Chapter 21

Si Yunqin hadn’t asked for a reward, but a few days later, someone still delivered an exquisitely crafted sword. The moment she held it in her hand, she couldn’t put it down. More importantly, the blade was sharpened. She casually tested it on a nearby branch, and it was truly sharp. Using such a sword to kill would probably be quite nice—though, of course, if it actually came to killing someone, she still couldn’t do it.

Lan Xi personally brought the sword over. One look at Si Yunqin’s expression and she knew the Empress liked it immensely. “Her Majesty the Empress Dowager said the Empress has worked hard, so she ordered someone to find this sword. It was forged by the master swordsmith, Master Gongye.”

Si Yunqin was momentarily stunned. Honestly, she did like it, but she also couldn’t understand why Shen Yanxin was being so generous to her. Even if she hoped Si Yunqin would assist her, there was no need to be this generous. After all, no matter what, she was only a fifteen-year-old. From Shen Yanxin’s perspective, wouldn’t the court ministers have more practical value than her?

Before she could figure it out, Lan Xi uncovered the silk cloth held by another palace maid, revealing an exquisitely crafted guqin zither. This guqin was the most beautiful Si Yunqin had ever seen. Carved into its body was a phoenix bathing in flames, so lifelike it seemed ready to spread its wings and fly away at any moment. “I heard the Empress has been learning the zither recently. Her Majesty the Empress Dowager said you can’t learn well without a good instrument.”

Si Yunqin went over and plucked the strings; the tone was excellent. Even as a half-baked learner, she loved it dearly. “Empress, please accept it quickly, so this servant can return and report,” Lan Xi said with a smile.

Si Yunqin instructed Si Yin to accept the zither, and Si Yin then performed a curtsey to thank Lan Xi. She also had Lin Feng give some gifts to the accompanying palace maids. As for Lan Xi, what she gave was naturally not ordinary. Lan Xi had a fondness for tea and desserts, so Si Yunqin gifted her some tea leaves and a dessert box, and also asked her to bring a box to Shen Yanxin.

After returning to Respectful Peace Palace, Lan Xi gave the pastries to Shen Yanxin. Shen Yanxin wasn’t busy today; she was flipping through a book—the same “Customs Records” she had seen at Si Yunqin’s place. “Your Majesty, these are the pastries the Empress ordered this servant to bring you.”

Shen Yanxin glanced at them, put down her book, and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly. The usual coldness in her demeanor diminished considerably. “She certainly knows how to enjoy herself,” she said as she opened the lid. Lan Xi took out the pastries. Their color and shape looked good. Shen Yanxin picked one up and took a bite; the taste was indeed excellent. “Wasn’t the cook in the Empress’s palace originally from here?” Shen Yanxin asked.

“Yes, but according to Lin Feng, these pastries were all the Empress’s idea. If the cook didn’t know how, the Empress would sometimes make them herself, and she often gives them to the palace maids and eunuchs in the palace.” It wasn’t without reason that Lan Xi had a good impression of Si Yunqin. In front of Si Yunqin, it seemed everyone was equal and would receive her equal respect. Although Lan Xi still had a sense of hierarchy deep down, no one disliked being respected.

Shen Yanxin responded, “She can cook?” This was truly surprising; after all, the Sikong Mansion wouldn’t normally let the legitimate daughter cook. “Just leave them there. No need to wait.” Shen Yanxin waved her hand, and Lan Xi left. She continued reading her leisure book while finishing the pastries.

Recently, Shen Yanxin hadn’t been so busy, which made Si Yunqin even more idle. Ever since she used the excuse of preparing the Feast of a Hundred Officials to hand the Young Emperor’s education back to the Grand Tutor, and later Shen Yanxin found him a companion, the Young Emperor came to Eternal Peace Palace much less frequently. Consort Chen could now slowly read some simple books on her own, which made things even easier for Si Yunqin.

Xi Fengyu was the daughter of the Prefect of Dunhuang, from a military official family. Before entering the palace, she had learned some self-defense techniques, but she wasn’t as dedicated as Si Yunqin. After meeting Si Yunqin, she picked it up again. The two of them would go to the training ground to spar when they had nothing else to do. Xi Fengyu’s body, which had been sedentary for several years, recovered a lot.

When they were bored, they also came up with mahjong. Si Yunqin specifically had Xi Fengyu draw the designs, then had craftsmen make a set. An automatic mahjong table was out of the question, so they had to shuffle by hand. At first, they dragged Consort Chen and Grand Consort Yuande to play, and later, the other consorts also learned. For a time, mahjong and the Leaf Game became all the rage in the palace.

Every day, Si Yunqin taught Xi Fengyu martial arts, had mahjong sessions from time to time, occasionally taught the Young Emperor a little, still had to manage harem affairs, and also accompanied Grand Consort Xi and Grand Consort Shu in practicing Tai Chi. She had also promised Xi Fengyu to be a model for her. Sometimes she would spend an entire morning posing as a model at Xi Fengyu’s request. Before they knew it, two months had passed. During these two months, Shen Yanxin hadn’t sought her out much, only occasionally asking her to assess the Young Emperor’s studies together.

Summer heat arrived, and Shen Yanxin, while handling state affairs in the Imperial Study, would occasionally feel stuffy and irritable. She put down her red brush and looked at the blazing sun outside. Before she could say anything, Lan Xi asked if she would like a bowl of Iced Lotus Seed Soup. Shen Yanxin thought for a moment; she did want something cold, so she nodded in agreement.

When the lotus seed soup was brought up and she took a few sips, Shen Yanxin noticed it tasted somewhat different from what she usually ate. “I heard this was improved by the Empress. The Grand Consorts in the palace tried it first and liked it, and then it spread.”

