Chapter 4 — Palace Banquet

cela15-18 minutes 04.06.2023

De Quan left the room on the emperor’s orders, his face streaked with tears and snot. 

All he left behind were four and a half pathetic little walnuts.

Li Wuting looked at the walnuts for a moment, then abruptly spoke. “Shi Yi.” 

In the shadows at the corner of the study, a figure soundlessly emerged. Li Wuting looked out of the study, and the figure disappeared back into the shadows. 

***

By the time Ning Rushen got back into the carriage, an hour had passed.

Yan Min lifted the curtain for him. “Your expression doesn’t seem too happy, Master.” 

Ning Rushen sank into the seat and silently looked out of the carriage window. “What I lost was my happiness, and what I gained was my life.” 

“......” Yan Min: He’s started talking nonsense now. 

“I’ll call the doctor to look you over, Master.” 

“No need.” Ning Rushen collected his thoughts. “After we return, call everyone in the mansion together. I have some things I need to say.” 

“Yes.” 

Before Yan Min dropped the curtain, he took a look into the carriage, and saw that the fruit platter was empty. “Master, you’ve finished the walnuts?”

Ning Rushen casually waved his hand. 

“I felt like giving them to someone.” 

***

The Ning mansion was located on a quiet street in the capital. 

The residence wasn’t large, but it exuded a trace of grace within its simplicity. As the home of a fifth-rank official, one couldn’t pick out the slightest problem with it. 

Once they returned to the Ning residence, Yan Min gathered the servants together. 

Ning Rushen moved the chair of the imperial tutor to the courtyard and sat there. Before him lay tea and a plate of fruit and cake. His gaze swept over the dozen or so servants in the courtyard, and he pondered:

I can’t retire, and my memory is bad. 

All I can do is take each step as it comes. First, I’ll clear up everything that relates to me. 

“Master, everyone is here,” Yan Min said. 

The people in the courtyard nervously lowered their heads, waiting to be dealt with. 

“Everyone’s here, huh.” 

Ning Rushen put down his teacup and sat up straight, clearing his throat. “Come, praise me.” 

“......”

Everyone lifted their heads in a daze: ?

Shameless, Ning Rushen repeated himself. “Praise me.” 

Everyone looked at each other for a while. In the end, it was a maid, Xing Lan, who was quickest on the spot. She praised: 

“Master, your beauty is like the clouds at sunset, and your charm is like the bright moon. Your talent outshines the heavens, just as you’d expect from the golden top scorer whose name was heard all over the city a few years ago!”

The rest of the servants finally reacted as well. 

For a time, words of flattery bloomed all over the courtyard like golden flowers. 

Ning Rushen listened for a while, then slowly found a basic outline.

Ning Chen was not yet twenty years old, and he was the youngest fifth-rank official in the current dynasty. When he was small, his father died. Though he was only part of the common populace, he became the top scorer and received the late emperor’s commendation. He entered the Hanlin Academy, ascending straight into the heavens without a stumble. 

Afterwards, he formed a group of his own amid the struggle for the throne, and supported the new emperor, Li Wuting, on his way to success. 

In the eyes of others, he should have a boundless view before him. 

So how had he offended Li Wuting? 

***

The sounds within the yard gradually grew fewer. 

The servants scraped their brains, and even gave ornate expositions on how he had eaten a bowl of rice more than usual. 

Ning Rushen raised his hand and stopped them. “That’s enough.” 

Everyone gave out a sigh of relief. 

Ning Rushen said, “Now start insulting me.” 

“......” The courtyard of servants immediately knelt down with a thump. 

No one noticed that outside the courtyard wall, a figure crouching there had tensed slightly as well. 

“We don’t dare!”

Ning Rushen had a headache. “Everyone get up.” 

He looked at the trembling crowd, thought it over and said, “For every insult, I’ll give you one tael of silver.” 

A dozen faces lifted, their resolve wavering. 

Ning Rushen started cracking walnuts with practiced ease. “I’ll give ten taels to the first one to speak.”

The next moment, he heard Manager Yan bellow like the striking of a great bell, “Master, you’re the reincarnation of a ghost who starved to death!”

Ning Rushen: “......”

***

Ning Rushen spent his silver to hear an afternoon of insults. 

From the beginning, when he was as eager as a thirsty man for drink, he went on until the end, when his expression was weary. 

It was all a bunch of scattered trivial things that seemed to be denigrating him but were in fact flattering him. The more they developed their style, the more they lost the plot. In the end, there was even a little maid who coyly scolded him, red-faced:

“Your robes are opened wide, y-you don’t even care about your virtue.” 

Ning Rushen felt dizzy from listening. 

What the hell was all this? 

They talked all day and didn’t say anything of use. He couldn’t find out if he had any enemies, nor did he know how exactly he’d offended the new emperor.

“That’s enough.” 

