Warm Fragrance and Lustrous Jade

温香艳玉

warm-fragrance-and-lustrous-jade

Palace-Bestowed Wine

Ling Qiyan had been in the palace for several days. He had left the palace to establish his own manor at the age of twelve, so his sleeping quarters in the palace were long gone. Whenever he returned to the palace for festivals or New Year's, he would stay in the Empress Dowager's Palace of Tranquil Longevity.


 Early in the morning on the day of the Dragon Boat Festival, Empress Shen led a group of palace consorts to the Palace of Tranquil Longevity to pay their respects. The Empress Dowager disliked noise and only allowed them to come once every ten days. Today was the main day of the festival, so all the consorts, along with the princes and princesses, were present.


 Besides Ling Qiyan, the eldest son, all the other princes and princesses lived in the palace and were still young.


 The Crown Prince was not present; he and the Emperor were still in the front court, summoning officials.


 Ling Qiyan lazily slept until after chen shi before getting up. He appeared in the main hall of the Palace of Tranquil Longevity, yawning, and absentmindedly greeted his mother, Empress Shen, and several other high-ranking consorts.


 Lady Shen was very displeased with his lazy appearance and immediately frowned, starting to scold him: "Look at you, what kind of state are you in? What time is it that you're only just getting up? Your second younger brother went to attend the morning court with your Father Emperor an hour ago. Can't you learn from him? Improve yourself a little?"


 "Why should I learn from him? He's the Crown Prince, I'm not. I don't need to attend court either," Ling Qiyan pursed his lips and muttered under his breath.


 "With the way you are, would your Father Emperor dare to bring you to court? Do you want to lose face in front of the entire court of civil and military officials?"


 "...Anyway, whatever I do, you find it disgraceful."


 Lady Shen grew angry upon hearing this and wanted to scold him further, but she was stopped by the Empress Dowager. "Yan'er, come to grandmother."


 Ling Qiyan put on a smile, leaned against the Empress Dowager's side, and acted spoiled to curry favor, coaxing the old lady until her eyes crinkled with laughter.


 Lady Shen swallowed the bellyful of scolding words that had reached her lips. She wrung the handkerchief in her hands, concealed the gloom in her eyes, and lowered her gaze, saying no more.


 The others kept their eyes on their noses and their noses on their hearts, pretending not to have seen anything.


 Everyone knew that the Empress and His Highness, Prince Yu, did not get along as mother and son. The Empress had given birth to three sons. Ling Qiyan was born when she was still in the prince's residence. However, she suffered a great deal during his birth. Just after Ling Qiyan turned one hundred days old, he was taken by the Empress Dowager to be raised by her side. Due to certain events, Lady Shen felt that Ling Qiyan brought her bad luck, and it seemed as if they were naturally fated to have no mother-son bond, so she particularly disliked him.


 Later, she had the second and sixth princes, and her affections completely shifted. She cherished her two younger sons like jewels, especially the second prince, Ling Qiyu, who was not even two years younger than Ling Qiyan. Unlike Ling Qiyan, who had been ignorant and unscholarly since childhood and couldn't focus on his studies, this second prince was naturally gifted, clever, and obedient. Not only did Lady Shen dote on him, but the Emperor also favored him more, which was why he had delayed appointing a Crown Prince for so long.


 When Ling Qiyan was twelve, he fell gravely ill and almost didn't recover. At his most critical moment, Lady Shen didn't even come to see him once. The Emperor went even further and directly appointed the second prince as the Crown Prince. Ling Qiyan was carried to the Palace of Tranquil Longevity by the Empress Dowager's order, where she personally oversaw a group of imperial physicians administering acupuncture and medicine to him, finally snatching him back from the brink of death.


 After that, he was enfeoffed as a prince and moved out of the palace. If not for the Empress Dowager's reluctance to part with him, it was likely the Emperor and the Empress would have directly given him a fiefdom and driven him out of the capital.


 Lady Shen disliked Ling Qiyan, and naturally, Ling Qiyan disliked her as well. Towards this mother-empress who had never shown him a shred of affection, he only treated her as a stranger.


 Sitting down beside the Empress Dowager, Ling Qiyan began to shell pine nuts and peanuts for her. The Empress Dowager was incredibly pleased, repeatedly praising his filial piety.


