Chapter 64: Whose Room to Sleep In

Facing such flattery, Wang Ling suppressed the disdain she felt for Yang Siqiu in her heart. She picked up the teacup on the table and took a small sip, her brows involuntarily knitting together as she found the tea had gone cold already. Setting the cup back down, she tightened her grip on her hand warmer and remarked aloud, "I truly thought Elder Sister Yang and Younger Sister Shen were own sisters. How is it that Elder Sister Yang has come to sit in the inner courtyard every single day this week, yet is never seen keeping company with Younger Sister Shen?"

Yang Siqiu smiled faintly. "Does Younger Sister Wang not know? Younger Sister Shen has been feeling rather unwell lately, so how could I presume to disturb her?"

"Younger Sister Shen now stays entirely indoors, which is the exact opposite of how Elder Sister Yang used to be," Su Jin said slowly, raising her eyelids to watch Yang Siqiu feign composure.

After Yang Siqiu finished speaking, she cast a deeply concerned look toward Shen Fanyi. Receiving the signal, Shen Fanyi gracefully raised a hand to smooth out the creases at the cuffs of her sleeves, and chimed in at the opportune moment: "Elder Sister Yang has been most solicitous toward me. Every day, after attending upon the Crown Princess in the inner courtyard, even as dusk falls and she returns to Green Pavilion Courtyard, she still makes a point of coming specifically to my rooms to check on me."

Upon hearing this, Wang Ling's smile deepened. With a teasing glint in her eyes, she fixed her gaze on Yang Siqiu. "Listen to those words—how they sound rather like someone showing off."

"It seems the bonds of sisterhood are hardly as steadfast as gold and stone. More like paper, perhaps—torn apart at the slightest touch."

A heavy silence fell over the room. As she watched Yang Siqiu blush from her face all the way down to the roots of her neck, her hands tightly clenched beneath her sleeves, Wang Ling finally felt a surge of satisfaction in her chest. Originally, she had been somewhat able to exchange a few words with Zuo Li, but ever since Yang Siqiu had mused her way into favor, Wang Ling had been ruthlessly edged out.

Yang Siqiu had become the absolute favorite at Zuo Li's side.

"Enough. The longer you talk, the more unseemly it becomes."

Zuo Li's voice was crisp and clear. A trace of displeasure shadowed her face as she frowned at Wang Ling, forcing the latter to instantly rein in her expression.

"Concubine Shen has received the most imperial favor; she ought to be working hard to continue the Crown Prince's lineage and branches. Yet none of your bellies show the slightest sign of movement."

Zuo Li's gaze swept over the lower abdomens of the assembled women. Su Jin's expression remained completely unperturbed, while Wang Ling lowered her head with a hint of disappointment to lightly stroke her own stomach. Yang Siqiu, meanwhile, cast a thoughtful look in Shen Fanyi's direction.

Shen Fanyi kept her head bowed, until a familiar male voice suddenly reached her ears: "You are all being quite lively here. What is it you are discussing?"

As the words fell, the people inside the room looked through the window to see Li Qian standing beneath the eaves. Everyone hastily rose to their feet. The gloomy moods of the female family members instantly vanished as they hurried out toward the banquet tables set up in the courtyard.

In their own courtyard, just two tables had been set: Li Qian, Zuo Li, the two children, and Su Jin shared one table, while the three concubines sat at another.

Li Qian waved his hand, signaling for everyone to be seated. Suddenly, Yang Siqiu stood up, walked over to Li Qian's side in a few swift strides, and whispered softly, "This concubine will attend upon Your Highness and the Crown Princess during the meal."

Hearing this, Zuo Li echoed her sentiment with a smooth prompt: "Your Highness must have forgotten. Didn't Concubine Yang serve Your Highness her meal a few days ago? She is most attentive; since she has this heart, let her wait upon Your Highness."

Li Qian, however, merely frowned. Removing his outer cloak, he handed it to Zhang Desheng standing beside him, while side-glancing at Yang Siqiu. He simply said, "Enough. It is the New Year, what is the meaning of this? Are there not others to serve here? Return to your own table."

The air in the room stagnated for a moment. Yang Siqiu froze awkwardly, casting a pleading look toward Zuo Li. Zuo Li's eyes remained cool and devoid of warmth as she gave a slight wave of her hand. "Since His Highness has spoken, you should take your seat quickly. It is the New Year, let us have everything peaceful and proper."

