“It would be best if Li Fei could hold on,” said Wumian. “No matter what happens, at least wait until Li Liangyi gives birth and the child is sent to Luoshuang Pavilion.”

  “Wait—Jiang Zhaorong can move residences now,” she added.

  “She absolutely can,” Linshui agreed. “She’s been eligible for a long time. It’s just… over the years, she hasn’t been favored by His Majesty, and she’s never gotten along with Li Fei. They csh constantly. So she’s been stuck living in a shared residence.”

  A consort of the third rank like Jiang Zhaorong should already have her own residence—if her standing was good enough, even a pace of her own wouldn’t be out of pce.

  Wumian nodded. “That’s easy to resolve.”

  She’d handle it when the time came.

  —

  The following days passed quickly. There were no disruptions, and everything went smoothly until the Mid-Autumn Festival arrived.

  That day brought beautiful weather, bright and warm under the autumn sun.

  Mid-Autumn was a grand occasion.

  The morning began with family obligations. Wumian rose early and led the consorts to Yining Pace to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager.

  The Emperor soon arrived as well, bringing along the princes, princesses, the consorts of the te emperor, and their children.

  Even Ying Qionglou’s lesser-ranked concubines were allowed to attend today.

  All members of the imperial cn entered the pace to offer their greetings.

  At midday, a banquet was held in Yining Pace. Those of lower rank returned to their quarters afterward, though they were treated to their own feast. The day was lively and full of joy, and with gifts bestowed by the Emperor, Empress, and Empress Dowager, it was one of the most generous days of the year, second only to New Year and the Winter Solstice.

  The family banquet at noon was more intimate—just the Emperor and Empress, the higher-ranked consorts, the princes and princesses, the surviving children of the te emperor, the titled princes and princesses who had already established households, and their consorts and children.

  Also in attendance were older members of the imperial family who outranked even the Empress Dowager—retired princes and dowager dies, who added a touch of formality to the gathering. The atmosphere was festive and lively.

  In the afternoon, everyone strolled through the Imperial Garden, or visited the paces of various consorts and dowager dies to chat and socialize—it all depended on whom they were closest to.

  Several princess consorts and noble dies came to visit Wumian, most of them married to Ying Qionglou’s brothers or cousins. They brought a few of their children along, too.

  Wumian greeted everyone with her usual serene warmth. She didn’t speak much, just smiled and occasionally chimed in while others carried the conversation.

  When the time came, everyone went off to change for the evening banquet.

  Wumian, too, went to dress.

  Her inner robe was a rich crimson gauze skirt, embroidered with clusters of blooming peonies. The bodice of her ruqun was bck, adorned with the same peony motif in intricate embroidery.

  In celebration of Mid-Autumn, she yered a pale jade-green cross-colred jacket beneath her robes. The colr and cuffs were delicately embroidered with small floral clusters.

  Over everything, she wore a wine-colored gauze outer robe woven with five-colored threads. The patterns—golden phoenixes and peonies—weren’t embroidered, but woven directly into the fabric.

  She draped a begonia-red sheer shawl over her shoulders, simple and without pattern.

  Her hair was styled in a tall coiled chignon, fastened with a golden circlet at the center, and decorated with a golden comb. On each side, strands were adorned with golden floral ornaments that framed her ears.

  Nine golden phoenix hairpins were pced evenly across the top of her coiffure, paired with nine golden wish-granting flowers inid with rubies. At the back, soft pink velvet blossoms added a gentle touch.

  Her brows were shaped into graceful arcs, with a gold leaf petal pressed between them, and small pearl accents to highlight the space.

  Her cheeks were dusted with rouge, and rather than follow the current trend of dainty cherry lips, she enhanced her natural shape with a vivid red lip rouge.

  Lipsticks did exist in this era—three or four colors, in fact—but they were expensive, complicated to make, and difficult to preserve. Most families couldn’t afford them.

  But Wumian was the Empress. She had everything she could ever need.

  She chose a bold red and added a touch of blush to the corners of her eyes and the tip of her nose.

  Still young, with skin as smooth as jade, Wumian could carry any look effortlessly.

  Because the hair ornaments and golden floral pins around her ears were already so eye-catching, Wumian didn’t wear earrings.

  Around her neck was a string of lustrous pearls, perfectly complementing the rest of her ensemble.

  Once her attire was ready, and the hour nearly upon them, Wumian stood as her attendants moved to add the final touches, like the jeweled tassels hanging from the hem of her skirt.

  She let out a soft sigh. “Good thing there are only a handful of major festivals each year. If I had to dress like this every day, my head would give out.”

  Those nine phoenix hairpins were seriously heavy. So was the golden circlet. She suddenly found herself sympathizing with the Monkey King. The only difference was that his golden band was a ring, while hers was a rigid pte pressing against her scalp. His circlet cmped onto his forehead—hers cmped onto the hair pulled tightly up from her forehead. And unlike him, she had a golden comb plus nine heavy pins on top. Never mind the countless smaller accessories.

  (Transtor Xiaobai: At this point, you would be living under a rock if you don't know Wukong and Journey to the West.)

  “You make it sound so bad,” one of the attendants ughed. “It’s just that Your Majesty usually doesn’t enjoy dressing up.”

  Wumian said nothing. That’s not true at all, she thought. I like dressing up. But she had never experienced what it felt like to have actual pounds of gold piled onto her head. It looked gorgeous, yes—but it really was too heavy.

  No wonder noble dies in the old days had such a graceful posture. How could they not? No one could walk briskly with this much gold on their head. You were forced to move elegantly.

  —

  That evening, the grand banquet was to be held in Taiji Pace, and every official ranked fifth grade and above, along with their families, was required to attend.

  Before the banquet, Wumian would accompany the Emperor in a ritual to honor the Moon Goddess, along with the consorts and royal children.

  By the time she arrived, she wasn’t te, but several consorts had already gathered. Everyone was dressed to impress.

  Sadly, Li Fei remained under house arrest for the sake of her pregnancy and couldn’t attend.

  Li Liangyi was also absent.

  But Xu Liangyi was present.

  Wumian spotted her and leaned over to Linshui. “Have Jinbo stay with Xu Liangyi tonight. Don’t let anything go wrong.”

  Jinbo was sharp and discreet—perfect for such a task.

  Ying Qionglou was off with the ministers. When the consorts saw the Empress arrive, they quickly rose to greet her. It had been quite some time since they’d seen Her Majesty dressed so formally.

  Some hardly recognized her at first gnce.

  Wumian took her seat and gnced around—sure enough, everyone was adorned in full finery.

  The difference between the Empress and consorts was most apparent in the design of their ceremonial wear. Though Wumian wasn’t dressed in formal court robes tonight, her garments were still unmistakably imperial.

  Compared to the others, her outfit was more extravagant—richer in color and pattern, adorned with more jewelry and finer detailing.

  Everyone wore simir court styles, but the quality, color, and embroidery varied. The lower-ranked the consort, the simpler her designs and the more subdued her palette.

  Their hairpieces sat lower as well, and the accessories were piner.

  Still, every woman in the room looked radiant.

  Wumian couldn’t help lingering her gaze on Guifei. She truly shone in full regalia. For a moment, Wumian stared without realizing how long she had looked.

  Guifei shifted uneasily under the attention. “Have I done something wrong, Your Majesty?”

  Wumian chuckled. “No, not at all. You might not believe me, but I was just thinking… You really are beautiful tonight.”

  Miss, I’m really trying to compliment you, Wumian thought. Though I doubt you’ll believe me.