Chapter 3

Chapter 3

There was no doubt about it: Pei Yunruo was a good mistress.

She understood perfectly how to secure His Majesty’s favor while still guarding her own heart, never allowing it to lose its way.

I had seen far too many consorts spoiled until they no longer knew their place. Because of a moment’s favor, they truly believed themselves to be the one held at the very tip of the emperor’s heart. They acted recklessly, demanded sincerity from the Son of Heaven, and in the end, the higher they climbed, the harder they fell-until there was not even a place left to bury their bones.

Pei Yunruo had mastered the art of propriety to perfection.

At just the right moment, she would act coy with His Majesty and ask for a few jewels, some ornaments, silks, and brocades.

Or she would hold up two gauze skirts and ask His Majesty which one suited the season better, her eyes soft and alluring as she invited him to dress her himself-only to entice him into undressing her with his own hands afterward.

She played these little games at exactly the right time and in exactly the right measure. His Majesty was never angered by them. He only found her more and more interesting. Once he finished handling state affairs, he would spend entire days lingering at Qixiang Residence.

The two of them were like an ordinary young couple, with endless things to say and endless amusements to share.

When their feelings ran deep, His Majesty would hold Pei Yunruo in his arms, resting his head in the curve of her neck. “How about I make you Empress? I want you to stay by my side forever.”

Pei Yunruo never answered such questions directly. She would only laugh, her reply leaving no opening at all. “This concubine belongs to Your Majesty. Of course I will stay with Your Majesty forever.”

Sometimes His Majesty would leave, plainly displeased. When I went into the bedchamber to tidy up, I could not help but offer Pei Yunruo a word of advice. “Your Highness, why insist on going against His Majesty’s wishes? In this servant’s eyes, His Majesty truly treats Your Highness well. You are different from all the others.”

I spoke from the heart. I had spent so many years in the palace and had seen more imperial nobles than I could count, but I truly had never seen anyone dote on another the way His Majesty did.

Ever since my great grudge was avenged, I had sincerely come to regard Pei Yunruo as a younger member of my own family to be protected. The depths of the palace were lonely. If His Majesty truly was a man with a heart, I did not wish for Pei Yunruo to miss her chance.

But when Pei Yunruo heard this, she merely smiled faintly. At the time, she happened to be holding a copy of The Book of Songs. Instead of answering me, she asked, “Auntie, have you ever read the poem Meng?”

I was utterly at a loss and answered honestly, “This servant has not had much schooling.”

Pei Yunruo propped her chin on her hand and recited softly, “Ah, turtledove, do not eat the mulberries. Ah, young woman, do not lose yourself in a man. When a man loses himself, he may still break free; when a woman loses herself, she cannot escape.

“In the past, I already found these lines thought-provoking. Now, the more often I read them, the more they reveal something new. It would be best to carve them straight into my bones.”

“This servant does not understand such things.”

Pei Yunruo did not mind. She only smiled. “It does not matter if you do not understand. Auntie, you only need to know that if I were to give my true heart to His Majesty, I would no longer be as understanding as I am now.

“I would become ugly with jealousy, and mad with love and desire.

“The stake is too great. I cannot afford to gamble.

“Auntie need not say such things again in the future.”

Instinctively, I wanted to argue: His Majesty treats you so very well. How could he ever grow tired of you?

But Pei Yunruo had already summoned the maids to help her undress. She had attended His Majesty for an entire day and was truly exhausted.

So I swallowed my words back down, thinking to myself that there were still many long days to come in the palace. One day, Pei Yunruo would surely be moved.