You Yuji wasn’t particularly fond of lively occasions, but as the Empress, her birthday couldn’t be simply brushed aside. Early in the morning, the families of the court’s high officials came to the palace with smiles to celebrate her birthday. Although she didn’t enjoy making an ordinary day so grand, she handled such occasions with ease.
The women in the hall were all meticulously dressed, looking grand and dazzling. The entire inner hall was a breathtaking sight. Unlike these women in their formal attire, You Yuji’s outfit was much simpler. She didn’t wear the heavy dark phoenix robe, nor did she don the weighty phoenix crown. She was dressed in a fashionable, soft ruqun, which highlighted her graceful figure with a gentle elegance. She chose a light purple, a color she always liked, instead of the traditional dark and red hues, with some exclusive phoenix patterns embroidered on it. The subtle phoenix patterns were not obvious when she stood still but glimmered with light when she moved. Especially as she walked, the extended hem of her dress trailed on the ground, revealing the phoenixes slowly spreading their wings.
Her black hair was entirely pinned up, further accentuating her slender neck and outstanding temperament. She wore a phoenix hairpin set, with a long and a short hairpin, two phoenix head hairpins, and a few small, exquisite gold beads. Her forehead was also adorned with small gold beads.
You Yuji sat at the head seat and warmly invited everyone to take their seats. The women in the hall quietly took their seats, subtly observing the Empress.
She possessed a captivating beauty that enchanted men and an innate gentleness that enhanced her charm, making her beauty neither ordinary nor clichéd, but rather admirable.
Before the Empress arrived, the entire hall was a sea of vibrant colors, with each woman competing in beauty. All of them were of noble status and not lacking in looks, making the desire to outshine each other seem natural. However, once the Empress arrived, all the splendor dimmed instantly, turning everyone else into mere foils.
“Am I late?” Cuiyu ran in. She didn’t bow upon entering but held up her skirt and continued running past the banquet tables towards You Yuji.
“You’re not late.” You Yuji smiled as she reached out to take her hand.
Several pairs of eyes scrutinized Cuiyu, showing various expressions—surprise, disdain, and more confusion. Many believed Cuiyu had an unfortunate fate. Born to a noble family and destined for a life of luxury, she was kidnapped as a child and suffered greatly. After finally being found by her biological parents, the dynasty changed, and she hadn’t enjoyed good days for long before she started to run various businesses again. For a young lady, it seemed quite improper to be constantly engaged in business.
However, her fate wasn’t entirely unfortunate.
Despite the regime change and the Chen family’s fall from power, she managed to build a relationship with the Empress, calling her sister as if they were blood relatives.
Cuiyu didn’t just come late to the Empress’s birthday celebration, but she also ran straight to sit beside the Empress. Could she sit there comfortably?
Cuiyu sat quite comfortably.
“Sister, sister, look at the gift I prepared for you!” Cuiyu signaled for someone to bring the gift forward. It was covered in red silk, concealing the contents inside. Four eunuchs carried it, indicating its considerable weight.
You Yuji looked over, unable to guess what was inside, but she knew it wouldn’t be a cheap gift. Cuiyu loved money and was extremely stingy with acquaintances. But if she had a good relationship with someone, she would give valuable gifts. In her eyes, valuable gifts meant expensive ones.
Sure enough, when the red silk was lifted, everyone in the hall gasped.
It was a pine tree made entirely of pure gold, almost as large as a real pine tree. The craftsmanship was exquisite down to every leaf’s texture. The base of the golden pine tree was decorated with pigeon-egg-sized gems, shimmering brightly and almost hurting the eyes.
The noble women in the hall were momentarily speechless, stunned by this extravagant and gaudy gift.
You Yuji smiled at Cuiyu and said, “It seems you’ve earned quite a bit this year.”
“Indeed,” Cuiyu beamed, “I earn more each year!”
Cuiyu was straightforward. She didn’t care if these noble families looked down on her for doing business; she simply enjoyed making money. Earning money brought her happiness, and nothing made Cuiyu happier than making money.
Lin Yingying bent slightly and handed a bowl of fragrant drink to Cuiyu, smiling with her eyes. “Here, this tastes good and suits your palate.”
Cuiyu took it without any concern for etiquette and downed it in one gulp. She put the bowl down and urged Lin Yingying and Chunxing to reveal what birthday gifts they had prepared for You Yuji.
Chunxing was already dead and now the young mistress of the Zhou family. She had a contented nature, but her current contentment was different from when she was in the Prince of Jinnan’s mansion. Back then, she had resigned to her fate, but now she was genuinely satisfied with her life.
Not long after, the emperor arrived, and everyone in the hall stood up again to welcome him.
You Yuji was a bit surprised, looking at Si Que as he walked towards her. When attending court, Si Que wore a dark robe embroidered with dragons, but on regular days, he preferred loose-sleeved robes. Today, however, he was dressed in a striking red outfit, making him even more eye-catching. His appearance was like that of an exiled immortal, and the red robe was a stark contrast to his cold demeanor.
Si Que sat down next to You Yuji, and under the watchful eyes of the entire hall, he leaned slightly towards her and whispered, “Who has caught my sister’s attention?”
You Yuji’s lips curved into a slight smile before returning to calm. She lifted her chin slightly and whispered in Si Que’s ear, “My husband looks exceptionally handsome today.”
In full view of everyone, the emperor and empress whispered sweet nothings to each other.
The others only saw the couple’s intimate gestures but couldn’t hear their conversation.
Si Que lowered his gaze, and You Yuji looked up simultaneously. Their eyes met, and they shared a smile before looking away.
At this moment, the noblewomen attending the banquet began to present their gifts to the Empress.