He wearily waved his hand, and told Yan Min to distribute the silver. He walked back to his bedroom. “I’m going to sleep for a while, call me before the banquet.” 

Yan Min rubbed his shining silver and said devoutly, “Yes, Master.” 

***

The imperial study at the palace.

A figure silently kneeled before Li Wuting. It was the secret guard he had sent to investigate Ning Chen, Shi Yi. 

The rest of the people in the room had already retreated. 

Li Wuting looked at the dark figure kneeling before him. “Speak.”

The imperial guard knocked his head against the ground, then reported on what Ning Chen had done after returning to his mansion, without missing a single word. 

When he heard that Ning Chen had asked his servants to praise him, Li Wuting scoffed softly. 

But then he heard Shi Yi report: 

“After they finished praising him, Master Ning said, ‘Insult me.’”

“‘For every insult, I’ll give you two taels of silver.’” 

Li Wuting’s expression immediately turned strange. 

Shi Yi imitated Yan Min’s expression with convincing detail, his voice as loud as a bell. “The mansion manager asked, ‘Master! Are you the reincarnation of a ghost who starved to death?’”

Li Wuting choked on his tea.

Shi Yi didn’t seem to notice at all. He continued to report in exact detail. “A maid scolded coquettishly, ‘Master, your robes are wide open. Y-you don’t care about protecting your virtue at all!’”

Li Wuting: “......”

Shi Yi: “Master Ning’s face was crimson as he quietly pulled his robes together…”

Li Wuting: “Shi Yi.” 

Shi Yi cut himself off, and bowed lower silently. 

Li Wuting looked at the imperial guard before him, feeling like his brain had been stuffed to the brim with a complete mess. He pressed his fingers against his forehead and kneaded the center of his brows. 

After a moment, he spoke. “Leave, and continue following him.” 

Shi Yi knocked his head against the ground. 

Before leaving, he heard the emperor say lowly, “One more thing. If you keep talking nonsense, you don’t need to return.” 

“...Yes.” 

***

Ning Rushen slept until it was almost night. 

When a knock sounded at his door, he was still in a daze. His window was closed tight, and it was dark within the room. In his daze, he thought he was still in his dormitory room. 

Ning Rushen stretched and hazily called out to his roommate. “Erkang, it’s so dark in here. Why haven’t you turned on the light?” 

The door opened with a creak, and a familiar voice sounded. “Master, I’m Yan Min.” 

He lit a candle, lighting the scene within the room. 

Yan Min waited respectfully before the bed. 

Ning Rushen instantly sobered. 

He almost forgot that he’d transmigrated to another era. 

He rubbed his aching temples, then reached around in the blankets. “Erkang, where are my clothes?”

“Master, your clothes are hanging on the rack.” Yan Min helped him take up his embroidered scarlet robe. “And I’m Yan Min.” 

Ning Rushen took the clothes, refusing his help. “It’s fine, I can dress myself. You can go, Er…Yan Min.” 

Yan Min: “......” 

***

When he entered the palace, the sky was almost dark. 

Everything was ready for the banquet. Red and gold pillars were all around, and lamps flooded the place with light. 

Ning Rushen followed a palace attendant to his seat. His colleagues from the Hanlin Academy were around him, and they were all separated from the seat above them by a good distance. 

After a while, the royal palanquin arrived with ceremony from the side. 

Li Wuting was dressed in black robes. He took his seat on the dais. 

Ning Rushen glanced at him from afar. As if he had noticed, the emperor’s gaze lingered on him for a moment, with a bit of a subtle feeling. 

It was just that separated by the blazing lights and the dance floor, Ning Rushen couldn’t tell what that look meant. 

Ning Rushen stroked his chin: it must be an illusion. 

After a few ceremonial songs and speeches, the officials gradually relaxed. After they had downed a few drinks, the emperor above them left the banquet. 

The atmosphere of the banquet immediately relaxed and turned merrier. 

The colleagues around Ning Rushen warmly raised their glasses to him one after another. “I heard that you’ll be serving in the study starting from tomorrow, Master Ning. You’re really the most favored man in this dynasty!” 

Ning Rushen: Who told on me?

The colleague laughed. “Don’t act like you don’t know, Master! The imperial edict was passed down to the Hanlin Academy this afternoon; we all know about it.” 

Ning Rushen choked on his wine. It turned out it was an imperial edict!

The officials toasted him round after round.

Ning Rushen drank until he was burning hot. He was just wondering how he should extricate himself when he heard a familiar sneer come from before him. “And you wanted to retire and return home?”

“......” He looked up quickly. 

Geng Yan stood before him, holding a wine glass with a face full of disdain. 

His shield had arrived! Ning Rushen instantly grabbed onto his lifeboat. He pulled Geng Yan in front of him to block off the other officials. “What, did you have something to say to me?” 

Geng Yan didn’t know what was happening. “What?”

Ning Rushen frowned. “Do you have an unmentionable illness?”

