Chapter 361: Chapter 356: Imperial Concubine
The Daxin Dynasty holds a selection of concubines every three years, and all the ladies who successfully pass through the two rounds will attend a flower-viewing banquet hosted by the Empress or the Empress Dowager. This is both to examine the etiquette of each concubine and to give the Emperor a chance to meet them and take note in his heart.
Now that the Central Palace has no Empress, and the Empress Dowager is plagued with illness, it naturally falls to Ye Qiu, the Vice Empress, to host this event. It is now the Si hour, and once the Emperor is done with state affairs, he will also come. At that time, whichever concubine catches his eye, it will be a matter of their own skills.
However, Ye Qiu looked at the group of charming and beautiful ladies with disdain. With Qiao Qingyue present today, who else could catch Ji Fei’s eye?
Clearly, Qiao Qingyue also thought the same, so unlike the other ladies who chose to stand out in beautifully scenic spots, she went to one side of the living waters in the imperial garden. The banks were planted with unknown flowers and plants that seemed somewhat scattered after yesterday’s rain, but it presented a different kind of scenery.
When Ji Fei hurried over, he just happened to see Qiao Qingyue dressed in a moon-white palace silk dress, with a loosely fitting nephrite jade bracelet on her slender, pure white wrist. She had her hair done up in a Chang’e bun and without too many hair ornaments – just a few delicately placed pink and white small flowers, and a step shake tilted on the left side. She was carefully squatting by the water, holding up her dress with one hand, lightly touching the flower petals on the water with the other, corners of her mouth slightly turned up, displaying an image of peaceful times.
"I guessed you would run off to such a solitary place." Ji Fei approached her, careful not to startle her and cause any accidents, and personally steadied her hand.
Upon seeing the visitor, Qiao Qingyue’s face flushed with a shy blush, and then she gently broke free to perform a courtesy to Ji Fei: "I pay my respects to Your Majesty the Emperor."
"It’s just the two of us here, do you still need to be so formal?" Ji Fei said somewhat helplessly.
"Your Majesty, propriety must not be discarded." Qiao Qingyue insisted, looking at him, though her heart stirred with emotion.
Ji Fei chuckled lightly; he knew the woman he liked was respectful and sensible, unlike the Imperial Concubine who always acted arrogantly because of her favor.
Why did he think of Ye Qiu again? Ji Fei was somewhat distracted. These past two months, he had used being busy with state affairs as an excuse not to visit the Changchun Palace, but the image of that woman occasionally surfaced in his mind.
Impossible, he would never take a liking to her. Ji Fei affirmed this to himself again, but this time she had the sense not to come and make a scene.
"Your Majesty, what’s wrong?" Seeing Ji Fei suddenly fall into contemplation, Qiao Qingyue asked softly.
"Oh, it’s nothing." Ji Fei waved Ye Qiu’s image out of his mind and looking deeply at Qiao Qingyue, his eyes revealed deep affection – indeed, only his Little Moon could evoke such feelings in him.
Qiao Qingyue, feeling bashful from his stare, looked down: "Your Majesty, why do you keep looking at me like that?"
"Qingyue, we can finally be together openly, but with the Imperial Concubine and the Empress Dowager currently influential, you might have to suffer some inconveniences for a while," Ji Fei said with guilt.
Qiao Qingyue showed an understanding expression suitably: "Your Majesty, I understand everything, as long as the Emperor keeps me in his heart, that’s enough for me."
"Qingyue, rest assured, I will never let you down," Ji Fei earnestly assured her.
"Eh, I didn’t expect the scenery here to be quite nice." As Qiao Qingyue was about to continue the intimate exchange with Ji Fei, laughter from a group of women could be heard not far away.
Ji Fei looked deeply at Qiao Qingyue, feeling the sorrow of not yet fully wielding power. A great Emperor such as himself had to hide from the public just to be with the woman he loved deeply.
However, if he openly declared Qingyue to be the woman he deeply loves, it would not be to her benefit but to her detriment.
"Then I shall go ahead."
Standing beside the flowing water, Qiao Qingyue watched Ji Fei’s figure gradually disappear from her view, feeling an immense sense of helplessness, but at the same time, she became firmer in her belief that she must keep a low profile and bide her time.
"The Emperor has arrived." Just as Ye Qiu was comfortably dozing off against the back of her chair, an annoying voice forced her to rise and pay her respects.
"I pay my respects to Your Majesty," said Ye Qiu, leading everyone in a salute.
In order to create an illusion of his deep affection for Ye Qiu in front of everyone, Ji Fei always personally helped her rise, and this time was no exception: "My beloved princess, please rise."
"It’s been a few days since we last met, and the Imperial Concubine seems even more beautiful today." Ji Fei half-heartedly exclaimed in a trance, then became immersed once more in the subtle and enchanting fragrance.
When Qiao Qingyue and the other two concubines arrived, they just happened to witness the scene of Ji Fei looking at Ye Qiu with deep affection. Although she knew this was done intentionally by Ji Fei to confuse and mislead the onlookers, in that moment, her heart was filled with sorrow.
"I’ve heard that the Imperial Concubine’s beauty has uniquely won Your Majesty’s favor, and seeing you today, it is indeed true," said a concubine with rather deep-set features. She came from the border, and her speech and demeanor had a bit more forthrightness than those of the women from the capital.
"With the Imperial Concubine present, I wonder if the Emperor could even notice us?" another delicate-looking concubine said worriedly.
"What’s there to worry about? If we’re not chosen, we just go home, right? The Emperor isn’t the only man in the world." The woman from before said nonchalantly, while the other concubines looked at her as if she were a fool.
How could the Emperor be compared to other men? If one is fortunate to gain his favor, it would be an honor of the highest degree, not to mention that the Emperor is so handsome and dashing. The concubines looked on from a distance, their faces blushing.
Qiao Qingyue’s concerns were not with the concubines but rather with the interaction between Ji Fei and Ye Qiu from a distance. Seeing Ji Fei’s smile deepen, she couldn’t help but walk a bit faster.
"I pay my respects to Your Majesty and the Imperial Concubine," Qiao Qingyue said, following the other concubines in saluting.
"All rise," commanded Ji Fei with his magnetic and pleasing voice. When his gaze met Qiao Qingyue’s, it was as if he had returned to his senses.
At this moment, Qiao Qingyue was covertly observing Ye Qiu, while a great sense of wariness arose in her heart.
Although she had heard from others more than once how beautiful and charming the Imperial Concubine was, it was nothing compared to seeing her with her own eyes.
In the past, Qiao Qingyue had only sketched a vague image of a vase in her mind from the sparse words about Ye Qiu in Ji Fei’s letters. In her opinion, Ye Qiu was beautiful but completely without cunning and even somewhat foolish.
However, the Imperial Concubine she saw now was high above, exuding a beauty and nobility that were inviolable and beyond reproach. Her beauty was entirely different from her own. Qiao Qingyue knew her beauty was of a refined and scholarly kind; she used to be quite proud of it, but now upon comparison, she realized what was the moon in the sky, and what was merely the light of a firefly.
Under such an alluring charm, could the Emperor truly restrain himself? Was the look he was giving the Imperial Concubine just now really feigned?