From CEO to Concubine-Chapter 159: Hidden Chivalry
Yan Zheyun might have his pride but he was also painfully aware of its propensity to come before a fall. Having grown up in a century where women could be CEOs, bodybuilders, and politicians, just to name a few, he knew better than to underestimate anyone from the fairest sex and think that just because he was male, he had an upper hand.
Moreover, this body he’d inherited from Yan Yun was still carrying a massive ’frail beauty BL shou’ debuff. Months of eating healthily, regulating his sleeping hours, and working on his physique had done little but make his complexion glow, his waist more slender, his ass plusher.
If Yan Zheyun were the sort to openly despair, Xiao De would have been greeted by the shocking sight of Yan Zheyun weeping at his blurry reflection in the bronze mirror.
In comparison, he gave Princess Suhanala a quick once over, took note of the deft way in which she manipulated her weapon, and figured out that he had no chance of taking her in a fight. His krav maga training felt like a lifetime ago and he’d only been able to grapple with Wu Bin that one time because Wu Bin was both a lust-addled lecher and an unfit scholarly type who worked out just enough to tick off enough boxes in archery and horse-riding to not embarrass himself in social situations.
But Princess Suhanala was different. She was a true daughter of a warmongering tribe, and as such, had probably grown up on horseback and trained in the art of fighting from a tender age. No amount of lessons in a gym could compete with the real deal of experience.
Yan Zheyun’s pause of deliberation was interpreted as cowardice. Prince Yenanda took another swig of wine straight from the jar and smacked his lips in satisfaction. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺
"Perhaps this most treasured concubine of Great Ye’s talents lie elsewhere besides the battlefield," he said. "Even in the furthest reaches of the north, word of his magnificent dance has spread, the envy of every young, able-bodied man who hasn’t had the chance to admire," he said, eyes sharp with a predatory gleam that made Yan Zheyun’s skin crawl. It reminded him of vultures circling in the air, lured in by the stench of death. "Another common saying in your culture...what was it again...ah, to hear a hundred times is not as good as to see it once. Will we have the honour of opening our eyes to such a spectacle?"
Another common saying in my culture, Yan Zheyun thought, fuck off.
Before Yan Zheyun could compose that into a more suitable retort, a delicate snort stole the limelight.
Lord Chen brought his sleeves up to his lips to try and conceal the mocking smile that tugged at their corners but his disparagement was clear as day.
"Ah, apologies," he said when Prince Yenanda turned to shoot him a poisonous glare. "One couldn’t help but laugh at how sincerely you believe any man would put his beloved up for display just to entertain guests. Is this a cultural difference, perhaps?" He blinked in Prince Yenanda’s direction as though seeking enlightenment for his innocent query.
This earned him a chorus of chuckles from Great Ye’s officials as well as the ire of the northern envoys.
Yan Zheyun shook his head inwardly. Lord Chen’s tongue was indeed...formidable. In just a handful of sentences, he’d managed to insult a lot of mothers, daughters and unfavoured sons, some of whom were present. The blushes on the faces of Princess Suhanala and her brother were no longer the product of coyness if the ferocious glint in their eyes were any indication.
"Contemptuous fool," Prince Yenanda seethed. "Who are you to speak out of turn?!" Lord Chen was seated in the front row but quite a ways down, further even than the prime ministers of the kingdom, and Prince Yenanda must have mistaken him to be just another dandy from an influential family who was only present as a result of having a daddy in the morning court.
Liu Yao raised an eyebrow. "This sovereign was not aware that this sovereign’s Lord of Bright Deportment Chen has said anything untoward." He reached over to fill Yan Zheyun’s wine cup for him, brushing off the slight protest from the terrified young eunuch whose job he’d stolen. "Great Ye does indeed not practice the custom of putting one’s family members on display for the pleasure of visitors, no matter how distinguished they might be."
For a brief second, Lord Chen’s flippant attitude wavered as a light flush washed over his cheeks, making him appear like a child that was suddenly put on the spot in the schoolyard by unexpected praise. It was the first time Yan Zheyun had ever seen Lord Chen flustered, so used to his catty attitude that this was a refreshing change.
