From CEO to Concubine-Chapter 212: Ten Thousand Fragrances
Needless to say, the day was ruined. Yan Zheyun understood that there were more pressing matters to attend to and it was inevitable that neither of their hearts were in enjoying the rest of the afternoon outside. It was hard not to feel reluctance though. After all, a day out of the inner palace like this was a luxury beyond all the opulence in the imperial city and there was no saying when he would next be granted such an opportunity.
It would also just have been nice to take Liu Yao’s hand in his own and stroll through Zhueque Street doing normal things that couples do. There weren’t cinemas or amusement parks available for a cliched but sweet date and Yan Zheyun often thought with a bit of rue that it would have been better if Liu Yao had been the one to transmigrate and meet his 21st-century soul but that wasn’t something that they could help.
To say he wasn’t feeling a bit down would be a lie but Liu Yao had a lot on his plate right now and didn’t need to add a lover’s disappointment to it so Yan Zheyun schooled his expression and gave Liu Yao’s arm a gentle squeeze.
"Shall we head back home?" he asked the heavy feeling in his chest lifting somewhat when the frown on Liu Yao’s face eased up at his choice of words.
"What’s this? Young Master Yue has just gotten this lowly one alone and is now tiring of me so quickly?" He felt Liu Yao scoot his chair closer to wrap an arm around his shoulder, the ornate mahogany stool with the mother-of-pearl inlay making an undignified noise when it clattered against the table leg. This was a display of unrefined manners, behaviour most ill-befitting an emperor, but it put Yan Zheyun at ease, gave him the courage to shoot Liu Yao a searching look as he hunted for any lingering remnants of unhappiness.
It occurred to him there and then that Liu Yao might also want to stay outside the tall walls of the imperial city for a little while more. Everyone accused the emperor of being heartless as though this must be the default state of being for someone in such a position of power to thrive. The concubines and servants that Yan Zheyun pitied often felt sorry for themselves too, trapped within the most glamorous of prisons with seemingly no end in sight. The female servants, ironically, were better off; once they reached a certain age without catching His Majesty’s fancy, they were allowed to leave the imperial palace so that their marriage wouldn’t be delayed anymore. The eunuchs too had a chance at retirement if they didn’t first perish whilst playing with palace politics.
As for the pretty birds in the emperor’s gilded cage...they were lucky that Liu Yao had chosen to open the doors and set them free.
But who would open Liu Yao’s door for him? Forced to claw his way up to the highest seat in the kingdom just to survive, Liu Yao was as much a prisoner as he was the dungeon master.
There was probably a mountain of paperwork waiting for him back in Tianlu Pavilion, each matter more urgent than the last, and as empress, Yan Zheyun knew it was his duty to remind His Majesty that his duties lay with his people.
As Liu Yao’s boyfriend, though, he just wanted Liu Yao to have a moment of respite. So in response to Liu Yao’s teasing, he flickered his gaze up to meet Liu Yao’s dark eyes before quirked his lips and pressed a fleeting kiss to the corner of Liu Yao’s mouth, hoping to cajole it into curving upwards to match his own.
Liu Yao tsked. "No wonder they say ’with a glance and a smile, the beauties of the six palaces fade in colour (1)."
Shameless flatterer. Yan Zheyun laughed quietly before resting his head on Liu Yao’s shoulder. "But I’m no Noble Consort Yang and you’ll not become Emperor Xuanzong. (2)"
"No, that would be too tragic."
After a moment of peaceful silence, Yan Zheyun felt Liu Yao pat him gently on the back. "We’ll come out again," he heard Liu Yao murmur, "one day soon after everything dies down."
Liu Yao knew better than to promise him a specific date but Yan Zheyun didn’t mind. It was enough that Liu Yao was willing to give him that much—even Noble Consort Yang would not have had such a boon from her emperor.
"The carriage is ready?" Yan Zheyun asked.
But Liu Yao shook his head. "We aren’t going home yet."
This made Yan Zheyun raise his head curiously. If they couldn’t afford to linger outside any longer for pleasure then it could only mean that they still had business to attend to.
What could it be?
To his surprise, a look of amusement flitted over Liu Yao’s face before he carefully tucked it away from Yan Zheyun’s prying gaze. "You’ll see. And then Ah Yun won’t be able to blame this husband because I went out of my way to bring you along."
Blame? Why blame?
Liu Yao didn’t provide any insight, choosing instead to lead Yan Zheyun out onto the streets and to the Eastern Marketplace to while away some time. It wasn’t the idle stroll Yan Zheyun had been hoping for since he knew that there was much to do and Liu Yao couldn’t help but be slightly distracted, no doubt because he had matters of state on his mind. But it was still a day to treasure anyway.
For a couple of hours, at least, in the middle of a golden afternoon in this bustling ancient capital, a Young Master Huang and a Young Master Yue, two fine gentlemen, walked hand-in-hand from roadside stall to roadside stall admiring the little trinkets that cost less than the cup of tea they drank routinely each morning.
The sly knowing glances that lingered on their entwined hands, the occasional furtive whisper, these all didn’t matter. Yan Zheyun was more than aware of how strongly the southern wind blew through Great Ye. Whether as Ziyu or Yan Yun or himself now, he’d only ever lived in the big cities or the capital itself but he’d heard stories and secretly browsed titillating novellas of what the southern wind culture of the lower classes too. Soldiers, farmers, merchants on the road far away from home, it was common to seek another male body for warmth or even just to slake their lust as and when convenient. As for the literati, male companionship was elevated to an art form, because who else would understand their profound philosophical beliefs if not for another scholar?
