"Official business." Liu Qingyuan said coldly. He held up his identifying plaque. The king had wanted him to collect a pure jade bracelet to gift to the dowager. Though, Liu Qingyuan also had other intentions. He waited as they opened the large doors, letting him in with a ten minute warning.
The moment the door closed, Liu Qingyuan was hit in the face with the glare of the wealth of the kingdom. Besides the money, the large room was filled with countless priceless treasures and rare artifacts from previous dynasties. Liu Qingyuan tried to be quick, ignoring the chests of gold and silver and looking at the different treasures and smaller boxes.
Though it wasn't likely, Liu Qingyuan hoped there was some clue about the Qiangda flower in the palace treasury. This large vault was in the midst of the finance department of the palace, located in the north left corner of the palace, beside the vast Imperial Garden. Liu Qingyuan glanced at the door and slipped behind another shelf to check a small wooden box.
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"Guifei*Â greet your majesty."
(*Guifei - Concubine/consort)
"En." The noble consort rose, smiling perfectly at the pair seated before. The dowager nodded in approval while the king sat stiffly. The noble consort, Xiu Ying, was quite the beauty. She had jade like skin, round eyes, straight eyebrows and rosebud lips. Her looks, coupled with the fact that she was the daughter of the most prominent noble family had earned her the position. Granted, her family had been enraged by her position as Noble Consort when she could have been Empress. But it was the king's decree so they swallowed their tongues and nursed the hope that she'd be elevated eventually.
The other two consorts rose too, standing behind Xiu Ying. The one on the left was Yan Li, an intelligent and noble lady that loved to read. Although she was quiet and withdrawn, she was also beautiful and people often gossiped that if she'd been born a man, she'd definitely be the top scholar. The lady on the right was none other than Hai Rong. She abstained from the traditional consort robes, discreetly having modified them to be a little more freeing. Her smiles were unrestrained and filled with joy, shining upon the recipient like the sun.
As they dispersed to seat themselves in various places in the pavilion, all three did not take their gaze off the king. The king himself was very beautiful, carrying an air of grace and power, although his slighter frame may not suggest it. His skin was fairer than jade and his peach blossom eyes glittered in the light. His temperament was like water; strong and swift, capable of rising up quickly in anger but also kind and life bearing, carving his own path in the world.
The dowager had thought he hadn't visited any of the consorts recently, so she arranged a small meal for the five of them. The moment the three consorts sat down, the maids stepped forward, placing down the food.
"Now, this is just a small meal, so feel at ease and speak freely," the dowager said. Xiu Ying smiled, as graceful as a swan. Her sleeves rustled, beautiful silk displaying golden embroidery.
"You are as kind as ever, your majesty." the dowager smiled fondly at her.
"Your words are ever graceful."
"Thank you, your majesty," Xiu Ying smiled "shyly" behind her raised sleeve. Jiang Zhilan looked away, already growing bored. This inconsistent flattering made him cringe. He himself had enough to last a lifetime. 'You can speak your mind' Ha! That was far from the truth.
The meal began and Jiang Zhilan was more interested in his food than his consorts. Alas thus was the duty of the king; to bear heirs. If not, these three girls would not even have set foot in the palace.
"Your majesty," Jiang Zhilan looked up. "I didn't get to thank you last time for that jade pendant that you gifted me last time. It really is beautiful. This consort will definitely cherish it."
"...En. I'm glad you liked it." Xiu Ying's face fell a little at the lack of reaction. Truthfully, Jiang Zhilan hadn't even picked it out. He sighed internally and kept that information to himself.
The consorts ate delicately, Hai Rong with a bit more enthusiasm. The palace food was some of the best food around. They conversed as they ate, the dowager and the consorts speaking mostly. Through the midst of the conversation, Jiang Zhilan picked up on the tinkle of a silver bell. He raised his head, looking around curiously. Who'd expect that the next moment, a chubby grey cat would leap onto the platform!
A guard immediately stepped forward to remove the obstruction. "Xiao Yu!" The second consort, Yan Li, who'd scarcely spoken all evening, shouted out. At the call of it's mistress, th grey cat darted over to her, curling in her arms with a purr. Yan Li looked up to see that everyone was staring at her. Some were uncertain and some held no emotion but Yan Li found Xiu Ying jiejie*Â staring at her with a darkening face. For such a beautiful woman, her temper was fierce.
(*Jiejie - Older sister, not always blood related)
She hastily set Xiao Yu down and rushed to the center of the platform, kneeling down. "Forgive me, your majesty. I was careless and disturbed your meal." Jiang Zhilan waved her away, eyes still on the cat had rounded the edge of Yan Li's table and was staring unblinkingly at him.
"It's okay. It shows you have a good bond with it." He smiled, "It's cute." At the sight of his smile, Yan Li ducked her head shyly, retreating back to her seat. She didn't notice the way thunder and lightning crashed down on her jiejie's face, angry that she'd "stolen" the king's attention and had even coaxed a smile out of him.