 When the Emperor and the Crown Prince came in, Ling Qiyan was acting spoiled, asking the Empress Dowager for a complete silver fox pelt that had just been sent as tribute from Mobei. The Emperor heard this, frowned, and chided him, "How old are you? Where did you learn to be so extravagant? Do you want to hoard every good thing for yourself?"


 Ling Qiyan was unconcerned. "Didn't the Empress give her pelt to the Crown Prince? If the Crown Prince can have one, why can't I?"


 The silver fox pelts were extremely rare. Not only were they perfectly intact, but their fur was also bright and glossy, making them items of the highest quality. There were only two in total. The Emperor had given them to the Empress Dowager and Empress Shen, and Lady Shen had then passed hers on to Ling Qiyu.


 Lady Shen had already been holding back her anger. Hearing Ling Qiyan say this, she grew even more displeased. "What, do you intend to compare yourself with the Crown Prince in every matter? Why don't you take a look at yourself and see in what way you can possibly compare to him."


 Ling Qiyan averted his eyes, ignoring her completely as if her words were just wind passing by his ears. Seeing that Lady Shen was about to erupt in anger, Ling Qiyu quickly stepped in to smooth things over with a smile. "It's just a pelt. If Eldest Brother likes it, I'll just give mine to him."


 As he spoke, he was about to order someone to fetch it from the Eastern Palace, but he was interrupted by the Empress Dowager, whose face had also turned cold. "Enough. Yan'er just wants a pelt, it's not some extraordinary item. If he likes it, just give it to him. Cuiliu, go to the storehouse, fetch my pelt, and pack it up. Have him take it with him when he returns to his manor."


 The head palace maid who was called upon acknowledged the order and went to retrieve the item. The Emperor disapprovingly reminded the Empress Dowager, "Mother, you shouldn't spoil him so much. This habit of his of wanting everything he sees needs to be corrected. Who acts like him?"


 "And who acts like a Father Emperor and Mother Empress like you two? None of you care for Yan'er, so can't an old woman like me dote on my grandson?"


 The Empress Dowager's words were already quite blunt. Lady Shen's expression was extremely unsightly, and in front of all the consorts, the Emperor also felt he was losing face. "Mother, what are you saying? How could we not dote on Yan'er..."


 "You know in your own heart whether you dote on him or not," the Empress Dowager said irritably. "Yan'er is already sixteen. He can't go on like this, being idle all day. You, as his Father Emperor, shouldn't be so biased. At least arrange some duties for him."


 Ling Qiyan was a little embarrassed; he didn't want any duties at all...


 "He doesn't know how to do anything. What duties could he possibly perform?" the Emperor said, troubled.


 "If you don't teach him and don't give him a chance, of course he won't know how. Are you going to let him be like this for his entire life?"


 Rebutted into silence by the Empress Dowager, the Emperor could only helplessly agree, saying he would consider it upon his return.


 During the family banquet that followed, Lady Shen kept a stern face, while Ling Qiyan was quite pleased, eating and drinking to his heart's content. At one point, the eight-year-old sixth prince, Ling Qining, skipped over to his side and stuffed a string of five-colored zongzi into his hand, grinning and winking. "I made them myself. A gift for Eldest Brother."


 This sixth prince was also Ling Qiyan's full-blooded younger brother, the third son born to Lady Shen. The little kid actually had a good relationship with Ling Qiyan. He loved to play and had been fond of sticking to Ling Qiyan since he was small. Even though Lady Shen had lectured him many times, he was still willing to play with Ling Qiyan.


 Ling Qiyan held the item in his hand and gave it a shake. The five-colored zongzi was an ornament that children liked to wear during the Dragon Boat Festival. They were small zongzi folded from stiff paper and tied together in a string with five-colored silk thread. Worn at the waist, they looked very pretty swaying back and forth.


 Ling Qiyan, of course, looked down on such a trinket. He took it casually, thinking nothing of it.


 The silly Ling Qining didn't notice Ling Qiyan's disdain at all. After giving the gift, he returned to his own seat.


 The family banquet finally ended before shen shi. The Emperor left with the Crown Prince; they still had to host a state banquet for the court officials in the evening.


