A Quiet Homecoming

The Empress Dowager's mind was churning with thoughts, but on the surface, she still regarded Chen Yao with a smile. "Have a seat. I have nothing pressing—I simply wanted some company for a chat."

"I've heard that Scholar Shen is deeply trusted by His Majesty and shows great promise. Naturally, I should look after his wife as well."

*So it really is because of the heroine—or rather, because she stands out too much,* Chen Yao thought to herself.

"The Empress Dowager overpraises me. My husband has only done his duty."

Even as she said this, the young woman couldn't help but press her lips together in a light smile, a look of quiet pride blooming on her lovely face.

The Empress Dowager found it amusing. She slipped a jade bracelet from her own wrist and gently took Chen Yao's small hand to slide it on.

Then she nodded with satisfaction. "Your wrist is slender and your skin fair—this beauty bracelet suits you well. Consider it a small gift from me."

"Thank you for your generosity, Empress Dowager."

Chen Yao's lashes fluttered slightly. Instinctively, she began to rise to offer a formal bow of gratitude, but the Empress Dowager reached out and pressed her back down. "No need for such formality." Her tone remained kind. "Seeing you so sweet and well-behaved lifts my spirits."

Just then, a graceful melody drifted through the air—like an orchid in a secluded valley, or a babbling brook.

The Empress Dowager's gaze settled on the platform at the center of the waterside pavilion, where the niece of the Grand Master of Ceremonies was playing the guqin. She nodded. "That melody is quite moving."

Aunt Cui had been keeping an eye on the time. If the Emperor followed his usual schedule from the training grounds back to the Imperial Study, he would soon pass by the Imperial Garden.

She stepped forward quietly, pouring the Empress Dowager a fresh cup of calming tea. "Your Ladyship, allow me to replace your tea with something hot."

"The sun has already moved that far—indeed, when one is happy, time flies." Aunt Cui added the remark as if casually.

The Empress Dowager gave a subtle nod of understanding, lifted the tea to her lips, and took a gentle sip.

Setting the cup back down, she reached over and patted the back of Chen Yao's hand resting demurely on her knee. "I can see you have delicate, slender fingers and a composed nature. Do you play the guqin?"

Generally speaking, as long as a family wasn't too poor, most daughters learned at least some musical skill, so the Empress Dowager needn't worry about embarrassing anyone.

Chen Yao maintained her gentle smile on the surface, but inwardly she complained to System 04, "Hmph, I knew it!"

*In any ancient setting, there's no escaping the standard 'perform at the banquet' trope.*

"Good thing my past self in the last world was clever enough to learn from that heroine who was the finest qin player under heaven." She said this with no small amount of smugness.

Although she couldn't recall the details of that world clearly anymore, the qin skills she'd specially mastered hadn't faded entirely. Her playing was only middling, but it was enough to get by—she didn't need to stand out.

"That's right, that's right. As expected of my host." System 04, ever generous with emotional support, gave her a cyber round of applause in her mind.

So Chen Yao was able to nod demurely before the Empress Dowager and say, with feigned shyness, "My qin skills are quite ordinary. I only worry I might offend your ears."

"It's simply for my enjoyment. Do not be so modest." The Empress Dowager smiled.

Chen Yao agreed, then rose and walked slowly to the seat at the center of the waterside pavilion. She settled herself and lifted her hands to the ancient qin.

After a moment's thought—since the Empress Dowager was a devotee of Buddhism—she decided to play the *Pure Heart, Universal Goodness* chant she had loved even in the modern world, tailoring her choice to her audience's tastes.

The Empress Dowager's original intent had merely been to let Chen Yao show herself, so that when the Emperor passed by, he could see her and reveal his reaction.

But to her surprise, the young woman was indeed honest—her fingering wasn't top-notch, yet the piece she played was heartfelt.

*One pluck for flowing water, one pluck for the moon; water and moon stir in pine branches.* The music was clear and ethereal, carrying within it a hint of zen she had never heard in any score or melody before.

*

Xiao Mingting had just finished another round of martial practice at the training grounds, stretching his limbs, and was preparing to return to the Imperial Study to continue reviewing the memorials he hadn't finished the day before.

He was striding along with a dragon's bearing when he suddenly heard lively sounds coming from the Imperial Garden, along with the graceful notes of a qin.

Xiao Mingting's steps slowed slightly. He turned his head and asked Eunuch De, who attended at his side, "What's happening in the Imperial Garden?"

"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has summoned the wives and daughters of noble families to admire the peonies in the Imperial Garden," Eunuch De reported.

Xiao Mingting's brow furrowed slightly. "Hasn't the Empress Dowager always been devoted to Buddhist cultivation in Shou'an Palace? Why the sudden interest?"

"It... perhaps Her Ladyship felt the palace was too quiet and wished for some liveliness?" Eunuch De speculated, though a vague sense of unease stirred in his heart.

At the moment, Xiao Mingting didn't entertain the thought that the Empress Dowager might be taking matters into her own hands and arranging some kind of consort selection banquet for him.

After all, since he had ascended the throne, no one had dared to raise the topic of choosing an empress or taking concubines before him. The last minister who did had long since been sent home to retire—it had been quite a while.

Still, he wasn't particularly interested in the Empress Dowager's intentions. He would simply glance over as he passed and not concern himself further.

But when his gaze swept casually across the garden, he was surprised to see the woman seated at the waterside pavilion, head bowed as she plucked at the qin—it was Xie Chenyao.

When he hadn't seen her, he could keep her out of his thoughts. But now that she appeared before him again, Xiao Mingting found his heartstrings plucked once more, his heart beginning to beat an uneven rhythm.

Eunuch De, bent low, couldn't help secretly stealing a glance at His Majesty before quickly dropping his gaze again.

Xiao Mingting stared at the distant young woman for a long moment. At last, he averted his eyes and said in a low voice, "Let's go."

He sighed inwardly, turned, and continued walking without pause toward the Imperial Study.

Seated in the pavilion half-shrouded by gauze curtains, the Empress Dowager had watched the Emperor's every reaction from beginning to end.

Her brow arched ever so slightly, and a meaningful expression settled over her benevolent, kindly face.

"Cuiwei, I'm feeling a bit weary," the Empress Dowager said slowly, fingering her prayer beads.

"Allow me to escort you back to the palace," Aunt Cui hurriedly stepped forward, letting her mistress rest a hand on her arm before carefully helping her rise.

"Find me a palace attendant who is quick-witted and tight-lipped. I have a task to arrange."

The Empress Dowager tilted her head slightly and murmured a few low instructions into Aunt Cui's ear.

Aunt Cui lowered her eyes in acknowledgment. "Yes, I understand."