While eating the soup, Shen Yanxin casually asked, “What has the Empress been busy with lately?” Lan Xi knew something of Si Yunqin’s schedule, but she wasn’t sure if the Empress Dowager would be displeased if she told the truth. However, seeing Shen Yanxin waiting for an answer, Lan Xi reported honestly.

After hearing it, Shen Yanxin put down the bowl and let out a scoff. “That’s exactly her style.” If Si Yunqin didn’t do these things, she wouldn’t be herself. This little Empress was lazy yet couldn’t stay idle, always finding something to stir up. Still, Shen Yanxin was curious: why did her mind contain so many strange and novel ideas? “Mahjong?” She had never heard of this before.

“Yes.”

“Let’s go. I want to see it at the Palace of Grand Consort Yuande.” Shen Yanxin stood up. The hot, suffocating weather made her disinclined to look at those depressing memorials, each one unsettling. Of course, if everything were good news, it wouldn’t have been presented to her.

“Yes.”

Shen Yanxin sat in the imperial carriage. Going to the Palace of Grand Consort Yuande meant crossing nearly half the imperial palace; it was still quite a distance. But before reaching the palace, she spotted Si Yunqin and Xi Fengyu.

The two were in a pavilion. Si Yunqin wore a relatively elegant dress, her arms crossed over a sword, leaning against the railing with a lazy and carefree posture. Xi Fengyu was slightly bent over, helping adjust Si Yunqin’s dress. From a distance, their gestures looked especially intimate.

Shen Yanxin ordered the carriage to stop and stood still watching for a few moments. Lan Xi also looked over, and her heart nearly stopped in shock. The two indeed looked very intimate, not like ordinary close friends. Lan Xi quickly lowered her head. Shen Yanxin watched until Xi Fengyu straightened up and sat back down in the pavilion. “Continue,” she said.

Lan Xi called out loudly, “Move on!”

“Was that the Empress Dowager just now?” Xi Fengyu and Si Yunqin heard Lan Xi’s voice and looked over, naturally recognizing her. “Yes.”

Xi Fengyu slowly continued painting, then asked Si Yunqin with a smile, “Aren’t you afraid the Empress Dowager will misunderstand our relationship and punish us both?”

Si Yunqin chuckled lightly. “She’s already caught me reading erotic books—and those erotic drawings you made. What’s there to be afraid of? She didn’t scold me then. I don’t think she will today either.”

“So sure?” Xi Fengyu still thought Si Yunqin was too optimistic.

“I don’t know. I just feel she’s been quite lenient with me.” After multiple interactions, Si Yunqin could sense it.

“Maybe it’s guilt?” Xi Fengyu guessed. After all, having Si Yunqin enter the palace to marry a three-year-old should come with some guilt.

“Who knows? Whatever.” Si Yunqin yawned lazily. She wanted to move, but Xi Fengyu told her not to. As a qualified model, Si Yunqin could only pout and sit obediently.

Meanwhile, Shen Yanxin spent the entire afternoon playing mahjong at Grand Consort Yuande’s palace with several consorts. She felt it was a bit like the Leaf Game, but not entirely the same.

Only when the sky grew dark did Shen Yanxin turn back to Respectful Peace Palace. After returning, she continued reviewing memorials and remembered that the triennial Imperial Examination was coming up. It was an assessment of the students recommended by officials from various regions, and then they would be assigned official positions according to their grades. The triennial rule was set by the late emperor. She glanced briefly at the names on the list. More than half of them were from the Five Great Clans’ aristocratic families. Shen Yanxin immediately lost interest in looking further. The power of the aristocratic clans was evident from this.

Many officials in the court were from the Five Clans. Thinking of this, and realizing how difficult it would be to truly curb the influence of these clans, she became even more troubled. Suddenly, she thought of Si Yunqin. She felt that maybe that girl would have some breakthrough ideas.

At this moment, Si Yunqin was still diligently posing as a model, unaware that she had caught Shen Yanxin’s attention again. She suddenly couldn’t help sneezing. Having held the same pose for a long time, she couldn’t help asking Xi Fengyu, “Dear sister, how much longer?”

“Get up, I’m done.” As she spoke, Xi Fengyu continued adding colors to the painting.

But Si Yunqin sneezed again for no apparent reason. “Catching a cold, I guess.”

Xi Fengyu scoffed. “In this weather? You say cold? More like someone is thinking of you.”

“Who would be thinking of me?” Si Yunqin found that absolutely impossible.

“Can’t say for sure.” Xi Fengyu smiled.

“It’s just the wind blowing.” Si Yunqin insisted stubbornly.

Xi Fengyu couldn’t be bothered to argue. She spread out the painting for Si Yunqin to see. The person in the painting had the same clothing and posture as Si Yunqin, but the expression and eyes were completely different. Si Yunqin took it and looked. “Your painting skills are divine. Can’t you teach me?”

“Can’t teach. It’s mainly about talent.” After getting familiar, Xi Fengyu and Si Yunqin often joked with each other, and neither took it too seriously.

“Alright, the character design is done. Now you have to write the story.” Si Yunqin urged again.

“Even the workhorse needs a rest.” Xi Fengyu said crossly.

“The tenant farmer works all year round without holidays.” Si Yunqin replied with a laugh.

They packed up their things. Si Yin and Xi Fengyu’s maid saw this and quickly came over to help. When Si Yunqin returned to Eternal Peace Palace, she learned from Lin Feng what Shen Yanxin had done that day. Imagining Shen Yanxin, with her cold, ethereal, otherworldly face, playing mahjong, Si Yunqin felt a kind of adorable contrast.