Chapter 7- The Empress
The tiles on the roof of the Gazing Moon Pavilion were not falling apart. But it did not go under maintenance since last monsoon, so saying that it needed some repair here and there was not totally wrong.
When Qiu Chen came to stand by the Lotus Pond, Xiao Bao was on the roof of the pavilion. It needless to say he could not detect Qiu Chen, but only the accompanying Butler Wang. He was doing his job diligently. Qiu Chen extended his hand and Butler Wang handed a porcelain cup over to his extended hand. He threw it towards Xiao Bao with a smooth move. It was directed towards the left ear of Xiao Bao. When it touched his head, the cup broke with a clattering sound.
Xiao Bao looked back with vigilance. Butler Wang saw him trembling with fear. But the caution hidden in his eyes didn't escape Qiu Chen's eyes.
"You come down from there and follow," Butler Wang ordered according to Qiu Chen's wish. Xiao Bao followed them with his trembling knees.
Qiu Chen took them to the Rising Moon Pavilion. He did not want to have a conversation with people around and was even more reluctant to use Zhao Yichen's study.
"Withdraw!" Qiu Chen ordered Butler Wang when they entered the hall of the courtyard.
After the Butler's departure Xiao Bao knelt down in a hurry, "Wangfei! The slave was wrong! Slave asks for forgiveness! Slave does not want to die!" Xiao Bao was full of tears.
"Oh? You were wrong? What did you do?" Qiu Chen found it funny, but still kept a straight face.
"Slave-" Xiao Bao looked for words.
"Cut the crap," Qiu Chen was not that patient, "Are you done with your acting? Your little acting could fool Butler Wang, or even Xiao San, but not me."
Xiao Bao forgot crying for a moment and stared wide eyed. Seeing him hooked, Qiu Chen continued.
"Breaking obstacles with inner qi using strands of hair*, is this technique so common that anyone can learn?" (*move made up by author)
Xiao Bao was now too stunned to pretend. Even people from military troops did not know this technique, it wasn't detectable to them either. But the petite ger in front him does only not know about this, but can also can see through it. He was truly bewildered now.
"Report your true name," Qiu Chen ordered sternly.
Xiao Bao stood up. He already collected himself. The pitiful boy nowhere to be found now, a confident young adult stood at his place.
"True name is forbidden to be reported on a mission."
"Oh? Looks like you need to gain more knowledge. Then for how long have you been disconnected from your master?" Qiu Chen mocked the young man.
".......Should not be reported either!" The young man was a bit flustered.
"If I am not wrong, since my marriage was decreed, your master has not contacted you. The reason being he is not present in the capital," QIu Chen was talking like he just casually mentioned some facts.
"Nothing shall be said," the young man stood firm on his ground.
Qiu Chen raised an eyebrow. He had a very good impression of this young man. "Seems like the Left Prime Minister taught you well. Are you his disciple?"
"How could you-" the young man was at loss of words.
"You really need to train more and gain even more knowledge. Shall I introduce myself to you?" Qiu Chen said with a smile which, to the young man, looked a bit mischievous. He looked with almost undetectable curiosity in his eyes.
"Song RuZhen, Sixth Association Leader and the grandson of Fifth Association Leader of The Raven," Qiu Chen stood tall, the edges of his fluttering in the breeze.
The young man was stunned at first. Wangfei was surely shorter than him by a head, but now he seemed to be far taller than him. But he was not intimidated much.
"May I ask for any solid proof?"
"You kid! Even the twelve branch heads did not ask for it, tsk!" Qiu Chen pretended to lament like an old man. He had a feeling that this man was going to be a very good friend of his in this world. "Here you go!" Qiu Chen threw a small wooden carving.
The young man caught it. He skillfully undid the secret lock, and a raven made of black jade of the size of a finger nail came out. He studied it very attentively. The jade raven was small, but every little detail with a association's trade mark was present. This time the youth knelt down on one knee and saluted Qiu Chen with respect, "Association Leader!"
"Rise," Qiu Chen commanded, "Report your name now."
"Association Leader can call me Shen Qing."
"Call me Wangfei outside. From now on you will be my personal servant. Wait, you don't need to do everyday task. You just need to go outside carry out little tasks for me. It is not convenient for me go out or send Xiao San all the time." Qiu Chen explained.
"As your order, Asso....Wangfei!" Shen Qing corrected himself in hurry.
So, from then on Shen Qing became the bridge between Qiu Chen and the association. By working for Qiu Chen, Shen Qing learnt many things, even some unnecessary things like, Association Leader is very strict with the association, but is still a candy loving kid inside; Wangfei is elegant and gentle, but he is stubborn to the core. The whole association accepted him as their leader within a month.
