When the Emperor’s temper was violent and erratic in his illness, the consorts had all hidden away and not dared to show their faces, every one of them terrified that the Emperor in his fury might turn his wrath upon them. Now, seeing that the Emperor’s health was beginning to take a turn for the better, they came filing in one by one, all dressed up to the nines, eager to fawn and flatter.
No wonder the Emperor had no wish to see them!
Empress Wei was the finest of them all, offering the Emperor sincere and genuine devotion — from beginning to end, constant and unwavering. It was only right and natural that the Emperor doted upon Empress Wei above all others.
With these thoughts in mind, Eunuch Ding stepped back into the bedchamber and deferentially reported what had just transpired.
The Emperor was plainly uninterested in the behavior of the assembled consorts, and responded with a noncommittal sound, his expression unmoved.
Empress Wei smiled gently and raised the spoon toward the Emperor’s lips. “Your Majesty, the medicine will grow cold if you do not drink it soon.”
The Emperor’s expression softened at once. Obediently, he opened his mouth and drank down the medicine.
A man is far more vulnerable during illness than at any other time. The Emperor was no different.
He lay confined to his bed day after day, unable to move freely, and even speaking took considerable effort. In such a state, he had grown increasingly dependent on those close to him.
The Emperor had always favored Empress Wei a great deal. Now, woven into that favor were deeper threads of trust and attachment.
After he finished the medicine, Empress Wei personally helped him sit up straight, then ordered the heavy curtains to be drawn open. Two of the windows were opened as well. Sunlight immediately flooded into the bedchamber, and a warm, gentle breeze drifted in.
The Emperor was in particularly good spirits today, and said with a smile, “I have been confined to this bed for months. I missed the spring scenery, and now even the sight of a full pond of fragrant lotus has passed me by.”
Empress Wei smiled softly. “Your Majesty grows a little better with each passing day. By autumn, you may well be able to get out of bed and move about. When that time comes, this consort will accompany Your Majesty to the Imperial Garden to admire the autumn scenery.”
The Emperor laughed. “Very well, then it is settled between the Empress and I.”
Though the Emperor knew in his heart that such a day would probably never come, saying it aloud brought a little brightness to the spirit regardless.
“Your Majesty, the hour for the acupuncture has come.” Wei Yan arrived carrying his medicine case. “This subject will now administer the needles for Your Majesty.”
The Emperor smiled and gave a sound of assent.
Over these past months, acupuncture had been administered once every day without fail. Unavoidable bruising from the needles had left many dark marks across the Emperor’s body — a sight that was rather striking to look upon.
Wei Yan paid this no mind, working the needles with swift, practiced precision.
The process of acupuncture inevitably brought sharp moments of pain. The Emperor furrowed his brow but did not utter a single sound.
When the acupuncture was finished, the Emperor’s forehead was drenched in cold sweat.
Empress Wei quickly used a soft silk handkerchief to wipe away the beads of perspiration. The handkerchief still carried a faint, delicate fragrance — the familiar scent of white lily that Empress Wei always used.
The Emperor let out a long, slow breath and opened his eyes. What met his gaze was Empress Wei’s expression of tender concern. “How does Your Majesty feel now? Is it any better?”
The Emperor composed himself and forced a lighthearted smile. “Much better already. Wei Yan’s skill in acupuncture grows more accomplished by the day.”
Now that Empress Wei held a different station, Wei Yan was, in all propriety, the National Uncle. Out of affection by extension, the Emperor treated Wei Yan with greater warmth and informality than before. He no longer addressed him as Imperial Physician Wei, but called him by his given name.
Wei Yan immediately deferred. “This subject would not dare accept such generous praise from Your Majesty.”
“Indeed, Your Majesty, please do not keep lavishing praise on him — you will only make him arrogant and complacent.” Empress Wei looked at her younger brother with a smile, though her eyes were filled with unmistakable pride.
The Emperor saw it clearly and could not help but laugh. “I merely spoke a word of praise aloud, yet the Empress has already worn the praise plain on her face.”
