Chapter 73: The Noble Consort
Sima Jiao awakened to find himself sleeping in the carriage—an unprecedented occurrence. He rarely achieved restful slumber, especially within a moving vehicle. Recalling the events before he dozed, he realized his memory remained somewhat hazy. It seemed he had been conversing with Liao Tingyan when drowsiness overcame him. This woman was suspicious, he immediately concluded.
The suspicious woman was embracing his neck, leaning against his chest, sleeping soundly. When Sima Jiao first stirred, his mind still clouded, he instinctively held her waist and squeezed the back of her neck. Only after completing these actions did awareness return, and he stared at his hand with an inscrutable expression.
Who exactly was this woman?
After all, Sima Jiao was a typically irritable emperor who wouldn't permit "anyone to slumber beside his couch." No living creature could sleep peacefully near him, and generally, if someone was close, he absolutely couldn't rest.
"Wake up," Sima Jiao shook the woman in his arms, who showed no signs of stirring.
Liao Tingyan, relaxed and sleeping comfortably, felt the familiar rhythm of this wake-up routine and naturally experienced a conditioned response—Sima Jiao was disturbing her sleep again.
Following her instinctive reflex, she tightened her arms around his neck, buried her face against his throat, and mumbled vaguely, "Mm-hmm, don't make noise."
She didn't even open her eyes.
Sima Jiao felt her nose and lips near his neck, her breath caressing his skin, making his entire body feel strange. It was the type of sensation where his rationality detected something amiss, but he couldn't quite react; his vigilance and danger assessment couldn't engage properly.
This Liao Tingyan possessed a face that frequently appeared in his dreams. Could it be because of this that he could tolerate her to such an extent? Sima Jiao didn't quite understand, furrowing his brow in contemplation for some time. When awareness returned, he discovered he was still holding her without pushing her away, and his hand seemed to possess its own consciousness as it caressed her waist.
His Majesty's face filled with contemplation as he thought, quite pleasant to touch.
He rubbed his fingers and decided he would keep her nearby for observation. If anything proved amiss, she would eventually reveal herself. Since this woman was so intimate and eager to please him, he might as well grant her higher rank upon returning to the palace.
As he pondered, he lifted the carriage curtain to peer outside. Brilliant sunlight poured into the carriage, illuminating Liao Tingyan's face.
Liao Tingyan: "...Hot."
Sima Jiao: "..."
He rapped his knuckles against the carriage wall, and the vehicle immediately slowed. An attendant opened the gauze door and brocade curtain, kneeling before the carriage entrance. "Your Majesty—"
At first glance, he saw Sima Jiao holding Liao Tingyan and displayed a surprised expression, which quickly transformed to terror as he lowered his head beneath Sima Jiao's suddenly darkening countenance.
Sima Jiao: "Bring ice."
To remain prepared for His Majesty's various needs at any moment, the caravan carried numerous luxury items. The attendant acknowledged the order and quickly had others bring an ice container emitting frigid air.
Liao Tingyan had awakened after that cry of "hot." She had been careless in her drowsy state and nearly used magic to cool herself. Fortunately, she remembered the current situation—this was her first day meeting the mortal emperor Sima Jiao, and such a display might frighten him.
What if he mistook her for some demon, like a fox spirit intent on disrupting the court? She didn't want to follow that narrative.
She had been too relaxed around him; she couldn't continue this way and needed greater caution.
Sima Jiao: "If you're awake, rise. My leg has gone numb from your weight."
Liao Tingyan slowly moved to sit aside, observing his leg. Mortal bodies were truly too fragile. In a moment of distraction, a scene flashed before her eyes like rippling light.
Sima Jiao, dressed in black robes, sitting atop a giant serpent, looking down at her in his arms, speaking with some disdain: "With such little cultivation, you're too weak. Wouldn't you perish if I used just a bit of force?"
And then she saw this same Sima Jiao, unhesitatingly piercing his palm to feed her his blood.
She had once been as fragile as an ordinary person; it was he who had transformed her into what she was now.
The sixteen-year-old emperor in the carriage didn't notice Liao Tingyan's expression. He had someone open the ice container and remove the chilled fruits within, indicating that Liao Tingyan should eat.
"Eat."
He leaned back, tapping his knee, suddenly wondering why he so naturally wanted her to eat.
Liao Tingyan blinked, holding the cold peach, and moved to Sima Jiao's side, pretending to massage his numb leg while sending several streams of spiritual energy into him to improve his circulation.
His Majesty, who had been about to summon an attendant for leg massage, grunted twice through his nose, then leaned back like a lord, feeling that this beauty was indeed fond of him—embracing him, sending secret glances, and now massaging his leg of her own accord.
His Majesty felt rather pleased with himself.
Liao Tingyan massaged only three times before withdrawing her hand to eat the peach. How to express it? It was indeed difficult to go from luxury to simplicity—after consuming too many spiritual foods and fruits from the cultivation world, this flavor wasn't quite sufficient.