Around next two months Qiu Chen spent his effort collecting information about corrupted and honest officials from all over the Great Zhao. Zhao Yichen returned home less and less. He spent these months to go through various urgent matters with the important and loyal officials of the court. He did not try to pull them into his faction but genuinely talked to them about the current problems faced by both people and government. His attitude left a good impression on the officials. To make it even less suspicious, Zhao Yichen sought out the officials in the Second Prince's faction too. But one thing he did very carefully, and that is to avoid the shady ones. No matter what he did not get closed to the officials that are engaged in questionable business.
Xiao Li was having a particular headache again this morning. Wangfei waited for Wangye till dead in the night last night. But even when he fell asleep without having dinner, Wangye still had not returned. And again, after waking up Wangfei did not see Wangye. This pissed Wangfei off. Their Wangfei was never a person who would cause a scene but that doesn't mean the low air pressure around him would scare them any less. Xiao Li as the personal maid was even more frightened as she had to stand behind the grim faced Wangfei all the time.
For last few days Qiu Chen had been out of his own character. He never felt this much angry. His husband wasn't even there to coax him. His favorite candies became tasteless. So angry!
He was just angry, but for Xiao Li and other servants it became really troublesome. It doesn't matter how great their Wangfei is, to their Wangye he is the little treasure held carefully in the palms. If someone was at more of a difficult place, it was the chef in the kitchen. The times Wangfei sent the food back was getting higher and higher. While they were envious and happy about the love between their masters, they were also scared for their life. Wangfei was getting thinner and thinner. It was their luck that Wangye was not getting any time to deal with them. They were trying so hard, but they could not make anything appetizing to their Wangfei.
As if to make Qiu Chen's already ruined morning even worse Butler Wang came running with his heavy body.
"Wangfei! My contacts in the palace informed that The Empress is about to summon you to meet her. It seems that she is determined to give you a hard time."
"Oh? Is that so? Let's see what she got." Qiu Chen smiled sweetly as if he was not irritated a few moments ago. But a shiver ran down the butler's spine. He knew the empress, she was not an easy woman. He could only pray that Wangfei does not lose his temper in front of her.
Qiu Chen got up to go inside. A few moments later he came out dressed in mint green robes, his hair tied in a high ponytail with no jewelry all over his body. He looked delicate and gentle like the new leaves in spring, but also looked somewhat lonely and pitiful. He sat down and looked at the butler.
"What is the empress's judgement about me?"
"To return to Wangfei, this slave did not send any information that may look out of place. To the empress now you are neglected in the mansion, Wangye seldom returns, you are helpless, so now you are taking your anger out on the servants. This slave also presumptuously sent another news saying that from Wangye's behavior you are getting more and more restless," Butler Wang replied truthfully.
"Good job," the butler did not know if he should take it as a compliment or a threat. But he did not get much time to dwell on it. The eunuch from the palace came.
Qiu Chen went to the main hall. Before he could sit down, the eunuch spoke.
"Her Majesty has asked Wangfei to enter the palace to keep her company for the day."
"Her Majesty's words are law. May I at least change into something nice?" Qiu Chen pretended to be timid.
The eunuch sneered in his heart. "Her Majesty is the mother to the country. What shame do children have before mother? Wangfei can come just as he is now."
Qiu Chen shrugged his shoulders and followed the eunuch. But suddenly he asked again in the same way, "My servants can follow, right?"
"Only a maid will do," the eunuch didn't even pretend to be polite. But that's what Qiu Chen needed to hear. He was normally supposed to bring both personal maid and personal servant. But he did not want to take Shen Qing with him. He had to leave him in the mansion to convey the news of his entering the palace to Zhao Yichen. No one else would be able to do it without raising any suspicion. Because even Zhao Yichen's shadow guards were not out of supervision of the second prince in the capital. And it was the empress's order for him to enter the palace. Zhao Yichen could not possibly interfere in the matters of the empress.
After entering the Empresses palace, the palace lady guided Qiu Chen and Xiao Li to the empress's chamber. To Qiu Chen's surprise, Song Yuxuan was also present there. Though he was reluctant, he had to formally salute the empress with his forehead touching the ground.
"Caomin has seen Her Majesty." Qiu Chen did not call the empress "empress mother" just because he did not want to.
