Chapter 3 – Gentle (溫柔)

By Yue Xia Die Ying (月下蝶影)

Translated by Sleepchaser at https://sleepchaser.wordpress.com/

Please do not repost without the credits page.

THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL TRANSLATION.

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If asked whether Zhuang Luoyan could claw her way back up, a sizeable majority

of the imperial harem would shake their heads. Beautiful as she might be, she

lacked brains. As such, how long could she keep the emperor’s affection?

Yet who knew the emperor would in fact bestow her gifts? Those women who

learned of this felt their moods plummet.

“His Majesty has actually bestowed that pair of crystal hairpins to Wanyi Zhuang,”

said the empress, stroking her prayer beads, her expression calm like the still

surface of a lake. “Looks like that Wanyi Zhuang still has some tricks up her sleeve.

This palace has underestimated her. Forget it. He Yu, send one of this palace’s

bolts of satin to Taoyu Pavilion.”

“Yes,” said He Yu, taking care in leaving. As she turned around, she still did not see

the empress’ expression change at the slightest.

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The Taoyu Pavilion of today was more festive than previous. In one lump sum,

Shang Palace Bureau¹ returned Zhuang Luoyan everything they had skimped on

her in the past. As if they had forgotten how they treated her a few days ago.

Zhuang Luoyan also pretended to forget. She did not act arrogantly in front of

those eunuchs, merely instructing them where to place the items. But such a

nonchalant att.i.tude inspired more fear within the eunuchs’ hearts.

Returning what’s stolen should right all the wrongs, making bygones be bygones.

Of course, a bit of unwillingness was to be expected. However, this Zhuang

Luoyan, a woman who had once again s.n.a.t.c.hed the emperor’s favor, did not

react poorly to them at all. Her mentality had changed, it seemed. In the imperial

palace, a master like this could not be offended. For the more gentle a woman

seemed, the more malicious her heart.

“Master, it seems Her Majesty, the empress heard that your health has

recovered, and is sending a few bolts of satin as celebration,” said Yunxi. “n.o.ble

Consort Shu, Consort Ning, Zhaorong Xu, and n.o.ble Imperial Concubine Yan have

also sent gifts.”

“Receive those as well. You all should know how to thank them.” Zhuang Luoyan

did not believe those women were here to forge a relations.h.i.+p with her, to pull

her to their side. At most, she feared they were acting out a play. They were

warning her that she had received an insignificant amount of favor from the

emperor. In their eyes, she was just a small Wanyi that could be crushed at any

moment. On the other hand, they were the superiors merely sending small

trinkets to a subordinate.

“Yes,” said Yunxi. She turned around and gave Fubao a look. The two did not

speak and directly went on their way to the storeroom, making sure not to place

the items in plain sight.

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Ganzheng Palace.

After lunchtime, Feng Jin continued to read his memorials. A while later, an

eunuch entered the room with a tray of name tags. There were those made of

silver, copper, and wood. Three materials for different group ranks of imperial

concubines.

Originally, he hadn’t been in the mood to choose a woman for the night. Before

he could dismiss the eunuch, however, he recalled the noon events at a certain

peach forest. The pitiful appearance of Wanyi Zhuang. If Feng Jin were to be

honest, he had found her slightly genuine and adorable. A single glance, and he

knew this: her pitiful appearance stirred happiness in his heart, more than those

other beauties who would glance back with a smile.

He slowly picked up a wooden name tag. “Tonight let’s go to Taoyu Pavilion.”

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“Understood,” said the eunuch, glancing at the nametag. The words “Taoyu

Pavillion’s Wanyi Zhuang” glanced back at him. Looks like Taoyu Pavilion will have

a lot of attention these next couple days.

Once Zhuang Luoyan received the notice from the eunuch, she was shocked.

However, she did not turn away from it. Sweeping her gaze among her servants,

she saw that they were nearly jumping from joy, and they scrambled to prepare.

She sighed. Just from their reaction, it was quite apparent that imperial

concubines who lost favor were in a frightening position.

After she took a bath, changed her clothes, and had her whole room lit up with

incense, Tingzhu and Yunxi started to apply her makeup. Zhuang Luoyan finally

opened her mouth to speak. “You can put these down. I’ll do it myself.”

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When a man was aroused, suddenly tasting heavy rouge would put out whatever

flame had been lit. Although the lead powder in ancient Chinese makeup added a

nice pale touch, letting it sit in her face for a whole night was a woman’s greatest

enemy. The skin of her current body was flawless. Just one layer of light powder

would be enough.

Willow eyebrows under the candlelight gave her a more gentle appearance.