It was also a change that left an ache of sympathy in his chest; after a year of spending time in Lord Chen’s company, Yan Zheyun could tell that he didn’t harbour much love for Liu Yao, at least nothing beyond that natural respect and admiration one would hold for a good emperor. But the lot in life he’d drawn was such that he had to put on fine clothes and coquettish airs just for the sake of surviving in the brutal, conniving inner palace.
Yan Zheyun had a feeling that today was going to be the day that Lord Chen’s fate changed.
"Your Majesty." Lord Chen rose to his feet and bowed towards the dais with more sincerity than Yan Zheyun had ever seen him capable of. "This concubine humbly begs for the opportunity to spa with Princess Suhanala instead of Imperial Noble Consort Yue." The corner of his mouth tugged upwards with derision as he directed the next half of his sentence at Princess Suhanala. "There are many flowers in Great Ye’s inner palace," he said, the other male concubines around him nodding emphatically even as Yao Siya’s cheery grin, which hadn’t even faltered once since the start of this altercation, widened. "Rather than going straight for His Majesty’s favourite peony, perhaps the princess should consider plucking from some of the other simpler options."
"Granted."
Princess Suhanala’s lips tightened. Her brother, Prince Haerqi did shoot Lord Chen a considering look but quickly redirected it away when Lord Chen met his gaze defiantly. He didn’t seem too eager to defend his sister, though, which Yan Zheyun found interesting. The dynamic was odd; Princess Suhanala was pushing Daurga’s agenda, that was for sure, but Prince Haerqi didn’t seem as committed to the cause, even though statistically speaking, he would have a better shot with Liu Yao than she would just based on sexual preferences.
It was her cousin, Prince Yenanda, who spoke up in the end, though not exactly on her behalf.
He eyed Lord Chen with beady dislike before adding churlishly, "What, is this little lord going to challenge our princess dressed like a peacock or will we have to grace you with time to change?"
Lord Chen raised an eyebrow. "What, did Princess Suhanala intend for Imperial Noble Consort Yue to fight her in his banquet attire?" He rose to his feet and reached for his belt. "It is true that Great Ye puts much stock into appearances and at an imperial banquet such as this one it is only respectful towards His Majesty that we dress for the occasion. However, since the guests at this opening banquet are impatient, it is fortunate that this concubine has come prepared."
Then, amidst scandalised gasps, he undid the sash of his dangling-sleeved robes, tailored in the latest style that gentlemen favoured, to reveal the functional deep maroon military tunic that he donned underneath, its lapels cleverly blending into the layer above to serve as an under-robe.
"Chen Qi, the nephew of the late Deputy General Chen of the southwestern army, seeks guidance from Princess Suhanala," he intoned, stepping out from behind his table. Tucking one hand behind his back in the posture of a gentleman, he made a gesture of invitation with his other hand for this opponent to take the floor first. "Princess, as you please."
He who rides a tiger is afraid to dismount1. Faced with a dilemma that she couldn’t extricate herself from without much embarrassment, Princess Suhanala stepped up reluctantly to face off against Lord Chen.
As the fight unfolded before Yan Zheyun’s eyes, he found himself growing more and more astonished by all the secrets about Lord Chen he hadn’t uncovered before.
Guo, Ren, Zhao, Liang, Wu, Hua. Although in comparison to these old noble clans, Yan Zheyun surmised that the Chen family was less prominent in the politics of the kingdom, Lord Chen had always behaved like a pampered young master whose parents had spoilt him rotten. From fine silks to precious ornaments, he’d never lacked for beautiful trinkets to decorate himself with and his quick wit and sassy repartee had given the impression of one who had grown up with a lot of say in a household where a lot of unpleasant things needed saying.
If it weren’t for his self-introduction earlier, Yan Zheyun would never have guessed that he was a general’s son. Or that his father was no longer around to be proud of him. He would never in a million years have guessed that the slim body Lord Chen liked to flaunt off by wearing only the snuggest of waist belts belied a strong wiry musculature that granted enough strength and agility to spar against a corded weapon with his bare hands.
