The Job Of An Imperial Concubine

44

TJOAIC 44 – WHO’S SCHEMING WHO (谁算计谁)

As the lion of autumn gradually retracted its might¹, Noble Consort Shu returned to her paternal home in a procession fit for a noble consort. In the night, the luxurious procession practically made the eyes of the other imperial concubines red from envy. Under the imperial canopy, the eight-treasure palanquin engraved with phoenixes attracted who knew how much jealousy and admiration from others, leaving the palace from a winding path.　　

Zhuang Laoyan leaned against the window, listening to the excitement outside her palace. She couldn’t help but smile. Brushing back her bangs, she stuck her head out the window. “The moon is very round and bright tonight.”　　

Yunxi lit the candles in the room one at a time. Once she had reached behind Zhuang Laoyan, she carefully said, “Master, it’s already autumn. The night is cold. This slave will fetch you an outer robe.”　　

“How am I this fragile?” Zhuang Laoyan pulled her head back inside. Smiled. “It’s rare that the weather would be this cool and refreshing. Yet you girls keep adding more clothes for me.”

Noticing that her master’s expression was normal, as if she didn’t yearn for her own family, Yunxi no longer felt as concerned.

As she watched the flickering lanterns hanging in the corridor sway from a gentle breeze, Zhuang Laoyan seemed to sigh in admiration. “In the past, I never examined the moon in the sky carefully. Now, as I gaze at it with a calm heart, I can understand why the poets like to use the moon to express love.”　　

“This slave does not have much of an education and vaguely remembers that Master is very fond of this poem. When did the people at the riverbank first see the moon? When did the moon by the river first shine on people?  Life… Life….”　　

“The generations of human life are endless. The moon by the river is similar year after year.” Zhuang Laoyan smiled as she recited those last two lines. Slightly shaking her head, she said, “The moonlight is certainly beautiful. I am fond of this poem because I like the poet’s emotion, view, and feeling toward life. He doesn’t use the moon to express his love.” She turned and left the window. Zhuang Laoyan said somewhat disapprovingly, “This moon changes so easily. To use it to represent love sullies those feelings.”　　

“What beloved concubine is correct. We also think the moon is beautiful, but what a pity it changes too much. It truly cannot represent love.”　　

“This slave greets Your Majesty.” Never had Yunxi expected the emperor to suddenly appear at this time. In a panic, she knelt and performed salutations. She wondered if she and her master had said anything that broke any taboo. 　　

“This concubine greets Your Majesty.” On Zhuang Laoyan’s face was a hint of astonishment and joy. For a moment, she had not reacted to perform a full ceremony of greeting. Only after she had heard Tingzhu’s voice did she curtsy.　　

“Beloved concubine need not be so ceremonious. We are the one who suddenly frightened you.” Feng Jin approached Zhuang Laoyan and reached for her hand, covering hers with his own. “We have wronged beloved concubine. Beloved concubine also has some scholarly talent.”　　

Zhuang Laoyan shyly lowered her head. “Your Majesty is teasing this concubine again. It’s merely reciting one poem.” If it weren’t for the fact that this body had some of the previous owner’s memories, she would not have been able to recite even this poem. After her many years of school in the modern age, now that she had been thrown into an imperial harem, she wasn’t much different from the illiterate.　　

Once a man was together with a woman he liked, if they actually spent the whole night discussing verses of poems, this man would either be a person who only knew how to study or Liu Xiahui². And Feng Jin did not fall under any of those two categories. For this reason, after discussing the stars and the moon, after talking about poem verses, they still had to get down to the proper business.