With just over a month left until the end of the year, the small vassal states surrounding Dayong began arriving in Chang’an one after another, bringing that year’s tribute into the imperial city.
Every year around this time was when Mingluan Palace was at its most glorious.
A steady stream of tribute goods was sent into the palace, and the Emperor would inevitably distribute them among the various palaces. Among them, Consort Shu received the greatest favor and the most rewards. Every few days, an imperial decree would arrive bearing an endless stream of gifts. Rare treasures and precious curiosities—things that could not be found anywhere in Dayong.
Consort Shu had been in the palace for ten years and had long since grown accustomed to seeing good things. Whenever rewards arrived, she would casually pick through them, then give everything she had no use for to a few of the children.
The other palaces, however, did not have such good fortune.
Yingcui Palace, where Noble Lady Yi lived, could also be considered quite lively these past two years.
Since entering the palace, Noble Lady Yi had only truly enjoyed a moment of glory when she gave birth to the Fourth Prince. In the years afterward, she had remained neither particularly favored nor particularly neglected.
But now, the Xu family had already risen from a fallen aristocratic clan to become the new favorite of the imperial court, and Noble Lady Yi’s father had even risen among the Three Excellencies, becoming the Right Chancellor. On top of that, over the years, the Emperor had grown increasingly fond of her gentle, water-like temperament and her habit of neither fighting nor competing for anything. Now, apart from Consort Shu, she was the one who enjoyed the Emperor’s greatest favor.
On this day, the sunlight was bright and the sky was cloudless—a rare stretch of good weather in winter. Several eunuchs received the Emperor’s rewards and carried the trunks and chests into Yingcui Palace.
After Noble Lady Yi’s senior palace maid, Taozhi, finished checking everything against the list the eunuchs had brought and had people carry the goods into storage, she took the list to the main hall to report back.
The main hall of Yingcui Palace was filled with the faint fragrance of tea. Noble Lady Yi was sitting beneath the window with the Fourth Prince, the two of them brewing tea together. Beside the window stood an old qin, its body made of paulownia and catalpa wood. It was the Nine Heavens Huanpei, bestowed by His Majesty.
Taozhi entered and paid her respects, only to see that Noble Lady Yi was completely absorbed in brewing the tea. She did not even raise her eyes. Her hands moved with flowing ease as she merely asked, “Has it been delivered?”
Taozhi nodded and replied, “Reporting to Your Ladyship, everything has been placed in storage.”
Xue Yunhong raised his eyes and asked, “What did Father Emperor bestow this time?”
Hearing him ask, Taozhi immediately revealed an indignant expression.
“The coral tree sent from Tianzhu, as well as that Guanyin statue carved from a single piece of ivory, were all sent to Consort Shu! Even the Pu’er tea produced by the thousand-year-old mother tree—there wasn’t even a few jin of it in total. His Majesty kept some for himself and sent the rest to Consort Shu! Our palace only received some jewelry and gold vessels. There was nothing particularly rare.”
At those words, Noble Lady Yi’s hands paused.
As she spoke, Taozhi complained a little more. “That woman in Mingluan Palace—what does she know about tea? Sending it there will only be a waste!”
“Taozhi, mind your words.” Noble Lady Yi spoke lightly, continuing to brew the tea. “Have you forgotten everything I have taught you? If you cannot even control your temper, what will you do if you lose your composure before His Majesty in the future?”
Taozhi could only fall silent, but the indignation on her face was impossible to conceal.
Ever since Noble Lady Yi had gained the Emperor’s favor, which servant in the palace had not secretly compared her to the woman in Mingluan Palace? Yet their mistress happened to have a temperament that neither fought nor competed for anything. How could they not be anxious?
“You may withdraw for now.” Noble Lady Yi slowly poured out the tea as she spoke.
Taozhi bowed and left.
“Mother Consort.” Once only the mother and son remained in the hall, Xue Yunhong immediately revealed an anxious expression. “You’re not angry at all? How different is Consort Shu from you now? It’s nothing more than a slight difference in rank! Her maternal family is useless, and there’s even a jinx in her palace. Why should she still be above you, Mother Consort?”
Noble Lady Yi raised her eyes and glanced at him without speaking. She placed one of the cups of tea in front of him.
Xue Yunhong immediately understood what she meant.
Whenever he was anxious, drinking a cup of tea before speaking was a rule Noble Lady Yi had taught him since childhood.