Empress Wei replied with a touch of mock indignation. “Your Majesty is teasing this consort again! He is my one and only younger brother — if I do not cherish him, who should I cherish?”
The Emperor burst into laughter.
It had rather the feeling of a family at ease, bantering and laughing together.
……
Wei Yan kept to the conduct proper for a subject and did not speak unnecessarily, simply standing to one side with a quiet smile.
The Emperor glanced at Wei Yan, and then asked with a sudden smile, “If this Emperor recalls correctly, Wei Yan is twenty-seven this year?”
Why would the Emperor bring up Wei Yan’s age out of nowhere?
Empress Wei’s heart stirred, though she answered with a smile. “Your Majesty truly has an excellent memory. A’Yan is indeed twenty-seven this year.”
She paused, then sighed softly. “This consort still remembers when he first entered the Imperial Medical Academy — he was just a boy of twelve. It seems as though the blink of an eye has passed, and he is already a grown man standing seven feet tall.”
“Only it is a pity…”
Empress Wei did not finish the thought. She simply let out a quiet, wistful sigh with a look of gentle melancholy.
Just as expected, the Emperor immediately pressed further. “A pity about what? Tell me.”
Empress Wei feigned a moment’s hesitation, then sighed. “Only it is a pity that A’Yan is still alone, with no household of his own, no wife and no children. Each day he is solitary and without company. Whenever this consort thinks of it, I feel I have failed our late parents beneath the Yellow Springs. I am not a worthy elder sister.”
As she spoke, the rims of her eyes grew faintly red.
Wei Yan, standing to one side, felt his own heart stir. He understood Empress Wei’s intention almost instantly.
Empress Wei was seizing this opportunity to petition the Emperor for an imperially decreed marriage on his behalf.
In the past, the timing had not been right. Raising the matter then would likely have provoked the Emperor’s displeasure. And so she had held it in, and never brought it up.
Now, however, Empress Wei had firmly secured her place as the mistress of the inner palace, solidly entrenched in the Emperor’s affection. The Emperor’s thoughts were no longer turned toward Ling Jingshu either.
Bringing up his marriage at this moment — the likelihood of the Emperor’s approval was very great indeed!
Wei Yan’s heart immediately began to pound against his chest. He glanced instinctively toward the doorway.
Ling Jingshu was waiting just outside the door at this very moment!
The Emperor, seeing Empress Wei so sorrowful and self-reproachful, felt a pang of tenderness for her. Without a moment’s hesitation, he said, “If you are concerned about Wei Yan marrying soon, simply arrange a match for him.”
As the reigning Empress, to issue an imperial decree to a subject was both an honor and a distinction for that subject — and an act of grace that could not be refused!
Empress Wei dabbed at the corner of her eye with her handkerchief, and said with a trace of difficulty. “To be candid with Your Majesty, this consort has long wished to do exactly that. Only A’Yan spends all his time within the palace, and in ordinary days he is so absorbed in medicine that he has no interest in the matter of marriage at all. This consort has urged him many times, and each time he simply brushes it off with excuses.”
The Emperor said dismissively, with a smile. “In the past he was still young, of course he had a willful streak. Now, with the threshold of thirty only a few years away, it is time he took up the responsibilities a man ought to shoulder. A man must not only establish a career — he must also found a household, carry on the family name, and continue the line. Otherwise, what face would he have to show his forebears beneath the Yellow Springs.”
He looked toward Wei Yan, who had been standing to one side saying nothing. “Wei Yan, is what I say right?”
Once the Emperor had spoken, no one had the right to refuse.
Wei Yan hesitated for a brief moment, then replied with an expression of no great enthusiasm. “Your Majesty is right!”
The Emperor immediately turned to Empress Wei with a look of satisfaction. “Then the Empress need not worry. I have already persuaded him. His marriage — let the Empress make the decision. Choose a daughter of a good family in good time, and have him wed before the end of the year.”
Empress Wei’s eyes lit up, and she expressed her gratitude with unconcealed delight. “This consort thanks Your Majesty. As it happens, this consort has already had someone in mind.”