao’s gaze fell upon her, then on the words “All is well” that she had written on the red cloth. The undried ink on it indicated that it had just been written.
The handwriting, as well as the woman’s figure, gave him a sense of familiarity.
“Who are you?”
Tang Shunfu was astonished. A rare sight indeed—His Majesty was actually initiating a conversation with a woman!
“This subject is Xiuyi Niangniang’s cousin. Xiuyi Niangniang wishes to offer one hundred volumes of Buddhist scriptures before the Empress Dowager’s birthday, so she brought this subject into the palace to assist.”
Tang Shunfu recalled that there was indeed such a matter, and he whispered a few words into the man’s ear.
The man’s sharp gaze fell upon Nan Shu.
The woman appeared very reserved, her head bowed low, revealing only a sliver of her fair nape and the hanging veil.
“Why are you wearing a veil in the palace?”
“In reply to Your Majesty, this subject ate something disagreeable and broke out in a rash. I fear I might offend the eyes of the palace’s esteemed personages.”
The moment Tang Shunfu heard this, he wanted to pull Yan Pingxiao back, fearing His Majesty might be infected.
But Yan Pingxiao brushed him aside and picked up the red cloth from the table. “Did you write this?”
“Yes.”
Nan Shu had been imitating the original owner’s handwriting these past few days, but some habits couldn’t be completely changed in such a short time. She caught a glimpse of the man staring at the red cloth from the corner of her eye, and her heart began to pound.
Yan Pingxiao looked at the two words, the expression in his eyes shifting several times.
He recalled teaching a certain someone calligraphy in the past. Whenever she couldn’t write a character well, she would go back and trace over it repeatedly. He had once laughed at her, “Are you writing or drawing?”
The woman had retorted righteously, “Isn’t it enough that it looks good?”
Now, this young lady’s writing had the same flaw as hers.
The sound of steady footsteps echoed in the pavilion. Hearing them draw closer, Nan Shu felt an almost instinctual urge to flee.
She dug her nails into her palm and said, “Your Majesty, please stay where you are.”
The footsteps stopped.
She feigned nonchalance as she touched the side of her face. “This subject is still unwell and dares not draw near. If I were to harm Your Majesty’s health, this subject could not atone for it even with ten thousand deaths.”
Yan Pingxiao looked at the figure so close to him, an indescribable sense of familiarity welling up in his heart, making him want to remove her veil.
The pavilion fell silent, with only the crisp sound of raindrops hitting the roof tiles.
From the corner of her eye, Nan Shu saw Yan Pingxiao sit down at the stone table. His sharp brows were lowered as he focused his attention on the paper she had just written on.
That one glance traversed five years of time.
When they first met, he was only seventeen, a young man at a low point in his life.
And now, he was the twenty-seven-year-old emperor.
She had wondered what she would feel upon seeing him again. Perhaps panic, anger, or even disgust.
But her heart was far from the turbulent waves she had imagined. It was like a raindrop falling into a pond, leaving only faint ripples.
The downpour passed quickly, and soon a young novice monk came to invite Nan Shu into the hall.
Nan Shu kept her head bowed, feeling as if her neck was about to break. “Your Majesty, this subject takes her leave.”
Yan Pingxiao did not speak again. Nan Shu followed the young novice monk away, the man’s gaze like a thorn in her back.
How uncanny.
It was clear that making a wish at Fahua Hall was completely useless. The outcome was the exact opposite of what she had hoped for.
As the woman’s figure gradually receded into the distance, Yan Pingxiao found himself watching her uncontrollably, a faint, strange emotion slowly rising in his heart.
*
Ciyuandian.
Empress Dowager Song had just woken from her afternoon nap when she saw Matron Feng enter from outside the hall. “Empress Dowager, Consort Li and Princess Rong’an are here.”
“Let them in.”
Consort Li was dressed in a navy blue palace gown. Though only in her forties, her temples were already gray, and the thick layer of powder on her face could not conceal the weariness in her eyes.
Empress Dowager Song recalled that when the late emperor was alive, their relationship had been decent. But later, one was confined to her palace, while the other struggled for years in the Cold Palace. A sense of shared misfortune couldn’t help but arise.
“Have a seat.” Empress Dowager Song ordered tea to be served and said with a smile, “I was just thinking of inviting you over for a chat one of these days. I didn’t expect you to come first.”
Consort Li had taken Princess Rong’an to Mount Wutai for a half-year stay and had come to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager immediately upon returning to the palace.
“This girl, Rong’an, copied a rare volume from Jing’an Temple for the Empress Dowager. She was clamoring to see you since early this morning.”
Princess Rong’an was just twenty years old and had inherited Consort Li’s youthful beauty. She wore an affectionate smile. “Mother Consort is teasing me again. It’s just something Rong’an copied casually. I only hope the Empress Dowager won’t dislike it.”
With that, she had her maid present the scripture. The Empress Dowager knew with just a cursory glance that a great deal of effort must have been put into it. “Rong’an is very thoughtful.”
Rong’an smiled with a hint of shyness. “It is what Rong’an ought to do. If not for Imperial Brother, Mother Consort and I would still be in the Cold Palace. Anything Rong’an does for the Empress Dowager and Imperial Brother is only right and proper.”
Empress Dowager Song sighed. The late emperor’s empress had committed sins that caused Rong’an and Consort Li to waste away for years in the Cold Palace.
“In my opinion, at Rong’an’s age, her marriage should be put on the agenda.”
Rong’an’s expression stiffened almost imperceptibly before she said in a coquettish tone, “Rong’an wants to accompany Mother Consort for a while longer. I don’t want to get married…”
Consort Li chided, “Look at how old you are. Even Lin’an, who is younger than you, has had her marriage discussed.”
Empress Dowager Song smoothed things over. “There’s no rush. I will also help keep an eye out for Rong’an.”
“Thank you, Empress Dowager.”
As they were talking, an announcement rang out: “His Majesty has arrived—”
A look of delight appeared on Empress Dowager Song’s face. Yan Pingxiao was busy with court affairs and rarely came to Ciyuandian. Although mother and son were now reunited, they were not as close as they had been in his childhood.
The man walked into the hall dressed in black informal robes. “Your son pays his respects to Mother Empress.”
“Rise, quickly.” Empress Dowager Song smiled. “It’s as if you all planned to come today.”
Only then did Yan Pingxiao notice that Consort Li and Princess Rong’an were also present. He gave them a slight nod.
Not wanting to disturb their conversation, Consort Li rose to her feet and said, “Now that His Majesty is here, I won’t impose on the Empress Dowager and His Majesty’s conversation.”
“Tang Tang, let’s go.”
Yan Pingxiao’s hand, which was holding a teacup, paused. His tone was cold. “Since she has a title, do not use her former pet name in the future.”
Princess Rong’an’s given name was Yan Shutang. Hearing his words, Consort Li was somewhat puzzled but still replied respectfully, “It was my oversight.”
Rong’an followed behind Consort Li with her head bowed. Just as she was about to step out of the hall, she glanced back.
The dim light and shadows in the hall shifted, revealing only his extremely indifferent profile.