When Consort Hua was relegated to the Cold Palace, An Ruolan felt relieved. Apart from the Empress, no one in the harem could shake her position now. Her child had always been loved by His Majesty and moved out of Zixia Palace when he was young. He had always been living in the Emperor's Xuantian Palace; it was the glory that only a monarch could enjoy and her son had already received it. His favour was the reason for her splendour and it made her feel less uneasy, but then there were the words of the Grandmaster all those years ago. How could she easily forget them?
Bringing calamity, killing his mother, no descendants. The words in the middle couldn't help but make her feel a trace of panic. She still remembered that when she was pregnant with the child, there were still movements in her belly at first, but then there was nothing of that sort until her son was finally born. When he was born, he didn't cry or make noise. Although his beautiful smile made her happy, but then... Tan Wu's words seemed to have buried a thorn in her heart and from time to time, it would poke her heart, and make her startled about the rich and glorious days before her eyes.
She didn't know whether... he was the alien star? But His Majesty loved him so much, naturally, it must have been determined that he wasn't evil. She should not think about it, maybe Qi Musheng was the alien star!
After restraining the disturbing thoughts in her mind, An Ruolan sat at the dressing table and carefully sorted out the accessories and delicate pins. Her gaze lifted and she looked at the woman in the mirror - her eyes were flickering with uneasiness and were lost in unknown thoughts.
Zhi Lan entered the room, took care of some trivial things, heard someone outside, and went out again. Soon, she returned to inform, "Your Highness, that Concubine Ziqi is here again. I don't know what trouble he's in this time that he came to find you. Do you wish to see him?"
An Ruolan didn't speak for a long time. When Zhi Lan thought she hadn't heard and planned to ask again, she heard her sigh quietly and reply softly, "Let him come in."
Zhilan's face frowned unpleasantly. She thought that Her Highness was a high ranked consort, the daughter of General An, and their Second Prince was also exceptionally favoured. While he was just a concubine who took advantage of his father's identity as a member of the Privy Council to enter the palace. Why did he always come to trouble her? He didn't talk about anything to the others but repeatedly angered Her Highness, really didn't know what to do!
She let Han Ziqi enter the side courtyard and wait. Zhilan returned to the room and informed Consort An. Back when His Majesty had seen him bring Her Highness to tears, Concubine Zi Qi had converged his actions a little, only to come and meet Her Highness in the side courtyard later; ultimately, the result was still the same, Her Highness didn't want to help him. He either spoke cold words or cried angrily. He was such a character who, after bullying others, himself appeared wronged.
Zhi Lan scolded Han Ziqi again in her mind, then sighed and retreated.
Han Ziqi was still in white, looked elegant and appeared disdainful of worldliness. His face was calm and his steps were steady as he entered the side courtyard. An Ruolan sat with her back towards him and he unhurriedly made his way towards her.
The two were side by side but neither of them spoke.
There was a wild rose plant outside the yard, it bloomed lushly and had white petals. Its vines had claimed over the frame and its branches had extended over the terrace of the side courtyard.
It was a beautiful sight. An Ruolan watched the blossoming white roses absentmindedly. Han Ziqi followed her eyes and watched the flowers as well, as they danced in the wind, he still stood silently. After a long time, she opened her mouth and asked, "How have you been recently?"
"I heard that His Majesty hasn't come to Ningxi Pavilion for a long time. I was worried you would be unhappy, so I came to relieve your sadness."
An Ruolan sneered and immediately replied, "Thank you, Concubine[1] Ziqi, for your concern. I heard that your Youye Pavilion has been deserted for a long time, but even the other male concubines and consorts don't contact you. Who should be worried here, do you need me to explain?"
"Ziqi loathes being with them. Consort An knows how I am, but still mocks me. You are really different. Consort An is no longer the An Ruolan of the past." He sighed, his words sounding lonely. Then he picked a rose and stared at its soft, white petals, his eyes dwindled but it wasn't known whether the expression in his eyes was pity or hate, but it appeared immensely frightening.
"An Ruolan is still An Ruolan, just An Ruolan under His Majesty. Concubine Ziqi must not mention the past." She bit her lip with her back still facing him, but when she said the word "Concubine", she sounded especially serious and stressed the word.
Han Ziqi heard her words and his fists clenched in an instant. The crushed petals in his palm hit the ground like raindrops and fell on An Ruolan's feet.
