Chapter 12: Qing Chan vs Wei Lin
Zhou Xi, First Prince of the Selnan Empire and heir to the throne, was walking slowly towards the Orchid Palace, his personal residence. His bodyguards were following him at a distance so as not to disturb his thoughts. It was not far from the Imperial Palace where he worked as the Emperor's substitute and he liked this short breather, when he could think deeply or let his mind wander. The night was cool but not overly cold, it was a welcomed respite after the activities of the day.
The court had been very busy and the investigations regarding the last assassination attempt were just beginning. It would probably become even busier very soon. Hopefully, he would be able to keep the political turmoil under control. He felt this kind of events only added to the instability of the Imperial power. As if to say that his seat wasn't secure enough and anybody could attack his household.
It wasn't rebellion or war, there was no open struggle for the throne either. All his siblings were helping him to the best of their abilities. However, he needed to prove himself reliable and mighty, worthy of leading the country instead of one of his brothers. It was not easy to take up the reins after his father and he couldn't help but worry. It was a pity that the one thing he absolutely couldn't do was to show weakness, even when he lacked confidence.
But what was the most upsetting was the return of Lady Qing Chan, his official wife and the Empress-to-be. His mother, the current Empress Li Feng Lan, had been quite fond of her first and main daughter-in-law. Actually, as Qing Chan had a better backup power, she was a far better match for him in his mother's view compared to her rivals, especially Wei Lin, so he knew his mother had felt distressed when he asked Qing Chan to go to a faraway temple.
Officially, it was so that she could recover from a nasty cold that weakened her, since she always had a poor health and a frail body. This was her main shortcoming as a wife, even Lin Feng Lan had to accept it, and it was not easy for Qing Chan to become pregnant. Behind her back, gossips stating that she was barren were whispered everywhere in the Imperial Palace. But she couldn't do anything about them, so she just endured the slights and the shame with a smile, secretly vowing to get back to them when she became Empress and the head of the Inner Palace. As for having a child with her, Zhou Xi's reluctance was also well-known, which further weakened her position.
Zhou Xi sighed. He didn't bear any ill will towards Qing Chan, her presence just felt like a burden, it was so bothersome ! Moreover, he had to admit that, even though he sometimes liked her wit, he had never been, not in the least, physically attracted to her. He may have unusual tastes compared to his brothers but he was not into the fragile and sickly type. He felt she would break with the lightest touch. He didn't even dare to come too close to her, for fear that she would collapse just from the pressure and stress induced by his presence. Of course, he wouldn't even dream of doing anything improper or slightly affectionate. It was simply out of the question.
Nothing irritated him more than all these weak and over-and-ever-fainting women trying their best to look or to be ill. His mother had been a strong woman in her youth, supporting both her husband in his duties and the whole country. He wanted a strong woman by his side as well but most of all, he wanted someone he could rely on, a true trustworthy, totally loyal and selfless companion who would help him unconditionally, even putting her life at stake.
He felt a bit envious of Wei Lin, and at the same time, he secretly blamed her for treating Xian so badly. Even though he thought from their very first meeting that Xian was cute, Zhou Xi took pride in the fact that he never mistook Xian for a girl, even when the latter went so far as to wear the maid uniform to protect his Lady Wei. Such dedication, such devotion, it was and had always been all for Wei Lin. How could the First Prince not feel envious ?
Since childhood, he'd never felt spoiled in any way. His father had always been fair with all his children and Li Feng Lan had been a strict, albeit loving, mother. She never overly favored him compared to his siblings. But he felt he could throw a thousand tantrums, like a small spoiled child, to obtain Xian and he would never have him. Moreover, the younger boy would still ignore him as he only had Wei Lin in his eyes. Zhou Xi had tried anything other than harming him but every time the rascal just quietly slipped away.
The only thing Zhou Xi could do was to often visit Wei Lin so that he could enjoy Xian's comforting presence when the latter attended on Lady Wei and her guest, pouring tea and whatnot. Even though Zhou Xi suspected that he was influenced by Xian's aura or magic powers – being the Great Mage's foster son – the young boy never took any advantage of the First Prince's infatuation. Wei Lin was the one reaping all the benefits, her power increased with every visit of Zhou Xi, and moreover, the First Prince always treated her well, since he didn't want to upset Xian.
Even though Xian was male, and Zhou Xi had no doubt about that, the First Prince accepted his presence with the other maids and concubines. This way, he could come and see the boy whenever he felt like it. In any case, Xian was just an innocent and overall harmless kid whose only purpose was to watch over his benefactor, his Lady Wei. Because, even if Soon-Yi was the one raising Xian, Zhou Xi never approved of the Great Mage as a foster mother. She truly was too weird to take care of someone. The Prince liked to believe that he himself secretly protected the boy. He even went as far as to move in the Orchid Palace with his wives and retinue because he feared that his mother would disapprove of a boy, unrelated to the imperial family, living in the Inner Palace.
As a matter of fact, Zhou Xi was aware that it was just due to the precautionary principle, or maybe he was overly careful. However, he suspected that several people knew about Xian's cross-dressing. How could his powerful mother, the mistress of the Inner Palace with eyes and ears everywhere, not know about Xian's circumstances as well ? Both Zhou Xi and Wei Lin were taking huge risks just to keep Xian close to them. If this came to be known outside of the Orchid Palace, it could mar the First Prince's respectability and, if worst came to worst, it could cost him his right to the throne.
