Time seemed to fly by that day, and Shen Yanshui spent the whole day watching Chunping and the others bustle about preparing what she’d wear the next day.
Early the next morning, the fifth of May, Duanyang Festival, the first light of dawn was just breaking in the east.
Attended by several maids, Shen Yanshui soaked in a bath scented with eupatorium. According to Chunping, this would drive away poison and ward off misfortune, ensuring her a safe and smooth day ahead.
Once she was properly dressed, she also ate a little breakfast to line her stomach.
Quanfu, waiting outside, gently reminded her, “Mistress, it’s almost time.”
Today Shen Yanshui brought Chunping with her—Chunping handled things more steadily, which put her more at ease. When mistress and maid arrived at Xiefang Hall, Liangyuan Zhang was already there.
Shen Yanshui bowed slightly in greeting. After the courtesies, since the two weren’t close and Zhang showed no intention of speaking, Shen Yanshui was content to sit quietly by herself.
A palace attendant brought them tea and fruit. Seeing something she hadn’t tried before, Shen Yanshui picked one up and took a bite.
Mm, quite tasty.
After eating two of the little fruits, she felt a bit thirsty and unhurriedly drank half a cup of tea.
She’d eaten too little at breakfast—Chunping and the others hadn’t let her eat much, saying that overeating might make her lose her manners in front of her betters, which would be a poor trade indeed.
She’d thought that made sense, and with just a little something in her stomach, she’d managed to hold back.
But in just this short while, her stomach had already begun to stage a rebellion.
She thought it over—she still didn’t know what the procedure would be later. What if her stomach started growling in front of the Empress or someone else out of hunger? Wouldn’t that be even more improper?
Shen Yanshui nodded inwardly, thoroughly convincing herself, and went back to eating unhurriedly, one small bite at a time.
Her behavior drew a few sidelong glances from the palace maids waiting nearby at Xiefang Hall.
Watching her secretly, Liangyuan Zhang couldn’t help but knit her willow-leaf brows slightly, a trace of disapproval flickering across her expression.
Shen Yanshui’s senses were sharp—she noticed Zhang glancing at her from time to time. After finishing off a plate of little fruits, she finally took a sip of tea, dabbed lightly at the corner of her mouth, and said with graceful, gentle warmth, “Sister Zhang, that outfit today really brings out your complexion.”
Liangyuan Zhang was dressed today in a pomegranate-red pearl-trimmed short jacket over a three-pleat pleated skirt, with a peony-and-pearl coronet on her head and a gold step-shake hairpin adorned with twining branches and beads—looking even more radiant than her usual elegant style. B L A C K L O T U S Translations | BLACK LOTUS NOVEL
Hearing such an unfeigned compliment, Liangyuan Zhang blinked in surprise, then pressed her lips together somewhat bashfully, glancing up to size Shen Yanshui up. A flicker of envy rose in her heart, though she said politely on the surface, “Sister Shen is too kind. You’re the one who’s naturally lovely.”
It was already the fifth month, and the days grew hotter by the day. Shen Yanshui had specially chosen a light, smoke-blue chest-high ruqun for the day, using rosy-red for the sash at the chest—one blue, one red, giving a cool, refreshing look without being too plain.
In her hair, besides a lightweight hibiscus-stone lotus coronet, she wore only two translucent white jade hairpins. On her wrist she wore a pink tourmaline eighteen-bead bracelet with kingfisher jade accents, along with a matching smoke-blue and pale pink hair ribbon.
The whole effect made her look like a touch of rouge-red amid misty, rain-veiled green hills—giving an impression of perfect balance between rich color and subtle restraint, one’s gaze drawn to her almost without meaning to be.
The two exchanged pleasantries for a while, and before long, the Crown Princess emerged in full ceremonial dress.
The two of them hastily rose to pay their respects.
The Crown Princess wore the purple ceremonial robe reserved solely for her rank, a seven-tailed phoenix-feather coronet upon her head. She glanced at the two of them, her gaze settling on Shen Yanshui, and said with a smile in her voice, “No need for such formality. Rise. Let’s not keep His Highness waiting.”
Once Shen Yanshui had risen, she followed quietly behind the other two as etiquette demanded, her heart full of anticipation for today’s Jinming Pond gathering.
