Rong Mu exchanged a few pleasantries with the three men. He had never experienced such a bizarre scene before. Discussing a man with a group of other men.
"His Majesty eats quite a lot every day."
"He sleeps well, too. Sometimes I can't even wake him up."
"It's just that his temper is a bit large, he often gets angry for no reason," Rong Mu sighed with a troubled face. "His Majesty dotes on me, so I worry about his health. Lately, I've been trying all sorts of ways to coax him."
The three young consorts listened from the side, their eyes glazed over.
Lu Fu, who had been daydreaming with his hands tucked in his sleeves, finally couldn't help but ask: "Does Young Master Rong interact with His Majesty like this every day?"
Rong Mu nodded and fretted: "Yes, serving a ruler is like serving a tiger."
The other three: "..."
As he spoke, Rong Mu looked at them: "How long have you all been with His Majesty?"
"About three years for all of us," Lan Ji answered.
They had originally thought this newly promoted favorite would be overbearing and arrogant. They hadn't expected him to not only possess superior looks but also a temperament that felt like a spring breeze.
It was just that... he seemed a bit too bold.
Rong Mu walked inward, whispering a sigh: "Three years... in a normal family, you could have raised two rounds of children by now..."
His light words turned the ears of the three young men bright red.
Ultimately, Rong Mu was unwilling to be compared with the girls, so he found a small pavilion to sit in and motioned for the Blue, Green, and Red following him to sit down in turn.
Lu Fu silently poured a cup of tea for Rong Mu. Since they were all men, they were separated from the noble ladies enjoying the flowers on the other side by a pebble path.
Rong Mu took a sip of tea. His green robes fluttered, his lips were red, and his teeth white. His slightly upturned eyes scanned the flowers and butterflies across the way. Framed by the small pavilion, he looked like a deity in a painting.
He was starting to believe what Ming Chun had said.
The Emperor truly governed the Great Shang well. The cultivation of the palace attendants and the grace of the visiting noble ladies all revealed the prosperity of the entire top circle of the Great Shang. it wasn't frivolous at all, contrary to his imagination.
Without a powerful nation as a foundation, one could never nurture the arrogance and refinement of the capital.
Rong Mu propped his cheek with one hand, his eyes scanning the circle of young ladies. Suddenly, he asked: "Who is that?"
Lu Fu followed his gaze and saw a lady dressed in extreme luxury, standing in the middle of the flowers like a moon surrounded by stars. She even locked eyes with them.
Lu Fu whispered: "Young Master Rong might not know, but that is the granddaughter of Prime Minister Yan, named Yan Hualing. She is a famous lady of the capital. This flower-viewing festival was actually proposed by Prime Minister Yan."
Rong Mu let out an "Oh" and said leisurely: "I'm afraid Prime Minister Yan's interest is not in the wine, but in something else." (Meaning: He has an ulterior motive.)
Unfortunately, the Emperor had vanished since early morning, clearly resisting these little peach blossoms.
For a moment, the expressions of the three men were quite colorful. Rong Mu watched the fire from the opposite shore, unaware that the three real attendants beside him were also in gossip mode.
There were only four male consorts present, and not a single one of them actually had their heart set on the Emperor.
Noble ladies of ancient times, even if they were curious about someone, wouldn't swarm around chirping like commoners. Rong Mu sat there for a long while before finding an opportunity to approach the ladies.
He stepped out of the pavilion just as the drum-beating flower passing game stopped in front of him. Rong Mu calmly picked up the wine cup, slightly tilting his neck as the liquid slid down his throat.
A sudden spiciness hit his lungs. Rong Mu didn't drink much usually. He frowned and silently suppressed the sensation, thinking to himself that he was making a huge sacrifice for the Emperor.
Lu Fu wanted to stop him, but Lan Ji held him back.
"What's the rush? Haven't you noticed?"
"What?"
Lan Ji: "The three of us are useless, but this new Consort is useful. His Majesty called him out to let these ladies and the people behind them know that if they can't even compare to a man's looks, they should withdraw their plans as soon as possible."
Lu Fu paused: "His Majesty's heart is like iron. He never likes this lovey-dovey stuff. He'd rather find men to use as excuses than take a single woman into the harem."
Hong Shuang took a sip of tea: "Then have you considered why His Majesty doesn't find a woman to act as a shield?"
