"Thank you, your highness. Though I don't have a close relationship with my elder sisters they weren't much worse for me either"
"I see" Consort Shu courtesy before going back to her palace.
"Nanny Gu, teach me how to take care of a child. My Second sister will soon give birth to a baby"
"Yes, your highness"
"Linlin, go and read the edict in cold palace. Give each of them gold leaves as I said" Linlin bowed and went out. Empress was playing with Sheng'er when Linlin came back with a woman.
"Concubine Rong?" Xiao Feng stood up and signal everyone to be dismissed. Everyone left leaving only Xiao Feng, concubine Rong, and Linlin.
"Sit down, concubine Rong" Linlined poured some tea and give it to concubine Rong.
"Cold palace has always been a lonely place. I just knew that her majesty become the empress"
"Concubine Rong must have spent a tough life"
"No one in the cold palace leads a peaceful life. Just like the name, it's cold. I heard that my son also came to the throne but he never visited me or intended to take me out and in last kill himself a while ago"
"Concubine Rong, I am sorry for your loss" Concubine Rong chuckled.
"It's not a loss. Though my son was timid and looked filial to his parents, he never like to take me as his mother"
"Don't say that concubine, Rong"
"Rong family,"
"Rong family got killed overnight after the incident. I think it's been 4 years. Concubine Rong, you can lead a new life. I will ask someone to give Rong manor back to you"
"It's okay. I decide to go to the countryside but I want to see my son's wife"
"My sister? … Okay. Linlin send a few servants with concubine Rong, in case my sister refuses to see concubine Rong just let concubine Rong see her with my word" Linlin nodded and led concubine Rong out, and at the same time Weining came inside.
"Empress Dowager departed" Xiao Feng nodded.
"Grandmother?"
"Princess Dowager also went to Xiao manor and she will go to general Xiao's hometown after a few days"
Concubine Wei was sitting in a chair while a maid applied medicine to her knees.
"Empress was too much. She is jealous of your highness" The maid who was waiting beside her said with an unsatisfied look.
"Who does she think she is?"
"Your highness, the empress is kind. I heard that consort Shu complained a few times about the emperor visiting your highness. It must be the reason after all consort Shu is right prime minister's daughter and she ranked just below the empress" The maid who was applying the medicine said which made a slap land on her cheek.
"How dare you? Are you my maid or empress? Didn't you see how big she talked?"
"I heard that empress came back from empress dowager's palace mad. So, the empress was in a bad mood. Also, it must be had something to do with the rumor"
"What rumor?"
"There's a rumor that-"
"Tell" The maid quickly kowtowed.
"That emperor is bewitched by a Wei princess" Concubine Wei crashed the cup beside him to the ground making all other maids to knelt.
"Pardon me, your highness. I was just saying about the rumor. That's what people say" The maid-in-waiting motioned her to go away quickly.
"Your highness, there are indeed a few bad rumors slandering the emperor as Wei kingdom's puppet and he is afraid of your highness. Maybe that's the reason"
"Even though there is such a rumor, how can she punish me and humiliate me"
Concubine Rong arrived in Xiao manor and the prime minister welcomed her after knowing Xiao Feng was the one who send her. The Prime minister called Xiao Qi to come but the first time she didn't come then when Linlin went to inform her for the second time she finally decides to come and meet her mother-in-law.
"Xiao Qi, I am sorry to disturb you but I have been always regretful that I couldn't help my son in the past but to be a burden to her. I just want to ask if my son has ever mentioned me?"
"Did you ask me here for that? Sorry to disappoint you. He didn't"
"Xiao Qi!!" Prime minister Xiao glared at his daughter. "Concubine Rong, she has been in a bad mood. Don't get it into the heart"
"No that's okay. It makes sense he never mentioned me. I will go now. Sorry to disturb you" After sending concubine Rong out of the capital Linlin reports everything to Xiao Feng.
"Tell father that if older sister wants to marry someone just tell me. I will ask his majesty to grant a marriage"
"Yes"
"Weining, ask the imperial kitchen to make some spicy dishes for dinner"
"Yes. Your Highness, it has been more than 2 weeks since your majesty came to the throne. According to imperial rules in Sui, a harem selection should be placed before one month is over"
"I will talk about it with your majesty"
In Consort Shu's palace, she was dressing up.
"Her majesty taught concubine Wei a good lesson"
"Right, the empress is easy to get along with as long as we will not get in her way"
"But will she become jealous in the future and try to keep his majesty to herself"
"No. She will not. Even though she would, in the meantime if I can give birth to a prince and take his majesty's favor"
"Your highness will surely get pregnant. You have taken the tonic for a while" Consort Shu just smiled and all her ambitions were visible in her eyes.
Xiao Feng was in front of the imperial study.
"Empress is here" The eunuch announced when Xiao Feng enters the imperial study. Emperor was reading the memorials. Xiao Feng went behind the emperor and messaged his shoulders. Emperor put the memorial on the table and touched her left hand and lean his head in her hand. Xiao Feng just giggled and put the memorial away.
"Your majesty, it's already late now. It's enough for today, Okay?" Xiao Feng coaxes the emperor like a child and as a response emperor nodded like a child with a smile. The maids quickly arranged the dinner table for the emperor and empress.
"Your majesty, these are some spicy dishes I ask the imperial kitchen to prepare"
She showed and both of them went to the dinner table and sat down. They both took their chopsticks and eat some spicy dishes as they both fan themselves because of the spiciness.
"I remember when we were in camp, we both eat spicy dishes and fell asleep on grassland"
"Yeah" They drank wine while eating. After being done with spicy meals Xiao Feng gave candy to the emperor and the emperor ate the candy.