Easier to arouse pity from the hearts of men. She painted a pink peach blossom

on the center of her forehead. It drew upon the memory of the noon’s events, to

inspire the emperor’s delight upon recollection.

Women were made up of three parts hairstyle, three parts outfit, and four parts

makeup. If they wore clothes that were too bright, they would seem like vixens.

Too s.e.xy, then they would seem vulgar. It would not fare well if the emperor

thought her a person fueled by ambition, hungry to climb up his bed. For this

reason, it was better to wear something the same pale hue of the moon.

Something with a tight waist and flowing wide sleeves. Indeed, a blouse and a

wrap-around skirt² under the night would weave the impression of a fairy.

Judging by the emperor’s desires, the closer a woman gave off this impression,

the more he would chase after her. This fetish existed in most powerful men.

Zhuang Luoyan stopped Tingzhu and Yunxi from putting adornments in her hair.

From affixing jewelry and ornaments on her person. She stroked her hair,

enjoying the silky sensation. Then she instructed Tingzhu to style it into a flying

immortal bun³, pairing it with the crystal dangling hair ornaments the emperor

had bestowed. A truly splendid match.

As Tingzhu and Yunxi observed their master, once more did they believe she had

changed. They were surprised that she had a plan on capturing the emperor. That

she had these tricks up her sleeve. Gazing at the sky that was growing dark, the

two of them waited eagerly and anxiously for the night to arrive.

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In the ancient palace of the fallen, the flowers were beautiful yet lonely⁴. The

emperor’s procession pa.s.sed by, holding the hopes of many women. How many

had waited for him every night, their love dying before they aged?

Which woman didn’t care about flouris.h.i.+ng in the palace? They all hoped to be

smiling in the end, unaware that their fate was akin to duckweed floating above

the lake’s surface. Rootless.

Emperor Chengxuan was considered a great ruler. For this reason, even though he

had been stunned by a girl as beautiful as Zhuang Luoyan, he would not ignore his

work to be with her. So when he set for Taoyu Pavilion, the sky was already dark.

The eunuchs that carried the emperor’s palanquin over the green tiled road dared

not make a peep. Once he smelled the fresh scent of peaches, Feng Jin knew he

was near Taoyu Pavilion. He pulled back the curtain before him. Saw lanterns

hanging high from the main entrance. In the night, a girl held a six-sided lantern,

dressed in a blouse and a wrap-around skirt the color of the moon. Her crystal

dangling hair ornaments reflected the candlelight, s.h.i.+mmering with different

hues. A single glance, and one would fear she would catch a cold in the night air.

One could not help but desire to pull her close, wrap one’s arms around her.

Feng Jin bit his lip. His palanquin stopped. He watched as the girl saluted, and

once he disembarked, he reached out to grab her hand. “Beloved concubine need

not stand on ceremony,” he said, before draping a cloak around her.

Feng Jin had attractive and smooth hands. Perhaps because he had learned

archery and how to ride, there was a thin layer of calluses on his hands. Zhuang

Luoyan lowered her gaze, allowing Feng Jin to hug her as they went inside. The

lantern in her hands swayed back and forth. Her shadow bobbed as she walked.

She hung the lantern on a hook on a carved pearwood frame. Within the main

room, Feng Jin caught sight of a painting of an adorable and small white pig, one

Zhuang Luoyan had drawn in the morning due to boredom. She presented a cup

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of tea to him, fragrant as flowers. “Your Majesty, the night is cold. Drink some hot

tea to warm yourself.”

“Beloved concubine’s painting is…” Emperor Chengxuan wondered why she had

drawn such a thing. It could not hold a candle to the professional works of

Consort Ning. However, once he laid eyes on her skinny waist again, he broke into

a smile. “Quite interesting.”

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“Is Your Majesty telling the truth? I’ve already practiced drawing this for many

days. Today, everyone has said that this concubine has improved.” Her face was

bright with smiles.

Feng Jin received the tea cup and soaked in Zhuang Luoyan’s joyful appearance. In

his heart, he thought she was certainly a girl who had just entered the palace. Her

smile still had remnants of girlish temperament. But there was nothing girlish

about her body. Making love would definitely be amazing.

Setting the cup back on the table, he reached out to hold her slightly chilled

hands. “It’s late now. Better to retire early.” As he looked down, the blus.h.i.+ng face

of a maiden came into view. Such a beautiful face would kindle a flame in

anyone’s nethers.

Lying bare and warm under the bed curtains; a couple embracing found the night

too short⁵. For men, if a gorgeous woman in his bed acted like a dead fish, stiff

and unmoving, he would lose all interest.

Zhuang Luoyan, in line with her philosophy of taking pleasure in life, did not hold

back in enjoying Feng Jin. Both were extremely satisfied at the end.