Every year, the Jinming Pond gathering was a grand affair spanning the court and the capital alike. By the time it began, Jinming Pond would be filled not only with imperial relatives and high officials but also with commoners from the capital—separated, of course, by the pond itself.
The most anticipated part, the one everyone talked about most, was the dragon boat race. The teams competing included not only various imperial guard divisions but also teams selected from among the common people, all racing together. Whichever team won first place would get an audience with the Emperor and Empress—and if they caught the Emperor’s eye, rising to prominence in a single leap wasn’t out of the question.
Commoners suddenly gaining official rank, or ordinary imperial guards jumping several ranks at once, or receiving rewards from the Emperor and Empress—these things had happened before, which was why the Jinming Pond gathering grew livelier with each passing year.
Lost in anticipation, by the time she came back to herself, she found the group had already arrived in front of Changqing Hall. The Crown Prince wore crimson-red official robes befitting his rank, a leather belt at his waist, a jade coronet upon his head. His bearing was upright, his waist slim, his legs long, his expression composed and calm—yet an aura surrounded him that made no one dare overstep.
As Shen Yanshui joined the others in bowing to pay respects, she couldn’t help sneaking a few extra glances.
Only to find, in the next moment, that her gaze had met the Crown Prince’s.
Shen Yanshui: “…” Caught peeking.
She blinked, then put on an innocent look, as if she hadn’t been doing anything at all.
Cui Yu’s eyes swept lightly over her, lingering on her for a brief moment—taking in, without any change of expression, the jade hairpins in her hair and the pink tourmaline bracelet glimpsed faintly at her wrist. A trace of amusement flickered in his eyes before he said in a calm, steady voice, “Let’s go.”
The Crown Princess led the group to rise.
Perhaps worried that this being the first time they’d attend such an occasion, they might make some mistake that would embarrass the Eastern Palace—or her, as Crown Princess.
The previous afternoon, the Crown Princess had specially sent a nanny to Lianxin Courtyard and Zhuxiang Residence to go over the proper etiquette.
So Shen Yanshui had a rough idea of how today’s proceedings would go.
Leaving the Eastern Palace, they would pass through the archery pavilion outside it, cross Jingyun Gate, and then follow the Crown Princess to the Empress’s Kunning Palace, to pay their respects to the Empress alongside the wives and family members of the civil and military officials.
Once the time was right, they would follow the Empress to Donghua Gate.
The Crown Prince, meanwhile, would part ways with them first, going to pay respects to the Emperor at Tingzheng Hall, then proceed with the Emperor and the officials to Xuande Gate.
The Divine Martial Imperial Guard would clear the way as the Emperor and Empress’s procession departed from Xuande Gate, passed along the imperial avenue, wound through the inner and outer city of the capital, and finally exited through Shuntian Gate in the outer city, leading everyone to the imperial garden at Jinming Pond.
When the Crown Prince departed with his retinue, the others saw him off respectfully—Shen Yanshui among them.
Before leaving, Cui Yu glanced sideways at her slightly bowed, kneeling figure, his eyes deepening for a moment. In the end, he said nothing.
Don’t disappoint me…
Shen Yanshui, of course, had no idea what was on his mind. She only remembered to follow properly behind the Crown Princess the whole way, keeping her head down and her eyes lowered, not looking at what she shouldn’t, and staying silent whenever possible, so as not to bring trouble on herself.
It was only when they were received by the Empress that, under the guise of bowing, she quickly caught a glimpse of the face of the woman seated at the head of the hall.
She wore a phoenix coronet and a降-colored ceremonial robe embroidered with phoenix patterns in dark thread, her whole bearing dignified and imposing, her expression stern and upright, her gaze rather sharp—commanding respect at a single glance.
Her face was somewhat thin, and though there were already a few lines at the corners of her eyes, they didn’t diminish her presence in the least. One could still tell she had once been a great beauty, and remained a striking one.
Shen Yanshui had seen the Empress once before, during the selection process, but there had been many people then, and she’d been far back in the crowd, at a distance. Back then, her goal had been to win favor with the Noble Consort—ideally to end up in the Fifth Prince’s household—so she hadn’t paid much attention to the Empress’s brief appearance.
It was still fairly early, and there was no one else yet at Kunning Palace. After the Crown Princess brought the two of them to pay their respects, the Empress lowered her gaze to the two behind the Crown Princess, her voice fairly gentle. “No need for such formality. Rise. Give the Crown Princess a seat.”