"Watch yourself, Princess," Lord Chen taunted when Princess Suhanala narrowly avoided the kick he directed at her head after he’d dodged her attack and lunged in to close the gap between them. "Allowing leeway to ladies would be the gentlemanly thing to do but I learnt from experience that that’s the fastest to die in a harem." He still had time for light-hearted banter but Princess Suhanala’s lovely long tresses were already starting to plaster to her skin, which gleamed from a fine sheen of sweat.
Just like Hua Zhixuan and Lady Zhao, Lord Chen was wasted in the inner palace, their talents and sacrificed in their family’s name and buried in the guise of honour. Yan Zheyun thought about the hours Hua Zhixuan spent flipping wistfully through the tattered copies of his old scholarly texts, how Lady Zhao’s peaceful repose became breathtaking whenever she lit up as she spoke about the future of women in the country. He thought about how Lord Chen never once dared show an inclination for the martial arts but yet had asked for the side palace in Yuyang Palace that had the biggest courtyard although Yan Zheyun had never once seen him use it for anything other than housing the odd bonsai tree.
He had an inkling as to what it was for now.
"Ah Yun, what’s wrong?"
Liu Yao’s gentle murmur caught Yan Zheyun’s heart from where it had plummeted down to the pit of his stomach. Up here upon the dais, they were too far apart from the rest of the guests for anyone to hear their conversation but close enough that watchful eyes caught how they leaned in close to each other to exchange whispers, how the emperor’s stern visage softened as he coaxed his favourite consort until the beautiful young man’s expression morphed from one of inexplicable helplessness to its usual serenity.
"They’ll have their moments of glory," Liu Yao promised, reading Yan Zheyun’s mind even though all he’d managed to utter in response to Liu Yao’s concern was, "It’s not fair."
"This sovereign will ensure that it won’t all be in vain." His eyes narrowed subtly as they shifted from Yan Zheyun’s face to the guests once again. "See the minister in the third row, fourth from the right?"
Yan Zheyun nodded as he followed the directions. "What of him?"
"That’s Lord Chen’s father and the reason why Lord Chen is now in this sovereign’s inner palace. A petty literary official in the Ministry of Rites, whose greatest contribution to the morning court would be squandering the dowry of his merchant-class wife to ingratiate himself with the old noble clans. But of course, what is most necessary in securing his position would be to dip his son in the murky waters of the inner palace; after all, what good was a boy who’d grown up preferring the company of the older brother he’d always been jealous of and who shared a bloodline with a lowly woman whose only redeeming feature was her family’s wealth?" Liu Yao spoke lightly but his careless words painted a picture of suffering, one which Lord Chen had painstakingly hidden away from all of them.
It wasn’t surprising that Liu Yao would know. The morning court gave their emperor too little credit.
"When will this come to an end?" Yan Zheyun muttered. Nepotism, favouritism, a caste system built upon the backs of the poor and downtrodden, this wasn’t what Liu Yao wanted for Great Ye, he was aware of that.
Sure enough.
"The end has already begun."
What happened next was so quick that Yan Zheyun nearly missed it. Black and gold flashed in his peripheral vision. Down on the floor, Princess Suhanala had stumbled backwards as Lord Chen went in for the kill and Prince Yenanda made a sudden lurching motion that was quickly halted as a long sword embedded itself into the wooden platform right where his foot would have been had he not pulled away in time.
Steel so pure it was close to white and a jade handle so dark it was almost the shade of night. Yan Zheyun hadn’t even realised Liu Yao had brought along a weapon to a supposedly social banquet but then again, who was going to call him out on it?
He gazed up at Liu Yao, whose measured speech was like the calm before a storm.
"What’s this?" he asked. "Prince Yenanda is so eager to swap pointers? Allow this sovereign to indulge you."
An idiom that means to place oneself in a sticky situation and then realise that it is hard to extricate oneself after.
