Yuwen Jie, weighed down with worries, no longer had the energy to resist the Empress Dowager, and answered dully: “State affairs have been busy lately. This child is merely tired.”
The Empress Dowager quickly said: “You should delegate more to others. Seeing you so exhausted all the time pains me too.”
The Emperor said nothing more, pressing his lips together and staring straight ahead.
He simply wasn’t in the mood to argue with the Empress Dowager, but that didn’t mean he was in the mood to fully accept her back into his good graces either. Every time, the Empress Dowager gave him a slap and then a sweet to follow—too many times now, and he no longer fell for it.
“Let’s continue on ahead. The Emperor goes first.” Seeing his expression turn slightly cold, the Empress Dowager said no more, waving to signal Eunuch Qin.
Eunuch Qin bowed and hurriedly instructed the attendants to move forward.
Attendant Yuejian, watching the imperial procession ahead, leaned toward the Empress Dowager and asked quietly: “Does Your Highness feel for him?”
“Ah.” Empress Dowager Ning sighed: “In the end, they’re both my own children. Whichever hand I favor, I should still care for both equally.”
Even if Prince Xi was obedient and sensible while the Emperor was hot-tempered and unfilial, she still had to treat them fairly. As long as the Emperor could reconcile with her tonight, she would continue being a good mother.
But, seeing the Emperor’s attitude, she felt somewhat worried.
Could Prime Minister Hua really find a way to bring the Emperor to his senses?
The rest of the harem, including Prince Xi, gradually arrived at Furong Palace as well. The front hall was filled with chairs, arranged around the viewing area by rank. The Empress Dowager and Emperor sat together in the very center, with the prince and consorts of the harem on either side.
“Where are the Marquis of Gongyu and Prime Minister Hua?” the Emperor asked, his expression grave.
Eunuch Qin answered quietly: “Both lords are backstage preparing. They said tonight’s performances were all arranged by them, and they have no time to sit and watch.”
His heart sinking, a hint of despair crept into Yuwen Jie’s eyes.
These two, bold enough to risk their lives—surely they wouldn’t go up on stage together and say something they shouldn’t? Hua Jinghua’s mind had been off lately, always full of strange ideas, and He Chang’an had always been unrestrained and carefree by nature—put these two together, and what good could come of it?
Shifting uneasily, the Emperor turned and, in a remarkably gentle tone, said to the Empress Dowager: “Prime Minister Hua and Chang’an are both people who follow their feelings. If tonight’s performance turns out to be somewhat improper, I hope Mother will show mercy.”
The Empress Dowager was taken aback, looking at him with some surprise: “Does the Emperor… know what they’re planning?”
The Emperor nodded gravely: “This child feels that, though they may be impulsive and haven’t considered how others might feel, it’s rare enough for people to be able to follow their hearts in what they do.”
He paused, then continued: “This child has never been good with words since childhood, always upsetting Mother, but I hope Mother understands that whether it’s family affection or romantic love, whoever the object may be, those who carry genuine feeling deserve to be forgiven. Even if punishment is due, it shouldn’t be too severe.”
Worried that his brother might come out publicly and bring trouble upon himself, the Emperor had gone to great lengths, speaking with unusual sincerity and humility, all to give the Empress Dowager advance warning. And as it happened, these words struck right at the Empress Dowager’s heart.
Empress Dowager Ning was deeply moved—all the days of pent-up anger seemed to dissolve at once. Her son wasn’t unreasonable or unfilial after all; he simply had many things in his heart he’d never spoken aloud. And as his mother, having done wrong herself, how could she continue to make things difficult for her son?
Her heart softening completely, the Empress Dowager’s voice trembled slightly: “For the Emperor to say such words—it makes me very happy!”
Good, glad to hear it. Yuwen Jie let out a breath of relief and turned to look at the stage. This was the most he could do. Now that his mother agreed with his words, whatever excessive thing those two did next, he could at least help save both their lives.
Thinking this over, the Emperor found himself almost moved by his own words—clearly he was the one who should be most upset, yet here he was, taking the initiative to clean up the mess.
