Alone, Beautifully – Chapter 133

by Little Panda

Bestowing Upon You the Realm (15)

“Pick one you like.”

On her sixteenth birthday, Yu Ye allowed Xu Jiao to attend court and participate in government affairs. She gifted her a golden bell anklet.

During the year of participating in court affairs, Xu Jiao understood more of what was discussed during court sessions. She also gained clarity on the power dynamics within the Da Yan dynasty’s court. She learned who superficially supported Yu Ye but secretly plotted to overthrow her, who were the impartial and neutral parties that absolutely supported imperial power, and who appeared to have no association with Yu Ye but were actually her loyal retainers.

The court was like a vast, boundless ocean. Those in power sailed a large ship, relying on their familiarity with the weather and ocean currents to predict upcoming storms, then avoiding these crises in time to keep their ship sailing smoothly.

Notably—

Nie Yunyue, the male protagonist who had previously attempted to scheme against Xu Jiao several times without success, remained quiet throughout this year. He made no moves against the Eastern Palace and didn’t appear before Xu Jiao. It was unknown what grand plan he might be brewing.

Xu Jiao herself had no informants in the palace. She didn’t want Yu Ye to think she was trying to escape control, and she had no interest in the palace intrigues. One day, suddenly remembering this matter, she casually asked Yu Ye:

“What has the crown prince from Da Liang been up to lately?”

At the time, she was drinking a small bowl of mung bean soup to dispel dampness because of the summer heat. Due to Yu Ye’s close watch over her, even a bowl of cooling mung bean soup had to be consumed hot. Chilled drinks were considered too “cold” in nature and could harm her spleen and stomach.

Blowing on the small mung bean shells floating on the soup’s surface, she looked up at Yu Ye, only to find that the Regent wasn’t answering her question. Instead, she was staring at her intently with those bottomless black eyes, her gaze focused and captivating.

Since turning sixteen, Xu Jiao had noticed—

This Yu Ye.

Not only did she visit the Eastern Palace more frequently, but she would also often look at her with this strange gaze when she wasn’t paying attention, making her feel uneasy. However, apart from Yu Ye’s tendency to compete with palace servants in taking care of her, she hadn’t seen any inappropriate behavior from her.

But it was precisely this that made Xu Jiao more worried.

After all, Yu Ye’s personality was different from ordinary people. If someone like her, a “biantai” (meaning abnormal or pervert), had some thoughts and kept suppressing them, wouldn’t that make them even more abnormal?

She quickly averted her gaze, pretending not to notice Yu Ye’s intense stare, when she heard her say slowly:

“Is Your Highness thinking about him?”

Xu Jiao, seemingly oblivious to the suggestive tone in her words, responded seriously: “Yes, although Da Liang is in the cold northwestern region, often harassed by nomadic tribes, their soldiers have strong combat abilities. Whether on horseback or on foot, they are formidable on the battlefield. Now that Nie Yunyue, not yet twenty, has already been chosen as the heir, if he finds an opportunity to return to Da Liang…”

“Wouldn’t it be like ‘letting a tiger return to the mountain’ (an idiom meaning to give a powerful enemy a chance to regain strength)?”

Yu Ye listened somewhat absent-mindedly. Seeing that she was so focused on talking that she hadn’t noticed her mung bean soup was cooling, she pushed the bowl back into Xu Jiao’s hands. After watching her drink some more, she finally spoke:

“I’ve heard that he’s been playing the zither in his courtyard every day, playing some sentimental songs.”

“Whether it’s true or false, if he behaves himself, I’ll let him enjoy a few more good days. If he doesn’t, I’ll have to end his life prematurely. But regardless—”

Yu Ye glanced at Xu Jiao’s expression, paused for a moment, and continued in a slightly lower voice: “I won’t let him leave the palace of Da Yan alive.”

Xu Jiao knew she was reincarnated and understood the threat Nie Yunyue posed to Da Yan. However, she worried that the male protagonist might also carry a halo in this side story. Nie Yunyue was naturally intelligent and adept at reading people. If it weren’t for Xu Jiao’s midway arrival in this world, based on her prior understanding of Da Liang’s crown prince held captive by Yu Ye, Xu Jiao would have fallen for him at their first meeting.

