Hearing his words, the Emperor let out a laugh. “I still wish to hear Teacher’s intent on the matter.”
“If Your Majesty insists, I speak, I simply feel that this affair is ultimately nothing more than a matter of Your Majesty’s inner palace,” Ruan Jinyu replied in his usual fashion.
Yan Yan suddenly stopped laughing and asked, “Do you truly not have a single shred of selfishness?”
Ruan Jinyu, who had intended to dismiss the question formally, suddenly paused. He raised his eyes. “Actually, I do.”
“Everyone has them; I am no exception to such worldly traits,” Ruan Jinyu said. “It is merely that the timing was inappropriate.”
The Imperial Preceptor, who usually acted with detached propriety and never overstepped, had just admitted to having a private agenda right to the Emperor’s face. It was, in a way, a courtesy—an early warning.
Yan Yan did not interpret his words as a sign of ulterior motives; on the contrary, he seemed to accept the honesty quite happily. Whenever the Emperor called him “Teacher” and asked for strategies, Ruan Jinyu always felt as though he were dealing with a “smiling tiger.” The man whose reputation as a tyrant spread far and wide seemed to shed every ounce of his violence the moment he stood before him.
How could this be? Surely it wasn’t just because of the “teacher-student” relationship he claimed.
Lately, various incidents had been occurring in rapid succession, every one of them tied to the man on the throne. The calm of a few days ago now felt like a fleeting dream, and in its place, the tides were beginning to surge violently.
The Emperor’s final decision regarding the matter of Jie-yu Si was finally revealed to everyone during this palace banquet.
Ruan Jinyu arrived at the Dianluo Garden early. This was a grand imperial feast, attended by both the Emperor’s consorts and his ministers. According to royal etiquette, the officials and the ladies of the harem were seated at opposite ends of the hall. Therefore, he had assumed he wouldn’t run into anyone in particular today.
He had arrived early, but many ministers had come even earlier to show their respect. Only a few were absent, such as the Left Prime Minister, Prince Xian, and Prince Wu’an. He had no way of knowing who had arrived on the women’s side of the hall.
As Ruan Jinyu sat in his seat with perfect posture, a eunuch suddenly approached, bowed, and said, “Imperial Preceptor, Princess Dongxi requests your presence.”
The Princess again. It wasn’t surprising that she was here today. Given the strictures of status, the place she had invited him to was a water pavilion in the Dianluo Garden, outside the main hall.
A palace maid led him along the gallery and into the pavilion. This time, the Princess was not alone; two other women sat with her. Judging by their attire, they were not of ordinary rank.
“Preceptor, please sit,” Princess Dongxi said with a dignified smile.
The pavilion was spacious, featuring eight stone stools arranged in an octagon. Three were occupied, leaving the rest empty. Based on the Princess’s expression, the seat she intended for him was directly opposite her. As he sat, he finally saw the faces of the other two women, and his expression froze. He truly had not expected this.
“Greetings, Elder Brother,” a crisp voice rang out.
“Imperial Preceptor,” the other woman added, acknowledging him with a calm nod.
“It seems the Preceptor knows both of these ladies,” the Princess said leisurely. “I imagined the Preceptor rarely has time to leave the palace. Since they are family, I thought it was a fortuitous opportunity for a reunion.”
The two women sitting beside the Princess were people Ruan Jinyu couldn’t possibly fail to recognize. His gaze jumped from Ruan Lianjie to the other woman, and for the first time, his emotions were visible, though subtle.
The Princess suddenly changed her tone. “I believe I see Jie-yu Si approaching. I shall leave the Preceptor to his catching up while I go greet her.” She left the pavilion immediately.
With the Princess gone and the servants dismissed, only the three of them remained.
“Who sent you in here?” Ruan Jinyu looked at the second woman. With no outsiders present, he did not hide his displeasure. His voice was tinged with anger.
Ruan Lianjie and the other woman sat in different spots, and his gaze was pointedly not on his cousin. Everyone presents understood the focus of his anger. Ruan Lianjie, seeing his immediate hostility, pulled a face and spoke before the other could. “Who else could have sent her? Brother, you are quite funny, asking such a meaningless question.”
With the Princess gone, Ruan Lianjie had dropped her facade of propriety, returning to her naturally arrogant and spoiled temperament.
Ruan Jinyu, usually mild-mannered, was visibly upset. He ignored Ruan Lianjie’s sniping and kept his eyes on the other woman, waiting for her to speak. Silence fell as she hesitated to answer.