"It's time, you should visit consort, Shu. I will help with a few memorials before sleeping" Emperor nodded.
Soon emperor arrived at consort Shu's palace first consort Shu served wine to the emperor and consort Shu asked to show dance for the emperor and the emperor agreed. As consort Shu danced waving her beautiful waist which could be grabbed by a fist, her matured bosom with black silky hair which was near to her knee was waving together with her moves highlighting her pail skin. Emperor was addicted to the dance and was so into the dance but the face he saw in the dance wasn't consort Shu's but Xiao Feng's face.
Xiao Feng was reading memorials in the inner hall of the peony palace. There was no one in the hall. She yawned. She was startled when someone was in front of her. She looked at the person and looked back at the memorial.
"Why did you come back?"
"I heard that you became empress"
"So?" Shan Yuan laughed to himself.
"People in Sui kingdom praise you on every street, children sing about your merits on the roads"
"Enough of me, why did you come back?" Xiao Feng was finally willing to look at Shan Yuan.
"Don't you know the meaning of it?"
"I am not a concubine. Praising me will not bring harm me. Why did you come back?"
"I want to see you"
"Now you have seen me, go back"
"Xiao Feng, you don't love me anymore?" Shan Yuan's voice contained the power that he has missed her.
"Do I?" Xiao Feng asked right after Shan Yuan. Didn't she miss him? She did.
"If I came back here, will you accept me?"
"Accept? Are you joking? Did I ever get a chance to decide on my life? It just matters of the moments" Xiao Feng blurted out and took a few deep breaths and look at Shan Yuan's eyes. "Can I ask you something?" Shan Yuan nodded.
"Can you not- No you just meet with my grandfather when the time comes. Do not drag innocent people into it" Shan Yuan nodded.
"I promise I will never" Shan Yuan was going to go closer to Xiao Feng.
"Don't come near, if you come, I think I will not be able to control myself. Just go" Shan Yuan looked at Xiao Feng who distance herself from him. "Just go! Hurry, just go!" Shan Yuan bitterly smiled. He doesn't care about anyone, anything but Xiao Feng.
"Wait for me" Shan Yuan went out making Xiao Feng sighed.
The next day concubines and consorts went away after greeting the empress.
"Weining, help me. I want to have a stroll around the palace"
"Yes, your majesty. You haven't gone out of the peony palace since you came back. The decorations are different from before. This servant heard that your majesty personally designed the peony palace" Weining said a little excited to see if the emperor spends a lot of time just to make the empress happy. She is already in her middle age but she was also still excited about the romance of an emperor and the empress.
They were walking in the garden of the peony palace. The whole peony palace was filled with many flowery plants. Even on the bridge which was across the bridge and also on the gazebo. Xiao Feng stopped in the middle of the bridge and looked at Weining. Weining nodded getting the empress's signal.
*Gazebo: a small building, especially one in the garden of a house, that gives a wide view of the surrounding area. summer house · pavilion · belvedere · arbor · bower · shelter · hut · shed · kiosk are the synonyms for it. I searched for the exact definition in google in case you are lazy to search but want to know the word.
"You all can stay here"
Then Xiao Feng and Weining to the gazebo that was in the middle of the pond. walk to the middle of the pond and she came to a hat in front of the gazebo. The corners of the bridge had peony plants. It was near spring and some peony was already in bloom. The gazebo pillars had plant veins on them. Xiao Feng caressed the almost bloom peony near her.
"Weining, do you think I am too selfish?"
"Empress?"
"I am raising someone else's child under your majesty's roof"
"Empress, I understand what empress thinks. This maid will always be with the empress no matter what decision take" Xiao Feng went inside the gazebo and sat down.
"Did you see peonies? When I was little, I once said that if I become empress one day, I want to decorate the palace with peonies"
"Empress?"
"If he didn't go missing for 2 years or at least sent a letter to me, I would have waited and had hoped only for him. But right now," Xiao Feng sighed. She looked at the lotus in the pond and a memory came back to her mind.
In front of a pond, there was standing 12-year-old Xiao Feng and the 18-year-old crown prince.
"Do you like lotus?" The Crown prince asked seeing Xiao Feng was looking at the lotus in the pond. Little Xiao Feng nodded and pouted and look at the crown prince.
"Brother Zheng, you said you will build a manor for us before our wedding, right?"
The crown prince caress her head and smiled.
"Right, how do you want to decorate it? Do you want lotus in there?"
"But will uncle let you live out of the palace?"
"There is still a long way. So of course, he will let us. So, tell me what you want"
"Hmm," Xiao Feng thought. "Then brother Zheng, I want White lotus"
"Okay but I like yellow" Little Xiao Feng looked at the crown prince again and pouted.
"Then we can put both colors" the Crown prince chuckled.
In the present time after a long time of staring at the lotus, Xiao Feng decided to talk.
"Did you see the white and yellow lotus in the pond?"
"Yes, your majesty"
"When we were in a temple, there was a pond and it was filled with lotus. He asked me in the future what lotus I needed. I said I want white lotus. He said he likes yellow. So, I said we can put both colors. He still remembers it" Weining hopelessly smiled. She knew the empress talked about the emperor.
"Where did Linlin go?"
"She was dragged away by the prince Sheng" Xiao Feng nodded.
"I am regretting the past. If your majesty didn't go missing, we would have married by now. Then I will not have to meet Shan Yuan" She looks down.
"Your majesty, if you are regretting meeting him, I think you should let go of him for the better"