Then, with their chance encounter in the snow, seeing an enemy prince similarly controlled by Yu Ye, Xu Jiao would inevitably feel a sense of kinship, making it difficult not to grow close to Nie Yunyue.

At that time, the probability of Nie Yunyue turning the tables in the Da Yan palace would increase significantly. Even if he couldn’t make Xu Jiao emperor, it would be enough to create troubles that would give Yu Ye a headache.

However, now that Nie Yunyue had seen that Xu Jiao was not simple, and perhaps heard rumors about Yu Ye’s current closeness with the crown prince, he might no longer have designs on Xu Jiao—

But Xu Jiao still couldn’t feel at ease.

She was in the light, while Nie Yunyue was in the shadows.

She hoped this male protagonist could quietly “gou dai” (a humorous way of saying “die” that sounds similar to “goodbye” in English) without causing any trouble for her and Yu Ye.

She never had any emotional attachment to the male and female protagonists in her writing. In the past, she could watch the female protagonist die before her eyes, and now, if she had the ability, for the sake of successfully completing her mission, she could even give Nie Yunyue a cup of poison without batting an eye.

Xu Jiao passed a peaceful year.

Even the frequency of her seasonal colds decreased, all thanks to Yu Ye’s meticulous care.

On her seventeenth birthday, Yu Ye dropped a bombshell on the court officials during the morning assembly. The gist was that the crown prince had been participating in government affairs for a year, yet the throne of Da Yan remained vacant. If this continued, it could lead to unnecessary troubles. Given the tumultuous times, other countries might find opportunities to cause disturbances. Why not have the Imperial Astronomer’s Office choose an auspicious date for the crown prince’s ascension to the throne?

As soon as these words were spoken, the court officials were in an uproar.

They had originally thought that with Yu Ye controlling the court, having a puppet crown prince as a bargaining chip was enough. They didn’t expect that Yu Ye was now unsatisfied with this and wanted to “hold the Son of Heaven to command the feudal lords” (an idiom meaning to use the emperor’s authority to control others). Xu Jiao’s status as crown prince could no longer satisfy her ambition.

The censors who had previously quieted down began to submit memorials again. The guards outside the Eastern Palace increased, and Xu Jiao didn’t even wait for the traditional three-time invitation and refusal process for ascending the throne. The matter Yu Ye proposed was like pouring a bowl of water into a hot oil pan; the court boiled with activity for half a month.

In the end, Yu Ye had to kill some people to suppress the opposing voices.

On the day those censors were hung outside the palace, Yu Ye came to the Eastern Palace for a meal as usual. Because of Xu Jiao’s picky palate, the small kitchen in the Eastern Palace had even better culinary skills than the Imperial Kitchen. Every meal was particularly exquisite. Even if Xu Jiao only wanted a simple bowl of vegetarian noodles, the accompanying vegetables would include bean sprouts, wood ear mushrooms, corn, greens, shredded radish… and about a dozen other small items. The broth looked clear but was actually a nutritious stock that had been simmered for several days.

Thus, even a bowl of vegetarian noodles was thoroughly enjoyable.

Yu Ye waited for the palace servants to bring her bowl of noodles. Smelling the fragrant aroma of the chicken broth, she had just picked up her chopsticks when she suddenly heard Xu Jiao speak:

“Lord Yu.”

Yu Ye looked at her, but the first thing she said was: “One shouldn’t speak while eating or resting. If Your Highness has something to say, wait until after the meal.”

She didn’t want to ruin Xu Jiao’s appetite.

