The Second Bird to Stick Out Gets Shot
Dragon Palace. Night.
Tak. Tak. Tak.
"Your Majesty, Eunuch Wan from the Imperial Records Bureau is here."
Li Zhen Tian lowered the report he was reading.
"Enter."
A stout eunuch with silver embroidery on his uniform entered, carrying a large tray.
"Greetings, Your Majesty. It is almost the Hai hour..."
Eunuch Wan trailed off meaningfully and bowed, raising the tray above his head for the emperor to survey.
Li Zhen Tian looked down. Meticulously arranged plaques were spread out before him, the imperial consorts' names and ranks carved upon them with precise craftsmanship. The plaques congregated near the center were made of jade, ivory, and even gold; the farther away from his line of sight, the simpler the plaques became, such as dull wood pieces with minimal to no decorations.
As usual, it was impossible to miss Noble Consort Meng Ran's luxurious golden plaque right in the middle of the tray, surrounded by secondary ones in terms of quality and detail.
But his hand slowly drifted to an inconspicuous plaque at the corner.
Tak!
With a crisp clatter, the plaque was flipped.
***
Phoenix Palace.
"Your Highness, who do you think His Majesty will choose tonight?"
Madam Lan's wrinkled hands combed Empress Zhao's hair with the gentleness of a butterfly's wings, and the empress closed her eyes in relaxation.
Upon hearing her nanny's random question, her eyebrows knitted together.
After the events of the morning assembly, this second night had become a flaming baton: If the emperor chose Noble Lady Bai, he would openly offend Empress Dowager Qiu; if he chose Noble Lady Qiu, the opposite would occur, and Grand Chancellor Bai might get involved.
There was a third option—Noble Lady Meng, but Noble Consort Meng's public humiliation of Noble Lady Bai was still fresh, affecting her chances as well.
Going down the list, would he pick Noble Beauty Luo? Or Noble Beauty Song?
What if he did the unexpected and favoured a low-ranking consort instead? That would break the stalemate... At the expense of the unlucky woman he chose drawing all the ire of those who expected to be chosen.
The possibilities were endless. Speculation was folly.
Empress Zhao stood up and tightened the belt of her night robe.
"Whoever His Majesty chooses has nothing to do with us," she said. "Nanny, have the servants stick to their posts tonight; all will be revealed tomorrow morning. I will take my rest now."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Fwoosh—
Madam Lan blew out the lamp, leaving the empress in the night's embrace.
It was far more comforting than the emperor's.
***
Orchid Palace, western chamber.
The Hai hour was upon them, yet the candles burnt bright in one room, illuminating a slender figure sitting by the table. Her delicate wrist led the controlled movements of a wolf-hair brush against parchment, forming neat calligraphy that matched the pious words copied.
When footsteps broke the silence, the figure stopped writing.
Bai Nan Feng set down the brush and turned to her lady-in-waiting, a little faster than she had meant to. "Is there any news?"
Lu'er shook her head. "Not yet..."
"But after the gruelling morning mistress had, surely His Majesty will come," she hastily added. "After all, he seemed quite taken with you last night."
Bai Nan Feng's lips quirked a bit at the memory. He had been gentle and kind yesterday, while exuding the mesmerising attractiveness of a ruler and the same passion for poetry as her... How could a man be so perfect?
But aloud, she said, "Do not speak of His Majesty arbitrarily. His choice is not one the likes of you can assume."
"My apologies, mistress. Shall I go and draw your bath?"
"Yes, you do that."
Lu'er bit her lip and left the room softly.
Bai Nan Feng stared at the Buddhism scripture which preached about serenity and detaching oneself from worldly desires, but her heart sang a different tune.
With a hopeful smile, she started cleaning up the table, returning brushes to their stands and rolling up parchments with utmost care.
His Majesty wouldn't like this mess.
***
Palace of Glorious Beauty.
"Whoever His Majesty chooses tonight, it won't be Noble Lady Bai."
The conviction in Noble Consort Meng's voice surprised Wang'er. "Why not, Noble Consort?"
Noble Consort Meng tsked. "His Majesty seldom consecutively favours one consort, not to mention she's not his type at all."
Wang'er swallowed a gulp. In the whole rear palace, only Noble Consort Meng woud speak of His Majesty this way... And he let her, too.
"Then... may this servant ask, what is His Majesty's type?"
The nonchalant Noble Consort abruptly stiffened, her tone turning sharp.
"Why?" Her beautiful phoenix eyes narrowed. "Does Wang'er admire His Majesty as well?"
Thud!
"This servant made a mistake!" Wang'er cried, regretting her curiosity immediately. "May the heavens bear witness that my intentions are pure and my loyalty to Noble Consort is unwavering!"
"Hm..." Noble Consort Meng didn't show whether she believed Wang'er or not, but she didn't let her get up, either.
"To answer your question... Does it matter?" Her scarlet lips curved into a victorious smirk. "They won't surpass me anyway."
***
Palace of Tranquillity, eastern chamber.
"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!"
Shock. Disbelief. Horror.
A tempest roared within Zi Hua, invisible to all but her.
The servants were buzzing with elation, eager to get her dolled up and sent off. But it shouldn't have been her...
The eunuch bearing this news smiled stiffly and repeated, "This servant said: His Majesty has flipped Lady Beauty Yang's plaque tonight. Please get ready so we may depart for Dragon Palace before the Hai hour ends."
All of a sudden, the earth turned into water and her knees buckled beneath her. Yue'er quickly grabbed her arm for support.
Her expression twisted.
'How did this happen?!'
What about Qiu Rong? Meng Fan? Bai Nan Feng, Luo Yin, and the other consorts???
Why choose her of all people?!
The eunuch tapped his foot impatiently. "Ahem! Lady Beauty Yang, this servant will be waiting outside."
She was too upset to reply.
Amidst the confused indignation, one thought blared louder than the others in Zi Hua's mind: I'm doomed.