Sima Jiao: "...Don't you know how to please someone?" What did it mean to massage only three times?
Liao Tingyan: "...Is Your Majesty's leg still numb?" Wasn't it his leg that was numb? She had already used spiritual energy; three massages were enough.
Sima Jiao: "..." Indeed, it wasn't numb anymore, but was this the extent of her effort to please him?
He fixed Liao Tingyan with an authoritative and oppressive gaze. Generally, when he displayed such an expression, whether ministers, attendants, or harem beauties, all would be terrified.
Liao Tingyan thought: Do you really have to look at me like this? Are you, Sima Jiao, acting spoiled?
Forget it, she decided, he's only sixteen, hasn't even passed his rebellious phase, what harm is there in indulging him? Mature grass shouldn't argue with young cattle—if he wants his leg massaged, so be it.
Although his goal was achieved, for some reason, His Majesty felt that Liao Tingyan's thoughts weren't quite aligned with his own. He sensed this, even feeling as though he'd heard Liao Tingyan fondly calling him "little emperor" in her heart.
Sima Jiao: "..." Must be an illusion.
Looking at the river outside the window, he suddenly remembered something and knocked on the carriage wall again.
"Your Majesty." A person riding alongside the carriage approached and spoke softly.
Sima Jiao inquired: "What of Wei Xianyu?"
The attendant replied: "Governor Wei has returned."
Sima Jiao rubbed his brow. He had forgotten to deal with Wei Xianyu. His visit to Liyang wasn't random; Wei Xianyu had previously colluded with the Marquis of Nanyan, secretly engaging in numerous underhanded activities. He had originally planned to address Wei Xianyu during this trip, but... he glanced at Liao Tingyan beside him... something had occurred, and he had momentarily forgotten.
He hesitated between "temporarily sparing Wei Xianyu" and "sending people back immediately to deal with Wei Xianyu while they weren't far," ultimately choosing the latter.
Since they had already come, he certainly couldn't let him escape. He immediately dispatched several people to return and resolve the matter.
Those people caught up with the entourage several days later, bringing back results that satisfied Sima Jiao.
He maintained a group of obedient and useful eunuchs who were fiercely loyal to him. These eunuchs were as infamous as the vicious beauties in his harem; in the ministers' eyes, none of them were decent people. The venomous beauties ruined families, while the ruthless eunuchs took lives—inside and outside, they were complete in both killing and causing trouble.
Over the years, anyone who displeased Sima Jiao met terrible fates.
If not for everyone being terrified of Sima Jiao, with his casual departures from the palace for one or two months at a time, the court would have been in an uproar long ago. How could it remain as quiet as frightened chickens?
It was fortunate that he didn't attend to court affairs; they were mostly handled by several elderly ministers representing different factions. These ministers could stage grand drama in court, turning the emperor, who should have been the protagonist, into a mere spectator.
A feared and despised spectator.
As soon as Sima Jiao's procession entered the royal capital of Yan City, many people waiting at the city gates rushed back to inform various parties that Sima Jiao had returned, signaling the end of everyone's peaceful days.
Liao Tingyan found it quite novel. Though she had been with Sima Jiao for a long time, and back then he was powerful and feared by all, he didn't like maintaining exaggerated posture or entourage. He preferred traveling with her and the black snake, becoming unhappy if disturbed. But now, with this grand procession, he truly appeared "imperial."
The convoy traveled along the broad main street directly to the palace gates, with heavy guards already stationed along the route, preventing others from approaching.
The royal palace of Yan City was a vast complex of buildings, different from the cultivator and demon realm structures Liao Tingyan had seen before. This palace seemed to possess considerable history; its architecture was majestic, with gray-green brick walls emanating an air of simple solidity—perhaps it was the trace of time unique to mortals, quite different from the perpetually new and splendid structures of the cultivation world.
She had been a "cultivator" for many years and had almost forgotten that she was once an ordinary person.
Sima Jiao noticed her gazing out the window with a somewhat melancholy, absent expression, which made him displeased. Could it be that she was unwilling to enter the palace? Had she only now realized what kind of life awaited her? What did her expression mean?
When Sima Jiao became displeased, he decided to raise Liao Tingyan's rank even higher than he had originally planned.
Surely she would be happy then.
If she still wasn't happy with this, it would be too presumptuous of her, and he wouldn't tolerate it forever.
Liao Tingyan, completely unaware of what His Majesty had concocted in his mind, was taken to Sima Jiao's imperial palace. After bathing, changing clothes, and being properly groomed, she attended the evening banquet.
Every time Sima Jiao returned from his wanderings, he would hold a banquet to enhance relationships with his long-unseen ministers—by giving them beauties.
