Wumian had the chests opened. The topmost box was a fine wooden case, and inside—yered neatly—were pearls. The case had two tiers: the upper yer held well over a hundred pearls, varying in size but all round and lustrous. The lower yer was lined with soft velvet, with precisely twelve shallow grooves—and nestled within them were twelve pearls, each the size of a thumb, their glow creamy and fwless. It was clear at a gnce that these were pearls of the highest quality.

  "Thank His Majesty for me. Dukang, reward him," Wumian instructed.

  "Many thanks for Your Majesty’s reward," Yang Heshun replied with a pleased smile. "You may not know, but His Majesty has sent nearly all of these pearls to you."

  "Then naturally, I shall make good use of them," Wumian replied with a faint smile. She reached in and picked up a few pearls from the top yer. As expected, each was well-chosen—smooth, round, and gleaming faintly with a silvery sheen.

  "These rger ones… I don't recall seeing such fine pearls in previous years," Wumian remarked casually. "They're not commonly found, are they?"

  "Not at all," Yang Heshun replied. "These came from the rivers in the northeast. Pearl harvesting there had been banned for ten years, and this is the first year it’s been permitted again. The quality is naturally better. But pearls this rge and round… those are rare."

  Wumian nodded. She understood now.

  After Yang Heshun had left happily with his reward, Jinbo came in to report: "Your Majesty, Guifei also received a reward from His Majesty, but not nearly as much as we did. And earlier today, Li Fei also received something—we’re not sure what—but this afternoon, another small box was sent to Hanliang Pace. Likely pearls as well. Min Fei received a reward too, though less than Guifei’s. Then there’s Xin Liangyi, Fang Baolin, and Qu Baolin. Each received something, but only a little. I’ve already sent someone to inquire; we’ll know shortly."

  Wumian ughed. "How amusing. Two consorts are currently pregnant, and Li Liangyi has clearly fallen out of favor. As for Xu Liangyi… I suppose His Majesty forgot her?"

  Jinbo could only grin foolishly at that and did not dare to respond.

  "Off you go, then. You've worked hard," Wumian waved her hand.

  "Not at all, Your Majesty. It is my good fortune to be of use," Jinbo said with a smile.

  "These pearls are not abundant," Zhaohua remarked as she gnced at the open boxes. "His Majesty will surely set some aside to reward others. The Empress Dowager will no doubt receive some as well. You received twelve of the rgest ones—there can't be many left."

  Wumian nodded. "I’m not concerned about that. They're just objects. I’m merely curious to see who else will receive them."

  "Something like this—whoever receives it won’t keep it hidden for long. We'll know in a few days," Linshui said.

  "True. But Your Majesty, do you intend to reward Xu Liangyi?" Zhaohua asked cautiously.

  Wumian shook her head. "No need. What good would it do her? Let her quietly tend to her pregnancy. If she resents me for not tossing her a reward, then she's not worth the effort."

  "I don’t think she’s that sort," Linshui said. "She seems clever."

  "All the better." Wumian stood and gnced at the pearls. "Put these away. Take out what’s useful. As for the smaller pearls, you may each choose a pair. Those of you who serve closely may select finer ones and make yourselves a pair of earrings. The rest—have them made into earrings for the other pace maids. Don’t hoard them."

  There were easily one to two hundred pearls. More than enough to make earrings for every maid in her pace.

  "Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you for your generosity." Linshui bowed gratefully. She understood—she wouldn't select the finest ones. The best would still be kept for the Empress’s own adornments.

  Wumian may not have cared much about these things, but others couldn’t help but care about her.

  The entire harem was paying attention to the Empress. Rewards such as these, given outside of festivals or formal occasions, had once been rare for the Empress. In the past, only when she had been seriously ill had the Emperor sent her medicines and supplements.

  But now… this kind of reward was almost unheard of.

  And yet, no one could find out exactly what the Empress had received.

  As for Li Fei receiving two rounds of rewards in a single day—that wasn’t surprising. His Majesty had always favored her to such an extent.

  The newcomers in the harem were now getting a real lesson in what it meant to be a beloved consort.

  Everyone assumed that the Emperor wouldn’t visit Fengyi Pace anytime soon. After all, between new favorites and old ones, it had already been over ten days since he st came.

  But that evening, just as Wumian was outside in the side courtyard swinging on a swing with her maids, the Emperor arrived.

  The attendants in the main hall prepared to announce him, but the Emperor gestured for them to be silent.

  He took a side route, passing through the covered corridor and around a moon gate. From a distance, he could already hear the sound of ughter.

  Beyond the trees, he caught sight of Wumian on the swing.

  She wore a soft yellow ruqun today, her hair simply tied in a casual knot with few adornments.

  She was ughing and compining, "This is all Linshui’s fault—she insisted I wear this today. Everything about it is fine, except that mosquitoes love this pale yellow color. They keep flying at me."

  "It’s this maid’s fault," Linshui replied with a grin. "But isn’t Your Majesty carrying a sachet of repellent? How come you’re not using it? It must be because Your Majesty smells too sweet."

  "Ah, then I’ll just swing faster so those pesky bugs can’t catch me." As she spoke, Wumian pushed herself higher, her toes brushing the ground.

  With every swing, her light yellow skirts fluttered against the red-painted swing frame.

  Ying Qionglou stood still, quietly watching for a moment. At that instant, he felt like he was seeing a carefree young maiden, untouched by the burdens of court life, smiling so genuinely.

  It was Wumian who first noticed him. She didn’t get up, nor did she stop swinging. Instead, she ughed and called out, "Ah, this young master again. And what brings you here today, eavesdropping and peeking past curtains?"

  Ying Qionglou stepped forward. "The Empress seems to be enjoying herself."

  Wumian swung once more and looked at him as she swayed. "Isn’t being happy a good thing? Is Your Majesty happy?"

  "Why isn’t the Empress properly prepared to receive me? And why are you dressed so casually?" Ying Qionglou countered, raising an eyebrow.

  Wumian ughed and swung a few more times before finally slowing and stepping off the swing. She walked toward him, smiling brightly. "Your Majesty is so strict. You didn’t say you were coming today, so naturally, I assumed you wouldn’t. And even if you did, it’s not as though it’s some grand occasion. We’re husband and wife—why should I have to dress formally every time I wait for you? That would be respectful, yes, but wouldn’t it make us strangers as well?"

  "The Empress always has her reasoning," Ying Qionglou replied, eyes fixed on her face.

  Perhaps she’d been pying outside for too long; her cheeks were flushed pink, and she looked radiant and healthy.

  "Come, Your Majesty," Wumian said, smiling as she took his hand. "There are too many mosquitoes out here."

  Ying Qionglou allowed her to lead him back toward the main hall without resistance.

  Once seated, Wumian personally took the tea the maids had brought and pced it before him. "Surely Your Majesty isn’t so petty, are you? I didn’t dey anything important."

  "You misunderstand, Empress. I’m not angry." Ying Qionglou smiled helplessly. "Am I really such a small-minded person?"

  That much was true—he wasn’t.

  "What incense are you burning here?" Ying Qionglou asked, sniffing the air. "It’s light and pleasant."

  "Oh, it was a gift from Mother. I added a few medicinal herbs to it myself. It keeps the insects away in summer without being harmful. It smells much better than those strong insect repellents." Wumian replied.

  As she spoke, she leaned over and deliberately took a deep breath beside him. "Your Majesty smells nice too."

  "I’m a man—what’s there to smell good about?" Ying Qionglou chuckled. "It’s the Empress who’s fragrant. Even your maids say so. You must be sweet-scented indeed."