Chapter 55: She Was Wrong
His knuckly fingers threaded through her satin-like black hair, tracing downwards to gently caress her pearly earlobe until it flushed crimson. He leaned in, capturing her earlobe with his teeth, sucking and lightly gnawing.
Yan Xuerui was overwhelmed; her waist went limp as water. Gu Yan’s large hand firmly supported the small of her back, his palm slowly descending. Through the thin silk nightgown, the calluses on his palm felt like tiny hooks, instantly quickening Yan Xuerui’s breath.
"Don’t—"
She whimpered, her faint voice trembling. "Here… not here…"
Today, she had publicly humiliated Gu Yan before the entire court. Given his domineering nature, he wouldn’t let her off easily.
Yan Xuerui had always been pragmatic; now was certainly not the time to provoke Gu Yan further. She arched her neck restlessly, two tears squeezing from the corners of her reddened eyes.
"Outside… there are guards…"
"If they hear… it’ll be bad, hard to manage…"
Gu Yan’s expression darkened. He tore off her red underrobe, crumpled it into a ball, and forced her jaw open.
"Then don’t make a sound."
He said coldly. She was audacious and cunning, that little mouth of hers always uttering words that wounded him—better she didn’t speak at all.
He stuffed the bright red garment into her mouth, a stark contrast against her black hair and snow-white skin, making her appear both fragile and alluringly decadent.
—Aside from the very beginning, Gu Yan usually had no particular taste for tormenting her in bed, nor did he enjoy elaborate games. It was just that his stamina was formidable, and compared to his tall, robust physique, she seemed too delicate, which made it more exhausting for her.
Suddenly gagged, Yan Xuerui’s dark eyes widened. When had she ever suffered such indignity? She kicked, scratched, and clawed at him with all her limbs, leaving a bloody mark on Gu Yan’s handsome face. This only fueled his anger, though he held back, wary of losing control and hurting her.
He leaned close to her ear, his voice hoarse. "The palace is heavily guarded. Guess how I got in?"
Yan Xuerui froze. Gu Yan continued, "The Qi family has fallen, and the tally to command the Imperial Guard is now personally held by His Majesty. I don’t have three heads and six arms—someone quietly left a door open for me."
Her thick, dark eyelashes fluttered. Gu Yan curled his lips slightly, confirming Yan Xuerui’s suspicion. "That’s right, it was Minglan."
Gu Minglan had been away for the past few days, assisting Gu Yuan at the suburban military camp. But back when Grand Marshal Qi was in power, Minglan had served in the Imperial Guard.
"Minglan is right outside. If you want him to hear his parents' intimacy, that’s up to you."
Whimpers and muffled cries.
...
Early the next morning, palace maids in pink cautiously pushed open the door and bowed. "Your Highness, breakfast is ready. Would you like to rise?"
The room carried a strange scent, reminiscent of musk and orchids. The young maids, still innocent and unaware, assumed the temporarily vacated palace hadn’t been cleaned properly and thought nothing more of it.
Yan Xuerui slowly opened her eyes. Remembering the previous night’s absurdity, she jolted in alarm and hurriedly lifted the bed curtains.
"Hiss—" Her entire body ached, her fingertips trembling.
"Your Highness, what’s wrong? Should we call the imperial physician?" a maid asked anxiously, stepping forward, only to be sharply stopped by Yan Xuerui. "Don’t come near!"
She calmed down. Aside from the soreness, the rest of her body felt clean and refreshed, and the mess on the floor had been cleaned up without a trace. It must have been tidied by Gu Yan after she fell asleep.
Yan Xuerui let out a long sigh, gently lowering her gaze as she pondered carefully.
"Your Highness?"
Seeing her unmoving, the maid bowed even lower. The palace had always been a place where people were treated according to their status. Unbeknownst to Yan Xuerui, in just one night, the name "Princess Changle" had spread throughout the court and beyond.
