When the Bright Moon Shines on Zhaohe - Chapter 2

Once I’d recovered, I decided to discuss the matter with Pei Ye. If possible, I still wanted to take that wonderfully fit guard with me when I left. Then it wouldn’t be as if I’d simply slept with him and walked away.

It was a quiet afternoon in Weiyang Palace. Pei Ye reclined on a couch, leafing through memorials. His purple robes trailed across the floor. His ink black hair fell like silk, and his beautiful eyes were half lowered. The very picture of an emperor with a thousand lovers. I rolled my eyes where he couldn’t see.

“Imperial Brother, could I see the man you sent to save me that night again?”

“What for?”

“I want to thank him.”

“Oh. There’s no need.”

“…”

He didn’t even look up. His voice was cool. “Let the matter end here. Don’t bring it up again. I’ll take care of the aftermath for you. Besides, Little Ninth Pei, this was your own fault. You ate something from the harem without thinking. Do you have no fear for your life? And to think, all those years ago I even risked—”

“Your Majesty! Noble Consort Wan requests an audience.”

Well. His interruption seemed to put Pei Ye in a foul mood. I clicked my tongue too. That woman was impossible to get rid of.

Noble Consort Wan always dressed like a gaudy butterfly and drenched herself in perfume so strong it nearly set off my allergies. Seeing me alive, she produced an ugly little smile.

“Ninth Princess, visiting His Majesty again? You come every day. Is this truly about getting a residence outside the palace, or do you have some other purpose?”

Ha. I knew it. Everyone called her the most unhinged woman in the harem. If a female dog wandered past Pei Ye, she’d drag it back and scold it. And here I was, his beautiful “sister” who wasn’t even related to him by blood. I should thank her for not having me beaten half to death already.

Pei Ye still lounged by his little desk, watching as if this were a show put on for his amusement. I thought quickly and gave her a grin.

“Your Ladyship, you may not know this, but the greatest wish of my life is to have a house of my own. Then I’ll follow the example of the eldest princess of the previous dynasty and keep a dozen or twenty handsome men. Five good looking ones, five with fine figures, five young and strong. With a selection like that, I can sing and make merry every night!”

*Crack.*

Something seemed to break. I paid it no mind.

“After so many years in the harem, all I’ve seen is my dear sisters in law fighting tooth and nail over my imperial brother’s one little cucumber. It’s dreadfully dull. I think a woman ought to live with a little more freedom. Don’t you agree, Your Ladyship?”

She couldn’t find an answer. Her face went crimson, and she sputtered, “You! You… you, you…!”

I covered my mouth and laughed. I had a thick skin. As long as I enjoyed myself, who cared? I straightened my skirts and rose with perfect composure.

“Cucu—oh, no, Imperial Brother. I’ll take my leave.”

As I walked away, delighted with myself, I caught sight of the teacup Pei Ye had been holding. It had shattered at some point, spilling tea all over him. He merely raised an eyebrow and looked down at me through gritted teeth.

After my grand declaration in the palace hall, I stopped visiting Pei Ye. He was the root of all my troubles. Best to keep my distance.

One uneventful day, Chunxi and I slipped out of the palace to my restaurant, Drunken Delight Hall. The spring imperial examinations were approaching. My prices were fair, so plenty of candidates had come to stay.

The scholars were exchanging verses in the main hall. The one in white was rather thin. The one in blue was rather ugly. The one in flowered robes was so affected he might end up preferring men himself.

No wonder the harem women wouldn’t give up on Pei Ye. Compared with these fellows, they had the best of the lot.

Still, something bothered me. I kept feeling that the man from that night had been Pei Ye too. But he’d been so inexperienced, so plainly a first timer. How could that be the emperor with three thousand women in his harem?

I was standing in the corridor, lost in these thoughts, when the elderly manager came to find me, wiping sweat from his brow.

“Your Highness, two honored guests have arrived in the east wing. They insist you go to them.”