Where the Mask Ends - Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The Empress Dowager granted Wei Rao a seat, placing a silk-covered stool right next to her own chair.

Unable to guess the Empress Dowager's true intentions, Wei Rao offered her thanks, sat down with practiced composure, and tilted her head slightly to admire the lake view below.

The Empress Dowager bestowed a plate of pastries upon her. The sticky rice cakes were shaped like flower petals and coated in a layer of cherry jam, their color most enticing.

Wei Rao picked one up and took a small, smiling bite.

The Empress Dowager had been watching her the entire time and asked with feigned affection: "How does it taste?"

In the presence of the palace delicacies, Wei Rao could only offer praise: "It is soft and sweet, truly delicious."

"If you like them, then eat more," the Empress Dowager said with a smile. She watched Wei Rao take two more bites before turning to the Empress: "I have seen many young ladies and beauties over these years, but looking back and forth, not one is more exquisite than Rao'er."

As she spoke to the Empress, before the Empress could react, Prince Jing—the Empress's own son sitting directly across—glanced at Wei Rao and unconsciously nodded in agreement.

There were only a few people in the Star-Plucking Tower, and his clumsy gesture was painfully obvious.

Wei Rao lowered her gaze, acting as if she had seen nothing at all.

Emperor Yuanjia shot a sideways glance at Prince Jing, but his dignified face betrayed no change in expression.

A flame of anger burned within the Empress. She was dissatisfied that her son had shown such a lack of grace in front of the Emperor, and she was equally displeased that he had been so easily bewitched by Wei Rao. Yet, she could not show it on her face; she had to follow the Empress Dowager’s lead. Smiling, she said: "Mother is right. There are indeed few who can compare to Rao'er. However, if the old Grand Tutor's Sixth Miss Xie were here, she would surely be able to hold her own against Rao'er."

The Empress Dowager and the Empress were aunt and niece by blood; a tacit understanding had long existed between them.

At this moment, Wei Rao realized that the Empress Dowager intended to use the Sixth Miss Xie to belittle her.

As the Emperor's teacher, Grand Tutor Xie’s scholarship and insight went without saying. Furthermore, the Xie family had been a world-renowned family of "pure officials" since the previous dynasty. Every man in the clan was a refined gentleman, and every woman was virtuous and chaste.

The Xie family’s method of educating daughters was the polar opposite of Old Madame Shou’an’s. Every daughter of the Xie family was kept behind closed doors, deep within the inner chambers, and only their beauty and talents were known through the words of those who had visited the Xie estate.

The Wei family had no connection to the Xie family, and Wei Rao had never had the opportunity to witness the Sixth Miss Xie’s beauty or talent firsthand. However, because they were considered equal in beauty, young ladies who disliked Wei Rao loved to use the Sixth Miss Xie to strike at her. They would claim that Wei Rao was, at best, a flashy and base peony-colored poppy, while the Sixth Miss Xie was the elegant and dignified peony. Scholars despised the poppy; only the peony was truly the beauty of the nation.

Wei Rao had heard the name "Sixth Miss Xie" so many times that her ears were practically calloused.

She had never expected the Empress Dowager and the Empress to stoop to the level of shallow, gossiping young girls to play this game.

Wei Rao lowered her long lashes, assuming a posture of humility.

Having successfully steered the topic to the Sixth Miss Xie, the Empress Dowager asked with great interest: "The Sixth Miss Xie? The Xie girls are raised in the deep boudoirs; I have never seen her. Is she truly as beautiful as you say?"

The Empress replied: "I am only repeating what the young ladies say. It is said that among the young ladies of the capital, the Sixth Miss Xie is acknowledged as having the elegance of a peony, while the Fourth Miss Wei has the color of a poppy."

Listen to that; earlier, she had said they were evenly matched, but now, by pitting a peony against a poppy, she had once again declared one superior.

The Empress Dowager looked at Wei Rao and exclaimed: "It is hard to imagine there is another girl in the capital as beautiful as Rao'er. It is a pity the Xie daughters rarely leave their home; I wonder when I shall have the honor of seeing her grace."

The Empress smiled: "Soon, soon. In the third month, the Sixth Miss Xie became engaged to Lu Zhuo, the heir of the Duke of Ying’s mansion. The wedding is set for the twelfth month. Once the Sixth Miss Xie is married, she can enter the palace to pay her respects to you."

Wei Rao was slightly surprised, as she had not gone out to any banquets in the past two months and had not heard of this engagement.

However, given the Sixth Miss Xie’s reputation and family background, a marriage to Lu Zhuo was indeed a perfect, heaven-made match.

"Young girls grow up so fast. In the blink of an eye, they are getting married," the Empress Dowager sighed, her gaze returning to Wei Rao. "Rao'er has also come of age. Has a match been decided for you?"

