From CEO to Concubine-Chapter 155: Entourage

The trip to the summer palace had been a logistical nightmare on a scale that Yan Zheyun had never seen before and the autumn hunt was no different. As he had only been an imperial concubine back then, he hadn’t been involved in the arrangements of the inner palace.

Things had changed since.

The fortnight leading up to their departure to the hunting grounds had passed in a blur. As the head of the inner palace and the holder of the phoenix seal, Yan Zheyun had found himself at the centre stage of the arrangements, the fourteen departments hanging onto his every word as they relied on him for further instructions. Liu Suzhi, in his typical uninterested fashion, had made it abundantly clear that he would only act if given clear orders. Hence, from the lowest of servants to the highest ranking of concubines, all had depended upon Yan Zheyun for direction.

If he hadn’t once run a company before, he might have asked Liu Yao whether he could resign from this de facto empress role.

Luckily for him, although Noble Consort Dou had been made to hand over power to him because he now outranked her, she was too reasonable a woman to bear any grudges, at least on the surface. Instead of shunning him when he most needed help, she had patiently guided him through the areas he had been struggling with. Thus, with her assistance, he had managed to sort out which concubines were coming along, how many in their entourage were coming with, and all the bits and bobs that had to be prepared for the journey because apparently, it was customary that they all travelled in style.

More than a hunting trip, this was starting to sound like a very onerous family excursion.

Today was finally the date of departure, much anticipated by Yan Zheyun as he didn’t want to have to consider the possibility that some disaster would crop up right on the cusp. The horses pulling his carriage had barely trotted through the main southern gates of the imperial city and he was already exhausted.

"Little Master, would you like to have a sip of water while we ride towards the main entourage?"

Xiao De handed over a cup before moving back out to sit next to the carriage driver.

The entourage of the inner palace had a ways to go before they could join Liu Yao, who had already departed to meet with the ministers and their families who would be coming along for the ride. Besides the emperor, only a handful of people were allowed to pass through the Changle Gate in the south, which was the main entrance of the imperial city and the most glorious and ornate of them all.

The Changle Gate served as a symbol of imperial glory and was venerated for its sanctity. An empress was only allowed to pass through it on their wedding day when they entered the palace as the dragon’s bride for the first time. Otherwise, only the three top graduates of the imperial examination would ever have such an honour.

Yan Zheyun’s carriage formed the start of the inner palace entourage. Personally, he didn’t care too much about how luxuriously furnished the carriage would be, had intended to be frugal where he could. But Liu Yao had been the one to send a list of demands to the departments detailing that it should be large enough for Yan Zheyun to lie down, padded with cushioning and layered over with soft silks. There should be a tea table and wide windows that would allow a breeze in should Yan Zheyun find it too stuffy but still have sturdy wooden panels that shut firmly in the event of an assassination attempt.

After realising that Liu Yao was deriving great joy from pampering him, he’d let it go after a weak reminder to not spend too much, to which Liu Yao had chuckled and replied, "Ah Yun must remember that when dealing with the nobility, you’ll only cheapen yourself in their eyes if you cannot match up to their standards of what an empress-to-be should look like."

Yan Zheyun hadn’t agreed initially. In his opinion, caring about what others think was the surest way to spiral into a rut of self-doubt. But Liu Yao had explained that it was all about concealing weaknesses.

"No one can fault you for spending well within the limits that your station affords you—this would be regarded as thrifty, in fact," he’d added patiently. "But they will find plenty of problems with your bearing and stature should you grant them an opportunity to do so." 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Yan Zheyun still had a lot to learn, it seemed.

It was midday by the time the entire entourage was present as a whole and could embark out of the capital. Liu Yao had only intended to bring Yan Zheyun and Yao Siya along but the pressure from the empress dowager and the morning court meant that the list had expanded over time.

Lady Zhao was, of course, the intelligent option. She wasn’t just a shield for Liu Yao to wield to fend off the protests that he was paying one concubine too much attention. She was also involved with such a significant part of their plans. Attendant Zhang was the other choice that Liu Yao couldn’t leave behind, not when her brother’s success at the diplomacy table was the reason why the northern envoys would be present at the hunt this year. Imperial Concubine Hui was here due to her relatively elevated position in the inner palace, especially since Noble Consort Dou had been tasked with remaining behind to oversee the smooth running of the inner palace in Yan Zheyun’s absence.

