After Li Yi left, Aunt Jing went inside. “Your Majesty, His Majesty finally came just now—why did you refuse to see him?”
Aunt Yun also said, “His Majesty has not come to Zhengyang Palace for a very long time. It was truly not easy for him to come this time. Just now this servant even thought of a pretext to stop him, yet His Majesty still came in. That shows he wished to see you. Your Majesty, now that you have grown up, you should seize the opportunity properly.”
Qi Yue lay on a bamboo couch, wearing a bright red robe draped loosely over her. It slipped open to reveal a large stretch of shoulder. Her skin was crystal clear and tender, as though it might break at the slightest touch—beautiful enough to make one unable to look away.
After thinking for a moment, Qi Yue lazily turned her head. Her black-and-white eyes slowly swept over the two matrons. “This Empress does not like him.”
Aunt Yun stepped forward and sighed, gently pulling Qi Yue’s clothes back into place. “The weather is already cold. Your Majesty should stop being willful and put your clothes on properly.”
Qi Yue nodded, closed the window, and placed the jade flute into Aunt Jing’s hands.
The bamboo couch was in truth rather cold. It was already Mid-Autumn Festival, and the nights were especially chilly. Her skin pressed against the bamboo couch, and she could faintly feel the cold seeping through.
Aunt Yun washed the makeup from Qi Yue’s face and used an ivory comb to smooth her long hair.
Qi Yue’s hair was jet-black and thick, spilling down like clouds and mist when released. Aunt Yun had never seen a woman more beautiful than Qi Yue. Once her hair was combed out, Qi Yue changed into a white sleeping robe and then climbed into bed, obediently falling asleep.
Li Yi had not seen Qi Yue for two years, so in his memory, Qi Yue was still just a little girl.
Delicate and fragile, fond of golden clothes, liking to dot a touch of cinnabar on her forehead, and smiling in a way that was very sweet.
As if she could melt a person’s heart.
Li Yi had always felt that Qi Yue was a burden left to him by Empress Dowager Qi. Aside from a burden, he could think of Qi Yue as a younger sister, or even as a daughter—but he simply could not think of her as his own Empress.
How could he possibly like such a little woman?
However, Li Yi knew that Qi Yue liked him. The little girl wore a troubled, bitter expression whenever she saw anyone else, but whenever she saw him or Empress Dowager Qi, she would smile brightly, her eyes sparkling.
In the blink of an eye, winter arrived, and the palace had already lit the heated floor. When the first snowfall came, Qi Yue opened the window. Flecks of snow drifted in; the moment they landed on the warmed desk, they melted into droplets of water.
“Your Majesty has always feared the cold. Today the wind and snow are fierce, so you had better close the window,” Aunt Yun reminded her softly. “A few palace maids left Zhengyang Palace a few days ago, and this servant has brought in two new maids from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Let them serve in the courtyard first, and once they are familiar, we will assign them to the rooms. Would Your Majesty like to take a look?”
Qi Yue closed the window and turned back around. Raising her eyes, she said, “Let them come in.”
Before long, four young palace maids in the bloom of youth stood outside the screen.
They had all entered the palace not long ago. They had heard that in the harem, the Empress was merely a figurehead, and the one truly in power and favored by the Emperor was Noble Consort Yan in Yuhua Palace. Noble Consort Yan was said to be unrivaled in beauty throughout the Six Palaces, handling all harem affairs in place of the Empress. The four maids had seen her from afar and knew of her enchanting beauty and noble bearing.
Everyone wanted to climb upward; no one wanted to serve an Empress who had half a foot in the cold palace already. They had failed to enter Yuhua Palace, and naturally were filled with regret. So when they were handed over by the head steward to Aunt Yun and brought to Zhengyang Palace, they came with some unwillingness and resentment.
Stepping into the room carpeted with thick rugs, they saw that the furnishings were simple yet elegant. The most eye-catching item was merely a coral tree, three chi high. The maids could not identify the fragrance in the air, only knew that it was icy and faintly penetrating. Before them stood a screen painted with flowers and birds, and they could not see the scene beyond it. Nor did they dare to look. They lowered their heads and waited for the Empress to appear.
The maids had also heard rumors that Empress Qi was an extremely difficult little girl, tiny as a bundle, hard to serve, with a fierce temper—and that even the Emperor privately disliked her.
A cool, youthful voice came from within. “Are they all here?”
Aunt Yun stood quietly to one side. “Replying to Your Majesty, this servant has brought them here.”
The maids heard faint footsteps—likely the rustling of a trailing robe brushing against the carpet. Then, a slender and delicate woman was supported out by an older palace maid.
The four maids kept their heads lowered and did not dare look.
The pale bluish-purple fabric would usually make a person’s complexion seem dull, but Qi Yue’s skin was as cold and white as snow. Wearing a snow-lavender palace dress only made her appear more otherworldly and detached from the mundane. Her long hair was loosely bound with a single hairpin, and her steps were very light; the only sound was the swish of her skirts brushing the floor.
Qi Yue sat down in the imperial couch by the side. As soon as she extended a hand, a palace maid placed a cup of hot tea into it.
Qi Yue sipped her tea. “Raise your heads. Let this Empress see what you look like.”
The four maids all lifted their faces, but their eyes were still lowered, too afraid to look directly at the Empress’s face.
The maids were all properly graceful and pleasant-looking. Qi Yue nodded. “What are your names?”
“This servant is called Meng Cui.”
“This servant is called Geng Han.”
“This servant is called Yu Miaowan.”
“This servant is called He Xiaoyan.”
The four maids answered one by one, properly and respectfully.
Qi Yue had been bored lately, so she casually pointed at one of them. “This Empress is unhappy. Tell this Empress a pleasant story to amuse her.”
The maid she pointed at was Geng Han. Geng Han was frightened pale and could not stammer out a single sentence.
Meng Cui and Yu Miaowan were also tense, their bodies trembling slightly, fearing that the Empress would point at them next.
He Xiaoyan stepped forward. “Your Majesty, may this servant tell you one?”
Qi Yue twirled the blue gemstone ring on her right middle finger. “You may.”
“Today it is snowing outside, so this servant will tell Your Majesty a story about a snow doll.”
“Good.”
“Every winter when it snowed, in this servant’s hometown, children would always build snow dolls. On the east street, there was a family that was especially poor. The little girl in that family was ill. Whenever winter came, she would cough. This year, in winter, the little girl built a snow doll, and when she dreamed at night, she dreamed of…”
He Xiaoyan smiled as she spoke, and she told the story for a full quarter of an hour before finally finishing: “…In the end, the little girl recovered her health, married a good man, and gave birth to a son as lovely as a snow doll. The family’s life only grew better and better.”
Qi Yue removed the ring from her hand. “Take this. Your story was told very well, and this Empress is very pleased after hearing it.”
Only then did He Xiaoyan dare truly look at the Empress’s face.
She had originally thought that Noble Consort Yan was already a beauty rare under heaven, but she had never expected that the Empress was even more beautiful.
Her skin was like ice and snow, her brows and eyes like a painting. With every movement of her gaze, she could steal one’s soul. The Empress’s lips bore a smile, but the smile was too cold, faintly carrying a touch of distance.
Translator’s Anecdote:
None 😋