It's been a few days, and Yao Ling has used those days for reconnaissance.
After serving his punishment, forced to apologize and not given any sweet fruit puree for lunch, as if he cared, Yao Ling was given to a new old nanny and two maids for his daily schedule.
The older maid, named Sun Momo, looked at him wearily but was attentive enough. She wore a dark shade of green, her hair empty of any adornments except one simple silver hairpin. The other two maids wore light green dresses, hair tied up, and adorned with little flower adornments.
They are quiet and meek, pretty much non-existent if Yao Ling wasn't looking at them.
He took his time walking among the lavish green gardens watching the few eunuchs and maids, all wearing shades of green walk along the raised bridges and pavilions connecting them.
Through his daily walks, he noticed that the palace was beautiful, though oddly…empty. He's not sure, since he's not versed in royalty customs and whatnot, but shouldn't an Empress have more servants than the same twenty or so faces he keeps seeing?
The place was grand, built with dark wood, and had two ponds with walkways to cross above them. One of the ponds had beautiful pink lotus and lily pads on the top. There was also an amazingly crafted table with only one bench on it.
Yao Ling can imagine the Empress sitting by his lonesome staring at the pond. It made for a lonely ghostly figure.
He's also noticed the quietness, no one speaking, or talking to each other, unless to give directions or orders. It's grating on his nerves from the lack of any human speaking.
The more days that pass, the more annoying the quietness gets. Yao Ling huffs standing in front of a small pond filled with three large carps, peacefully swimming around. Too peacefully.
Tch.
He grabs a small pebble and throws it in the middle of the pond, disturbing the fish's peace and splashing loudly around getting away from the disruption. Yao Ling smiles, feeling much better after causing a disturbance. Honestly, everything is too calm and quiet. His life has always been filled with chatter, yelling, fighting, and music. Everything around him had noise. As short as the disruption was, it unraveled a bit of tension he felt. Yet it was still mostly there.
"Fourth Prince!" Sun Momo, who had stood a few steps behind him, came up to his vision. " Why would disturb the poor fish's peace? That is not nice."
Yao Ling raised his head, looking at Sun Momo. He flatly said, "They're fish."
"Yes, they are fishes, but still living beings who shouldn't be disturbed." She said wisely.
Yao Ling blinked. They're just fishes. One pebble won't kill them. "It quiet." He answered back.
Sun Momo's eyebrows rise, " That is the way Empress Xuefang prefers it. We must all keep a decorum of quietness and tranquility, young Prince" She said proudly. She continues to babble and speak about palace rules despite Yao Ling having stopped listening.
'Ah. So the Empress lives like a monk in the mountains. And everyone should adhere to it.'
Honestly, this resembles a shrine more than a palace. It makes Yao Ling's hands itch to do something.
Now that he realizes it, he hasn't seen the Empress. Well, he has for the meals, which if he were in his original body would have been super awkward. The Empress doesn't say a word throughout those meals, yet he does stare a lot, and Yao Ling has to act like the mindless three-year-old that he is now. It was embarrassing acting like he didn't know how to eat, the fact that he still managed to get his food everywhere.
After that, the Empress leaves to go do whatever Empress duties he has. Yao Ling doesn't know how to feel about that. On one hand, he's glad that that cold glare isn't looking at him anymore, but at that same time… he wants to see the Empress again.
It's weird, so he's mostly blaming it on the kid's body. Yet, nothing feels right. He doesn't feel safe or comfortable, not even in the softest bed he ever slept on feels good despite sleeping alone his whole life. He's been tense since waking up in this body, especially with this momo and the maids trailing his every move like a shadow.
Speaking of Sun Momo, she's still going on a lecture about the rules of the Empress's palace. Yao Ling needs a break from them.
After a moment of thinking, he grins and quickly speeds down the even stone path. The maids and Momo are caught off guard by the child's fast speed and struggle to catch up. Yao Ling makes a sharp turn and hides in a grove on the wall. The maids and momo pass by him, and he watches them go around the corner.
The lack of maids and eunuchs made it quite simple to lose them without being caught.
He listens for a few more seconds. And sighs in relief to finally be alone. At least for the time being. Yao Ling looks around the place, walking leisurely. He wants to see the Empress again.
Something about seeing the stoic man lose his composure when he threw the snow on his face makes him want to see it again.
So he decides to walk around to find the Empress's office.
He walks into the open garden in the center, walking slightly off the main path just in case any maids pass by. And sure enough, he catches the sight of two maids walking by. Walking at the same speed he is, chattering amongst themselves quietly.
"So the Emperor really was here?" The taller maid asked. Her eyebrows raised in shock.
The smaller maid nodded, " Yep. But I caught the look on his face when he left, it was bad, Meifei. Now I get why most girls preferred to serve under Noble Consort Gao. I hear her palace got another addition of the finest silk and furnishing for this season for him and the First Prince from the Emperor himself. Even the maids got better clothes than us." The maid sighed heavily.
The taller maid gasps, her face scrunching in jealousy, "Ugh. All we get is our basic uniforms. Even though the Empress gave birth to a son, he's not even the first or the second. Even worse, he's sickly, which means the Emperor barely acknowledges him, despite being the legitimate heir."
The shorter maid crosses her arms, " If only the Empress wasn't so selfish and jaded. He's a beautiful man, but what's the use of such beauty if he's more boring than a monk? Honestly, what does the Emperor even see in him to make him Empress?"
The taller one nodded at her seriously, huffing loudly," Probably his ability to give birth to a child. Honestly, all he does is shut himself away and work. I've bet even a courtesan is more interesting than him."
Both maids laugh quietly before their path diverges towards another section of the palace.
Yao Ling stays there, glaring at nothing. Yao Ling has not been with the Empress long, merely five days since he woke up, and has interacted with him once on that day he woke up. And while he can agree that the Empress is somewhat jaded, he can say that Empress Xuefang was not selfish.
During those feverish days, he knew that the person who was always next to him was the Empress, wiping away sweat checking his temperature, and just being by his side until his eyes closed and opened again some unknown amount of time later. But he was always there.
That was not a selfish act.
Yao Ling continued on his walk until he felt movement behind him, and his body got picked up in the air.
"AAH!"
"Haha, well hello there, Young Prince Ling. Where do you think you're going?" The unknown voice asked.
Yao Ling turned around, coming face to face with the sharp, curved features of a smiling man. With long lashes and bright brown eyes, light freckles decorated the bridge of his nose. The man wore the attire of a eunuch but more elegant than the simple garbs he'd seen.
The man continued smiling at him. That man reminded Yao Ling merchants who swindle people of their money with their silver tongues.
Yao Ling started kicking and squirming his way off the grips. Not wanting to be held by anyone like some street animal by the scruff. " Put. Down."
The man's fake smiles widen even more, "Oh. Do you want me to put you down? It's quite the drop." Chuckling quietly while lightly swinging Yao Ling in one hand.
This man is crazy!