"Is Imperial Concubine Zhao fond of the water lilies?" asked the emperor, noticing Gao Dezhong's arrival.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, Imperial Concubine Zhao fancies the water lilies greatly. The eunuchs of Taoyu Pavilion quickly brought the flowers inside the main chamber."

As soon as Feng Jin heard those words, he grunted in acknowledgement, nodding once. He waved his hand to dismiss Gao Dezhong.

n.o.ble Consort Shu's birthday celebration was being held at Jingyang Palace. Zhuang Luoyan arrived neither too early nor too late. She did not stand out in the group of imperial concubines, and sat with the women who were of a similar rank as her. Then she chatted with those sitting at her table.

"Today, Younger Sister Imperial Concubine Zhao's complexion looks good," said Virtuous Imperial Concubine Jiang with a smile.

"Elder Sister's is as well," Zhuang Luoyan said, also smiling. Although it was unclear whether Virtuous Imperial Concubine Jiang was merely making polite remarks or if there was a hidden meaning beneath her words, she did not want to think too hard about it.

At their table, n.o.ble Imperial Concubine Yan sat in the seat of honor. Once she heard the two speak, she turned to look at Zhuang Luoyan. Smiled. "Younger Sister Imperial Concubine Zhao's complexion is indeed good. Could it be because your birthday is coming up that you are in high spirits?"

So they had indeed arrived. This type of pleasant-sounding words that hid sharp needles within. It really made Zhuang Luoyan feel like it was difficult to hold one's own. Yet another smile graced her lips, her stare falling upon n.o.ble Imperial Concubine Yan. "Today, the birthday celebration of Her Majesty, n.o.ble Consort Shu is quite festive. Younger Sister is a simple person, feeling happier upon seeing such festivity. As such, Younger Sister has let Elder Sisters witness such a joke."

n.o.ble Imperial Concubine Yan's smile did not quite touch her eyes. "The birthday of Her Majesty, n.o.ble Consort Shu would naturally be a joyous occasion." Then her gaze left Zhuang Luoyan. It seemed she no longer held any interest in conversing with her. Virtuous Imperial Concubine Jiang and Imperial Concubine w.a.n.g, who were both sitting at the side, shared a look. As if they did not see the two crossing swords.

"Her Majesty, the empress has arrived."　　

Zhuang Luoyan rose to her feet. Saw the empress enter the hall dressed in the imperial robes befitting of her status. The luxurious corners of her robes s.h.i.+mmered under the candlelight. All of the imperial concubines performed the full ceremony of paying respects. They watched as the empress s.h.i.+fted n.o.ble Consort Shu's seat to a seat of a lower priority compared to hers. She lowered her gaze.

"Today is n.o.ble Consort Shu's birthday. Us sisters need not abide by protocol to such a great extent. Just happily celebrating is enough," said the empress as she supported n.o.ble Consort Shu's hand and sat down. Once the rest of the imperial concubines had sat as well, the empress glanced at He Yu, who was standing by her side. Understanding her master's intention, she waved a hand signifying for the dancers and musicians to enter the room　　

The first dance was Ma Gu Gives Her Birthday Greetings¹. The leader of the dancers had a flexible body, her dance lithe and graceful. A person like Zhuang Luoyan, who had no skill in dancing, found it enchanting. 　

"This palace sees that this dance is decent. Lithe, auspicious, and graceful." Once the dance ended, the empress said, "He Yu, reward them!"

"This slave thanks Your Majesty, the empress," said the dancer who portrayed Ma Gu, kowtowing. 

Seeing that the empress was bestowing rewards, some of imperial concubines did so as well in succession. Zhuang Luoyan was no exception, also fond of the dance. Judging by the lead dancer's age, she should be about fifteen to sixteen years old. But for some reason, she felt that the smile on n.o.ble Consort Shu's face was stiff.  　　

After she peeled a longan² and tossed it in her mouth, the sweetness made Zhuang Luoyan's mood even brighter. Now that Ma Gu Gives Her Birthday Greetings had ended, a few dancers entered the hall, each holding a pipa³. 　　

"In the past, Younger Sister n.o.ble Consort Shu's pipa dance was the best in the imperial harem. Although these dancers cannot compare to you, it seems watching them is still acceptable." The empress then clapped, signifying for the dancers to begin. 　　

They were worthy of being called the dancers of the imperial palace. Their dance was extremely prepossessing, giving others the impression that they would take flight into the skies like fairies. Zhuang Luoyan glanced at the dressed-to-the-nines n.o.ble Consort Shu. Who knew how beautiful her dance and skill with the pipa had been in the past?

The crisp sound of pipa and pearls. .h.i.tting the floor. The moment Zhuang Luoyan was having the time of her life watching the show, she heard the shrill voice of an eunuch.　　

"His Majesty has arrived!"

All of a sudden, the music and dance stopped. The imperial concubines also fell quiet. Even the empress rose to her feet to leave the chamber. 

Once Feng Jin had arrived at the empress' palace, he took in the various types of beauties in the room. On his face, a smile. "Beloved concubines need not be so ceremonious." Then he supported the empress' hand to seat of honor. 　　

"Yes, Your Majesty." The imperial concubines stood and moved aside. It wasn't until the emperor and empress had sat down that they had also. Still, they were less relaxed than before.

