CHAPTER 11: QUEEN DOWAGER CHU
At the early morning of the Yan family’s father and son’s triumphant return, for the sake of showing outstanding glory and honour, Queen Dowager Chu especially let Emperor Qi Ling to lead hundreds of government officials and welcome them at the Nan Hua gate

The border between Bei Jiang and Qi was often roughed up with clashes for years on end, with big and small wars constantly happening, the Qi people still couldn’t win against those barbarians for many times over.

When the relationship between the two countries was harmonious, the diplomatic group consisting of 84 people that was dispatched by Queen Dowager Chu were all cruelly massacred by the barbarians, there were even some high officials among them. When the news arrived at Qi Kingdom, Queen Dowager Chu was enraged beyond words.

Marquis Huai, Yan Rong, took the chief commander’s position, while his son Yan Jing became the vice-commander and they together lead the Yan family’s army to suppress Bei Jiang.

All the people thought that the war would last for two until three years, but no one expected that in only half a year, the main army had made a blood trail leading to the slaughter of Bei Jiang’s monarch.

This was the most successful campaign in Qi Kingdom’s history for the past many years.

The servants helped Yan Luan to change into the new clothing that was given by Princess Yong Kang. The people of Qi valued vermilion and white colors, so they often wear either white or red attire in major banquets. Now, Yan Luan was wearing a frosty white with dark blue colored Quju skirt that wasn’t very conforming with the customary rule.

“Mother really let me wear this attire?”

Her momo who was fixing some luxurious jade ornaments on Yan Luan’s waist, her fingers brushed at the complicated decorative pattern of the small pearls. She couldn’t help but let out a laugh: “Nowadays, the woman of the noble family all are seeking beauty, where would they talk about rule and custom? This old servant see that this attire most fitted with WengZhu’s figure, truly beautiful.”

Princess Yong Kang liked the Yan’s clothing style, with tight corset and wide fluttering sleeves. Worn by the beautiful Yan Luan, she appeared like a graceful and nimble clever young girl, when walking, her steps were swaying like the moon reflected on top of the water, gentle and enchanting.

However, Yan Luan quickly discovered a new problem, this kind of model with corset skirt and unlined upper garment, besides showing her small waist, it was also showing her bosom! Although she’s only 13 years old, her perfectly round and peaking bosom was several times bigger than girls at her age. The front part of her jacket revealing her exquisite collarbone, her flower white jade necklace moved along with the undulation of her chest, arousing people’s envy.

“Eldest Master [T/N: 长主 , refers to Princess Yong Kang imo] had ordered someone to mend this style. The people of Yan would usually be more open than this, they would even open the front part of the jacket right to their shoulders.” Momo perceived Yan Luan’s hesitation so she busily explained with a few words.

The instantly wide-spread aesthetic style nowadays was not to excessively bind a female with conservative clothing.

Yan Luan nodded. The Yan family will be the leading role in today’s banquet, Princess Yong Kang was clearer than anyone how to dress up her daughter to keep Mi Yang Wengzhu’s reputation and name.

“Will Yan Fei go too?”

Taking the jade box, her momo paused for a bit, remembering something. She answered, “I suppose Wengzhu hasn’t realized that the day we went back from the poetry gathering, this old servant notified the Eldest Master. On that evening, that unfilial shu daughter was delivered to Chu family, and these days, there’s still no news heard from there, but it looks like she has been received as a concubine.”

Yan Fei’s status was peculiar, Princess Yong Kang wasn’t angry at her, and it can already be regarded as showing mercy by leaving her fate to the Chu residence.

However, the Chu family wasn’t a fool too, this kind of Eldest shu daughter was dismissed without definite message, they realized that she’s just a good-for-nothing, so they carelessly give her a status as a concubine and be done with her, afraid that if they give her a higher status, they would instead asking for Princess Yong Kang’s detest upon themselves.

And yet, Princess Yong Kang planned on not telling her lovely daughter about these trivial things, so Yan Luan had just realized that there’s one people less in this residence now.

“A concubine? Well, alright, let’s go.”

Yan Luan wasn’t a Virgin Mary, that day, Yan Fei’s every word made her shocked, were it not for Chu Meng’s cowardice, Yan Luan still wouldn’t know what would happen to her. Yan Fei was still alive, so it can be counted as her fortune.

When she followed Princess Yong Kang sitting on the curtained carriage, Yan Luan finally found out how many people were filling every streets and lanes. There were commoners celebrating and congratulating, there were also soldiers who were still on duty, all of their faces wreathed in smiles.

In short, the father and son from Yan family that lead the troops to war were regarded as geniuses, particularly Yan Rong. According to the historical record, he resisted Bei Jiang’s barbarians and even the golden crown Khan suffered a crushing defeat in his hand. He also sent troops to the South and finally took back 13 prefectures all together, one may well say that his battle achievements were very impressive.

But the war this time for suppressing Bei Jiang was precisely his and Yan Jing’s first collaboration campaign.