The empress did not tell him to rise but kept looking at him. After a long while she spoke, "You are really a hard one, aren't you? How long have you been married? Do you even keep Bengong* in your eyes at all? Married for almost two months and haven't saluted Bengong yet!" By the end of her scolds, she was so loud that she ran out of breath. (*The empress referring to herself)
Song Yuxuan timely handed a cup of tea over to her, "Your Majesty, please have some tea. Do not ruin your health because of something insignificant."
His soft and polite words pleased the empress. "Is this one really your brother? Same blood runs through both your bodies? Look at you, what a thoughtful child! And this one! Aiyah, angered me to death."
Song Yuxuan smiled in a good natured way, not saying anything.
Qiu Chen felt really wrong here. He has not even said anything, and he already angered her? Has he created the image of himself too easy to bully?
"Rise" the empress ordered at last.
"Caomin thanks Her Majesty," Qiu Chen replied looking down, his eyes hidden.
"Are you not even going to pour tea?" The empress snapped again.
Qiu Chen advanced and extended his hand to the tea pot. But before he even touched the pot, he heard the shrill voice of the empress again.
"You really are motherless. What are you doing pouring tea made by Yuxuan? Taking his credit for your own?"
Qiu Chen took his extended hand back and kept his head down as if aggrieved. The empress sneered at him. No personality at all and easier to manipulate.
"Bring some equipment to make tea," the empress 'pitied' Qiu Chen at last.
After the materials came, Qiu Chen made tea and presented it to the empress, "Pray Your Majesty have some tea."
The empress took the cup as if being reluctantly merciful to Qiu Chen. Qiu Chen kept kneeling down. He could go through even more humiliation for his man, but the problem is that he could not control his mood. The more unreasonable the empress was being, unlike Qiu Chen's usual characteristic, the more annoyed he got. The empress is a highly intelligent woman. He could perceive Qiu Chen's mood swings. She got annoyed.
"Bengong heard that the fourth child is keeping someone outside? Are you aware of that?"
"To return to Your Majesty, Caomin has heard about it." Qiu Chen suppressed his irritable mood as much as he could.
"Then why are you not welcoming him as a concubine in the mansion? What if he gets pregnant with the fourth child's seed? Are you just going to make the child a bastard?"
At this point, it was hard for Qiu Chen to maintain his timid image. Though he knew that the person the empress was talking about was himself, he still did not like the idea of Zhao Yichen entangling with someone else.
"If Wangye wants he can keep as many people as he wants. But marrying them, forgive Caomin, that person is of lowly birth. How can I make Wangye to bring him to the mansion?"
Qiu Chen sounded logical. But to Song Yuxuan, he felt for a moment that, what Qiu Chen meants actually was 'If he dares to keep anyone-'. But when he looked at Qiu Chen carefully, he only saw kneeling down with his head down, looking bullied. That feeing must have been an illusion. Moreover, even if a man wants to keep more than one, is it the wife's place to say anything about it?
The empress was satisfied with the answer. To her it seemed like Qiu Chen was extremely unwilling to let Zhao Yichen formally marry someone else. That means he loves power, and after losing his husband's favor to someone else not long after marrying the authority in the mansion is all he got.
"Do you really want no other concubine to enter the mansion?" The empress was even more satisfied to see Qiu Chen tremble at his question. She continued, "If you don't want, Bengong can help you."
Qiu Chen looked up in askance. The mockery in the eyes of both the empress and Song Yuxuan did not escape his eyes.
"Rise and sit down," the empress allowed Qiu Chen to sit at last. "Bengong feels pity for you. Just got married, still out of favor!"
Qiu Chen sneered in his heart, but his face showed grievance. The empress snickered when she saw it, but it put it away right away.
"Bengong will make sure that he does not take any more concubines. But for a prince it is impossible to do so. We need a decree from His Majesty. But for that Bengong needs some documents which can persuade His Majesty that he is not qualified to take concubines. You help Bengong getting the evidence, Bengong will talk to His Majesty," the empress sounded patient and warm.
"But, Your Majesty, aren't the consorts and concubines not allowed to participate in the court politics?" Qiu Chen asked seemingly thoughtfully.
Song Yuxuan's heart jumped. This question might anger the empress again. Then it would ruin his plan all along. But the empress was an empress after all. She knew how to control the situation.
"You don't need to be afraid. Bengong has her own ways."
Qiu Chen did not what happened to him, but it suddenly became impossible for him to endure anymore.
"Your Majesty wants to use this little one against Wangye? Your Majesty wants me to betray Wangye?" Qiu Chen asked sharply. He was not an impulsive person. He also did not know what happened to himself. He just could not control himself from saying so. He did not feel wrong to say it either. This woman dared to tell him to marry his husband to others. Then dared to use him f*cking up his husband's life! The audacity!