The two looked at him. Hong Shuang watched Rong Mu’s slender figure. The youth’s perfect aura was like a dream, making people subconsciously want to be near him. This spring feast prepared for the Emperor... he feared the noble ladies' hearts were currently being hooked away by this elegant Consort Rong.
Hong Shuang snapped back to reality and continued: "His Majesty has never loved women, but he hasn't met a man he likes either. So things have just been at a stalemate these years. Among the attendants he picked up randomly years ago to fool the officials, there were even some stuffed in by other countries..."
Lan Ji interrupted him: "Watch your words. His Majesty usually doesn't bother to ask about things on this side."
Hong Shuang waved his hand: "Forget I said anything. Anyway, we were all pulled out from the Black Imperial Guards by the General to make up the numbers. *Sigh*... living in luxury in the palace for three years, I can barely hold a blade anymore."
***
On the other side, as soon as Rong Mu walked over, many of the ladies scattered. Most of them were unmarried. Even if they admired Rong Mu’s looks, they didn't dare look openly, especially since the Emperor had a reputation for being easily jealous.
Only Yan Hualing looked at Rong Mu carefully.
"I wonder if the ladies have selected a winner yet?" Rong Mu asked with a smile.
Yan Hualing wore a light veil over her face. Her beautiful eyes were like peach blossoms, and her voice drifted from behind the veil: "Once the Consort arrived, all the flowers in the garden were suppressed. What else is there for my sisters to compete over?"
Rong Mu didn't mind the thorn in her words. He simply said: "Then can Miss Yan tell me what today's prize is? I'd like to take it back to claim credit with His Majesty. He is very competitive and insisted that I win first place."
Although the youth before her was the Emperor’s favorite, he carried a gentle aura like a cool breeze, without a hint of the expected arrogance.
Before Yan Hualing left home today, her elders had specifically told her to maintain the posture of a noble lady.
She had intended to put on an act, but this Consort Rong who appeared halfway through seemed much more noble and magnanimous than her.
Rong Mu felt that the way this lady looked at him was a bit strange. It seemed like there was initial amazement, which later turned into the pity one feels for someone trapped in a fire pit.
Just as Rong Mu was about to speak, he was interrupted by Yan Hualing's low voice: "I had already heard of Consort Rong’s existence, but I wonder if the Consort has heard of me."
Rong Mu tilted his head in confusion and let out a questioning "Hmm?"
Yan Hualing’s voice was delicate. Her attempt to act profound had a touch of girlish silliness to it. Rong Mu heard her say: "Have you heard that I have already harmed three attendants in the Xiqing Palace?"
Rong Mu: "..."
'Why didn't the Emperor tell me such important intelligence earlier!'
Maintaining a smile on the surface, Rong Mu instinctively grew wary. But in the next second, he saw the young lady stomp her foot in anger, suppressing her grievances:
"My reputation is completely ruined. Everyone says I am arrogant and audacious. Even my grandfather criticized me for not knowing restraint. But even if I had heaven-reaching skills, could I bypass His Majesty to harm his people? Truly, a rumor repeated three times becomes a fact!"
Yan Hualing stared intently at Rong Mu’s face, her tone gradually becoming more refined: "I didn't want to say much today, but seeing the grace with which Consort Rong plucked that flower just now, I couldn't suppress the pity in my heart. You have such a fine face, Hualing only worries that a man like you will die young at His Majesty's hands..."
Rong Mu’s expression gradually became blank. A hollowed-out golden ivory ball, the top token of the spring flower feast was stuffed into his hand by the eldest Miss of the Yan family.
Yan Hualing’s face was practically inscribed with the words "Run away": "I don't want to be any Empress, it’s all pressure from my family elders... If I had any expectations for His Majesty at the beginning, ever since he allowed the reputation of murdering the Xiqing Palace Consorts to fall on my head, I knew that no matter who it is in this world, no one's heart is colder than His Majesty's, which views everyone as expendable."
Rong Mu watched as Yan Hualing lowered her voice. The sixteen-year-old girl wasn't even as tall as his shoulder: "I couldn't figure it out later, so I bribed a small eunuch. He told me that all the consorts who died in Xiqing Palace were secretly disposed of by His Majesty. It had nothing to do with me. Others say I am cruel, but the truly cruel person is the Son of Heaven, who stands above ten thousand people in Great Shang!"
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