Rumors said this princess was the apple of the emperor’s eye, sought for over thirty years, now deeply favored.
It was said that though Princess Changle was no longer in her youth, her beauty and figure remained like a young girl’s—of peerless beauty and captivating, so beautiful she seemed otherworldly. Those who had seen her were invariably mesmerized and full of praise.
Princess Changle was the wife of the current Senior Tutor Gu.
Princess Changle had requested a separation from Senior Tutor Gu in front of the entire court.
...
Too many people had been present yesterday, and it was impossible to trace who had let the news slip. But from ten, it spread to a hundred, and even commoners caught wind of it. While court officials weighed the political implications, ordinary people cared little about which prince had died or who became emperor. But they relished gossip about palace secrets and the marital splits of royalty and nobility, chatting eagerly after meals.
The palace maids were equally curious, though they didn’t dare discuss it as freely as the common folk, keeping their speculations to themselves.
The maid said softly, "Your Highness, His Majesty has ordered your ceremonial robes and golden seal to be delivered. The Princess’s Residence is also being renovated. His Majesty has instructed that everything be to your liking. Officials from the Ministry of Works will come later to discuss the details with you."
"If it’s not convenient, this servant can send them away."
Yan Xuerui was taken aback. Previously, in the Yan family in Yangzhou, and later married into the Marquis Estate in the capital, the courtyard she grew up in had vermilion walls and black tiles, spirited and elegant, while the Marquis Estate was symmetrical, orderly, and grand—utterly different.
Initially unhappy at the Marquis Estate, Gu Yan had said the feng shui was poor and the decor too dull, so he called in craftsmen. She slowly drew the plans and renovated the main courtyard.
The main courtyard was the innermost part of the Marquis Estate, accessible only through layers of high walls, but every plant, pavilion, rockery, and pond within was arranged and renovated according to her preferences, infused with the charm of Jiangnan, most to her liking.
She said, "Follow the standards of the other princesses’ residences. There’s no need to consult me specifically."
If it were to her liking, they could simply replicate the layout of the main courtyard. But she didn’t want that and couldn’t think of another style, so it was better to follow the standards of the other princesses’ residences to avoid giving people grounds for criticism.
She wasn’t particularly concerned about the Princess’s Residence and dismissed the topic briefly. Not wanting the maid to see the marks on her body, Yan Xuerui let the bed curtains fall and, raising her sore arms, dressed herself.
After a while, a faint voice came from behind the curtains, "Go… fetch a clean set of underclothes."
Once properly dressed, Yan Xuerui went to the Hall of Diligent Governance to see the emperor.
She arrived as the morning glow first shone, the ceremonial robes woven with gold thread cascading from her shoulders, the skirt’s phoenix motifs seeming ready to take flight, shimmering with dazzling brilliance. Her skin was like snow, her hair like clouds, the kingfisher-feather hair ornament on her bun vivid and lifelike, beautiful and majestic.
"Your daughter greets Father Emperor. May Father Emperor live forever."
The emperor, who hadn’t slept all night, was dozing off due to his age and exhaustion, and didn’t wake.
The palace floor was smooth and cold, the chill seeping into her knees. Yan Xuerui, already cold-natured and exhausted from Gu Yan’s rough treatment the previous night, couldn’t endure the cold for long. She raised her voice and called out, "Your daughter greets Father Emperor!"
The emperor's eunuch hurried down the jade steps and said in a hushed tone, "His Majesty is resting. Please wait quietly, Your Highness, and do not disturb him."
Rubbing her reddened knees, Yan Xuerui prepared to get up and leave, but the eunuch placed a hand on her shoulder, exclaiming in surprise, "You mustn't, Your Highness, you absolutely mustn't."
The newly recognized Princess Changle had become the talk of the court overnight, and the eunuch didn’t want to offend her, explaining softly, "Your Highness, forgive this servant. It’s not that I wish to make things difficult for you, but those are the palace rules. Even if the Crown Prince were here, he wouldn’t dare rise without His Majesty’s permission."