“......” The colleagues who came to toast him looked at each other awkwardly, and left one by one. 

Geng Yan reacted, slapping the table and rising. “You fucking—”

Ning Rushen hurriedly poured him a glass of wine and gave him a walnut. “Here, here, relieve your anger.” 

“Shameless!” Geng Yan scolded him and then glared at him. “And fake.” 

Ning Rushen explained, “I really did suggest retirement to His Majesty, but he insisted on having me work in the study.” 

His words were sincere, but once he finished speaking, even he felt like he was a little shameless. He glanced over, and sure enough, Geng Yan’s sleeves were bulging with his hardened fists.

“......”

Ning Rushen sighed. “Keeping the company of a ruler is like walking with a tiger.” 

The knife-like gaze on him softened a little. 

He twirled his wine glass in worry. “I don’t know how long I can survive.” 

The bulging sleeves slowly flattened.

Geng Yan thought of the circumstances he was in. “That’s true.” 

Ning Rushen moodily sipped his wine. This kid is pretty easy to fool.

He took advantage of the moment to change the topic. He glanced at the empty seat above them. “How come His Majesty still hasn’t come back?”

Geng Yan looked at him strangely. “You can’t remember this either?”

Ning Rushen blinked. “What?”

Geng Yan leaned closer to him and whispered, “His Majesty should have gone to Serenity Hall. His mother, High Concubine Xian, lived there when she was still in this world.” 

***

The evening banquet was almost over. 

Ning Rushen had heard an earful of gossip, and he had a bellyful of wine. Steam and alcohol rose out of his mouth, intoxicating him until he was dizzy. 

He rose and left the banquet. 

There was a pool outside the hall where the banquet was held. It was hidden behind a curtain of flickering leaves, cool and quiet. 

Ning Rushen sat on a rock near the shore, cooling his heat with the breeze. 

He reached up and opened his collar. He was red from his neck to his ears. The shimmering light on the pond was reflected in his eyes.

After he sat there for a while, he faintly heard De Quan’s voice from the other end of the path. “Your Majesty, it’s cold at night, you should put on a coat.” 

There was no response in the quiet night. 

His Majesty? Ning Rushen stood up in a daze. 

The grass by his feet rustled slightly. 

De Quan’s alarmed shout came from the other end. “Who’s there?!”

Two brilliant palace lamps lit up the path by the pond. Ning Rushen looked over at the light, and his crimson face and bright eyes flashed into the gaze of the crowd, breaking the desolate atmosphere. 

Astonished, De Quan said, “Master Ning?”

Ning Rushen gave no response, startled. 

He looked at Li Wuting standing against the night, wearing unlined robes, and pursed his lips before saying, “Your Majesty, you should wear some clothes.” 

Li Wuting: “......”

Ning Rushen’s hair slipped free of its binding to slide into his open collar. The heat of wine rose from him. 

Li Wuting thought of his guard’s report as soon as he saw him: 

The reincarnation of a starving ghost who didn’t care about his virtue. 

Seeing him stand there without any manners, De Quan was scared to death. He hastily said, “Ah, Master Ning, you’re drunk. Hurry and bow to His Majesty!”

Ning Rushen’s head was still in a daze, but he could understand what he was saying. He walked a few steps closer to Li Wuting, but his footsteps were unsteady. 

De Quan’s hand clenched tight around his whisk. He was afraid that he would bump into the ruler.

Ning Rushen stopped in front of Li Wuting and gave him a shaky salute. “Greetings, Your Majesty.” 

Li Wuting looked down at him. “What did you run over here for?”

“I wanted to feel the wind.” 

“You shouldn’t have come here.” Li Wuting’s face showed neither pleasure nor anger. “Go back.” 

“Oh.” Ning Rushen blinked, then said, “Goodbye.” 

Once he finished speaking, he turned to leave.

The crimson edge of his robe rippled in the wind, his silver flower-embroidered belt binding his thin waist.

Li Wuting looked at him for a moment, then looked away. His tone was calm. “Let’s return to Tranquility Hall.” 

“Yes, Your Majesty.” The two rows of palace lanterns made a turn. 

Before the group had gone more than a few steps, they suddenly heard a plop from the pond not far behind them. 

A plop? Li Wuting turned his head. 

He saw the man who had just staggered a few steps fall into the water, his upper half already submerged. He was sinking by the shore with a gurgle. 

“......”

De Quan lost his color from shock. “Master Ning!”

The palace servants hurriedly ran over to the side of the pond, but they heard Li Wuting say, “Go slower.” 

“Your Majesty?” De Quan looked up in surprise. 

Li Wuting’s eyes darkened, but it was only for a moment.

He soon glanced over at the bubbles gurgling up, and massaged his brows, saying irritatedly, “Fine, save him.” 

***

The author has something to say:

Li Wuting: “An obsequious official should be put to death!”

Ning Rushen gurgled. 

Li Wuting: “…Fine, save him.”