Feng Jin spooned her, hands caressing her smooth body. He could not help but

touch her. The taste of Zhuang Luoyan was delicious. During their fun, he had

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almost finished prematurely. It brought him chills. He craved for another round.

So it wasn’t a surprise for Feng Jin’s hands to slowly descend, reaching for that

special place.

“Your Majesty, this concubine… can no longer move.” Such a frail and sweet voice

naturally would not stop his actions. In fact, it spurred him on even more. Once

more did they enjoy each other’s company.

Zhuang Luoyan wrapped her arms around Feng Jin’s neck, taking much pleasure

from his service. Feeling comfortable, she closed her eyes. As expected, men like it

when women praise them. This emperor’s technique is incredible.

The eunuchs and maidservants standing right outside the room lowered their

heads and kept silent. As if they could not hear what was happening within the

main room. The head eunuch Gao Dezhong instructed the lower-ranked eunuchs

to prepare their masters’ bath. He lifted his head and gazed at the more quiet

areas of Taoyu Pavilion. If nothing bad occured, this Taoyu Pavilion would be

bustling in the future.

Feng Jin absorbed the sight of the girl who was currently knocked out. In a great

mood, he carried her outside to the bathtub. As he lowered her into the water, he

saw the red marks left behind on snow-white skin. The corners of his lips tilited

upward.

“Your Majesty, my waist is sore.” The person in the tub jerked slightly. She

grabbed his large hand and brought it to her waist. Dazed, she did not realize she

had lost her manners.

Feng Jin was surprised. His smile grew. Then he obeyed the woman’s orders, and

ma.s.saged her waist. He found it a new perspective.

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The technique of Feng Jin’s ma.s.sage was barely satisfactory. However, Zhuang

Luoyan still felt happy. Having the emperor service her with a ma.s.sage really

made a woman proud.

The temperature of the water was just right. Once more did they partake in some

fun. In the end, Zhuang Luoyan yawned and fell asleep.

Later that night, Gao Dezhong carefully helped Feng Jin change into nightwear.

Originally, it should have been the chosen imperial concubine’s duty. However,

Zhuang Luoyan seemed to be sleeping soundly, and Gao Dezhong did not think

she would be waking up anytime soon. Furthermore, Feng Jin had been holding

her delicately, trying his best not to rouse her.

After leaving the main room, Feng Jin noticed there were only two maidservants

and one eunuch standing by outside the doors. He furrowed his brow. “Are you

the only ones serving Wanyi Zhuang? Where are the other servants?”

“Responding to Your Majesty, Wanyi Zhuang only has us three servants,” Fubao

carefully said as he kneeled.

Feng Jin furrowed his brow even further. He turned around to face Gao Dezhong.

“Inform the household department to send some capable servants to Taoyu

Pavilion. How can a master only have three people serving them?”

“Understood, Your Majesty,” said Gao Dezhong, bowing. He kept his eyes on the

fortune character embroidered on his shoes, used to Feng Jin’s actions.

Whichever concubine he favored, he would make sure she was living well.

Once Feng Jin departed, the Zhuang Luoyan who was supposed to be deep in

slumber opened her eyes. A slight smile graced her lips.

All men were like this. No matter how powerful they were.

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1. Shang Palace Bureau: (尚宮局) Shàng gōng jú. One of the six palaces/departments that takes care of the

imperial palace’s food, clothing, accessories, etc

2. blouse and a wrap-around skirt: (襦裙) Rú qún. From Wikipedi- An item of traditional Chinese attire

primarily for women but also for men. It consists of a blouse and a wrap-around skirt.

3. flying immortal bun: (飛仙發) Fēi xiān fā. Picture is provided in the chapter supplement.

4. In the ancient palace of the fallen, the flowers are beautiful yet lonely: (寥落古行宮，宮花寂寞紅)

Liáoluò gǔ xínggōng, gōng huā jìmò hóng. From a longer poem that translates to “The ancient palace that

has long been empty and cold; the flower of the palace is still bright red; there are several palace ladies

with white hair; sitting idle and talking about Emperor Xuanzong of Tang.” Basically means maidservants

that had worked since they were children until their hair turned grey feel hate and unhappiness wasting

their lives in the palace.

5. Lying bare and warm under the bed curtains; a couple embracing found the night too short: (脫釵去衣香

帳暖，鴛鴦相抱恨夜短) Tuō chāi qù yī xiāng zhàng nuǎn, yuānyāng xiāng bàohèn yè duǎn. Literally

“removing the hairpins, clothes, and perfume, it’s warm inside the mosquito nets (of a bed); a couple

embracing would feel that the night is too short.” I’m struggling to put this in actual poem form in English,

so please bear with me.

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