He added lightly, “Your son.”
Then he pulled Gu Yun along and bowed together. “Thank you Your Majesty for your approval, Imperial Father.”
Approval? Approval of what?
Gu Yun was bewildered and followed him in a daze.
The Emperor said, “I agree. But Consort Shu has not yet agreed.”
Chao Yan smiled. “Mother respects you most. If you agree, she will naturally agree.”
The Emperor gave a cold snort and said to Gu Yun, “From now on, you must take good care of the Crown Prince. Do not compete with those who come after you for his attention and create trouble. The imperial household is not like ordinary families. You must understand this.”
Chao Yan said, “Father, rest assured. A-Yun is a sensible person.”
Gu Yun finally understood.
He looked at Chao Yan, lips pressed together, and was about to respond when his gaze caught sight of a young monk sweeping the stone steps ahead on the right. His pupils contracted sharply, and he froze.
“A-Yun?” Chao Yan tugged at him.
Gu Yun snapped back to himself and quickly said, “Yes, Your Majesty’s instruction is noted. I will remember it.”
The Emperor narrowed his eyes at him. “What were you staring at just now?” He pointed at the monk. “Do you know him?”
Gu Yun looked confused, following the direction again. “Know him? Your Majesty, I do not know him. His back just resembles my brother.”
The Emperor said, “I heard something happened to your family. Your relatives…”
Gu Yun lowered his gaze. His throat felt sour and bitter. “I do not know whether I will ever see them again.”
The Emperor asked, “Then what exactly happened?”
Chao Yan took Gu Yun’s hand and smiled at the Emperor. “Father, I do know something of his family situation. I will explain it to you later.”
The Emperor looked at Chao Yan with a faint, unreadable smile. Chao Yan met his gaze steadily, still smiling.
“Your Majesty.” A clear voice interrupted them.
A round-faced maid hurried over, stopping before the Emperor to curtsy.
“Her Majesty invites Your Majesty to taste the osmanthus tea cakes she made herself. She says she will accompany you for a walk afterwards; they will not taste good once cooled.”
Only then did she seem to notice Chao Yan and the others.
Her expression brightened. “Your Highness, you have arrived at just the right time.”
Chao Yan said, “Mother has prepared so many pastries. I have brought guests.”
The maid smiled. “Your Highness, rest assured. There is plenty.” She then glanced curiously at Gu Yun.
Chao Yan introduced, “This is Miss Gu.”
Her gaze had already fallen on their clasped hands. She covered her mouth and smiled, nodding slightly.
“Miss Gu.”
Chao Yan lowered his voice to Gu Yun:
“This is Zhao Xun, daughter of Lord Zhao. Lord Zhao was a distant relative of my maternal family, the Yun clan. I should have called him uncle. Years ago, he went out as a military magistrate and was killed. His wife, upon hearing the news, died of grief not long after, leaving only their daughter. My mother feared she would be mistreated as an orphan, so she brought her into the palace and raised her. It has been four years.”
Gu Yun thought: in Zhao Xun’s situation, should she not have been taken in by the Yun clan? That would be more natural, and more beneficial for her. Unless Consort Shu and the Yun clan… were on extremely poor terms.
But even so, it should not be so openly handled. Their interests were intertwined.
Consort Shu was the Crown Prince’s mother; the Yun clan was his maternal family. Could it be… that the Yun clan was gone?
A chill ran through Gu Yun.
Forcing himself to steady his expression, he looked at Zhao Xun and smiled.
“Miss Zhao.”
The Emperor gave a cold snort and walked towards the courtyard with his hands behind his back.
The courtyard was not large, but it was refined and elegant.
Late autumn had arrived. The trumpet creeper along the walls had finished flowering; its seed pods had split open, revealing flat winged seeds.
The brown, twisting vines and aerial roots clung to the walls on all sides, their rugged vitality contrasting with the solemn weight of the temple architecture.
Consort Shu stood at the courtyard entrance with two attendants. When she saw them approaching, she went forward to greet them.
She wore plain clothing: a blue robe, a single black sandalwood hairpin, and a string of Buddhist prayer beads on her wrist. Her beauty was gentle and understated, her willow-shaped eyes soft and composed. Though her exact age was unclear, she appeared at least twenty years younger than the Emperor.
“Your Majesty, have you come out for a walk to fetch Ziyu?” she asked with a smile.
The Emperor said, “I was afraid your son might not appreciate it.”
Consort Shu frowned, glanced at Gu Yun, then at Chao Yan. “What have you done?”
Chao Yan bowed with Gu Yun. “Father, how have I wronged you?”
The Emperor replied, “Whether I have wronged you or not, you know in your heart.”
He entered the courtyard, passed through the front yard and hanging flower gate, and sat beneath the trellis at a stone table in the inner courtyard’s left side.
Consort Shu’s residence was a single-entry courtyard.
She followed him inside. “Your Majesty, since you are here rarely, please try my pastries. Have they improved?”
The Emperor washed his hands, took a piece of osmanthus cake, and bit into it. “Very good. It is better than before.”
Consort Shu said, “I will have them packed for Your Majesty to take back.”
The Emperor nodded.
Chao Yan handed Gu Yun over to Zhao Xun to be taken to the side room, then sat opposite the Emperor. He lifted his cup and offered a quiet apology.