The gentle motions of Xiao Yu entertained him as the conversation droned on. Xiu Ying kept trying to pull him into the conversation and Jiang Zhilan was getting a little tired of it. Discreetly stretching his back, Jiang Zhilan looked around, suddenly noticing that Liu Qingyuan was nowhere to be seen. His brow furrowed slightly; where could he have gone?
The thought tugged at him for a while until he couldn't stand it any longer and made eyes at Eunuch Shuang. Shuang caught on and coughed, stepping forward from the shadows to whisper fakely in his ear. The woman noticed and the conversation slowed a bit. Eunuch Shuang leaned away, resuming his post while Jiang Zhilan got up. The conversation stopped as the consorts rushed to rise to their feet.
"Unfortunately," Jiang Zhilan said (quite happily), "Something came up, so I'll take my leave now." The dowager held up her arm and Jiang Zhilan helped her to her feet. She patted his shoulder affectionately.
"Lan er*, don't stay up too late, hm?"
(*Er - Added to a name as a term of endearment)
"Yes, dowager." Although she wasn't his birth mother, Jiang Zhilan still liked her quite a lot. He clasped his hands together, bowing deeply. The consorts bowed too.
"Goodbye, your majesty," they chorused. Jiang Zhilan strode past, down the few stairs of the platform and took a deep breath of the night air. He was free! Well...kind of.
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The treasury had yielded nothing. Although he had expected as such, Liu Qingyuan still felt disappointment. Recently, being around Jiang Zhilan made him feel weird, so he wanted to just hurry up and be able to go home. He wouldn't admit it but he sort of missed his master. Liu Qingyuan shook away the sentiments. They made you vulnerable and on his current mission, he couldn't afford to fail.
The night was still, a soft breeze occasionally curling its warm fingers around his lapels, but the sky was clear and the walkways lit bright with lanterns. In his hand, Liu Qingyuan clutched a small square box; a pure jade bracelet resting on the silk lined interior. The king hadn't specified whether to drop it off immediately or take it back to his own rooms, so Liu Qingyuan seized the opportunity to scope out the Dowager's rooms. As the most senior ranking member of the royal family, it did make sense that she might safeguard the Qingda flower for his imperial majesty.
Liu Qingyuan glanced around and started up the walkway. The royal family were at dinner at the moment and taking in account his experiences back in Gongzhuan, they shouldn't be done for a bit. Wealthy people, including the king of Gongzhuan, liked their wine very much. Although with the dowager and three members of the imperial harem, it was probably a lot more restrained. Still, he had to hurry.
He'd scarcely taken three steps when Eunuch Shuang voice rang out, babbling nonsense. Liu Qingyuan looked up, eyes meeting immediately with the king's. Jiang Zhilan smiled. The servants in the area all noticed him at the same time as Liu Qingyuan and they collectively bowed. Liu Qingyuan stopped where he was, lowering his head in greeting.
"Ai, you're still so cheeky."Liu Qingyuan straightened, staring emotionlessly at Jiang Zhilan. "Why did you leave in the middle of dinner?"
"...there were plenty of guards to protect you, so I thought that it'd be best if I fetched the bracelet you wanted. I thought you'd like to give it to her majesty at dinner but it seems I was too slow." Liu Qingyuan plucked out the details of the half truth and covered the holes with spun lies. Jiang Zhilan seemed oblivious.
"Mm. Still, it's your job to guard me day and night."
"..." He bowed. "Forgive my impudence, your-"
"Aii, I was joking, joking." He pushed Liu Qingyuan up with a gentle hand on his arms. "Though, from now on, you're not leaving my side, alright? We'll stay together...forever." He grinned mischievously, his eyes reflecting the stars overhead. Liu Qingyuan stared for a moment before replying.
"Yes, your majesty."
"Now, did you get the bracelet?" Liu Qingyuan showed him and he hummed contently. "We can go together." Liu Qingyuan retreated to his place slightly behind the king as they walked to the dowager's quarters. She still wasn't back yet but Jiang Zhilan didn't trouble with that, climbing the steps to present the box to one of her attendants.
"Here, this is for her majesty." The maid bowed deeply.
"Yes, your majesty." she took the box, not daring to raise her head even an inch. As the doors opened, Liu Qingyuan stared through, analyzing the clean layout, sharp eyes scoring for any possible hiding spots. The dresser, vanity and table all had the potential for hidden compartments. But there was also the potential for compartments in the walls or bookcases.
"...uan...Qingyuan?" Liu Qingyuan startled when Jiang Zhilan called him so intimately. He blinked, realizing what he'd said and couldn't stop the faint pink that appeared on his skin. Thankfully, it was dark. Jiang Zhilan looked at him like he was silly. "Come on, let's go back." Liu Qingyuan sent one last glance at the doors of the dowager's rooms before he regretfully turned and left.