“The Emperor, Empress Dowager has arrived—!”
The long, drawn-out cry of the Eunuch penetrated the silk and bamboo music and laughter within Shaoguang Pavilion, like a giant stone thrown into a seemingly calm lake.
Everyone in the hall was startled, then hastily rose from their seats and knelt on the floor. The Emperor personally attending the Spring Banquet was not rare, but Empress Dowager Shen, who was getting on in years and had rarely attended such banquets recently, actually came along. This honor and suddenness made the air somewhat stagnant.
Xuanyuan Chenhao personally helped Empress Dowager Shen walk in slowly. The Empress Dowager wore a dark purple robe with longevity motifs, and a simple jade forehead band. Although she was over fifty and her temples were streaked with frost, the calm and majesty in her eyes, having lived through three dynasties, added a heavier sense of oppression than the Emperor’s imperial might. Her gaze calmly swept over the kneeling crowd, seeming to linger for an imperceptible moment on Xie Lanyin’s bowed head.
“Rise,” the Emperor said gently, sitting with the Empress Dowager in the seat of honor that had already been added.
Because of the arrival of these two supreme figures, the atmosphere of the banquet suddenly became more solemn and more subtle. The originally relaxed and lively “Competition of Arts” segment now seemed more like a display that had to be performed with full effort before the Emperor. Several noble young ladies who were named tried their best, their zither music becoming more exquisite, their dance more graceful, yet an invisible tension permeated the air.
The Empress Dowager watched quietly, occasionally whispering a few words to the Emperor, her expression kind and gentle, revealing no joy or anger.
After a melodious zither tune softly faded, the Empress Dowager took the teacup offered by a Palace Maid. She gently skimmed the foam with the cup lid, not raising her eyes, and spoke in a voice that was neither loud nor soft, yet clearly carried throughout the suddenly quiet hall:
“That girl from the Xie family, is she here?”
There it was again.
Countless gazes, like needles, once more pierced the figure in the lotus-root purple dress. How many times had this happened today? From the Emperor to the Empress, and now the Empress Dowager… this Daughter of the Xie family was truly “the focus of all eyes.”
Xie Lanyin’s fingertips, hidden in her sleeves, dug deep into her palms, using the pain to suppress the surging waves in her heart. She stepped forward according to etiquette, kneeling in the center of the hall: “This subject’s daughter, Xie Lanyin, respectfully awaits Empress Dowager’s benevolent edict.”
Only then did the Empress Dowager set down her teacup, raising her eyes to look at her, her gaze as still as an ancient well: “I heard that you went to offer incense yesterday and suffered quite a fright?”
As expected, this matter couldn’t be avoided. Xie Lanyin felt a slight bitterness in her heart. She bowed her head and replied, “Replying to Empress Dowager, it was indeed somewhat unsettling. Fortunately, thanks to His Majesty’s great fortune, under the Emperor’s feet, in this just and orderly world, it was merely a false alarm. This subject’s daughter… was startled but unharmed.” She carefully steered the conclusion towards “the Emperor’s great fortune” and “a false alarm,” minimizing the severity of the incident as much as possible.
“Hmm,” the Empress Dowager nodded slightly, her tone still placid, “I heard that it was Commander Zhan of the Imperial Guard who arrived in time and saved you?”
“Yes. Lord Zhan extended his aid in a moment of crisis, and this subject’s daughter is immensely grateful.”
The Empress Dowager’s gaze seemed to sweep over a certain spot in the male guest section, and yet seemed not to. She pondered for a moment, as if merely engaging in casual conversation, then asked the next question:
“I also heard… that he personally carried you away and placed you in a carriage?”
A sudden “buzz.”
Although no one dared to speak, almost everyone felt an invisible wave of sound erupt in the hall. This question was too direct, too sharp, instantly piercing through all polite euphemisms, laying bare the most embarrassing, most private, and most suggestive scene from yesterday, right there in the splendid Imperial Banquet.
The Emperor Xuanyuan Chenhao’s hand, holding his wine cup, paused almost imperceptibly, his eyes slightly darkening.
Second Prince Xuanyuan Jingting suddenly clenched his fist, knuckles turning white, and abruptly looked towards the imperial seat, his face drained of color, leaving only shock and disbelief.
Zhan Shuo still kept his eyes lowered, staring at the wine cup on the table, his body motionless, like a frozen statue. Only the bony fingers holding the wine cup, due to excessive force, revealed a bluish-white hue. He had no right to speak at this moment; any reaction could be interpreted as guilt or an attempt to explain.