The Crown Princess thanked her respectfully and sat at the Empress’s side.
Shen Yanshui rose again as etiquette demanded, standing obediently behind the Crown Princess. At this distance, she was actually quite close to the Empress—no more than about two meters apart.
She noticed, with her keen senses, that the Empress’s breathing seemed slightly off, and that there was a faint, bitter scent of herbal medicine about her.
Ah, right—now that she was closer, she also noticed a faint scent of herbal medicine on the Crown Princess.
It was mostly masked by the scent of rouge and the incense on her clothes, hard for ordinary people to notice.
She’d heard that the Empress hadn’t been feeling well this past year, having overexerted herself, and had been taking medicine to recuperate ever since.
The Crown Princess came to pay her respects to the Empress almost every day, so it made sense some of that herbal scent would rub off on her too.
The moment Shen Yanshui rose, the Empress’s gaze fell upon her face. So this must be the Zhaoxun Shen who’s recently caught Yu’er’s fancy, she thought.
With looks like that, no wonder Yu’er’s been breaking precedent and showering her with gifts lately. — black lotus novel Novel Reading — BLACK LOTUS NOVEL
She glanced over at Nanny Zhao beside her, who gave a slight nod, confirming her guess.
But the Empress said nothing more about it—she understood her own child, and trusted him.
She knew her son wouldn’t lose his head over a pretty face. So she asked the two of them a few questions with equal impartiality, and seeing how modestly and gently they answered, the Empress smiled. “Very good. Both well-behaved and sensible girls. I hope you’ll both work hard to bring the Crown Prince heirs, and help the royal family flourish.”
With that, she gifted a bracelet each to Liangyuan Zhang and Shen Yanshui.
Both blushed and lowered their heads in thanks.
Forcing herself to blush as if shy, Shen Yanshui sighed inwardly—thank goodness she still had some acting skill left in her.
Still, it seemed the matter of the Crown Prince’s heirs was a real sore point for the Empress.
Last time, when Nanny Zhao had conveyed the Empress’s verbal instructions along with a gift, she’d said much the same thing.
The Crown Prince’s body… did have a bit of an issue.
On the surface nothing seemed wrong—if anything, once undressed, he was considerably more robust than an ordinary man, and certain natural endowments were quite excellent—but… ahem.
Actually, the first time, that duration had been a bit short.
But perhaps because of her wood-attribute ability, during their nighttime “deep exchanges,” not only did her ability grow, but it also seemed to quietly repair and recondition his body, so that he seemed to get stronger each time…
She’d gone from being composed and at ease the first time, to him later scrambling, crawling… unable to crawl away.
Though to this day she still hadn’t figured out exactly why this was, it clearly wasn’t a bad thing, so she hadn’t bothered digging further.
As for producing heirs… she wasn’t the least bit anxious about getting pregnant.
Let nature take its course.
Liangyuan Zhang noticed that the bracelet the Empress had given her was a rare, thoroughly lustrous red agate one, which suited her outfit today perfectly.
Whereas the one given to Zhaoxun Shen was just an ordinary green jade bracelet. Though it suited her outfit well enough too, it clearly wasn’t as rare or precious as the red agate bracelet in her own hand, which made her all the more pleased.
Compared to Zhaoxun Shen, this meant the Empress evidently valued her more.
Having received her gift, Shen Yanshui’s peach-blossom eyes curved with a genuine smile as she said, “Thank you for the gift, Your Majesty.” As she spoke, she slid the bracelet onto her left wrist.
She didn’t care in the least what the Empress had given anyone else—she only knew the Empress was clearly a wonderful person. Last time she’d given her so many things, and now a single greeting had earned her another nice bracelet. Naturally, she was delighted.
Watching her so openly pleased, so evidently guileless, the Empress and Nanny Fan both fell silent for a moment.
“Thank you for the gift, Your Majesty.”
Though Liangyuan Zhang felt nervous before the Empress, she carried herself with dignity and composure, unwilling to appear petty or small-minded—managing to seem quite at ease as well.
The Empress watched the two of them with a smile, and the Crown Princess began making conversation with a smile of her own.
As the two of them spoke, Shen Yanshui started to sense something was a bit off.