He slowly raised the hot tea to his lips. Immediately, a pure fragrance filled his mouth, with a long-lasting aftertaste. After he had drunk half the cup, he set the tea down on the table. When he spoke again, most of his emotions had already settled.
“…But, Mother Consort, despite all your planning and scheming, we still haven’t seen much result.”
“How have we not?” Noble Lady Yi glanced at him lightly and spoke unhurriedly.
“Although my rank is ordinary, has the Emperor ever treated the Xu family unfairly these past years? The Second Prince is nearly eighteen now. Has His Majesty ever promised him even an official position? Yet as for you, His Majesty has already privately asked me several times about finding you a position in one of the Six Ministries.”
A gleam immediately appeared in Xue Yunhong’s eyes. “Father Emperor really said that?”
Noble Lady Yi nodded.
“Rank and rewards are all superficial.” She looked out the window.
Her courtyard was filled with white plum trees. In winter, at first glance they seemed to blend into the white snow, yet their hidden fragrance naturally drifted through the air, elegant and refined.
“Which woman in the imperial palace is not merely His Majesty’s plaything? High rank, great authority, mountains of gold and jade—none of it matters beyond whether His Majesty is pleased or not. Rather than clinging to those things, it is more practical to hold onto the Emperor’s heart.”
Noble Lady Yi smiled faintly as she spoke.
“Mother Consort is right,” Xue Yunhong said. “But that woman in Mingluan Palace… We can’t let her continue being so pleased with herself forever.”
Noble Lady Yi smiled faintly.
Naturally, they could not.
Her family had already sent word into the palace, saying that the Jun family had recently shown some unusual movements and needed to be treated with caution.
The imperial court was now filled with rising winds and surging clouds. The balance between the various factions was clearly about to change again.
As an aristocratic clan, the Xu family had deep roots. In recent years, quite a few officials had submitted themselves to the Xu family’s faction, and they had now become the Fourth Prince’s support.
But behind the Empress stood the Jiang family, which also had many students and disciples among the officials. When scholars from humble backgrounds entered the imperial court, they most liked to form factions through master-disciple relationships, shared hometowns, and the like. Most of the officials who were friendly with the Jiang family came from humble backgrounds. After many years, they too had formed a faction of their own.
Although these scholars did not interfere in matters concerning the imperial heir, they still wanted to seize the power in the hands of the aristocratic clans. They were also especially fond of pushing reforms and engaging in political struggles, insisting on opposing the great aristocratic families. Thus, the two factions had been entangled in conflict for many years and had always been as incompatible as fire and water.
Over these past two years, the Jiang and Xu factions could be considered evenly matched, while the Jun family had always remained outside the various factions. However, the Yongning Duke of the Jun family held only a low-ranking official position and had accomplished little, so the Xu family had never taken him seriously.
But this year, perhaps because the two factions had fought too fiercely and aroused the Emperor’s suspicion, His Majesty had directly given the vacant position of Imperial Academy Chancellor to the Yongning Duke. He had even ordered him to go to Jiangnan to take charge of the imperial examinations.
What enormous power was that!
Although the Imperial Academy Chancellor was only a fourth-rank official, he controlled Dayong’s highest institution of learning. Almost all the top talents came from there.
And Jiangnan was a major center of the imperial examinations. In the future, all the successful candidates from Jiangnan in this examination would essentially count as disciples of the Yongning Duke.
As long as the Yongning Duke wished it, these people could all become his sources of support.
And these people had traditionally belonged to the Jiang family’s faction.
Therefore, the Xu family naturally placed the Yongning Duke in the Jiang family’s camp as well.
Once this happened, the Jun family had gained influence, and the original balance was broken.
Noble Lady Yi knew that her father and brothers would certainly make some moves at court. Those matters did not require her concern. What she needed to do was cause some trouble for the Jun family within the inner palace, so that the Emperor would gradually grow tired of the Jun family, and then carry those feelings over into the imperial court.
After following the Emperor for so many years, she had long since figured out this man’s temperament.
“There’s no need for you to worry about matters between the women of the inner palace.” Noble Lady Yi looked at him and said. “You are your Father’s child. Among the princes now, you are the one who has shown the most promise. What you need to do is win favor before your Father Emperor and help ease his burdens. As for the other miscellaneous matters, you have your Mother Consort and your maternal grandfather’s family.”
Hearing this, Xue Yunhong nodded solemnly.
“Your son understands. Mother Consort, rest assured. Your son will certainly not disappoint you or Grandfather.”