"Presumptuous!" The Empress got up from her couch. She was too angered to continue pretending. "Drag this bastard out and make him kneel outside the palace!" The Empress ordered her servants.
Qiu Chen was dragged out by eunuchs. He did not resist. Kneeling for some time would not hurt him. He had made enough scene, and he must not reveal his martial arts here.
Though nothing went according to the plan, Song Yuxuan was happy to see Qiu Chen kneeling down in the sun outside. He tried to appease the empress. He needed to on the good books of the empress. Getting Song Ruzhen, the uncultured one, served as a foil it was even easier for him to do so. He looked outside through the corner of his eyes, his eyes way too much cruel.
At the same time, Zhao Yichen was in a meeting with the Minister of War. But to his bad luck, Zhao Yirong was also present there. Xiao Er, who got the news of Qiu Chen's entering the palace from Shen Qing, could not inform Zhao Yichen due to Zhao Yirong's presence. After about an hour, Zhao Yirong assumed that his mother was done with the little Wangfei. So he proposed to get up and leave.
After he left Xiao Er came to Zhao Yichen in a hurry, "Wangye, Wangfei has been summoned into the palace by the empress about an hour ago."
The Minister of War was one of Zhao Yichen's people. It was okay to say it before him. So Xiao Er did not hide.
Zhao Yichen did not say anything but straight got up on his horse and hurried to the Palace. He had complete trust in Qiu Chen's judgement, but he did not believe that woman. He cannot afford Qiu Chen being alone with her.
He was really fast to arrive at the palace gate within a few minutes. But he could not charge into the Forbidden City. It would be counted as rebellion. He got off his horse about 10 meters away from the Palace entrance. He hurriedly walked into the palace. But the palace guards stopped him.
"Wangye cannot enter the palace without authorization," the guard said.
Zhao Yichen knew that they were just doing duty, but he did not care. He tried to rush in but was held back by the guards. Shaking off these few guards were not a matter to him. But he was confused. If he rushed in, it would ruin Qiu Chen's painstaking planning, and if did not what happened to his mother might happen to Qiu Chen. Between the throne and his beloved he chose his beloved. But he stopped again thinking, if he did something in a rush, Qiu Chen would also have to be punished with him. He was really torn between his reasons.
At this time a little eunuch came running. He said something in the guard's ears. Listening to what he said, the guard let go of Zhao Yichen, the other guards followed the suit. As soon as Zhao Yichen felt himself free, he started running towards the empress's palace. But all these hustle took nearly 20 minutes. So, when Zhao Yichen reached, Qiu Chen was already kneeling for about 45 minutes. Zhao Yichen saw his beloved kneeling in the sun, his back drenched from sweating and his face flushed, and Xiao Li shedding helpless tears, also kneeling down beside her Wangfei.
Zhao Yichen did not talk to Qiu Chen, but rudely rushed into the palace. Song Yuxuan was extremely delighted to see this. It did not seem like the fourth prince put his wife into the eyes at all. Where he, even after carefully training himself, being so elegant, beautiful, and diplomatic, cannot be sole person beside the second prince. How could a bastard like Song Ruzhen would manage to do that?
Zhao Yichen came in front of the empress and knelt down with a thud. Though he knelt down, his aura did not weaken even a little bit.
"Have you forgotten all your manners? Can a man enter the inner palace like this? Do you want Bengong to punish you?" The empress's temper, which was appeased by Song Yuxuan's persuasion, accelerated again.
"Mother Empress is wise. She has already punished Erchen's wife. Erchen is one body with his wife. So Ercehn is requesting mother to grant him the same punishment," Zhao Yichen said with no wave in his voice.
Song Yuxuan's face turned ugly. It is not that the fourth prince did not care about Song Ruzhen, but he cared for him so much that he came straight to confront the empress. Song Yuxuan looked like he had swallowed a fly.
The empress's face also turned ugly. But she could not punish Zhao Yichen. Not only because he was already a general, but also because after Gui Fei died the emperor warned herself personally not to touch Zhao Yichen. This was the reason why she was so on guard against Zhao Yichen. Zhao Yichen was the son of the emperor's beloved woman. To others, Zhao Yichen was a left aside prince. But only she knew that he was actually thrown into the battle field to train to become a monarch. She had to eliminate him at any cost. She paid a lot to drag her son this far. She cannot mess it up because of her anger. So she only could allow Zhao Yichen to take Qiu Chen and leave.