She leaned down to pick up a few crushed petals, put them on her hand, and watched them slide down from the cracks of her fingers. She chuckled, "Han Ziqi, a handsome man, the son of Han Jihan of the Privy Council, unparalleled in manner, and has a noble temperament." she looked back at him, a complex look flashed in her eyes, "entered the harem to compete with us women, I don't know whether Concubine Ziqi had a pleasant time here? How did you feel when His Majesty spoiled you? Lying under a man while also being a man, I don't know if you are happy or ashamed? Oh, look, I had forgotten. Ziqi recommended himself to the palace and received His Majesty's favour! Would you--"
"Ruolan!" Han Ziqi roared with a pale face, interrupting her burning words.
An Ruolan stopped speaking and sat silently as if the previous sneer and ridicule never appeared on her face. She just stared blankly at the rose.
Han Ziqi raised his eyes, they burned with a mixture of hatred and some other emotion. She couldn't see his usual elegance and calmness. The white clothes fluttered in the wind as if showing his lingering coldness and misery. There were drops of bright red dripping down his clenched fist along with the white petals.
He took a deep breath as if suppressing some kind of strong emotion, and spoke with a cold voice that carried a chill, "I, Han Ziqi, indeed recommended myself to enter the palace. It is true that I have had to lie under a man, but what about you?! You are greedy, arrogant, and love vanity! You can eliminate anyone without hesitation for your own status! What was Han Ziqi to you?! Just a stepping stone of your past, but you never thought that this stepping stone would reappear in front of you! Haven't you always been troubled about how to remove this stone?!"
"Han Ziqi!" An Ruolan stood up suddenly and glared at the man dressed in white in front of her. What she saw was the young boy who was once with her when she was a child. She opened his mouth to speak and couldn't help but burst into tears. "Why do you-- Why do you still have to appear in front of me? As a man, why would you recommend yourself to the harem! Serving His Majesty with me, don't you think..." She bit down on her lip tightly and didn't say anything further.
He watched as she started weeping and accusing him. His lips curved into a bitter smile. "You think... Why would I enter the palace?"
His apathetic words contained numerous unspeakable feelings, which made her feel as if her heart was ripped a bit, then suddenly, her heart was a mess, filled with joy and sourness. Her Ziqi ge entered the palace for her? In the past, no matter how much she questioned, he never answered. This time, he was finally willing to tell her?
Han Ziqi took a step forward, wrapped her trembling body in his arms, sighed, and whispered consolingly, "Ruolan... Ruolan... Ruolan..."
His gentle voice in her ear made An Ruolan instantly feel that the two had returned to the past, but now, one was a male concubine and the other was a consort of the monarch. Both were competing with each other in this harem. When she thought of this, tears couldn't help but flow down her face in sorrow.
"Concubine Ziqi made Consort Mother cry again." The clear and melodious voice of a young boy unexpectedly sounded.
The two were startled and turned to look towards the source of the sound. They saw the Second Prince, Qi Mingyue, standing right in front of the door of the courtyard and looking at them with interest.
It had been a long time since he had visited his Consort Mother so Qi Mingyue arrived at Ningxi Pavilion but heard Zhi Lan complain that Concubine Ziqi had visited again and would cause trouble. He didn't think so, but the thought of seeing an interesting scene between them made him smile. He prevented Zhi Lan from following and disturbing his secret expectation of seeing drama and quietly went to the side courtyard.
When he stepped into the side courtyard, he saw this scene. His consort mother fell in the arms of that male Concubine Ziqi, her body was trembling slightly as she stifled her tears, while the man in white embraced her and whispered something in her ear.
His expectations were met and he didn't find the scene surprising at all. When he had seen Concubine Ziqi all those years ago, he had doubted his intentions. His temperament didn't make it seem like he would ever enter a noisy place such as the palace and compete with concubines for the Emperor's favour. After looking at his actions and seeing his expression, the situation turned out to be just as he had guessed. His consort mother and he were familiar with each before meeting here at the palace and there was even something between them.
He didn't expect to be so lucky today and find something this interesting.
As soon as his words came out, both of them looked back at him. An Ruolan looked panic-stricken while Han Ziqi just frowned and he saw no panic on his face at all. Han Ziqi still appeared calm.