Only then did Noble Lady Yi smile. She picked up the teapot and filled Xue Yunhong’s cup.
“As for this mother-tree Pu’er, it doesn’t matter where it is sent. If you use the wrong method to brew it, even the finest tea will be ruined in your hands.”
Her words carried a deeper meaning. Mother and son both smiled.
——
Consort Shu’s brows were tightly furrowed as she smelled the tea fragrance spreading throughout the hall.
“Why brew something so bitter?” She was reclining on a couch heated by the underground heating system, waving a fan and wishing she could fan away all the tea fragrance drifting toward her nose.
The person sitting before the small brazier and brewing the tea was none other than Jun Huailang.
Hearing Consort Shu’s complaints, he smiled and said, “His Majesty loves Pu’er the most, and he was even willing to give Aunt so much of it. If Aunt doesn’t brew it to drink, wouldn’t that be rejecting His Majesty’s goodwill?”
These days, the things Consort Shu had sent to Jun Huailang’s residence had become so numerous that they could hardly be stacked any higher. Even this Pu’er tea had been something he dug out from the huge pile of things Consort Shu had bestowed upon him.
He had rather helplessly sorted through the items that had been sent over. After taking out the toys meant for Jun Linghuan, he put everything else back into Consort Shu’s storeroom.
After all, he would be leaving once spring arrived. Taking so many valuable palace treasures home would be of little use to him. It was better to leave them with Consort Shu. Whether they were taken out for decoration or given as rewards to others, they could all be put to good use.
Zheng Guangde had even specifically told him that these tea leaves were Pu’er from Yunnan, produced by a thousand-year-old mother tree. Only around ten jin could be made in an entire year, making it extraordinarily precious.
So Jun Huailang simply took advantage of Consort Shu summoning him to the main hall for a casual chat and brought the tea leaves along, brewing them for Consort Shu to drink.
But Consort Shu did not appreciate it in the slightest. She gave a delicate snort and said, “If His Majesty wants to drink it, let him keep it for himself. Why must he insist on sending it here to poison me?”
Such favor was something others probably could not obtain even if they begged for it.
Jun Huailang could not help smiling helplessly. As he continued brewing the tea, he said, “That’s why, Aunt, you should learn how to brew it. Then, the next time His Majesty comes to Mingluan Palace, you’ll be able to brew it for him.”
Consort Shu was immediately frightened by his suggestion.
“You expect me to sit in front of this little brazier for more than half an hour? I can’t do that. Don’t you dare get me into trouble.”
Jun Huailang laughed. “When I was teaching you just now, Aunt, you learned everything. Now that you’ve learned it but don’t use it, wouldn’t that be a waste?”
As he spoke, he lifted the brewed tea from the small brazier and slowly poured a cup.
“This tea isn’t as bitter as you think.” As Jun Huailang spoke, he brought the cup of tea to Consort Shu.
The white jade teacup held a clear, limpid tea broth. It smelled of a distant sweetness.
“Before brewing it just now, I rinsed it several times already. Why don’t you try it, Aunt?”
With the tea brought before her, Consort Shu reluctantly accepted it.
Jun Huailang had already been particularly skilled at brewing tea in his previous life, and even now he was confident in his abilities.
Consort Shu frowned and took a sip. After a moment, the crease between her brows actually relaxed, and she spoke awkwardly, “It really isn’t bad.”
It was clear and refreshing upon entering the mouth, with a lingering sweetness that lasted a long time. It really was quite good.
Jun Huailang’s face brightened into a smile.
“Then, Aunt, do you want to learn? I’ll demonstrate it for you one more time.”
Consort Shu slowly lifted her chin and said reluctantly, “Go on and brew it.”
Jun Huailang nodded and leisurely sat back down before the tea table.
Through the half-open flower window, he saw Dian Cui standing at the entrance of the western side hall, saying something to Jinbao.
From Dian Cui’s actions from the very beginning, he had vaguely seen that this person was most likely someone bribed by one of the imperial concubines in the inner palace. The purpose was to use Xue Yan to throw Mingluan Palace into chaos.
Now that the end of the year was approaching, she was about to make a move in Xue Yan’s room again. Most likely, she intended to take advantage of the Emperor’s arrival to put on a grand show for him.
In that case, Qingping Emperor would have to be present before this show could begin.
Since that was the case, now that he had nothing else to do, why not teach Consort Shu to brew a good pot of tea for Qingping Emperor, so that he could leisurely drink his tea while watching this performance to the very end?