All was peaceful in the time after. The Empress did not do anything else after gifting gifts to a few more ladies. She did not make anyone a princess, or even a concubine. There was no change on the Emperor’s side either. It was as if the Flower Appreciation Banquet was just a normal banquet.
King Chu, King Yan, and King Xuan did not have any main wives. Of course, this did not mean that there were no beauties or concubines in their inner courtyards. King Xuan’s inner courtyard was florishing. It was said that the wild and arrogant King Xuan had the greatest number of concubines.
He had not returned for too long when he started bringing in concubines into his manor. Even though Emperor Zongwen was angry, there was nothing he could do. In the beginning, he would send someone to rebuke him and then, after that, it was too late for any scolding. The Emperor just allowed him to do what he wanted. However, this annoyed the Empress and Concubine Su greatly and they started to become wary of King Xuan.
As such, Feng Yuran’s King Xuan Manor was the most bustling manor out of the three princes’ manors. He would get gifts from the palace from time to time. If it were not nanmu wood furniture from the Empress, then it would be Concubine Su sending calligraphy. They all behaved as if they doted on Feng Yuran a lot.
They just wanted to indulge him so that he would become a mess.
Inside Jin Wei Pavilion of King Xuan’s Manor.
The handsome youth’s eyes shone. They were as lively as the rippling waters in autumn. His eyes swept across the thick stack of paintings brought to him by a eunuch. He was sprawled lazily on the couch and he picked up the crystal-like grapes that still had water on them and tossed them into his mouth casually. A languid expression gradually appeared on his handsome face.
“These were all found by Her Majesty?” The lazy voice had a trace of impatience in it.
The wind blew at the paintings in the eunuch’s hand. They were all pictures of beautiful smiles. Smiles fell like flowers where the wind blew. They were delicate and beautiful, pure and unique…
“The eighteen ladies here are all main daughters of court officials third grade and above. They are beautiful and intelligent, dignified and gracious. Her Majesty said that if you like them, you can keep a few. You can never have enough beauties like them. No matter whether you take them as wives as concubines, they can all help you.” The eunuch said, sending him the paintings. He helped Feng Yuran to lay them on the desk and introduced them helpfully.
Then, he intentionally smoothed down the topmost portrait and said, “Your Highness, look at this one. She is the most beautiful of the 18. I have placed her on top intentionally. Look at her carefully, she’s a ravishing beauty! She’s even more beautiful than some of the concubines in the palace.”
The beauty in the painting was indeed stunning. Her long thick hair was tied into a bun. She wore a peony green satin shirt and a pink daffodil dress. She also had a light green shawl around her shoulders. Her clear eyes and gentle beauty made one feel as if she was as beautiful as jade. Feng Yuran’s eyes could not help but land on the picture. He looked at the beauty on it carefully and a smile appeared on his handsome face.
The eunuch felt a wave of satisfaction. This beauty was one that the Empress took special care of. The beauty in the picture was gentle and beautiful. The Empress had had other plans, but had decided part with her treasure reluctantly and give it to King Xuan to get him on her side. Which man would be able to leave this beauty behind. King Xuan would more than likely pick this beauty. Even t hough the other ladies were all beautiful, they could not compare with this one. After seeing her, and then the other ladies, any man would definitely pick her to be their wife.
She was the most famous beauty in the capital!
“Which family is this beauty from? She is indeed beautiful. Then…” A lazy smile appeared on the youths handsome face. His lips curled up with a faint smile, looking rather seductive. He was like a nightshade flower waving in the wind, seducing the hearts of others. The eunuch was in a hurry to reply. He looked up the handsome face. Even though he was used to seeing beauties in the palace, he was stunned by the prince’s beauty and stared at him speechlessly.
“How audacious. How dare you look at the prince.” Someone yelled angrily.
“Hurmph!” There was a cold harrumphed and the guard looked at him menacingly. The eunuch did not have time to speak before he was slapped heavily. Pain radiated from his chest and he spat out blood onto the jade-like face of the first beauty on the painting. The face on the painting was sprayed red with blood and looked frightful.
“Your Highness, please, Your Highness, please!” He looked at the guards standing by the side looking at him coldly and at the cold and handsome face of the youth wearing elegant clothes and seated on the high couch. How could he not understand? He ignored the pain in his chest and his face became pale with fright. He shook as he knelt on the ground, kowtowing and pleading with King Xuan. He kowtowed so frantically that his head started to bleed, blurring his eyesight.
“Am I handsome?” Feng Yuran asked with a gentle smile. He did not speak in a hurry and did not seem angry. His eyes were filled with good humor.
“Your slave does not dare. Your slave does not dare!” The eunuch did not dare to say anything. He kept kowtowing and did not dare to say anything as the blood blurred his eyesight.
How dare he say anything else after offending King Xuan.
“Do you think I’m not handsome?” There was a deep lazy sigh.
“No, no, no, no…Your Highness’s handsomeness is second to none. No one can compare.” The eunuch shook and kowtowed. He was feeling dizzy.
“Can no one truly compare?”
“Of course. Of course that’s true!” The eunuch would say whatever Feng Yuran wanted him to say right now.