Prince Xi, listening nearby, wore a look of astonishment in his eyes, glancing back and forth at the Emperor’s drastically different attitude, and frowned.
This wasn’t like Yuwen Jie at all. Given his temperament, how could he possibly bow his head first without even being offered enough of an excuse—let alone say something this sentimental!
Looking at the Empress Dowager’s expression, it seemed all his efforts at whispering in her ear these past days had been wasted.
Frowning, Yuwen Xi didn’t panic, and turned to watch the stage as well.
A gong sounded, and everything around fell silent. The steps in front of Furong Hall had been arranged to look like a stage, with a tall curtain concealing whatever lay behind it, drawing many curious glances and hands reaching out to try and peek at what was in store.
Once the gong finished sounding, four people walked up the steps—two men and two women, all unfamiliar faces, clearly not palace residents.
The crowd’s interest grew even keener, everyone craning their necks to look, guessing what they were there to do. Even the Emperor, weighed down with worries, found his attention drawn.
All four wore smiles, and in full view of everyone, pulled out paper megaphones from behind their backs, announcing in ringing voices: “Tonight, we gather together in joyful celebration, singing and dancing!”
“Tonight, our hearts overflow with passion and excitement!”
“All the long-buried hopes turn into today’s joy of reunion. Look, the moonlight is brilliant, the splendid colors of autumn! Listen, the bells ring clear, the moving melody of autumn!”
“With the most joyful spirits and the best wishes, we hold this Autumn Welcome Gathering at Furong Palace!”
“Applause, everyone!”
The crowd: “…”
These four were surely storytellers from some teahouse—their voices booming, their expressions exaggerated, leaving the whole audience in an awkward, dead silence.
Yet that silence didn’t even last a second before someone burst out laughing exaggeratedly: “Hahaha—”
The crowd startled and turned toward the sound of laughter, wondering who could be so lacking in composure.
They turned to find, seated right in the center, the Empress Dowager herself, laughing so hard she was doubled over, dabbing at tears with her handkerchief, apparently struck by something wildly funny.
Most people in the palace carried themselves with dignity, cold and composed. No one had ever seen such a lively, boisterous gathering before, and at first no one quite knew how to let loose.
But once the Empress Dowager’s laughter rang out, everyone else couldn’t help but laugh along too, and somehow, the more they laughed, the funnier it all seemed—even Consort Huo Zhaoyi laughed so hard she had to clutch her stomach.
Tonight, forget brilliant moonlight—there wasn’t even a single star to be seen! Faced with such earnest, straight-faced nonsense, everyone couldn’t help but scold even as they laughed and applauded along.
The four hosts on stage, legs practically trembling, found some strength to carry on once they saw the crowd laughing, and continued the announcement: “Next, please enjoy our first performance—the Flying Sky Dance.”
Amid the laughter, only Yuwen Jie kept his expression stern, watching the stage unmoving.
“Doesn’t the Emperor find this funny?” The Empress Dowager, laughing with tears in her eyes, looked at him: “I have no idea where the Prime Minister found these people—truly audacious.”
“Mother, please excuse him.” Yuwen Jie said reflexively: “That one hasn’t quite understood proper etiquette lately.”
“It’s quite alright, nothing to excuse.” The Empress Dowager let out a breath of relief: “In fact, I should thank the Prime Minister. It’s been so long since I laughed this heartily.”
The Emperor nodded and continued watching the performance calmly.
The atmosphere between mother and son had inexplicably grown warmer.
Given the Empress Dowager’s presence, the earlier performances arranged were all conventional songs and dances, the dancers dressed conservatively, but the chosen dances were superb—despite so many people in the palace having studied dance, none had ever seen anything like it.
“Hey, how can she tilt like that without falling over?” Huo Zhaoyi asked curiously, turning to Consort Hui: “Look, her body’s practically horizontal, yet she’s still dancing.”
Consort Hui said calmly: “There’s probably a rope holding her up from above.”
“That can’t be right—look, they keep changing positions. If there were a rope, wouldn’t it get tangled?”
Consort Hui had no answer, thought for a moment, then turned and said: “Little sister, you’d best watch and learn more, lest you get outshone by the dancers—now that really would be embarrassing.”