Chapter 19 夜安 (Peaceful Nights)
"Anyhow, let's continue talking about the Empress. I like hearing her stories from you." Ye An said as she poured more tea into the governess's teacup.
"Thank you." Governess Hsu sipped on her tea before continuing. "Hmm.. As you know I started being her lady-in-waiting only a few months before she was pregnant with you. Her lady-in-waiting before me had just retired and the Empress personally requested for me, someone who was underqualified in so many ways." Governess Hsu shook her head, still couldn't believe her fortune all those years ago.
"I still remember the first time I saw her. I was only a cleaning staff when I entered the palace. There are strict cleaning schedules set for us so that we won't bump into any members of the imperial family when cleaning an area. We were supposed to be out of sight. Effectively cleaning but never seen. Ever. Until the day I met the Empress."
"She was chasing a butterfly and ended up at where we were cleaning. I was so shocked that I dropped the bucket that I was holding and the dirty water splashed all over the Empress' dress. As you can imagine, I was horrified." Governess Hsu smiled at the memory.
"The eunuch who was supervising the cleaning immediately yelled at me to get on my knees to apologize which I quickly did. I thought I was going to be beheaded there and then but the Empress only lifted me up by my elbow. She proceeded to give me the kindest smile and apologized for startling me. After that, she even thanked the rest of the cleaning staff for their hard work before leaving. I still remember how she glowed so happily during that entire interaction."
"And I knew of this much, much later, but apparently the Empress reprimanded the eunuch who yelled at me and requested for me to be her lady-in-waiting right after our encounter. I was just a mere nobody. To have somebody like the Empress taking me under her wings was unimaginable." Governess Hsu shook her head again.
"Tell me more." Ye An requested eagerly.
Governess Hsu smiled. "Well, she loved you very much. Always talking and singing to you and bringing you to see the flowers at the Forbidden Garden while she was pregnant."
Ye An was deep in thought before she asked. "Did she love Emperor Lee Hwi?"
The governess paused for half a second before she answered. "She loved your father. Very much."
The room fell into silence.
"But she probably loved you more. Do you know why all the previous emperors have more than one name but you only have one?"
"There's a reason for that?"
"Of course. The Empress named you herself and insisted that you only use this name for the rest of your life because she wanted you to only have peaceful nights (夜夜安宁) for as long as you lived. That was her last wish before she passed away."
A lump formed in Ye An's throat as she listened to the governess telling a story about a mother she never knew of. Ye An had a sudden realization that she had never even laid eyes on any portraits of the late Empress. "I've seen portraits of the late Emperor Lee Hwi but why haven't I seen any of the late Empress?"
The governess's eyes darkened before replying. "The Empress Mother ordered for the portraits of the Empress to be burned after that coup twenty-two years ago."
Anger flared up in Ye An's chest. "On what grounds?"
"The Empress Mother labeled her as a harbinger of bad luck to the imperial family and that the only way to cleanse the "bad energy" that she brought upon the imperial family was to burn all of her belongings and every portrait that the Empress was in."
"What nonsense is that??"
"The Empress Mother was adamant about it and warned all of the servants to keep our mouths shut if we wanted our heads to remain attached to our necks."
Ye An's fury simmered to a boiling point.
"I know what you're thinking, Your Imperial Majesty. But the portraits have been burned and it's all in the past. Nothing could bring them back."
Ye An could barely rein in her emotions as she bit on her lips. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she asked the governess. "Could you tell me more about the late Empress?"
The governess looked at Ye An softly. "She always had a smile on her face, no matter who she was meeting and no matter how bad of a day she was having."
"Sounds tiring." Ye An said bluntly.
"Yes, maybe. But she said it helps her focus on what truly matters."
"And that is?"
"Being happy and being open to the possibility of positive things happening. She believes that no matter how dreary the circumstances are, there is always a possibility for it to turn around."
"Huh."
The governess smiled as she said, "But you're more similar to your father."
Ye An sat on that for a while before asking "Did the late Emperor Lee Hwi love her?"
There was a slight delay in her answer but the governess said. "Yes. Yes, he did. Very much."
"How was he, as a person? I heard he's not only a great swordsman, but also an avid poet and was really into literature. I hate literature. I know I'm good at it, but I'm just not averse to it. I prefer swordsmanship."
"Trust me, you're very similar to your father in that sense." The governess commented plainly before realizing the time. "Oh, look at the time! You should head back soon, Your Imperial Majesty."
"Yes, I think so too." Ye An said as she got up from her seat.
Sensing that Ye An's mood hadn't quite returned to her initial playfulness since their talk about the Empress earlier, Governess Hsu stopped Ye An before she could step out of the room. "I hope you only take in the good and leave the bad and only have peaceful nights as the Empress had wished for you."