Xu Jiao could only start using her chopsticks, eating the steaming vegetarian noodles in her bowl. After finally finishing, she took a sip of palate-cleansing tea, put the teacup back on the tray held by a nearby palace servant, and seeing that Yu Ye had also put down her chopsticks, spoke up to repeat what she had intended to say earlier:

“I heard that Lord Yu hung Censor Gao on the outer palace wall today…”

Yu Ye made an “mm” sound, picked up her tea, and the delicate sound of the glass lid hitting the cup could be heard. “Previously, the time wasn’t right, but they thought I had given up on the idea. Now it’s time to remind them that I will definitely put the heir I’ve chosen on that throne.”

Xu Jiao understood the meaning behind her words. After a moment of silence, she suddenly spoke again: “Lord Yu, except for not having the surname Xu, you do everything better than I do. Why bother—”

She didn’t finish the rest of her sentence, but she knew Yu Ye would understand.

Yu Ye asked her: “Don’t you want to be emperor?”

Xu Jiao saw the flickering smile in her eyes and realized that this question wasn’t simple. By now, she was quite accustomed to Yu Ye setting traps in her words, so she calmly said:

“I’m just curious, that’s all.”

She didn’t take Yu Ye’s bait, but Yu Ye wanted her to know the consequences of her words. With a slight smile, she raised her teacup to her lips, took a sip of the pre-rain Dragon Well tea, and then said with a soft laugh:

“I thought Your Highness wasn’t interested in power.”

“Now that Your Highness is the crown prince but doesn’t want to be emperor, would you like to know what happened to crown princes in history who didn’t become emperors?”

Xu Jiao remained silent.

Yu Ye insisted on telling her: “They were all killed, because the former heir apparent’s status was too much of a threat to the emperor.”

Seeing Xu Jiao turn away, Yu Ye continued: “However, if I were to sit on that throne, I wouldn’t kill you—”

Xu Jiao raised an eyebrow and looked back.

Yu Ye smiled, “I would keep you confined. After all, if I don’t kill you, there will always be some people who want to kill you for me. So for your safety, you would have to stay by my side forever. I would make a golden cage to keep you. How does that sound?”

Xu Jiao: “Gun” is just one word, I’ll only say it once. (meaning “Get lost”)

She lost interest in bantering with Yu Ye and got up from the dining table, walking towards the hall: “I’m going to read. Lord Yu, please make yourself at home.”

Yu Ye watched her retreating figure, the smile in her eyes not diminishing.

Her Highness seemed to have grown a bit taller again.

Throughout the entire year of her being seventeen,

Xu Jiao watched Yu Ye’s chess game with the ministers, interspersed with some confrontations with other countries, as well as domestic livelihood matters. For instance, the canals connecting the great rivers were blocked and caused flooding, or the newly developed rice was almost ready, but it was uncertain how it would fare when planted.

By the end of the year, when the palace was decorated with lanterns and festive decorations, Xu Jiao suddenly realized that she was about to turn eighteen.

Her birthday was on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, born at the beginning of the year. It was said that in the year she was born, the snow in the palace was exceptionally heavy. This year, the first snow also came early, so everywhere in the palace, people could be heard commenting on how cold it was this year.

But “auspicious snow foretells a bountiful year” (a saying indicating that heavy snow in winter is a good omen for crops in the coming year).

This was a good thing.

Xu Jiao instructed the palace staff to pay attention to repairing some of the old palaces, lest some buildings become dilapidated and collapse under the weight of snow, endangering the lives of palace servants. She also ordered the capital’s guards to strengthen patrols, arrange temporary accommodation for some homeless people, and asked wealthy families in the city to set up stalls to distribute porridge.

This way, both inside and outside the city, everyone could have a good New Year.

However, before her birthday, a bigger event caught her attention—

Yu Ye had already set a date with the Imperial Astronomer’s Office to hold her enthronement ceremony after the New Year, in early spring.

Yu Ye had finally won this court struggle with absolute authority, elevating her to the position of the Son of Heaven.

When the news came out, the palace servants around Xu Jiao became very happy. The steward of the Eastern Palace even announced that this year, everyone would receive big red envelopes to share in the joy. Only Xu Jiao herself still felt a sense of unreality up until her birthday.

“Your Highness, if you soak too long, the water will get cold. If you’ve had enough, please come out soon.”