 The Empress Dowager was feeling unwell, so she dismissed everyone.


 On the way back to her chambers, Lady Shen irritably scolded Ling Qining, "How many times have I told you to stay away from your eldest brother? Do you see him paying you any attention?"


 Ling Qining mumbled defiantly, "Eldest Brother is my eldest brother. Why can't I play with him?"


 Lady Shen's anger flared. The mama by her side, Lady Liu, tried to persuade her, "Your Highness, no matter what, the Eldest Prince is still your own biological son. Even if you dislike him, you shouldn't show it so obviously. Otherwise, people will see it as a joke, and you won't be able to gain favor with the Empress Dowager either."


 At the mention of the Empress Dowager, Lady Shen grew even more furious. "If she hadn't snatched that boy away back then, would our mother-son relationship have become like this? I went through hell and back to give birth to him, but look at him! Does he show even a shred of respect for me, his mother-empress? He's been in the palace for so many days, and he hasn't come to pay his respects to me even once!"


 For a moment, Lady Liu didn't know what to say and could only repeat her words of persuasion again and again.


 Ling Qiyan stayed in the palace for another two days but finally grew restless. After informing the Empress Dowager, he left the palace with a pile of fine things he had wheedled out of the Palace of Tranquil Longevity.


 As he was leaving, he passed by the Eastern Palace. A servant from the Eastern Palace came out, stopped his carriage, and said politely, "Your Highness, the Eldest Prince, His Highness, the Crown Prince, invites you into the Eastern Palace for a talk."


 "Not going," Ling Qiyan showed no courtesy. "If he has something to say, tell him to come out and say it to this prince. This prince does not wish to go in."


 Besides the Emperor, the Empress, and the Empress Dowager, only Ling Qiyan dared to speak to the Crown Prince like this.


 The person from the Eastern Palace left and returned, presenting the silver fox pelt that Lady Shen had given to Ling Qiyu. "His Highness, the Crown Prince, says that since Your Highness likes it, this silver fox pelt is also a gift for you. Please accept it."


 Ling Qiyan couldn't be bothered to think about what his second younger brother was plotting this time. He directly ordered someone to accept the item. A pelt this good shouldn't be refused.


 The palace servant added, "His Highness, the Crown Prince, also said that he hopes Your Highness won't be so stubborn. Since you've come to the palace, you should at least go see the Empress."


 Ling Qiyan sneered, "The Empress has a filial son like him; that's more than enough. Why would she need this prince to see her? Go tell the Crown Prince that this prince accepts his 'good intentions'. Now make way."


 The carriage left through the palace gates before they were locked for the night. By the time he returned to Prince Yu's Manor, the sky had already darkened.


 The manor gates were wide open, and a crowd of servants came out to respectfully welcome Ling Qiyan back. Ling Qiyan directly ordered for dinner to be served. Just as he sat down, he remembered Wen Ying, whom he had been intentionally ignoring for many days. He summoned the eunuch who had welcomed the man into the manor that day for questioning.


 "That young master Wen, apart from leaving early and returning late to study at the Imperial Academy, has been holed up in his room, never going out. He has been reading constantly, barely even eating his meals, forgetting to sleep and eat."


 'The Autumn Imperial Examination must be approaching, so the boy is studying himself to the bone,' Ling Qiyan thought. He considered for a moment, then commanded, "Go and summon him. How can he not eat? Does he think he can become an immortal?"


 After the messenger left, Ling Qiyan gestured to Jiang Lin. "Bring out the wine that was bestowed from the palace."


 Every Dragon Boat Festival, besides gifting zongzi, the palace would also bestow calamus wine and realgar wine. This calamus wine was said to have an aphrodisiac effect. Although Ling Qiyan had never felt anything from drinking it, he didn't know what would happen if that boy Wen Ying drank it.


 Just the thought of that boy's hazy, drunken eyes and his face flushed like a peach blossom made Ling Qiyan's heart itch with unbearable desire, a feeling more potent than drinking a large jar of calamus wine. ...He absolutely had to get that boy drunk tonight.

Warm Fragrance and Lustrous Jade

Warm Fragrance and Lustrous Jade

Chapter 5 - Palace-Bestowed Wine

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