His harem members sat in the inner hall, separated by screens, their graceful silhouettes faintly visible. In the outer hall were the ministers, each wearing such solemn expressions that they appeared to be attending a funeral.
Sima Jiao brought Liao Tingyan in last. She felt that as she walked beside him, everyone was staring at her, even more than at Sima Jiao.
Sima Jiao sat in the main seat and, instead of sending Liao Tingyan to sit in the inner hall, had her sit directly beside him—a move that caused another wave of astonishment. Liao Tingyan's keen ears caught the immediate commotion among the group of beauties in the inner hall.
"Begin the feast."
At Sima Jiao's command, attendants brought hot dishes and wine in endless streams, removing the original pastries and other items. Elegant dancers swayed their waists, drifting in from outside the hall, and in moments, there was a scene of song and dance revelry.
Liao Tingyan looked at the dishes before her and prepared to eat with appetite. She took a bite independently, then heard the wine-serving attendant nearby gasp. Suddenly remembering that times were different now, her chopsticks froze.
Sima Jiao casually said to Liao Tingyan: "Eat whatever you desire."
Then, turning his head, he addressed the attendant with displeasure: "Leave."
The attendant hurriedly wiped cold sweat from his brow and departed. His Majesty's temperament seemed somewhat better than before—truly a life saved.
After eating several bites to sample the flavors, Liao Tingyan noticed Sima Jiao resting his chin in his hand, watching her eat without touching his chopsticks. She couldn't help asking: "Is Your Majesty not eating?"
During their time on the road, he rarely ate. He had been like this before—not fond of consuming anything—but now he was mortal. How could he survive without eating? No wonder his body was in such condition; this man had too many bad habits.
Liao Tingyan pondered when she could prepare some nourishing food for him privately, and casually served him a meatball: "Your Majesty, this is delicious. Would you like to try it?"
The attendant who had just arrived with wine witnessed this and was so frightened that he dropped his tray.
Liao Tingyan thought: What's with all these dramatic reactions?
Sima Jiao looked at the meatball in the bowl with annoyance, waving his hand to dismiss the attendant who was kneeling in terror to the side, while answering: "I won't eat it."
Was this picky-eating trait written into his soul?
Liao Tingyan sighed, taking back the meatball to eat herself.
Perhaps because His Majesty was too harmless tonight, the ministers, not experiencing his usual antics, gradually relaxed and enjoyed the feast of song and dance. After several rounds of drinks, many were intoxicated. As customary, ministers came forward to toast.
Then came the reward segment.
Sima Jiao, as usual, bestowed two beauties.
There was a minister surnamed Zhao who had been prominent in recent years, considered one of Sima Jiao's direct subordinates, and highly valued by him—valued for being shameless enough and ruthless enough. Although only in his twenties, he had been promoted to Shaofu, one of the Nine Ministers. Having been floating on cloud nine for several months and now drunk on wine, feeling somewhat elevated, he spoke in a half-joking tone to show intimacy: "Your Majesty's new beauty pleases me greatly. I wonder if you might part with her."
The hall abruptly fell silent.
Sima Jiao did not speak. He turned his gaze toward Shaofu Zhao, his face expressionless.
The music and dancing in the hall stopped, and the noisy toasts fell silent. Everyone sensed something and spontaneously quieted, leaving only oppressive, deadly silence.
"You want my Noble Consort?" Sima Jiao leaned forward and asked softly.
His voice was light, but it struck like thunder, startling everyone's hearts.
Noble Consort? In His Majesty's harem, all the beauties held the lowest rank, merely "beauties." The positions of Empress, the three First Rank Consorts, and the nine Imperial Concubines were all vacant. He had never promoted any beauty in rank, yet now, without warning, he suddenly produced a Noble Consort.
A woman of unknown origin suddenly became a Noble Consort?
If someone suggested Sima Jiao could be bewitched by beauty, no one would believe it. Yet now, they all weren't quite so certain.
Shaofu Zhao finally sobered somewhat. He stared in shock at Sima Jiao's gloomy countenance, trembling as he knelt, stammering: "I, I had too much to drink and was momentarily, momentarily confused..."
Sima Jiao lightly tapped the table and declared, "Cut out his tongue and hang him at the palace gate."
Four eunuchs who had been standing like shadows nearby stepped forward, pouncing ferociously. Before everyone's eyes, two held down his limbs, one forced open his mouth, and one severed his tongue.
"Ugh—ah no—urgh—"
Liao Tingyan still held her chopsticks, watching as two people dragged the convulsing body away. A long red trail was left across the hall floor, with no one cleaning it up. Inside and outside the hall, all was silent.
Sima Jiao then looked at Liao Tingyan, smiling slightly. His youthful face showed no trace of the gloomy malevolence from moments ago. In a gentle tone, he said: "Why did you stop eating? Try this ox tongue dish." It was as if killing someone had finally relieved him, and now he had developed interest in the food before him.
Liao Tingyan: "..."