In the hot spring.

The palace servant behind the screen quietly reminded Xu Jiao not to soak for too long.

Xu Jiao responded, but she was reluctant to leave the warmth of the water. As she continued to soak, she began to feel drowsy. After all, it was her birthday today, and the palace had been bustling all day. Yu Ye had taken her out to play as usual, and she had been busy the entire day. Now that fatigue was setting in, she leaned against the edge of the pool and dozed off.

Halfway through her nap, she suddenly heard the sound of water nearby. Xu Jiao drowsily opened her eyes and looked to the side, while saying:

“I’m done bathing, I’ll be out soon—”

Her voice trailed off midway.

She saw Yu Ye, waist-deep in the water, wearing only a silver inner robe. Her long, glossy black hair was pinned up, revealing a slender, graceful neck like a swan’s. Her shoulders and waist had extremely beautiful lines.

Looking at her profile, without the dark official robes on her body, she seemed less intimidating than usual.

Yu Ye raised an eyebrow, her eyes filled with a subtle smile: “Finally done bathing?”

Xu Jiao: “…”

She silently moved to the side, getting up to walk out of the pool. As she reached for the towel on the screen, Yu Ye asked from behind: “Why is Your Highness in such a hurry to leave when you see me?”

Xu Jiao stepped onto the stairs in the pool. Tonight, out of laziness, she hadn’t taken off the bell on her foot while bathing. Unexpectedly, the bell that usually didn’t make much noise now let out a string of clear, crisp sounds due to her movement in the water.

Xu Jiao paused for a moment and looked down, noticing that the bell on her ankle was trembling slightly with the ripples in the water.

She didn’t know what principle was at work here.

Yu Ye also heard this sound, and the smile in her eyes deepened. She then said: “Your Highness likes the gift I gave you so much that you don’t even want to take it off while bathing?”

Xu Jiao curled her lip without sincerity and said: “I forgot.”

Seeing that she was far enough away from Yu Ye, she lifted her foot to get out of the pool. The bell continued to make sounds with her movements until Xu Jiao’s wet footprints disappeared and all the water had drained from the bell, then it finally quieted down.

Yu Ye listened to the sound, narrowed her eyes, looked at the pool in front of her, and said softly: “What a pity…”

If it weren’t for Xu Jiao’s poor health and the fact that she had already soaked in the pool for a long time.

She would have really wanted to take care of business right here in the hot spring.

In the inner chamber.

Xu Jiao changed into her clothes, yawning as she watched the palace servants change to a new set of bedding. Just as she was about to fall onto the bed and sleep like the dead, she heard someone report: “Your Highness, Lord Yu has sent your birthday gift.”

Xu Jiao lazily responded: “Bring it in.”

Soon, a palace servant entered carrying a wooden box.

Another wooden box.

When Xu Jiao saw this, she was reminded of the gifts Yu Ye had given her before: at sixteen, it was an anklet; at seventeen, a hair ribbon. Now at eighteen, what new trick was she up to?

Thinking this, she unhesitatingly opened the box to find inside a row of…

Strange feathers.

Multicolored.

From very thin and short to very large and beautiful ones, there were peacock feathers and other unrecognizable beautiful feathers.

“What is this?”

Xu Jiao wondered if this grudge-holding person was planning to tickle her with these feathers. How could she hold a grudge from three years ago until now? Was there anyone in the world more petty than Yu Ye?

Before the palace servant could answer, Yu Ye’s voice came from outside the hall, drawing nearer: “Naturally, it’s a gift for Your Highness. Because I didn’t know what color or style Your Highness likes, I had people collect the most beautiful batch for you to choose from.”

Xu Jiao, her mind dominated by drowsiness, sat on the edge of the bed and calmly said: “I don’t want to choose.”

Yu Ye smiled, her eyes reflecting the candlelight in the hall. Since she had come straight to the inner chamber after bathing, she hadn’t even put on shoes. She silently walked to Xu Jiao’s side, glanced at the feathers in the box beside her, and replied understandingly:

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