There didn’t seem to be nearly as much “maternal warmth and filial devotion” between them as rumor suggested.
Before she could think further on it, the area in and around Kunning Palace began to grow lively.
The Eastern Palace wasn’t far from Kunning Palace, but the Crown Princess had deliberately arrived early—after all, quite a few senior consorts from the rear palace would be arriving soon too, and as elders of a sort, it wouldn’t do to make them wait on the younger generation.
Before long, consorts from the Six Eastern and Western Palaces who were eligible to attend the Jinming Pond gathering began arriving at Kunning Palace to pay respects, along with wives from outside the palace bringing their own younger family members. The sound of kneeling and greeting rang out continuously.
Shen Yanshui stood properly behind the Crown Princess the whole time, serving as a quiet backdrop while her eyes grew dazzled and her ears quietly perked up.
Before long, the main hall of Kunning Palace grew lively. Those with the standing to sit in the main hall itself, rather than being seated in the side hall’s flower parlor, were either imperial relatives or ladies of considerable status.
During this time, Shen Yanshui also spotted her elder half-sister, Shen Ronghua, entering alongside Noble Consort Lan.
But she only glanced at her once—seeing her looking radiant and glowing as ever—before turning her attention elsewhere.
She was nothing but an unremarkable little figure in this grand hall; no one paid any mind to a low-ranking concubine from the Eastern Palace, and Shen Yanshui was more than happy to remain unnoticed.
She simply kept her head lowered, ears perked, listening to the smiling back-and-forth of veiled sparring among the various ladies present.
At first it was rather entertaining to listen to—some remarks took so many roundabout turns that without careful thought, one couldn’t even tell what had actually been said.
But after a while, her brain started to buzz, and somewhere no one could see, little smoke rings practically began curling from her eyes.
Being someone above others clearly wasn’t for just anyone—if you had to live like this every single day, who knew how many brain cells you’d lose.
Surely it’d shorten your lifespan.
Just as she was starting to feel a bit bored, wondering when they’d finally set off for Jinming Pond, a soft, alluring voice suddenly rang out with a smile in it.
“Isn’t that Zhaoxun Shen of the Eastern Palace, standing behind the Crown Princess? Zhaoxun Shen and this palace’s own Consort Shen are sisters by blood, are they not? You two ought to grow closer in the future—blood kin shouldn’t grow distant from one another.”
The main hall, which had been full of smiles and chatter, suddenly went quiet.
Shen Yanshui looked up and saw her—seated to the Empress’s lower right, directly across from the Crown Princess.
A stunning beauty with an elaborate high coiffure, phoenix eyes, and willow brows was smiling at her with warm, radiant charm.
If the words behind that smile hadn’t carried a barb, Shen Yanshui might have genuinely enjoyed listening to such a gentle, alluring voice.
The moment Noble Consort Lan finished speaking, Shen Yanshui could sense more than a few pairs of eyes turning discreetly toward her.
Everyone with eyes knew that Noble Consort Lan and the Empress didn’t get along—let alone the many sharp minds present in that hall. For a moment, no one dared speak rashly.
Over the past half year, Noble Consort Lan’s son, the Fourth Prince, had repeatedly earned the Emperor’s praise, and not long ago had even received an official appointment, now able to participate in court affairs. No one wanted to risk offending Noble Consort Lan carelessly.
Shen Yanshui lowered her head and bowed slightly, her expression composed as she replied gently, “Naturally, Consort Shen and I were blood kin back home. But now that my sister and I have both entered the palace, I am but a lowly Zhaoxun of the Eastern Palace, and ought to abide first by the rules of the imperial household, keeping proper order between ranks. I would not dare overstep.” | black lotus novel Novel Chapter | Black Lotus Novel
Back home, she and this half-sister of hers had never been close, nor familiar. Her half-sister had even looked down on her for being lazy, pleasure-seeking, and unwilling to attend to “proper matters.” Close? As if.
If not for this very half-sister, her marriage might well have already been settled by now—a single letter from her sister had ruined a perfectly good match.
If she weren’t so easygoing and quick to let things go, she might have already wanted to take a knife to her.
Author’s Note:
These two chapters are transition chapters and might be a bit boring—the plot picks up next chapter, so don’t give up on me, guys! Don’t let me go to waste, pretty please~