Ruan Lianjie, losing patience with the silence, turned to her. “Wen Zhong, do you not have a tongue? Your cousin is asking you a question.”
The two women had never gotten along before entering the palace, and it seemed the strict rules of the inner court had done nothing to change that. However, the friction was mostly driven by Ruan Lianjie; Wen Zhong was far more reserved.
“Ruan Lianjie,” Ruan Jinyu said, glancing at his cousin. His tone was flat but carried a clear warning.
The latter caught the underlying threat and withdrew her bossy expression. “Fine, I’m in the way. Just say so, Brother. I’m leaving.” She picked up her skirts, turned, and marched out of the pavilion.
Ruan Jinyu sighed but remained in the pavilion. He turned back to Wen Zhong, his voice returning to its usual calm. “Why did you enter the palace? How could Grandfather permit this?”
“I wanted to enter the palace myself,” Wen Zhong finally spoke. Her voice was soft but lacked energy. “Grandfather naturally didn’t want me to go. But Brother… I had no other choice.”
“What do you mean, no choice?” Ruan Jinyu didn’t understand. “What has happened at home? Grandfather always intended to stay far from politics; why would he let you enter this deep palace now?”
Ruan Jinyu actually had little contact with his maternal grandfather’s side of the family. Unlike his paternal side, they were not high-ranking officials but a family of modest standing. Still, they lived comfortably and securely, and having an Imperial Preceptor as a grandson usually meant no one dared to offend them. He couldn’t understand why a family that shunned fame and wealth would send their granddaughter to the harem.
“It wasn’t really Grandfather,” Wen Zhong said, looking up with a soft, tired smile. “I had no choice. Everything at home is fine, but I wanted this for myself. A woman of my age must marry eventually. Rather than marrying into some ordinary family of equal standing, it is better to come here. Even if my rank is not high, it is still better than the alternative.”
“Brother, Grandfather’s health is not what it used to be. I must find a way forward for myself.”
Her words were full of a desperate longing for status, leaving Ruan Jinyu with no way to argue. Her grandfather’s declining health was an inevitable reality of fate. Aside from him, Wen Zhong had only a widowed, somewhat unstable stepmother and her cousin, the Preceptor, who lived within the palace walls. From her perspective, her decision was logical.
Ruan Jinyu couldn’t talk her out of it, so he had to accept her choice. “I hope you know the palace is full of hidden undercurrents. I won’t lecture you, but remember: you have me. No matter what happens, never forget you have a brother here.”
Wen Zhong stared at him. Her dazed eyes seemed to clear for a moment, but she didn’t speak. After a long silence, she simply nodded.
Wen Zhong was currently ranked as the fourth-rank Consort Wen (Wen Meiren). The two didn’t linger. Ruan Jinyu left the pavilion and found Ruan Lianjie waiting nearby. His cousin was flighty and arrogant; he actually worried about her more than Wen Zhong. But the path was her own; she chased high status, and he had to let her go.
The two families were related by marriage, yet these two women were eternal enemies. Even in the palace, the reserved Wen Zhong couldn’t hide her dislike for Ruan Lianjie.
Seeing him approach, Ruan Lianjie gave a huff and turned toward the Qinzhu Hall. Ruan Jinyu followed her into the hall. The hour had arrived, and nearly everyone was seated. He and Wen Zhong parted ways, heading to their respective sections.
Ruan Jinyu’s seat was positioned just behind General Xue. Above them sat the Emperor’s dragon throne. General Xue was already in his place, and as Ruan Jinyu sat, their eyes met. He offered a polite nod, but they did not exchange words.
Next came the arrival of the Sovereign.
Yan Yan entered the hall surrounded by a procession of eunuchs and palace maids. Everyone knelt in a grand salute as the Emperor took his place. Accompanying him was a woman dressed in magnificent silks, her movements languid and effortless.
Logically, since the position of Empress was currently vacant, the woman who should have accompanied the Emperor to such a grand feast was the highest-ranking consort, Consort Shun. It should not have been this woman—Jie-yu Si.
Yet the Emperor had brought Jie-yu Si in directly, and no one dared to voice a protest in the middle of the hall. The Emperor sat, and everyone followed suit.
This was the first time Ruan Jinyu—and most of the minister’s present—had seen Jie-yu Si’s true face. She wasn’t from the Capital and had no established reputation there. She was a supreme beauty, possessing a sense of effortless poise and casual grace that Capital women lacked. Beyond her stunning looks, she had an aura that was truly boundless.
It was only natural that such a beauty would be so deeply favored.