“Since no one can compare, why did you bring such an ugly picture here? You’ve made my desk ugly. Feng Yue, throw him out. How can the woman in the portrait be a beauty? She’s a female ghost and has frightened me. Take it away. Take it away!” Feng Yuran flicked his sleeves with disdain and pushed the painting to a corner of the desk. He frowned, looking disgusted.
“Yes!” His personal servant Feng Yue was not polite at all. He picked up the eunuch with one hand and the painting with another and dragged them out.
“Tell Her Majesty that I am grateful for here love. But I cannot accept this kind of female ghosts who are not “beauties”. I am a coward, and if I get scared, it will be terrible!” Feng Yuran’s voice could be heard from upstairs. Even though he was far away, the eunuch heard everything.
“Yes, yes. Your servant will obey!” The eunuch had long been frightened out of his wits. How would he dare to say anything else? It was a fortunate thing that he had managed to keep his life. He had dared to stare at King Xuan, who was known for his fluctuating moods, dazedly. It could be said that King Xuan was still giving a face to the Empress since he had spared his life. Otherwise, how would he have been able to survive earlier.
After being thrown out by Feng Yue, the eunuch ran away. He suddenly recalled something after he had taken a few steps and hurriedly turned back to pick up the ruined painting. He knocked into a stone lion statue not far away and tumbled over. The guards of King Manor behind him laughed out loud.
Inside the Empress’ palace.
“This is the reply you brought back?” The Empress pointed at the portrait with trembling fingers and spoke sternly.
The Empress almost vomited blood when she saw the painting that was soaked in blood. The beauty’s features could not be made out anymore and it was just a mess of colored ink and blood. It was not only not beautiful but it felt rather devilish.
“Your Majesty, please calm down. Did King Xuan do this intentionally?” Eunuch Liu looked at the pale and shaking eunuch and could not help but sigh secretly. If the lad had not gifted him with an emerald ring that day, he would have left him to his own devices. “Your Highness, he obviously looks like he has been frightened.”
“Why did King Xuan dirty the painting so? Even though he might not like my niece, he doesn’t have to do this. It’s not like my niece can’t be married off.” The Empress asked furiously. It was not as if she was praising her own family, but it was said that the first beauty in the capital, Ling Fengyan was the most outstanding daughter of her family, the Ding General Manor.
The Empress had her own plans for a beauty like this. She had no intentions of giving Ling Fengyan to Feng Yuran at all.
The Empress had no intentions of getting Ling Fengyan into the palace. Only a concubine could have a high position from each family. She was already the Empress, if someone from her family comes in, the Emperor will feel that the Ding General Manor is too powerful and will grow wary of them. It would not only be a waste of a beauty and would also lead to the Emperor being on his guard with them.
As such, Ling Fengyan had remained hidden behind closed doors. People only heard about her but rarely saw her. Emperor Zongwen had wanted to find Feng Yuran a beautiful woman this time, and when she saw how Emperor Zongwen doted on Feng Yuran, she wanted to get Feng Yuran on her side. That was why she gritted her teeth and sent the beauty over. However, she had not expected to be so embarrassed. The Empress was embarrassed, so how could she maintain her dignified and gentle composure?
The Empress was very angry. The consequences were serious!
Feng Yuran might be Emperor Zongwen’s favorite son, but how could he behave so arrogantly. He ignored his Royal Mother’s good intentions and even embarrassed her. He had sprayed blood on the portrait of the Empress’ niece. This was pitting himself against the Empress, pitting himself against the Ding General Manor. He had embarrassed the high and mighty Empress, and how could the usually proud Empress bear it?
“Men, get His Majesty to come and see. Come and see how the eighth price treated his royal mother’s good intentions!” She clenched the armrest of her phoenix seat and gritted her teeth loudly. Even if she wanted to get Feng Yuran on her side, she would not allow him to challenge her power.
She was second to only one person right now. Everyone else had to be under her rule!
She would be above many in the future. Even that person would be beneath her then. She would become the Empress Dowager, a true Empress Dowager.
“Your Majesty, please hold on. We had better get a clear answer. If His Majesty tries to help King Xuan, you can take out real evidence to show him.” Eunuch Liu hurried to speak up and stop her when he saw how angry the Empress was. Everyone in the palace knew how much Emperor Zongwen doted on King Xuan. If they did not make sure of the situation and King Xuan found a loophole, it would not only be a matter of teaching King Xuan a lesson later.
The Empress understood that she was too rash. Her furious expression softened slightly. Her goal was to teach Feng Yuran a lesson only and not truly become enemies with him. She hoped that she would be able to use this chance to get Emperor Zongwen to teach Feng Yuran a lesson. She would stand at the right moment to help Feng Yuran so that he would be grateful for her graciousness and stand on her side. That was the Empress’s goal.
She sighed and looked at the eunuch below and asked coldly. “Where did King Xuan get this blood from?”
No matter how much he was dissatisfied with the person in the painting, he did not have to use blood to ruin it. This was something that the Empress found unacceptable. She did not think that nobody would like her niece. She was a beautiful girl, and would there be any man who did not like her? Why had Feng Yuran done that to the painting, smearing the blood on her face!
