The Tyrant's Beloved Empress

15

The teahouse in Yejing has been quite prosperous these past few days. The ground floor was filled with guests and the upper floor was occupied by a storyteller running out of saliva as he spread his tale.

As his listeners increased, the storyteller knocked on the table with his fan and began, "This took place at sunset, on Yong Le Street where people were bustling by. From afar came a large steed and on that steed were two people– one was illustrious and domineering, the other had the grace of Pan An..."

The storyteller spread his fan, "Can you tell who they are?"

"It's none other than the Northern Warlord and his newly wedded Wangfei!"

"It is said that this Wangfei is quite something, a man whose beauty trumps that of a woman by three folds. Word has it that when the Northern Warlord first met him, he was so mesmerized that he had to make him his Wangfei at all costs. But Wangfei is after all a man, what kind of logic is this..."

The storyteller continued his narrative but below came a disapproving voice, "The storyteller's words are nonsensical. Hasn't the Northern Warlord's Wangfei long been dead? It was said that on the second day after their marriage, he was quietly pulled out of the city and buried!"

"Where did you hear that from? It's ridiculous." Another listener heard his words and rebuked, "Just the other day, the Northern Warlord had taken Wangfei to Sanweizhai. I heard that because Wangfei likes the plum pastries there, Wangye had specially taken him there to buy them."

"That's right, that's right," A nearby aunty said, "Recently, the plum blossom pastries from Sanweizhai are selling like hotcakes. It is said that if you eat them, you'll be as beautiful as a fairy, just like Wangfei. If it isn't always sold-out, I'd love to get my hands on a few!"

Someone else joked, "Lady, even at this age you still want a second spring?"

The aunty let out a pei and said, "Don't be silly. It's for my daughter!"

The man who had roused this conversion was surprised by the series of comments. At a loss, he turned back to listen to the storyteller but he was already retelling how Wangfei had rejected The Northern Warlord's advances and in turn, was taken as a prisoner and locked up in the Wang Manor.

The man: "..."

Although the story was absurd, the teahouse guests were highly intrigued. As the end of the New Year approaches, people tend to want to listen to new and interesting gossip. The story of the notorious Northern Warlord abducting the Wangfei and abusing him into submission was more entertaining than the news of yet another servant's demise in the Wang Manor.

As the storyteller's words spiraled into absurdity, a young man dressed in blue sitting at the back stood up to leave. Two men dressed in grey followed behind him.

After exiting the teahouse, one of the men in grey said, "This storyteller's words are ludicrous."

The man in blue said, "But the two riding back home on the same horse is true. Say... Do you think that Second Brother really likes that unfavored son or is he just putting on a show for us?"

The man in grey thought for a moment before replying, "I'm afraid he's only putting on a show. There have never been any whispers of him liking men. And his temperament, it's not like you don't know."

"You're right," the man in blue nodded in agreement, "Whether it's true or not, I'll ask Empress Mother to summon them into the Palace and test them."

The man in blue then said with a ruthless smile, "Although he has long been disqualified, we still need to be on guard."

As it stands, of all the princes in the Palace, including himself, none had any military power. They had all tacitly approved that he would be the one to inherit the throne but didn't history show that the throne could always be usurped?