Qiu Chen knew that he could bear this little hardship. He was keeping himself together the whole time. But as soon as he saw Zhao Yichen, his body started to give up persisting. So, when Zhao Yichen came back from inside and tried to pull Qiu Chen up, he fainted straight into his arms. Zhao Yichen was shocked. He did not expect Qiu Chen to faint. He picked Qiu Chen up in a princess carry and started walking really fast. He didn't dare run at all, what if he hurt the person in his arms?
Xiao Li ran with Zhao Yichen and said amidst tears, "These days Wangfei barely ate anything. He always kept waiting for Wangye. The cook has changed the recipes so many times these days, but Wangfei lost all his appetite."
Zhao Yichen's heart ached when he saw the pale face of the person his arms. But when he heard Xiao Li, his heart stung with guilt. It was him; it was he who pushed this person to the extreme. He became so obsessed with obtaining the throne that he did not even care about his wife. If this person does not remain by his side, what would he even do obtaining it? His eyes turned red and he hugged the person even tighter.
Butler Wang was already waiting with a carriage in front of the palace gate. He opened the carriage door as soon as he saw two people running towards him. What shocked him was the Wangfei he feared so much was lying unconscious in Wangye's arms and Wangye's eyes were maddening red. Her Majesty is really cruel.
"Call for an imperial doctor," Zhao Yichen boarded the carriage leaving one sentence for butler.
Xiao Er was driving the carriage this time. He drove as fast as possible without hurting the people on the street. While Zhao Yichen was deathly worried about Qiu Chen, he became the talk of the town. The farce he caused at the palace gate was seen by countless people. Then they saw him coming out of the palace with an unconscious Wangfei in his arms. Who said that Wangye did not care about Wangfei but found someone else outside? They saw with their own eyes how anxious Wangye was seeing Wangfei sick. But Wangfei fainted in the palace, that is to say, they also saw the empress's carriage escorting Wangfei in the palace. Did this mean the empress tortured him?
In the General's mansion.
Zhao Yichen carried Qiu Chen to the room. He sat beside him tracing his face with his fingers. How long has it been since they talked to each other in leisure? In recent days they did not even see each other. He saw his beloved sleeping face everyday. But his beloved did not see him at all. He wanted to slap himself really hard.
Butler Wang came back with Imperial Doctor Liu. Zhao Yichen stepped aside to let Doctor Liu check Qiu Chen's condition. Doctor Liu took his pulse for a few moments, and did some other mandatory checkups.
"Wangfei has fainted from exhaustion. If my judgement is not wrong, there was not much intake of nutrition for past few days. And today his stomach was empty and he over exhausted himself, so fainting is normal." Doctor Liu got up after saying till this. Zhao Yichen thought Doctor Liu was going to write down medicine, so he was about to call people to bring brush and paper but the doctor suddenly bowed to him.
"I can see that Wangye cares about Wangfei. Please don't neglect him in this tough time. He needs you the most right now. Please take care of him. I will prescribe some nutritious medicine for him. And please arrange enough food for him. Don't let him starve."
Zhao Yichen panicked when he heard Doctor Liu. His face paled. The dignified God of War was too scared even to ask what happened to his wife. Doctor Liu didn't seem to notice the change in his expression either, he continued talking as he wrote down the prescription.
"The first two medicines are to improve his appetite. If he can't tolerate the smell of the first one, prepare the second one. But the first one is still better. Following three medicines are just to repair the lack in his body. The last and most important one is the anti-abortion medicine. Feed it to the Wangfei as soon as he wakes up."
"Anti-abortion?" Zhao Yichen was stunned.
"Wangye didn't know?" Imperial Doctor Liu already concluded that Zhao Yichen didn't know about Qiu Chen's pregnancy from his expression. So he bowed down again to salute, "Congratulations to Wangye and Wangfei to welcome a new life to the world." He got up and said again, "Loss of appetite, feeling nauseous, mood swings, all are very common during this time. Requesting Wangye to keep an eye on Wangfei."
"He is pregnant?" Zhao Yichen still found it unbelievable. He felt even guiltier.
"He is been pregnant for one month already. Please look after Xiao Zhen," Doctor Liu said with a sharp look in his eyes.
Zhao Yichen was first stunned, then nodded heavily. There were only a handful of people who would call his wife Xiao Zhen.
Little theater:
Zhao Yichen: I am drinking my own vinegarðââï¸
Qiu Chen: I am drinking my own vinegarðð»ââï¸
The babie: I am unnoticed by this sick couple. I want refund!ð¶