As for the nobles...it went without saying. Why, Great Ye’s emperor was even unfilial enough to leave his lineage without a direct heir and all just so he could marry a man. It was sensational, to say the least. Therefore, two young men whose nondescript attire couldn’t hide their aristocratic upbringing...it wasn’t all that surprising to see them only having eyes for each other even if it was regarded as inelegant to put their affections for each other on such flagrant display.
"What do you think they’re saying?" Liu Yao said softly in his ear after he fastened a simple wooden hair stick in Yan Zheyun’s hair and flicked a piece of silver at a most delighted shopkeeper.
"Thank you, Young Master! You’re too generous! Young Master’s beloved is so elegant, your patronage is this small one’s (3) honour!" 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂
There was no mirror for Yan Zheyun to check if his hair was a mess and he didn’t trust Liu Yao’s hairstyling abilities—the man could just about manage a ponytail and that was probably just because it was his default up-do in the military—but he smiled at Liu Yao anyway, his heart warm with delight.
"Does it matter?" he replied. "Probably betting on which of us is going to abandon the other and get married to a devoted wife first."
Not too long ago, these words would have cut like knives as he uttered them. But he had the confidence to trust Liu Yao now.
Liu Yao let out an ungainly snort. If this were morning court, the literary officials would be censuring him right now for not conforming to the social graces expected of his station. But Yan Zheyun adored this side of him.
"This young master isn’t sure about Young Master Yue’s circumstances, but I’m very happily married to a very devoted wife."
Yan Zheyun raised an eyebrow. The streets were busy even though it was still cold out—a little girl pushed past him excitedly to get to the tanghulu (4) seller before he changed location. The chatter of the commoners around them was full of snippets about everyday life that Yan Zheyun felt removed from, from the price of rice to what Third Uncle said that morning. It was so different to the endless manoeuvring in political conversations and Yan Zheyun felt himself finally relaxing properly. In this haven where no one had the time to listen to their little exchange, Yan Zheyun leaned closer and said airily, "I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting Young Mast Huang’s wife before but if they were present, would they be okay with the way you’re pawing at my waist?" He rapped his knuckles lightly on the back of Liu Yao’s hand, which had somehow or another sneaked around him in a loose hold as the evening market crowd thickened.
Instead of letting go, Liu Yao squeezed him closer, earning himself a warning glance. There might be too many people milling about for most others to pay them any heed but Yan Zheyun knew the shadow guard was still nervously watching over them—in truth, Liu Yao was already insane for heading into a throng like this without a sword in easy reach—and he really didn’t need to make their job more awkward than it already was.
"My wife would be more than okay with these arrangements, I’m sure," was Liu Yao’s expansive answer. "In fact, they might deny it but I daresay they would quite enjoy—ah, ouch—"
"I’m not convinced they would," Yan Zheyun replied, lowering his elbow from where he’d subtly nudged it into Liu Yao’s ribs.
"Why is Young Master Yue speaking for my wife?"
Their fond bickering continued until the sun started to set. They had already circled the marketplace once and Yan Zheyun looked up at Liu Yao in anticipation. What were they still out here for? He’d concluded that wherever Liu Yao wanted to go next, it was time-sensitive, otherwise they wouldn’t have spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around aimlessly.
Luckily, the sun set early in the winter and some places raised their lanterns early, signalling the start of their operating hours.
When Yan Zheyun let Liu Yao pull him through the grand double doors of Wanxiang House, or ’House of Ten Thousand Fragrances’, he was still in a daze.
He’d considered a whole host of possibilities, ranging from some super secret spy hideout all the way to the capital’s notorious gambling dens, but not once did he think that Liu Yao would bring him to...to a brothel?!
"Not just any brothel, Young Master," the madame who overheard his incredulous hissing cooed before letting out a flirtatious giggle, "Young Master must be new to the capital because every man in town knows that our dear Yu Lan is the top courtesan in the whole of Great Ye!" Despite saying that, she couldn’t help but glance once again at this lovely patron as she said this. Aiyo! This was a face that didn’t lose out to her house’s Yu Lan if she had to be honest.
If only she dared to do more than sneak glances at him. But the chilling stare of his companion robbed her of her courage.
Yan Zheyun, for the most part, didn’t notice the noiseless exchange between Liu Yao and the madame. He was too preoccupied with the name he’d been given.
Yu Lan. Teacher. Yan Zheyun could still remember that porcelain beauty who had taught him the most important dance he would ever learn in his life. His eyes widened as he blinked up at Liu Yao. He didn’t think Liu Yao would bring him to a brothel for a good time and it was unlikely that he had gone out of his way to arrange a reunion with Yan Zheyun’s one-off dance teacher so this could only mean...
"Is she one of yours too?" he whispered, tiptoeing so that he could press his mouth to Liu Yao’s ear and no one else could eavesdrop. Liu Yao’s arm snaked around him to help him balance and he didn’t notice the way Liu Yao’s measured expression took on a hint of satisfaction as some of the men in the room who had been eyeing Yan Zheyun with a predatory gleam looked away.
Liu Yao blinked at him in faux innocence. "One of mine? Young Master Yue jests, I only have one wife and they’re a very jealous sort, I would hardly dare."
"You know what I mean."
This earned Yan Zheyun a light chuckle. "You have to be careful how you phrase things, I don’t wish to spend a cold loveless evening in my study. But if you’re asking about the tiger...then yes, she’s number four."
The fourth tiger.
The fourth official of Kaiming was the most famous prostitute in the kingdom.