As for Chen Qi and Hua Zhixuan, Yan Zheyun suspected their presence had a lot to do with how well he got along with them.

They were an even bigger group this time around as compared to the summer palace trip and Yan Zheyun couldn’t resist pulling open the curtains to peek outside at the capital. To think that just over a year ago, he’d been running around on these streets during the rare breaks the Wu Household gave to their servants, keeping clear of the way whenever a nobleman passed by on a horse or a minister’s carriage rolled past on its large wheels.

Now he was one of them too.

A snooty sniff caught his attention and he turned to give Lord Chen an amused look.

"Gawking out of the window like a country bumpkin who has never seen the world before," Lord Chen muttered. "Control yourself before you toss away the dignity of the imperial family—" He cut himself off with an indignant squawk when Hua Zhixuan smacked him cheerfully across the back of the head.

"Ah, you still haven’t learned the art of sweetening your words, Brother Chen," was Hua Zhixuan’s bright interjection. "Might this one remind you that should you say something scathing during the hunt banquet and shatter the peace we’re building with the foreign dignitaries, you might singlehandedly start a war?"

Lord Chen shot him a dirty glare. "I’m not an idiot."

Yan Zheyun smiled quietly to himself as he listened to their familiar bickering. They had all grown closer from living together in Yuyang Palace and he often found himself missing them, even though he had more privacy now that he had his own space...privacy that he valued because more often than not, Liu Yao conveniently chose to forget that there was a time and place for everything and midday outdoors by the pond was not entirely appropriate in the 21st century, let alone an ancient dynasty where it would be positively scandalous.

"How long before we reach?" Lord Chen stretched out and reclined further in his seat. They ought to have been sharing a carriage further back in the entourage but Yan Zheyun had called them over to—well, to chill, really, there was no other way of phrasing it. But in the guise of requiring companionship, of course.

Another one of those benefits of being highly ranked was that you could come up with any harebrained excuse and people would buy it because the alternative would be to offend you.

Hua Zhixuan hummed. "We’ve barely left, you’ll have to bear with us for many more shichen, I’m afraid." He was huddled in his corner of the carriage with his feet propped up unceremoniously on the seat, pouring over a scroll with a mildly perplexed frown. Yan Zheyun had assumed initially that he was reading an obscure philosophical text with deep teachings to decipher but he’d accidentally caught sight of the chicken scratchings on it and realised...it was His Little Highness, the tenth prince’s homework.

Sympathy welled up in his chest at the sight. Well. Somewhat. For a scholar like Hua Zhixuan, who had poured his heart and soul into his education—Yan Zheyun was sorely tempted to ask whether, if Yao Siya was drowning in a pond next to the only transcribed copy of the work of a sage, who or what would he rescue?—teaching the tenth prince must have been nothing short of a blood pressure spike.

Yan Zheyun didn’t regret relinquishing some of his tutoring responsibilities at the empress dowager’s request. He was happy monitoring the young prince’s progress from afar and this bought him more time to pay attention to Liu An’s wellbeing in other ways.

"One staring at everything like they’re fresh from the countryside and another sitting uncouthly like a peasant," Lord Chen grumbled. "One would never guess this is the carriage of the most dignified imperial noble consort langjun."

"There’s always the company of Beautiful Lord Liang and Noble Lord Guo if you’d prefer."

Lord Chen finally had someone he could bitch about without fear of ruining anyone’s pleasure. "What, remove your lovely visage from my sight and replace it with Liang Ruhan’s dour face? I’m not so bored that I would stoop to self-torture to while away the time, thank you."

Hua Zhixuan looked up from the error-riddled scroll to chime in. "I wouldn’t either. Sometimes I feel like His Majesty should just promote Beautiful Lord Liang."

Yan Zheyun blinked at him. He knew that beneath Hua Zhixuan’s easygoing demeanour was a young man who still woke up from nightmares some nights where he had to relive the bullying that he’d undergone at their hands. He didn’t think Hua Zhixuan so kind-spirited as to wish his enemies well.

True enough, those vibrant eyes crinkled at the corners before he added with an impish smile, "’Beautiful Lord’ is almost too cruel a mockery for him. At least ’noble’ is undeniable given his bloodline."

