If one were to ask which name in the current Yan Dynasty was the most prominent, the answer would likely be singular.
The late Old Prince of Pingnan, Yun Qingyuan’s, eldest legitimate son, Yun Yin. At twenty-four years of age, he was talented in both literary and martial arts, a prodigy whose genius was recognized throughout the court and the common folk.
And now, to that already endless list of titles, one more could be added:
Power overwhelming the entire court.
In detail, the Yun Clan’s prosperity had spanned a century.
The Yun were a prominent family, boasting numerous disciples and retainers. Thirty years ago, the head of the Yun family, who was also the Grand General at the time, Yun Qingyuan, led troops to quell a rebellion in the Southwest. This elevated the Yun Clan from an ordinary noble house to the position of a Prince of a Different Surname. From that point on, no ordinary noble house could rival them.
Thirty years passed in a flash. The fates often recorded in history books—the cunning rabbit dying and the hunting dogs being cooked—had yet to transpire. Instead, Emperor Ruide became obsessed with the arts of immortality. Imperial authority waned, and powerful families rose. In this ebb and flow, the Yun Clan grew stronger day by day, becoming the head of all noble houses.
The source of the Yun Clan’s overwhelming power, in the final analysis, was their control of military authority.
The Old Prince of Pingnan, Yun Qingyuan, spent his life in the saddle, dying in battle at the Border Pass two years prior, his military achievements illustrious. After his death, his eldest legitimate son, Yun Yin, inherited the title. Yun Yin joined the army at fourteen, just as foreign invaders threatened the borders. He was stationed at the Border Pass for a decade, and by the time he inherited the title, he was already a commander in his own right, having won countless victories. Today, the Yun Clan Iron Cavalry obeyed his every command.
The military might bear the surname Yun, but the Imperial Court bears the surname Li. Had Yun Yin not been a close friend of the former Crown Prince, Li Zhaoyu, and had Li Zhaoyu not been renowned and respected throughout the land, it was uncertain whether the Li Imperial Family would still occupy the throne.
—All of this, Li Zhaoyi had heard from others.
The truth was, his mind could not contain so much information about power struggles. He was nearly dozing off from boredom.
He only cared about one thing.
“The Crown Prince will succeed the throne.” He propped his eyelids open and whispered, “Then I can leave the palace, right?”
At that time, the person telling him these stories was silent for a long while before saying, “The Crown Prince is benevolent and virtuous; he should be a wise ruler. Your Highness, when the Crown Prince ascends, I will find a way to get you out for certain.”
These were the words that sustained Li Zhaoyi until he was seventeen.
He did not wait for the person who would take him out; he only received the news of the death of his brother, whom everyone seemed to praise.
And then, the newly appointed Prince of Pingnan, rumored to wield absolute power, arrived at the Cold Palace with a verbal decree from the Late Emperor and personally placed him on the current imperial throne.
As for Yun Yin himself, he became the dynasty’s Regent, holding immense power, in name and in fact.
–
No matter how changeable the court situation was, one thing was certain. What Li Zhaoyi had told Wanrong was true—he could not make decisions regarding her matters.
No one would let a Puppet Emperor make decisions. Unless the person who put him on the throne suddenly lost his mind.
Yun Yin was clearly a normal person. Not only that, he was several degrees more intelligent than most.
Since Li Zhaoyi’s accession, he had no control over anything. Yun Yin neither treated him like a prisoner as in history books and plays, nor treated him with much respect or courtesy. Li Zhaoyi felt that a hundred years from now, upon his death, he would have no face to meet his ancestors.
But matters a century away were for a century away to handle. At this very moment, Li Zhaoyi still had to deal with this powerful minister.
It was just when their eyes met, he couldn’t help but be distracted for a moment.
Yun Yin had eyes as beautiful as the rest of him, the pupils slightly darker than most, etched with the sharpness of border frost and snow, yet not fierce, carrying a restrained edge.
Rumors among the common folk said the Yun Clan’s eldest legitimate son was tall and broad-shouldered, built like a bear’s back and a tiger’s waist, inspiring fear in foreign foes. Yet reality and rumors were often worlds apart, just like the dream Li Zhaoyi had once held, a beautiful dream that always remained just that.
The truth was, Yun Yin himself looked like polished jade and a graceful tree, tall and elegantly slender. From his appearance alone, he seemed a refined and handsome noble Young Master of a distinguished family.
“So Her Highness the Grand Princess is here as well,” he said.
He held a cup of tea, its fragrant steam softening his features. The chill hidden between his brows melted completely, transforming into an air of almost lazy ease.
Without anyone instructing them, palace servants had brought a chair and added a warm cup of tea the moment Yun Yin arrived.
Yun Yin himself waited for Li Zhaoyi’s “Be seated” before rising. But his fluid, unruffled composure made Li Zhaoyi have no doubt that even if he had forgotten to say it, the other man would have found a comfortable spot to sit on his own.
Yun Yin spoke, and Wanrong also came back to her senses.
She was clearly somewhat surprised by his arrival. But a moment later, she realized something.
“Ah… Since His Highness the Prince has come, he must have important matters to discuss with His Majesty.” She stood up somewhat uneasily and said softly, “It is not appropriate for me to remain here. I shall take my leave first.”