"To be discourteous before the emperor is a serious breach of etiquette."
It was like a dash of cold water dampening the joy Yan Xuerui had felt upon being acknowledged as his daughter. Inevitably, she recalled something Gu Yan often said.
"You can’t have both the fish and the bear’s paw, Rui Er. You’re too greedy."
Initially, she only thought about being recognized by her ancestral family, because her biological father was the reigning emperor. She could escape Gu Yan, gain power, and at the same time fill the void of the familial love she had missed—accomplishing multiple goals at once.
On the first day of her restored identity as a princess, because her biological father was the emperor, she couldn’t interact with him like an ordinary father and daughter. She had to kneel in the hall, awaiting the emperor’s awakening.
In the Yan family, it was a strict mother and a gentle father. Her father, with few duties, spent his days admiring flowers, taking his birds for walks, or ingratiating himself with nobles. His discipline over her and her sisters was lax.
In the marquis’s estate, whenever she began to kneel, Gu Yan or her mother-in-law would help her up.
She thought it was always like this.
Yan Xuerui closed her eyes and said, "I understand. Thank you, Chamberlain."
Gu Yan was right—she was wrong.
The emperor slept for about fifteen minutes. It wasn’t long, but for Yan Xuerui, it felt like an eternity.
The old emperor slowly stirred awake, pressing his temples, and said irritably, "Bring Princess Changle in at once!"
Palace attendants helped Yan Xuerui walk in gracefully. Her face was slightly pale. The emperor waived her ceremonial obligations and scolded the eunuch, "Why didn’t you wake me when the princess arrived? What use are you all?"
"Do not blame them, Father. It was I... I saw how tired you were and couldn’t bear to disturb you."
After that fifteen minutes, Yan Xuerui had already grasped the norms of court conduct. The emperor was not just her father; he was the ruler of the nation. She was both his "child" and his "subject."
Out of filial piety and loyalty to her sovereign, she should wait.
The chief eunuch beside the emperor had kindly reminded her earlier, and she couldn’t repay his kindness with blame.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, the emperor’s expression softened slightly. He leaned back on the dragon throne and asked, "Are you comfortable living in the palace? Yesterday was rushed. If there’s anything lacking in food, clothing, or daily necessities, go to the Imperial Household Department."
"If you don’t like the palace assigned to you, feel free to choose any palace in the compound."
Compared to his other children, the emperor was indeed "indulgent and caring" toward her. Yan Xuerui lowered her eyelashes and said softly, "Everything Father has given me is the best. I could not be more satisfied."
These material things didn’t matter to Yan Xuerui. She asked quietly, "I heard from the palace attendants that every princess, upon reaching adulthood, has her own guard contingent for protection. I wonder if I... am like my sisters?"
"Nonsense."
The emperor slightly raised his chin and said, "You are my Changle. How could you have less than what your sisters have?"
"According to regulations, a princess’s guard should not exceed three hundred. I’ll give you five hundred—"
The emperor suddenly paused. It wasn’t that he was reluctant, but other princesses, like Ping Yang, had their own estates, covering vast lands, with enough space to house these personal guards. However, Yan Xuerui’s princess estate was still under renovation, and she was living in the palace.
The emperor said, "Once your princess estate is renovated, I’ll assign them to you."
Yan Xuerui bit her lip gently. "There’s no need for renovations. If we clean it up properly now, it can be made habitable."
Building a princess estate was a major project, taking at least three to five years. Typically, princesses raised in the palace would have their estates built from childhood so they could move in upon reaching adulthood. The emperor couldn’t let Yan Xuerui have nowhere to live for three to five years. Her estate was being converted from a former royal mansion in the capital.
Yan Xuerui didn’t care about living conditions; she urgently wanted people who would obey her commands. In the dead of night, she didn’t want to relive what happened last night.
She was entitled to that authority.