Ye An's eyes softened and she gave a small nod at the governess before heading back to her own chambers.
*******
A couple of months had passed. Before Ye An knew, it was already the day before the Annual Hunt and she was attending the last court meeting before the event.
"Your Imperial Majesty, transportation has been arranged for the Northerners and it is estimated that they would arrive later this evening." Sze Chang reported.
As Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sze Chang was responsible for the arrangement of the northerners' trip to the capital and even coordinated with Xi Chen to arrange for some soldiers from the northern border to accompany the trip here.
"And what about their accommodation, Minister Sze?" Ye An said from the Dragon Throne.
"Since there will be quite a number of them, the guest residence on the palace grounds might not be able to accommodate all of the Northerners. Therefore, I've arranged for them to stay at an inn near the outskirts where the hunt would take place. The soldiers would also be spending the night there. I actually live nearby that area and have only heard good things about that place."
Ye An nodded. "Thank you, Minister Sze."
Sze Chang bowed and returned to his place.
"Well done, Minister Sze." The usually stern-looking Minister Tang complimented Sze Chang quietly as he settled back into his place.
"Oh, that's nothing." Sze Chang replied bashfully.
"We both thought you're a good-for-nothing young minister. But you handled things pretty well, eh? " Minister Qiu commented quietly from Sze Chang's other side.
"Oh, stop it. You're both going to make me blush." Sze Chang replied playfully.
"Minister Wu, I believe there would be a banquet this evening to welcome the Northerners?" Ye An addressed the Minister of Internal Affairs who stepped out from his position to face the emperor at the mention of his name.
In the recent months since she'd decided to reveal her face to the court officials, things have been relatively peaceful at court. Ye An faced fewer objections and the court officials who were always at odds with her had seemed to ease up slightly. This appeared to be a good sign but Ye An couldn't help but felt like something was amiss. Everything felt a little too peaceful.
"Yes, Your Imperial Majesty. I have arranged with the royal cooks and everyone involved for the banquet preparation. They are preparing for the event now as we speak. Rest assured that everything has been arranged promptly." Minister Wu replied.
"That's good to hear. Thank you, Minister Wu." Ye An dismissed the Minister of Internal Affairs.
"Lieutenant Yun, since there would be a small troop from the northern border escorting the Northerners here, would you suggest we have them participate in the Dragon Boat competition during the opening ceremony tomorrow?" Ye An turned to the lieutenant.
Since Ye An had her bamboo screen removed, she had requested for the lieutenant to remain by her side during court meetings. But Xi Chen insisted on staying at the bottom of the platform instead so whenever the emperor addressed him, he would turn to face the emperor to bow before replying.
"I would need to consult my men first. But I think it shouldn't be a problem and it would definitely increase the excitement for the event."
The Annual Hunt always started with a series of a few other events with the Dragon Boat competition drawing the most public attention. The actual hunting event was always closed off to the public so the opening ceremony was the only portion of the event where the public could join in on the spectacle.
Since Xi Chen was elected as lieutenant general, he was also the head of the naval division of the military and would therefore be participating in the competition this year. Usually, the competition would only involve the military personnel who were in the capital during the time of the event which usually meant that soldiers from the central division would compete with each other. This time with the presence of the soldiers from the northern division, the degree of competitiveness and the tension in the crowd of spectators were sure to skyrocket. Xi Chen wasn't exactly sure who were the ones arranged to join the Northerners' convoy but he knew that Ah Lin was probably one of them. During the entire ten years Xi Chen had known him, Ah Lin had never passed up on any opportunity to travel.
"That's settled then." Ye An said with a note of finality before dismissing the court and heading back to the East Palace for her afternoon snack.
Back at the East Palace, the lieutenant joined Ye An for her meal. Having meals with each other had become a routine for them. Ye An figured that since the lieutenant was always by her side, he probably wouldn't have time to have proper meals if he didn't join her during her meals. And truthfully, it was nice to have a companion while she had her meals.
"Your Imperial Majesty, I have a request."
"Fire away."
"I'd like to travel out of the palace tonight. After the banquet."
Even though he was always dismissed to his own residence at night, Xi Chen was still supposed to be on standby in case anything happened to the emperor during the night.
"May I ask what for?"
"Do you remember Ah Lin? The one who sent me the message about the northern invasion on my first day of duty here?"
"Yes, what about him?"
"He might be one of the soldiers accompanying the Northerners. He's like a brother to me and I'd like to spend some time with him while he's here."
The Northerners will be traveling back right after the Annual Hunt and Xi Chen figured that the best opportunity for him to meet up with Ah Lin was tonight.
Ye An thought about it for a bit before answering. "Sure. On one condition."
"Which is?"
"That you bring me out too."
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