Zhuang Luoyan brought a handkerchief to her lips to spit out the pit of the longan, before lowering herself into her seat in a well-behaved manner. Standing out was definitely not in her plans.　　

"As today is n.o.ble Consort Shu's birthday, We have come to take a look." Feng Jin aimed a smile at said woman and bestowed her many gifts.　　

Hate and envy filled the hearts of the other imperial concubines. However, once they saw that the empress did not seem discontent, they smiled, from their lips tumbling auspicious remarks. What was on their minds perhaps would only be known to themselves.   　　

The empress lifted a cup before Feng Jin. He received it. Took a sip. He glanced at the dancers who were standing at the side without a word. "Continue as you were before."　　

"Yes." The dancers bowed and resumed their dance. After Feng Jin had watched for a while, he set down the cup. "Compared to that of n.o.ble Consort Shu, this dance is less impressive."

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A smile bloomed on the empress' lips. "n.o.ble Consort Shu's skill in dance is truly hard to obtain. That these dancers could emanate n.o.ble Consort Shu's dance to this extent is already a testament to their hard work."　　

"Mm." Feng Jin nodded. "If we're talking about dance, n.o.ble Consort Shu is the best and n.o.ble Imperial Concubine Yan comes second." After saying this, he toasted n.o.ble Consort Shu another cup. But he did not give n.o.ble Imperial Concubine Yan so much as a glance.

Watching n.o.ble Consort Shu's shy manner of drinking, Zhuang Luoyan couldn't help but think that even a person who did not typically touch alcohol must drink the cup of wine the emperor bestowed. 

After listening to another song, Feng Jin swept his gaze through the imperial concubines sitting below him. And he noticed the Imperial Concubine Zhao who was peeling longans and enjoying the show. It gave others a leisurely and carefree impression. Feng Jin could not help but look at her a few more times.　　

Once she had finished her bowl of longans, Zhuang Luoyan regretfully wiped her hands. Turned her full attention to the music. Although she didn't know the meaning behind the ancient songs, she still appreciated the beauties singing. 

"We see that those longans look delicious." Feng Jin peeled one and tossed it in his mouth. He said to the empress, "Send another serving of longans to everyone." 　　

The empress spoke her agreement and had the servants obey.

Once the extra serving of longans had arrived, Zhuang Luoyan smiled and continued to snack on them as she watched the show. She casually sneaked a peek at the emperor's direction. Saw that the people sitting in the seats of honor did not notice her. She then applied a trick she used to do at parties in her previous life: seem as if one was eating very slowly, but in reality was eating very quickly.

Because n.o.ble Consort Shu had drunk a lot of wine, her face was flushed. Her vision remained hazy as she gazed at the musicians singing below. She recalled how she had played the pipa while dancing for the emperor in the past. Now, there were more and more new people entering the imperial harem. Who knew if there would be a day when the emperor forgot about her?

Once the show had ended, Feng Jin brought the tipsy n.o.ble Consort Shu away. The rest of the imperial concubines paid respects as they sent them off.

The empress sat on the phoenix throne, taking in the quiet chamber. She s.h.i.+fted her gaze to the cup and fruit bowls that the emperor had used. And saw that the plate of longan the emperor had praised was nearly full.　　

"This palace is tired. Clean it up." The empress' expression was calm as the still waters of a lake. She used He Yu's hand as support as she got to her feet. Then she glanced once more at the bowl of longan before she left.　　

"Master, His Majesty has bestowed pears and said they will cool the body," said Tingzhe, carrying a meal box over. Inside sat four pears. 

Zhuang Luoyan stood there, surprised. Then realization struck her. In such hot weather, eating pears was a good idea. 

Seeing that her master was happy, Yunxi washed one of the fruits and peeled it. Her master had in fact eaten a lot of longans today, causing the body to be in an easy state to heat up⁴. A pear would be beneficial for the body. 

The author has something to say.

The second chapter is here. Looks like it's already past 12. I'll show myself out~

Translator's notes:

Oh my goodness, the empress is so funny. She purposely had such a young and talented girl as the lead dancer for the Ma Gu dance to remind n.o.ble Consort Shu about n.o.ble Imperial Concubine Yan XD. I did feel pity for the empress when everyone had left her palace though. She was alone in her thoughts.

Feng Jin is starting to really care for ZL, whether he realizes it or not. Sending her pears since she ate so much longan I can't even XD

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Chapter Supplement:

Ma Gu Gives Her Birthday Greetings: (麻姑賀壽) Ma Gu He Shou is a dance or a play that is shown during a birthday celebration. It is usually the first dance or play shown. Longan (桂圓) Raws say “guiyan,” which is the name for longan used in literature. The name "longan" was not used in imperial China because it had the character of dragon in it, a character reserved for the emperor. I used “longan” instead of “guiyan” because people are more familiar with the former. A picture will be provided in the chapter supplement. pipas: (琵琶) From Wikipedia– a four-stringed Chinese musical instrument, belonging to the plucked category of instruments. Sometimes called the Chinese lute, the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets ranging from 12 to 26. heat up: (上火) Literally "call forth a fire." In Chinese medicine, the body must be kept in balance to keep healthy. There were foods that gave "cold air" and foods that gave "hot air". So if one eats too many foods that gave "hot air" or "cold air," one would get sick. It's more complicated than that, but I don't want to give you guys a history lesson.