The harem must not interfere in politics. Although two of Emperor Ruide’s three daughters had already thoroughly ruined this rule, Wanrong was clearly not one of them.
She was anxious to leave, and Yun Yin did not stop her. Li Zhaoyi wanted to say something but hesitated, ultimately just watching the woman hurry out of the hall.
When he withdrew his gaze, Yun Yin was already leisurely drinking his tea.
He seemed to be waiting for Li Zhaoyi to speak. Li Zhaoyi tried to guess his thoughts and, after a moment of hesitation, said, “Elder Sister wishes to go to the Eternal Light Temple, to pray for the blessings of the Yan Dynasty.”
Yun Yin’s voice sounded completely unsurprised. When he spoke, his tone was even very gentle: “And what does Your Majesty think?”
Li Zhaoyi said, “I… This Sovereign thinks it’s fine either way.”
He had rehearsed this one sentence many times in his mind, but upon speaking, the address was still wrong, causing him to nearly bite his tongue.
Fortunately, Yun Yin seemed not in the mood to quibble over trivialities today. As if he hadn’t heard the slip of the tongue, he just gave a faint smile: “Then Your Majesty should make the decision yourself.”
He seemed utterly indifferent.
Li Zhaoyi couldn’t help but look up at him and remind him: “That’s the Eternal Light Temple.”
Yun Yin gave an “Mm”: “The Eternal Light Temple is the nation’s temple. It shows the sincerity of Her Highness the Grand Princess’s heart.”
Li Zhaoyi looked at him; he looked back with complete composure.
That gaze was deep, making Li Zhaoyi inappropriately think of a quiet winter lake. It seemed like sizing him up, or perhaps probing, with a complex meaning. But Li Zhaoyi could not decipher it.
So he had no choice but to say: “Then I… Then This Sovereign will choose a day to issue the decree and grant Elder Sister her wish.”
After his words, silence filled the hall.
After a moment, Yun Yin smiled very lightly: “Having ascended the throne, Your Majesty should still pay attention to matters of etiquette and protocol.”
Li Zhaoyi responded instinctively, then finally realized belatedly that he seemed to have misspoken again.
–
Li Zhaoyi often misspoke. To be precise, in front of Yun Yin.
His birth mother was the Jiangnan Top Courtesan, Xu Yingcai. She was brought into the palace and made a Consort because of her Ripple Dance, which was famous throughout the realm. She was then cast into the Cold Palace because of a mysterious abortifacient that appeared out of nowhere. Her unborn child entered with her, branded with the label of “inauspicious” by the Directorate of Astronomy.
The result of spending seventeen springs and autumns in the Cold Palace was that not only was he ignorant of political matters, but he was also somewhat unusually slow in the ways of the world and human relationships.
His thinking was simple.
He reminded Yun Yin that the Eternal Light Temple was not a good place to go because of the relationship between Yun Yin and Wanrong.
As for himself, he didn’t have much of an opinion on Wanrong’s decision.
No matter how austere, the Eternal Light Temple was still the national temple. Li Zhaoyi had spent many years in the Cold Palace. Though the days were hard, he had endured them. And considering the brutal struggle for the throne, Li Zhaoyi sometimes felt that being aloof from worldly strife wasn’t entirely bad. In any case, the Eternal Light Temple was much better than the Cold Palace.
He just forgot that his experiences were only his own.
Wanrong was a Princess raised in luxury, a precious gem. Not being treated with proper reverence was already an injustice; how could she use the Cold Palace as a standard for comparison?
Words once spoken cannot be taken back. Li Zhaoyi looked at Yun Yin, somewhat at a loss.
He thought he was about to be punished. In the past few days, that was usually how it went.
Public reminders in the Imperial Court, the Imperial Chef replaced, and many other things. He was somewhat afraid of Yun Yin. Yun Yin wouldn’t truly do anything to him, but at the same time, Yun Yin had the ability to do anything to him.
Although, Li Zhaoyi thought, although he actually didn’t want to defy Yun Yin, he also feared these unpredictable outcomes at any moment.
He looked at Yun Yin, and Yun Yin looked at him.
The silence stretched unbearably. Just as Li Zhaoyi could hardly bear it and almost wanted to speak again, Yun Yin’s lips finally curved, and he spoke first.
“However, Her Highness the Grand Princess has a gentle and delicate temperament. Perhaps she is merely overwhelmed by grief for the time being. This Minister believes this matter might best be set aside for a while. If, at that time, Her Highness’s intentions remain unchanged, it would not be too late for Your Majesty to grant her request.”
He spoke slowly.
Unusually, he gave Li Zhaoyi a way out.
Almost instantly, Li Zhaoyi loosened his clenched palms.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
“Alright,” he said softly.
This word was spoken very quickly, carrying a somewhat ingratiating tone of acknowledging an error and wanting to correct it.
However, Yun Yin’s next sentence once again made his just-settled heart rise up again.
“The matter of the Grand Princess is settled,” he said deliberately. “Now, This Minister wishes to speak with Your Majesty about the matter of the morning court assembly. Might Your Majesty have some free time?”