The hall was deathly silent, so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.
All the pressure converged on the lonely figure kneeling in the center of the hall.
Xie Lanyin felt her back instantly soaked with cold sweat. The Empress Dowager’s gaze felt substantial, pressing down on her until she could barely breathe. Her mind raced; if she didn’t answer this well, it would be an irreversible disaster. She forced herself to keep her voice steady, trying to make it sound clear and frank, rather than flustered:
“Replying to Empress Dowager, at that time, this subject’s daughter was exhausted and unconscious. Lord Zhan… acted according to circumstances when the situation was urgent. To prevent this subject’s daughter from being too injured to move and delaying treatment, he took this expedient measure. It was entirely out of a heart of rescue, with no other intentions.” She firmly placed the emphasis on “acting according to circumstances when the situation is urgent” and “rescue,” stripping away any ambiguous possibilities.
The Empress Dowager listened quietly, her face still expressionless. After Xie Lanyin finished, she slowly nodded, seemingly accepting the explanation. Just as everyone thought this hurdle was finally passed and let out a collective half-sigh of relief—
The Empress Dowager suddenly spoke, her voice not loud, but like a thunderclap striking the golden bricks and jade tiles of Shaoguang Pavilion:
“Since that is the case, it’s quite simple.”
Her gaze calmly swept over the Emperor, whose face had changed dramatically, and the Second Prince, whose face was ashen, finally resting back on Xie Lanyin. Her tone was as flat as if she were deciding a trivial matter:
“Zhan Shuo saved you from peril and preserved your purity. This kindness is not to be underestimated. For an unmarried woman like you to have had such physical contact with him, even if it was acting according to circumstances when the situation is urgent, it will ultimately harm your reputation if it spreads, and you will inevitably be subjected to gossip in the future. It is also inappropriate for the dignity of the imperial family.”
She paused, each word like an ice bead hitting the ground:
“In my opinion, it would be better to issue an Imperial decree right now, bestowing you upon Zhan Shuo in marriage, to form a harmonious union for a hundred years. Firstly, you would pledge yourself in marriage, repaying his great kindness of saving your life and fulfilling the etiquette of showing gratitude. Secondly, in this way, everything that happened yesterday would become the origin of a marital bond, and any rumors and gossip would be dispelled without attack, completely eliminating your and the Xie family’s future worries. A win-win situation, wouldn’t that be excellent?”
!!!
Dead silence.
An unprecedented dead silence.
Immediately, countless gazes, shocked to the extreme, frantically darted between the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, the Second Prince, Zhan Shuo, and Xie Lanyin! The air seemed to ignite, yet was frozen by extreme horror!
“Grandmother?!” Second Prince Xuanyuan Jingting could no longer control himself. He rose abruptly, his voice distorted by extreme shock and rage. The color drained from his face, his eyes filled with incomprehensible shock and humiliation.
Emperor Xuanyuan Chenhao’s pupils also abruptly constricted, his fingers gripping the armrest tighter and tighter. He looked at the Empress Dowager with disbelief and rapidly weighed his options. His lips moved, the words “Imperial Mother” almost escaping, but were forcefully suppressed, his face becoming exceptionally grim.
And Zhan Shuo, the other protagonist of the storm, finally raised his eyes. His face remained expressionless, but in the depths of his profound eyes, a cold pool seemed to suddenly freeze, with turbulent undercurrents beneath the ice. He met the Empress Dowager’s calm, unruffled gaze, then quickly swept over Xie Lanyin, who was stiffly kneeling in the hall, his jawline taut as if carved by a knife.
As for Xie Lanyin, she froze on the spot, her mind blank.
Marry… Zhan Shuo?!
Apparently better than marrying the Second Prince? After all, he was her savior. Her mind searched for the original owner’s memories of Zhan Shuo, but beyond that startling glimpse in the marketplace, there was nothing.
The Empress Dowager, however, seemed to ignore all the sudden commotion. She even picked up her teacup and took another small sip, then calmly turned her gaze to the Emperor, whose face was ashen, her tone peaceful, yet carrying an undeniable sense of finality:
“Emperor, what do you think of this idea of mine?”
It exploded.
The entire Shaoguang Pavilion, from inside to out, from masters to servants, everyone’s minds completely erupted in chaos with the Empress Dowager’s final question.