Lord Chen nearly howled at that. Their lighthearted merrymaking continued until the entourage paused for a short break.

"Little Master, would you like to disembark to stretch your legs?" Xiao De asked after greeting all of them warmly. "This servant has secured a shady spot that will accommodate all three masters; refreshments are already being prepared but if you would prefer to enjoy that in the comfort of the carriage, this servant will send for it to be brought over immediately." Watching how he handled himself around Liu Yao and the other concubines now, Yan Zheyun could see that he had grown into his shoes. The little wide-eyed eunuch with the unbridled earnestness had been sculpted into a meticulous, flexible young leader whose potential as the head eunuch of a big palace was promising.

"Let’s step outside for some fresh air."

Yan Zheyun wasn’t the tallest and the carriage was spacious but his knees were already starting to ache from the prolonged journey. He suspected that it might have been a residual injury from kneeling so much in the Wu Household and made a mental note to check with the imperial physicians; it wouldn’t do to have health problems now, not at such a crucial part of Liu Yao’s plans. Yan Zheyun could add no value to Liu Yao’s ambitions but he would not allow himself to become a hindrance.

Outside were the families of court officials, their robes coloured so resplendently they were like flowers adding a bit of liveliness to the rolling green hills that they were scattered upon. Yan Zheyun also caught sight of a canopy where the empress dowager sat with a slender lady close by her side. Dressed in finery that would have put even the vainest of concubines to shame, it took Yan Zheyun a brief moment to recognise her.

Wu Ruoshu.

The last time they’d met, she was dressed in male courtier robes at the spring banquet. She was like a different woman altogether now, the young insecure woman who had struggled to find her footing in a world that was designed to be harsh towards her had morphed into a predator overnight.

Good old Scumbag 2 didn’t even realise that he had invited a ferocious she-wolf into his home.

As Yan Zheyun passed by, eager to stay out of sight of the empress dowager just in case the taciturn old lady decided to invite him over for a daily dose of lecturing, Wu Ruoshu looked up and caught sight of him.

Yan Zheyun looked away. There were some things better left unacknowledged. One wrong move on either of their parts could unwittingly spell disaster. Especially since Yan Zheyun knew that her hands were not clean.

Against his better judgment, he sneaked a glance at her abdomen. She did not appear visibly pregnant but he’d heard enough from Liu Yao to know that inside her womb, she was nurturing her weapon against her insane husband.

A funny expression had crossed Liu Yao’s face when he’d received the news that Liu Wei’s side concubine was expecting a child. When Yan Zheyun had asked why, Liu Yao had told him that years ago, during the fight for the throne, Liu Wei had initially been deemed the strongest candidate because the entire court knew about Liu Yao’s preference for men. An emperor with strong broken sleeve tendencies was not capable of fulfilling his duties to beget an heir. Hence, as the only other legitimate son born from the empress, Liu Wei was expected to replace him as crown prince.

Naturally, their other royal brothers did not take kindly to this, least of all the late third prince...who had thought to go out of his way to ensure his ’beloved’ fourth brother proved himself unable to have heirs too.

Liu Yao had confessed to becoming aware after ascending to the throne that Liu Wei was ingesting large quantities of thunder god vine in the medicines that the empress dowager provided to him to boost his virility. The imperial physician the third prince’s noble consort mother had bought over had ensured this.

Yan Zheyun didn’t know much about this herb but Liu Yao had helpfully clarified the irony of the entire situation; thunder god vine was a potent male contraceptive. He wasn’t sure just how efficacious that herb truly was but in hindsight, it didn’t matter. That incident with the aphrodisiacs had already proven to him long ago that the science in the world of ’Hurt Me in a Million Ways’ didn’t necessarily correspond with that of his original universe.

"You didn’t put a stop to it?" Yan Zheyun had asked.

Liu Yao had hesitated. "I had told myself that I would do so only if I had decided to make him my heir," he’d admitted at last, leaning down to peer worriedly into Yan Zheyun’s eyes. "Those early days of my reign were tumultuous and the imperial family is heartless...do I scare you, Ah Yun?"

"No."

He didn’t. What was there to be scared of? A rabbit pushed into a corner would also bite, let alone a majestic dragon.

If Liu Wei had had an heir that early on, Liu Yao’s position would have been even more unenviable.

Scared? No. Yan Zheyun only knew heartache.