Little did he know that Soon-Yi first asked the Empress Li Feng Lan when she decided that Xian had to be Lady Wei's bodyguard. Being her free-spirited and unconventional self, the Empress accepted on the condition that he dressed like a maid to blend in the crowd and that his leash was kept short at all time. Needless to say that she was quite satisfied with Xian's hard-working and low-profile character. She was just disappointed when they all moved out of the Inner Palace, since she couldn't have fun observing them anymore. The Empress was shrewd, with ample experience in scheming, both brewing or avoiding plots, thus she found so very refreshing and entertaining their everyday struggles.
Truth be told, Li Feng Lan really did her best to convince her son to move back in the Imperial Palace after the last attack on her pregnant daughter-in-law and the Great Mage. She was not truly worried for Lady Wei, even though they had a cordial albeit a bit cold relationship, but the child was an entirely other matter. If the baby was a boy, he would be the first in line for this generation and she felt it was important to have a big family to extend the imperial power as much as possible.
In this aspect, she was totally in sync with her husband, the Emperor Gou Ning. It was of the utmost importance to have a large and harmonious family and avoid internal strifes at all costs. The Empire's power and influence would soar if all the forces could truly be united. She was quite proud of their achievements up to now but it was a difficult and delicate balance.
As diplomacy was her forte, she found that it had been a bad move to send Qing Chan, Zhou Xi's official wife, in a remote temple. She had never been fooled by the pretext given by her son. Even though Qing Chan was in rather poor health, they had the best physicians here in the Imperial Palace. She reluctantly accepted her son's decision because she suspected that it had been a poisoning. Thus, while her daughter-in-law had been away, she busied herself with uprooting all threats. Afterwards, she called Qing Chan back, her wish superseding Zhou Xi's decision as Qing Chan's health was indeed much better and it was well-known that it was only a temporary sojourn. Zhou Xi had to bitterly accept. He had to have a good reason to offend both his mother and his powerful in-laws, now that his pretext was no longer valid.
The Empress felt quite pleased with herself, after adding some salt to her ever entertaining Inner Palace.
Actually, Li Feng Lan also had spies in the Orchid Palace, a good number of servants and maids formerly belonged to her staff and gave her regular reports. It was easy to keep an eye or an ear out and indeed, she heard a rumor that another concubine had one of her maids mimic Xian's demeanor. She was not truly posing as him but a drunk Zhou Xi or a confused Wei Lin could easily be mistaken. Li Feng Lan didn't know exactly what happened or if the fake Xian managed to seduce her son but she knew her son and daughter-in-law very well, they would never separate over a minor misunderstanding like this. However, what emerged was another proof, if one was needed, that for the two of them Xian was definitely both their soft point and their sore spot.
The Empress had been satisfied by the incident happening at the Orchid Palace, even if poor Xian had been innocent and unjustly accused of seducing the Prince. She felt it was a good thing to remind Wei Lin of her place and rank. Zhou Xi was Lady Wei's main and only source of power and she still had to depend on him. Therefore, she shouldn't gain too much power and threaten the balance in the Imperial family.
Most of all, her influence was starting to overshadow Li Feng Lan herself, which could only be acceptable if Wei Lin was the next Empress or at least devoted to the Empire. However, the Empress doubted her daughter-in-law's loyalties, she just couldn't bring herself to trust the younger woman. Qing Chan seemed a little easier to handle and manipulate and it wouldn't do for the Imperial Court to neglect a Princess with such a strong power backing her. If her health prevented her from giving birth, she just had to adopt the son of a lower ranking concubine who would unfortunately suffer from an accident. This would strengthen her position in the Imperial court and would keep Wei Lin ever-growing greed in check. Qing Chan was, indeed, a necessary pawn for Li Feng Lan in order to adjust the balance of powers.
With close to no backing power, Li Feng Lan didn't give much for Wei Lin's chances of survival after the baby's birth. Only the Great Mage Soon-Yi and the young boy Xian would cry over her demise or any ill fate befalling her. Soon-Yi was the most powerful mage in Selnan, it would be a pity to upset her and have her join an enemy. Moreover, she could be dangerous and quite scary, nobody would want to face her wrath. As for Xian, he was Zhou Xi's true favorite, far more than most of – or all – the concubines. It was a power in itself but only a handful of people were aware of this fact.
Anyway, for the time being, Wei Lin would be safe even in the Inner palace, if she could behave herself, keep a low profile and refrain from bullying anybody. But even with a careful planning, life could be unpredictable to the experienced one as well as the novice. Li Feng Lan couldn't help but worry and at the same time eagerly look forward to the future. She felt people would definitely grow stronger when they overcame all hardships and she was willing to help her son cope with the risky situation as a way to temper his resolve. He still had many things to learn before becoming Emperor and time was short as her husband's health was declining.
In the dead of the night, a peaceful and silent night, the Empress and her son were in a totally different state of mind but both had the same foreboding feeling that turmoils greater than expected were about to befall the Imperial family and Qing Chan and Wei Lin would be at the heart of the brewing storm.
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