Qi Mingyue raised his eyebrows in surprise upon looking at his tranquil expression. He never thought that this Concubine Ziqi would be so calm. He appeared to be deeply immersed in his feelings just now, then how was he able to pay attention to his expression and keep himself from revealing his true feelings?
Concealing the doubt in his eyes, he looked at the rose petals on the ground, and if nothing happened, he continued: "This child came to see consort mother, then Zhi Lan told me that Concubine Ziqi came to bully mother again. This child was worried, came in to have a look, and saw mother crying again. If Father Emperor came to know, I don't know what punishment there would be." He bent down to pick up a damaged flower and sighed again, "It's unfortunate. I don't know who ruined this lovely flower. It's like the rouge that was smashed by Consort Mother before, it's a pity it got destroyed."
Han Ziqi looked at the prince who was pampered by His Majesty. The young man in front of him was no longer like the child in his memory. He had sword eyebrows, his eyes were charming, his face was elegant, and he had an indefinite temperament. It made people feel that they could approach him at any time and chat with him softly, but at the same time, it made people feel that no matter what their status was, they were unworthy of being so close to him. They could only stand on the side and wait for him to look over.
This was the Second Prince, Qi Mingyue, the son of An Ruolan. There was a dark light in Han Ziqi's eyes and he looked down at the woman who had stiffened in his arms, "Your Second Highness is came at just the right time. I spoke indiscriminately and accidentally made Consort An angry and sad. I was just trying to comfort her in fear that she would still resent me in her heart. Now that Your Second Highness is here, Her Highness will be happy now and won't blame me."
Hearing his explanation, Qi Mingyue smiled, stepped forward, took An Ruolan's hand, and said lightly, "Don't cry. Consort Mother is beautiful and you must not smudge your beauty with these tears. Mother looks the most beautiful when she smiles."
It seems that there were theatricals everywhere in the palace. Since there was already one going on, how could he not accompany them to play? With a smile, he helped An Ruolan aside and said to the man dressed in white: "Concubine Ziqi, I would leave if I were you. I will not tell Father Emperor what happened today, so he will not know of Mother's tears and punish you. You can rest assured."
Han Ziqi seemed to be very grateful and thanked him again. He glanced at the woman who was silent beside Qi Mingyue. Her expression was calm and she still looked elegant and clean like she did every day. He turned and left.
An Ruolan was caught by her son and her mind was in a state of anxiety. At this time, she felt that the young man holding her hand with thin callouses was very powerful. She turned to look at him doubtfully but he saw his clear eyes looking at her with gentleness that somehow seemed cold and deep as if he could see everything, and she couldn't help but shudder. Guiltily, she said, "YueEr..."
Qi Mingyue showed a gentle smile, "What's the matter with Consort Mother? If it's about the matter of Concubine Ziqi, you don't need to mention it. Just don't be so careless if you want to meet him in the future. If it is known, I don't know what may happen." He paused, then continued to speak with deep eyes, "Your child was passing by today, came to visit and happened to see Concubine Ziqi who came to seek trouble and made you cry. He offered comfort. That's it."
An Ruolan was stunned by his words. How could she not understand the meaning of her child's words? She and Han Ziqi behaved in such a way, they would be regarded as unfaithful in the harem. If their actions were known, even her child's identity as a prince would be questioned. Although he was indeed the son of His Majesty, no one could stop people from speculating and assuming things. How could she have behaved so irrationally?
"Does Consort Mother still care about Father?" Qi Mingyue asked when he saw her expression.
"Of course I do." An Ruolan lowered her head and thought of Qi Xutian... How could she not care about His Majesty? Her status, as well as everything in the Ningxi Pavilion, were given by him.
"What about Han Ziqi?"
"How can he compare with your Father Emperor? His Majesty is of such a noble status and is the ruler of Cang He. On the other hand, Han Ziqi is just a male concubine. Your Mother was just childhood playmates with him, don't misunderstand us." She quickly took the opportunity to clarify.
Looking at the expression on her face, Qi Mingyue raised his eyebrows mockingly. For his Consort Mother, it was still status, glory, and a luxurious lifestyle that were more important. Father Emperor's fickle heart without sentiments was suitable for her. The pity he had for her now seemed superfluous.
Indus' Notes:
[1] Male concubine. There wasn't a term for male concubines in Ancient China.
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