The carriage finally arrived at Imperial Palace’s gate and it couldn’t continue going in anymore. The aristocratic family’s female members had to walk to enter the Imperial Palace, but with Princess Yong Kang’s status as the Emperor’s aunt, she was appointed with a guard of honour, and Yan Luan as her daughter was also given one that already awaited respectfully for her in the inner palace.

“Eldest Master, Weng Zhu, please sit down on the sedan chair, Queen Dowager had been waiting for a long time inside Chang Le Palace.”

She was most probably Queen Dowager Chu’s personal servant, as she talked and handled jobs rigorously. Princess Yong Kang gracefully smiled and took his arm to ride the palanquin, Yan Luan also followed by getting inside the peacock palanquin.

Because it was her first time going into the Imperial Palace, Yan Luan couldn’t help but feel a bit strange. The Country of Qi’s Imperial Palace wasn’t similar with the millennium old Forbidden City with red walls and glazed tiles, rather, the style reminded her of the extremely solemn and dignified Han Dynasty’s Imperial Palace.

After passing the Gate of Zhang Hua, she could see multitudinous influential noble family’s women folk that was attending the banquet. When Princess Yong Kang came over, she became occupied with their eagerness to give salute to her.

“Alright, today is the state banquet, there’s no need to be over courteous, madams, please follow me to Queen Dowager’s place first.”

Yan Luan’s palanquin was positioned right at her mother’s side, so this was her first time looking at this kind of Princess Yong Kang. Although she was just smiling, but her face that was full of grace that resembled nature itself and mixed with the imperial family’s noble and imposing manner, all aroused people to hold her in awe and veneration.

Grasping the beautiful small folding fan tightly in her palm, she looked at Jiang Fu Yuan in the middle of the crowd of people. Just when she thought about calling her out, she realized the circumstances she’s in right now.

After arriving at Chang Le Palace, Princess Yong Kang led the entourage to go inside the main hall while leading Yan Luan by her hand in a neither too fast nor too slow pace.

At this moment, there were already not a few of upper-class women inside the main hall, and when they looked at the arrival of Princess Yong Kang, they immediately rise to their feet and gave their regards, even Queen Dowager Chu who was sitting at the seat of honour smiled at them.

“Today, Ah Mi is very pleased ah, quickly come and sit.”

Yan Luan finally gave a response, Queen Dowager was calling on Princess Yong Kang’s maiden’s name — Yuan Mi. When Yan Luan was conferred the title of Mi Yang Weng Zhu, it was also because of Princess Yong Kang’s love that she specially picked the best place’s name from her own fiefdom, Mi Yang City, that had precisely similar character with her own name.

Queen Dowager Chu was seated on the jade stage that was placed on the top of ten stairs, on her side was another seat that had already been prepared. Princess Yong Kang brought Yan Luan to perform a complete courtesy ritual and directly went to that seat.

After kneeling down, Yan Luan carefully measured Queen Dowager Chu who was talking with her mother, she didn’t have a choice but to admit that the Queen Dowager was completely different from her imagination.

The 30 year old Queen Dowager Chu had a beautiful and elegant appearance, with exquisite make up and magnificent royal attire, every frown and every smile of hers unexpectedly could compel people to yield to her.

“I haven’t seen you in one month, our Ah Luan is getting more beautiful, why are you still not calling auntie?”

Yan Luan who was going on a mental journey was suddenly called, when she realized that Queen Dowager Chu was smiling at her. Hundreds of ladies from the lower aristocrat families sent their attentive gazes on her too, making her suffer from a stage fright.

“Royal aunt was mistaken, Ah Luan is suffering from poor health, I don’t deserve to be called beautiful.”

The young girl’s words were witty without excessive arrogance so the Queen Dowager Chu smiled after hearing it, waving her hand she said: “This girl is too modest, alright, go out and play, I won’t confine you young girls in here anymore.”

After receiving her grace, Yan Luan was the first one to run from the main hall, standing under the covered corridor, she breathed in the fresh air, while Jiang Fu Yuan soon chased over.

“How can you run this fast, you even ignored all of my winks.”

Yan Luan pour out her complain incessantly: “I was frightened to death by Queen Dowager Chu ah, this is my first time talking with such a strong woman like her, both of my legs were trembling underneath.”

Don’t just look at the Queen Dowager’s smile while talking, those pair of eyes could not deceive people that they simply don’t have a shred of kindness, anyone who see it would have their legs soft like a jelly, it’s no wonder that the historian commented that she was one of the fiercest female in history.

Jiang Fu Yuan pat her chest and agreeing: “She was indeed frightening, I reckon that she’s about the same with Wu Zetian, a woman who wield power is just like this. But, I see that Princess Yong Kang’s aura doesn’t lose in fierceness too, I think that Chu shi [T/N: Queen Dowager Chu] had some misgivings towards her.”

Yan Luan nodded, how can she had no misgivings? Although nowadays Queen Dowager Chu took control and held the biggest authority on the surface, but she was actually suppressed by the prime minister, Wang Yong, who even coveted her beautiful appearance greedily.

The only one who can contest against Wang Yong was the Yan Family behind Princess Yong Kang, so she of course wanted to rope them to her side.