“Father, please forgive me. I did not intend to oppose you. A-Yun is unwell and recovering. If that family matter is mentioned again, recalling what I told him may be too much for him to bear.”
The Emperor narrowed his eyes. “So you have concluded they are dead?”
“Yes,” Chao Yan replied. “A-Yun’s family offended local gangs and suffered retaliation. They scattered and agreed to meet again, but he never saw them. After we married, I also went to wait, but there was still no sign of them. I believe they are gone.”
The Emperor asked, “After you returned, did you send people to search?”
“Yes.”
The Emperor said, “Do not delay important matters.”
Chao Yan replied, “I understand.”
He then added, “Regarding the construction materials for the Ascension Tower, I have an idea. After discussing feasibility with the monks and Daoist masters of the Registrar offices, I will report back to Father.”
The Emperor gave a brief “Mm.”
Consort Shu observed the Emperor’s expression and saw his fatigue. She gently patted his hand.
“Your Majesty, please rest. I have already ordered calming incense to be lit inside.”
The Emperor asked, “Is it the incense I gave you before?”
“Yes,” she replied softly.
The Emperor stood. “Use it when needed. When it is finished, ask for more.”
Consort Shu supported him as they walked. “I know. I can sleep peacefully even without it these days.”
The Emperor said, “In the end, I still owe you.”
Consort Shu lowered her gaze.
“Your Majesty was misled by treacherous officials and wrongly believed the Yun clan had embezzled grain taxes, resulting in the extermination of their line.”
“When the truth was discovered the year before last, Your Majesty immediately restored the Yun clan’s name, punished the conspirators, posthumously honoured my parents, restored my concubine rank, and permitted me to reside here in Cining Temple in mourning. Later, you even named Ziyu Crown Prince.”
“Your Majesty has already done more than enough. I do not blame you. The fault was never yours.”
“My parents and elder brother appeared to me in a dream last night, telling me to take good care of Your Majesty.”
“Once my mourning period is complete, I will return to the palace.”
“Although Ziyu is filial, he is not my biological son. There is always a distance between us. In truth, I have only Your Majesty. Without me at your side, I cannot be at ease. No one in the palace understands you as I do.”
The Emperor patted her arm. “Very well. I will wait for you.”
Consort Shu said, “Your Majesty has grown thinner. I wish I could bear your burdens for you. I still remember, years ago, when you travelled incognito and we first met in the peach grove…”
Their voices faded as they left for the inner chambers.
Chao Yan set down his cup and sat beneath the trellis, watching their departing figures with an unreadable expression.
In the side room:
Zhao Xun accompanied Gu Yun and smiled brightly.
“Miss Gu, you are truly beautiful. Her Majesty will certainly like you. She is very fond of beautiful people.”
Gu Yun smiled shyly as he ate a tea cake.
Zhao Xun hopped down, opened a cabinet, and brought out several boxes of pastries, pushing them towards him.
“These were made by Her Majesty in her spare time. If you like them, take more. When you leave, I will pack some for you. His Highness dislikes them and always makes us finish them. But how much can we possibly eat?”
Gu Yun glanced at the outside stone table. “There were only tea cakes there.”
Zhao Xun rolled her eyes and smiled. “His Majesty is tired of them, so we do not bring them out to avoid displeasing him.”
Gu Yun nodded. “I see.”
Zhao Xun added, “Do not mention this outside. If others find out, they might infer His Majesty’s preferences.”
Gu Yun agreed.
Zhao Xun picked up a pastry and held it to his lips. “Try this. Rose osmanthus pastry. My favourite.”
Gu Yun took a bite.
The pastry was thin and crisp, like layers of snow. First came the strong fragrance of rose, followed by the fresh scent of osmanthus. The sweetness carried a slight tartness, ending with a soft nutty richness.
“Delicious. You have good taste,” Gu Yun said after swallowing.
Zhao Xun beamed. “Another bite.”
He finished it slowly, then drank tea, and looked out of the window towards a small pond in the inner courtyard.
After a while, he sighed. “Cining Temple is truly beautiful. Could we go for a walk?”
Zhao Xun said, “Of course. I will accompany you. Wait here; I will inform Her Majesty and His Highness.”
Gu Yun’s eyes lit up slightly. “Alright.”
When Zhao Xun went out, Consort Shu had already gone with the Emperor to rest in the main hall. Only Chao Yan remained beneath the flower trellis.
Zhao Xun approached him. “Your Highness, I will take Miss Gu for a walk around the temple.”
Chao Yan lifted his gaze towards the side room. After a pause, he said, “Very well. Avoid steep paths. A-Yun’s injury has not fully healed.”
Zhao Xun asked in surprise, “He is injured?”
Chao Yan replied, “You may ask him yourself. In any case, remember my words, and return early.”
Zhao Xun agreed and went off with Gu Yun.
Chao Yan sat beneath the trellis, slowly finishing his tea. He summoned a personal guard.
“Keep watch on Miss Gu in secret. If anything unusual happens, report back immediately.”
Outside the courtyard, Gu Yun deliberately led Zhao Xun towards the area where the sweeping monk had been seen.
They arrived soon after, but there was no sign of the monk anywhere.