The matriarch of the Su family stood up, pulling her graceful granddaughter along. After paying respects, she announced that today’s gift was a hand-embroidered “Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix” made by her granddaughter, subtly praising her granddaughter in the process. Finally, she had her granddaughter, Su Wanxi, personally present the gift.
Su Wanxi was a renowned beauty and talented woman in the capital. She gracefully approached the head seat, holding the embroidery with both hands, and glanced at Si Que intentionally or unintentionally.
Cuiyu and Lin Yingying exchanged glances. They had long noticed that the noble families attending today had brought their unmarried daughters to celebrate the Empress’s birthday.
It seemed they were trying to take advantage of the six years without any concubines in the harem to introduce new candidates.
As soon as Su Wanqi stepped down, other families rushed forward to present their gifts, most of them having their young and beautiful daughters do the honors. Today was the Empress’s birthday celebration, and the banquet was filled with women. They believed the Emperor wouldn’t stay long, so they seized the opportunity to push their daughters forward and show them off.
Gradually, the atmosphere at the banquet began to change. Those women who didn’t have daughters to present exchanged subtle glances and wore expressions of amusement, frequently turning their gazes towards the Empress, discreetly observing her. According to tradition, the Empress should be filling the harem to gain a reputation as a virtuous Empress. However, given that today was her birthday, it would seem inappropriate for her to actively recruit new members to the harem.
You Yuji had long noticed these petty thoughts. She responded to the young girls with a smile, though her mind wandered. What occupied her thoughts wasn’t what the people in the hall were thinking about, but rather the fact that her brother You Jiamu would return to the capital today. She hadn’t seen her brother in three years and missed him dearly. She wondered if he had arrived in the capital yet and if she could see him before nightfall.
Cuiyu, unaware that You Yuji was thinking about her brother, noticed her silence and thought she was unhappy. Frowning, Cuiyu cleared her throat loudly.
The young lady who had been holding a painting of the new year and explaining it in a delicate voice was startled into silence.
Even You Yuji was pulled from her reverie and turned to look at Cuiyu.
Cuiyu was never one to mince words. Even without malice, her blunt speech often offended people, and it was worse when she did harbor ill intentions. She sighed dramatically, scanning the hall of women with her eyes and began, “Sister, you haven’t spoken at all, and it’s making everyone anxious. Those of us who know the context understand these young ladies are presenting birthday gifts. But anyone who walked in without knowing might think they’ve wandered into a brothel!”
The word “brothel” caused the hall to fall into a dead silence.
Everyone immediately looked at the Emperor’s expression.
Si Que kept his eyes down, his expression unreadable.
The young lady holding the painting turned bright red, her shoulders trembling.
“What are you shaking for?” Cuiyu continued, even more displeased. “What’s the matter? Afraid to admit what you’ve done? And you call yourself an educated lady. I think the women from brothels are more straightforward than you. Why do you need to squeeze your voice like that to introduce a painting? And how many times have your eyes wandered over to the Emperor? Watch out, or you might end up with a split tongue and rotten eyes!”
The young lady, trembling and unable to endure the humiliation, handed the painting to an attendant with shaking hands and sat down with a flushed face. Had the Emperor and Empress not been present, she might have run away in tears.
Naturally, the girl’s mother was unhappy with her daughter being publicly humiliated.
“Your words are disrespectful to the Emperor…”
Cuiyu acted as if she hadn’t heard and continued to speak with her head held high. Her voice was loud enough to drown out anyone else’s. “Today is the Empress’s birthday, and you bring this nonsense here to ruin it. Are you doing this to disgust people on purpose?”
One of the women tried to mediate, “Your Majesty, Your Highness, we truly didn’t mean…”
But Cuiyu’s loud voice immediately overshadowed hers, filling the hall with her booming speech.
“Even those lowly women outside who seduce men know it’s shameful. Yet here, women from noble families act shamelessly. They read books and preach virtue while yearning to strip off their clothes and throw themselves at men. Those lowly women become concubines out of necessity, but you pampered ladies from wealthy families…” Cuiyu made a broad gesture around the hall, paused, and then emphasized each word, “You truly are shameless!”
“You!” The old madam of the Su family was so furious that her face turned pale. “What kind of place do you think this is? Allowing you, a remnant of the previous dynasty, to enter is already a great mercy. How dare you spew such foul language here! Do you have no regard for His Majesty?”
Cuiyu looked at the old madam in surprise, her eyes wide open. “I never said that you intentionally pushed your granddaughter forward to set an example. Why are you getting so worked up, madam?”
“You! Insolent! Insolent!” The old madam of the Su family stood up and knelt down. “Your Majesty, how can such a shrew be allowed to disrupt the hall? I implore you to punish this Chen woman!”
Cuiyu realized that her words might have been a bit crude. She had felt satisfied after venting her frustrations, but now she felt a bit uneasy. She instinctively looked to Lin Yingying for help.
Lin Yingying glanced at You Yuji and gave Cuiyu a subtle signal.
Having known each other since childhood, they understood each other perfectly. Cuiyu immediately put on a smile and looked at Si Que with genuine sincerity. “Your Majesty, this humble woman was only speaking up for my sister! My love for her is as clear as the sun and moon!”
Cuiyu raised three fingers as if making a solemn vow.
Everyone who despised Cuiyu watched the Emperor expectantly, hoping he would issue an order to punish her, preferably with death.
After a moment of silence, Si Que casually responded with a nonchalant “Hmm,” and continued peeling the chestnut in his hand. The chestnut shell fell from his cold, slender fingers, and he leisurely placed the chestnut meat into his mouth.
Just “Hmm”? The onlookers were dumbfounded.
Suddenly, Si Que sighed.