Wei Rao rose and replied: "My grandmother cannot bear to part with me; she says she wishes to keep me by her side for two more years."

Who didn't know how to polish their own image? It was not that she, Wei Rao, couldn't get married, but that her elders loved her too much to let her go.

Wei Rao’s blend of charm and shyness made it seem as if this were truly the case, rather than the reality that her poor reputation meant no one came to propose.

However, everyone present knew the truth. The Empress Dowager pulled a meaningful smile and finally let Wei Rao go, no longer targeting her.

Just as Wei Rao was about to return to her seat, something rolled down from the direction of Emperor Yuanjia. It tumbled and spun until it stopped right at Wei Rao’s feet.

It was a red gold and jade walnut. A deep green jade bead was encased in gold carved with walnut patterns; it was both elegant and expensive.

Wei Rao quickly picked it up, intending to hand it to the head eunuch, Eunuch Kang, who was hurrying toward her.

"Since this walnut likes you, take it as a gift and play with it," Emperor Yuanjia said calmly.

The Empress Dowager immediately said: "Your Majesty is diligent in government affairs. Every day you feel the ache in your wrists from reviewing memorials, which is why the imperial physicians ordered craftsmen to make this pair of walnuts for you to play with and exercise your finger joints. This pair of walnuts concerns your dragon body; how can you bestow them so lightly?"

Emperor Yuanjia turned the remaining one in his hand: "Just have the craftsmen make another one like this. That particular one and I are not destined to be together; it is fine to give it away."

The Empress Dowager pursed her lips.

Wei Rao felt the lingering warmth of the Emperor’s palm on the golden walnut in her hand. She could not guess if this golden walnut truly shared a destiny with her, or if Emperor Yuanjia had bestowed it upon her deliberately, pitying the grievances she had suffered at the hands of the Empress Dowager and the Empress.

But one thing Wei Rao knew clearly: since Emperor Yuanjia had already offended the Empress Dowager for the sake of this golden walnut, she could not be ungrateful.

"This subject’s daughter bows in thanks for your immense grace."

Having accepted the imperial gift, Wei Rao knelt and kowtowed to Emperor Yuanjia.

Emperor Yuanjia nodded. Without giving Wei Rao a single extra look, he said to Eunuch Zheng, who was waiting outside the tower: "Begin."

He was referring to the dragon boat race.

Eunuch Zheng received the order and signaled the waiting eunuchs to wave their embroidered flags, sending the signal to the six teams waiting on the grass along the shore.

Since the race was beginning, the Empress Dowager and the others fell silent by mutual agreement, ceasing their conversation.

Wei Rao sat back down clutching her new golden walnut. Her eyes scanned the competition field, and her small hand quietly turned the object. The gold-carved patterns rolled against her delicate palm, feeling a little itchy, but there was no other sensation. She could not determine if it had any special effect on the wrists or finger joints.

Because of this walnut, Wei Rao lost interest in the race below, and her gaze drifted toward Emperor Yuanjia.

The Empress Dowager was right; Emperor Yuanjia was indeed a diligent and benevolent Emperor. Having ascended the throne during a time of internal and external strife, he had poured almost all his energy into strengthening the country and its military. He was not indulgent when it came to beauty; he had not held a single selection since ascending the throne. Aside from the new Noble Lady who was his mother, the Empress and the other three consorts were all wives and concubines from his time as the Crown Prince.

In the eyes of the common people, Emperor Yuanjia had almost no flaws. The only thing people criticized him for was conferring the title of Noble Lady upon a widow who had refused to remain chaste for her late husband—a widow whose late husband was a loyal and honest official whom the Emperor had highly praised.

Wei Rao’s feelings toward Emperor Yuanjia were also complex.

Emperor Yuanjia respected her maternal grandmother and doted on her mother; for this, Wei Rao respected and loved him. Yet, he had arranged for her mother and younger brother to go to the Western Mountain Palace, causing her to go two years without seeing them. As for her brother, whom she had never met, there was no word on when they would be reunited. That endless, distant separation made Wei Rao suffer.

"Ah!"

A sudden exclamation came from beside the Empress. Wei Rao’s train of thought was broken, and she refocused her eyes on the dragon boat teams. She saw that the riding and archery stage was already halfway through. The red team of the Divine Martial Army and the gold team of the Dragon Soar Army were each leading the other four teams by half a track. However, at this critical moment, when the Divine Martial Army member’s steed was landing after jumping over a hurdle, it suddenly stumbled forward, and the member fell heavily to the ground.

