Upon the Crown Prince's return, a large banquet was held in celebration of the former's victory against all the odds.
Praises, genuine and sycophantic both, flowed as the nobles swarmed in the banquet commenced in the Forbidden City.
That night, wine flowed, an unending amount of liquor was supplied, delicacies were served and covert politics went on with full-swing.
The Emperor attended the banquet, commended the Crown Prince with words of appreciation and raised a toast. Accompanied by the Empress and his most favoured lover, Imperial Noble Consort Liang.
The one thing that was unhidden from perceptive eyes was how favoured the Imperial Noble Consort Liang truly was. His clothes didn't pale in comparison to the Empress herself, the luxuries given to him were endless.
Even above that, he had an iron-clad hold on the Emperor's affection. Every court official was well aware, if not for the rules passed down by the ancestors, Imperial Noble Consort Liang would have been the Empress, not his sister.
Fortunately for them, the Emperor did not love him enough to break the rules.
… Wrong. It was because Liang XingHui simply did not want to be the Empress. It was too much work and he was nowhere near as diligent as the position demanded of him.
His sister was the witness of how vehemently he was against being canonised. In the end, the Emperor had to turn to her, making her take up the mantle.
She didn't mind, though. Not in the least. She was used to being the Liang Family's golden child and she enjoyed being in power.
Liang XingHui glanced at his sister who noticed his eyes and looked back at him, an eyebrow raised elegantly, a question concealed in hers. She had no desire for the Emperor's love. At least not as much as one would expect from an Empress.
Liang XingHui shook his head, turning to look at the young man, the centre of this banquet, who was his son in all but blood. He smiled to himself.
Liang XingHui might not have been the most diligent man, but he did an excellent job in raising his sister's son.
Liu Mingyun must've noticed his gaze, because he turned to meet his Lord Father's eyes and raised his goblet with a smile in his eyes.
Liang XingHui covered his lips to hide a grin.
"Is My Consort happy now?" The Emperor's whispered question made him look at the former. The man's lips brushed against his forehead as Liang XingHui nodded.
"Yes, Your Majesty." He replied quietly as he glanced at the banquet going below them. "Very."
A few months later, the war in the Southern Frontier came to an end and the Fourth Prince returned, he too had won.
After his return, all the people who had contributed greatly in both the wars had been summoned to the Forbidden City, which meant that both Li Jinhua and her entourage of doctors and Li Xinyuan and his entourage of doctors had to go too.
…
"I'm nervous." Li Xinyuan sighed, standing in front of the mirror as Hu Lijing helped him put on his robes so that he looked acceptable to have an with the Emperor. "I'm so nervous, Lijing."
He looked at his reflection in the, his face was a little pale, ill-concealed nervousness shining through. He had no shame in making his nerves known. It was a hard fought battle to not turn tail and run away.
Li Xinyuan had met a lot of people in both of his lives as a surgeon, attended to more than a few national leaders of different countries, threatened by some of his own to become a spy, but not once had he been as nervous as he was right now.
Perhaps it was because his brain had yet to fully develop. So the calm and composure he held himself with was not yet perfect.
Taking a deep breath, he brushed away a stray strand of his hair while nibbling at his lips.
"Calm down, Master. His Majesty the Emperor has called for you to reward you, not to behead you." Hu Lijing rolled his eyes, tidying up the hem of his splendid but mute robes. "And no, you are still fine, one of the doctors has fainted from shock."
Li Xinyuan gave him a blank look. "Say what now?"
Hu Lijing hummed with a laugh. "It is cute seeing you all nervous. It reminds me of when I was your age. So curious, so eager to discover all the secrets hidden in this world." He shook his head, smile dimming a little.
Li Xinyuan's nervousness faded as sympathy took its place with a muted look of sadness in his eyes, the surgeon looked at Hu Lijing's reflection.
"It's fine to feel sad, Lijing," he murmured softly.
Hu Lijing simply shook his head and replied. "It's all in the past now, Master. I am no longer as affected as I used to be decades ago." He stood up, brushing off dust from his sleeves. "Let's not speak of my past anymore. The Divine Phoenix is waiting for you, Master."
Li Xinyuan bowed his head and didn't insist anymore as he nodded. "Let us go." Then, he looked around the room. "This place is so different, I got lost three times and it's only been a day since we came here to the Imperial Capital."
"It is confusing, I won't deny that." Hu Lijing chuckled, holding Li Xinyuan's arm as the other servants held up his robes to prevent getting them dirty. "Let us go, lest the Divine Phoenix should get angry. And the Crown Prince must be waiting for you as well, Master." He winked.
Li Xinyuan rolled his eyes at him. "Stop with that." He huffed. "There is nothing going on between us."
Hu Lijing hummed meaningfully. "Not yet."
"Lijing!" Li Xinyuan groaned, ears flushing red as he walked with the amber-haired man. "Let's just get this over with. I'm sixteen and I need rest."
"Yes… Yes, of course, Master." Hu Lijing nodded, amused by Li Xinyuan's flustered reaction.