Left with no choice, Yang Siqiu bit her lip and retreated. As she sat down at her table, she caught the full view of Wang Ling opposite her, whose eyes were brimming with mockery and ridicule. Her face turned pale, and she felt as though she were sitting on pins and needles.

Once the banquet officially commenced, the attendants bustled about serving the dishes. Maidservants brought forward fruit wines; although stronger liquors were forbidden for them, these lighter brews were permissible.

In the courtyard, a small theatrical stage had been set up, from which soft, melodious, and winding opera tunes drifted. Originally, there had been plans to hire a troupe of acrobats to liven up the celebrations thoroughly, but considering the disturbance caused by Gu Tan just days prior, they had settled solely on an opera troupe renowned for their exquisite voices.

"Whatever is the matter with Ping'er? Come, let your father have a look at you."

Li Qian set down his chopsticks. He noticed that young Li Changping lacked her usual bright radiance, looking somewhat timid and shrinking as she gazed up at him seated in the seat of honor. Such a gentle and kind expression from him made Li Changping's eyes sting with sudden hot tears, her nose prickling with emotion.

Carefully, she threw herself into Li Qian's arms. Li Qian raised a hand to stroke his daughter's forehead, his tone exceptionally warm: "Your elder brother fell ill right over the New Year, which simply could not be helped. He will recover slowly as long as he rests. Once he is well, you may go visit him; he is missing you just as much."

The tightly wound tension in Li Changping's heart finally unwound, and she used the cuff of Li Qian's robe to wipe the remaining tears from the corners of her eyes.

Seeing this, Li Changjiu grew displeased. Pouting her cheeks, she hurried over and tugged insistently on Li Qian's other sleeve. Li Qian could only patiently begin soothing both of his daughters.

"Well, the Crown Princess has truly put her heart into this. Seeing how well-behaved Ping'er is now, it is clear you have put a great deal of effort into her upbringing."

Li Qian released his two daughters and turned his head to look at Zuo Li beside him. Zuo Li offered a gentle, shallow smile. "It is only my duty."

When the master and mistress of the household were conversing, the concubines below naturally did not dare to casually interrupt or chime in. The banquet food, as always, was hardly meant to be eaten in excess, and after a few courses, a sense of satiety had already set in.

Li Qian drank two extra bowls of soup. He was not particularly fond of alcohol, and especially in the dead of winter, he felt that overindulging in heavy dishes would harm his stomach and kill his appetite. A young eunuch stepped forward to serve him mouthwash and handed him a silk handkerchief to wipe his mouth.

Li Qian gave a brief wave of his hand toward Zhang Desheng, and immediately several junior eunuchs carried forward several red sandalwood chests. Inside were the seasonal festive rewards bestowed upon the female members of the household.

Before long, these gifts would be distributed to each respective courtyard.

Seeing Li Qian lay down his chopsticks, Zuo Li's eyes lit up with joy. In a rare display of affection, she softly wrapped her arms around Li Qian's sleeve; according to the rotation of the season, tonight Li Qian was scheduled to rest in her chambers.

"Very well, external affairs are pressing. All of you continue enjoying yourselves."

With those words, Li Qian stood up and patted Zuo Li's hand. Pulling his arm free from her grasp, he turned and strode away.

He had come in a hurry and left in a rush.

This left Zuo Li somewhat stripped of her dignity before the others. She forced a bright smile onto her face, comforting herself inwardly with the thought that even though he was not staying in her quarters for the night, at least he hadn't gone off to the rooms of any lowly concubine.

Her heart found a sliver of solace in that thought.

Since Li Qian had departed first, none of the female dependents felt any further inclination to linger. Each cast cautious glances toward Zuo Li's face; seeing that although there was displeasure in her eyes, she was still maintaining her composure, the rest of them quietly breathed sighs of relief.

Shen Fanyi remained completely unconcerned. She set down her chopsticks, took Qiuyue's handkerchief to wipe her mouth, and quietly acknowledged that she had eaten quite a satisfactory meal.

Zuo Li had barely touched her food, her heart heavy with quiet vexation. On the stage, the actors were still straining their voices in song—the timeless classic *The Dragon and the Phoenix Bring Prosperity*—yet to her ears, the performance only sounded grating and dull. With a dismissive wave of her hand, she had the opera troupe halted immediately, ordering rewards to be handed out to quickly dismiss them.

At this moment, Zuo Li truly wished she could simply bring this banquet to an early end.