The riding and archery competition was a relay race. There were thirteen people per team. The previous person had to complete the task and reach the end of the track before the next person could set off. This meant that if the injured member of the Divine Martial Army took too long to get back on the horse, or could not stand up at all, the Divine Martial Army would surely finish last in this year’s race.

"Ma Feng!"

"Get up!"

The members of the Divine Martial Army who had already finished or were waiting at the ends of the track began to shout. The distance was too great for Wei Rao to see each person’s face, but in that moment, hearing those anxious, unwilling, and powerful cries, Wei Rao found herself becoming nervous as well. She hoped the man could get back on his horse and complete the race that belonged to him and the Divine Martial Army—even if they lost, they should lose with glory.

Perhaps the shouts of his teammates had an effect. The Divine Martial Army member struggled to climb up. The first few steps were clearly painful, but the pace grew faster and faster, as if his legs were already fine. He picked up his discarded quiver, walked to his fallen horse, and forced it to stand to continue the race.

But he had wasted too much time. The other five teams had already finished eight members, while the Divine Martial Army had only finished six.

The following Divine Martial Army members clearly increased their speed, their red uniforms whistling past like flames.

If the seventh through twelfth members were like flames, then the final thirteenth member to set off was a red meteor. He was so fast that the crowd could barely see his movements as he drew his bow and released his arrows; they only saw the rays of light trailing behind the arrows as they thudded into the targets, one after another.

The riding and archery course was complete.

The scores for riding and archery were calculated separately. The Divine Martial Army ranked third in horsemanship and first in archery.

Eunuch Zheng reported these results to Emperor Yuanjia.

The Empress’s eighteen-year-old son, Prince Jing, asked with confusion: "The Divine Martial Army is excellent at horsemanship; we saw for ourselves that they finished third. But that injured member missed his final target entirely. How can the Divine Martial Army still have the highest overall archery score?"

Eunuch Zheng gestured for the martial officer who had reported the results to explain.

The officer said: "There are three rows of targets. Hitting the bullseye on the first row earns full points. If the archer is sufficiently heroic and their arrow penetrates the first target and continues to strike the second or third row, there are bonus points awarded. The commander of the Divine Martial Army struck the third row of targets with every single arrow. The bonus points from his performance alone brought the Divine Martial Army’s total archery score up."

Emperor Yuanjia asked: "Is the commander of the Divine Martial Army Lu Zhuo, the last one to set off?"

The officer said: "Your Majesty’s eyes are sharp; that is exactly correct."

Emperor Yuanjia revealed his first smile since Wei Rao had walked into the Star-Plucking Tower.

Seeing this, the Empress Dowager praised with a smile: "No wonder the Duke of Ying had the heart to throw Lu Zhuo into the frontier for eight years. His skill is truly different; the Lu family can be considered to have a worthy successor."

Emperor Yuanjia laughed: "Indeed. The Duke’s intentions were well-meaning; I can only admire him."

The Empress Dowager signaled to the Empress.

The Empress braced herself and forced the topic: "Duke of Ying’s heir is the bravest in the capital; the Sixth Miss Xie is truly blessed. I don't know how many young girls will envy her."

As soon as those words left her lips, the smile on Emperor Yuanjia’s lips slowly faded.

Wei Rao found it incredibly difficult to suppress her laughter.

The late Emperor had countless concubines. The Empress Dowager had lived the first half of her life with extreme caution. Perhaps she had been too cautious, because once she became the Empress Dowager, she began to indulge herself; after all, Emperor Yuanjia was her son, and no matter how dissatisfied he was, he could not commit an unfilial act.

As for the Empress, she only had four opponents in total, including her mother. There was no fighting in the harem, so she was out of practice and her shallowness was pitiful. Even though she knew the Emperor was the one she should be currying favor with, she chose to kiss up to the Empress Dowager, deliberately ruining the Emperor’s good mood.

The Emperor wanted to watch the dragon boat race and witness the strength of the six armies, yet the Empress chose this moment to chatter about the Sixth Miss Xie, just like a group of young ladies enjoying the flowers. What difference was there between that and suddenly speaking loudly about farming and water conservancy in such a setting?

Like mother, like son. It was no wonder that Prince Jing was eighteen and yet his thoughts were laid bare at a single glance.

Having been peeked at by Prince Jing so many times, Wei Rao finally gave him a look, just happening to meet his gaze as he peeked over.

As a result, Prince Jing was even more shocked than Wei Rao; he zipped his gaze away as if Wei Rao were some kind of venomous beast.

Noticing that half of Prince Jing’s face was slightly red, Wei Rao felt a bit of regret.

If Prince Jing were not the Empress’s son, and if her cousin had not become the Princess Consort of Duan, she would have been able to marry Prince Jing, which would certainly have satisfied both her grandmothers.

Alas…

She was destined to have no connection to the position of Princess Consort.