From CEO to Concubine

"Dispense with formalities." As a whole, the servants saluting and curtsying straightened up, leaving only Xiao De shivering on his knees.

The little prince clutching at his wet nurse's skirts let go and came bounding over to the tall figure behind Yan Zheyun. He was definitely that 'Number Nine' Young Master Huang had brought along to the mid-autumn festival earlier in the year. If his attire then had made him look like an expensive little noble, he was now decked out in regal finery, the tufts of fur tucked around his neck making his smooth cheeks appear even softer and plumper.

Perhaps he found Yan Zheyun familiar too because he clung to the emperor's leg but craned his neck to have a good look at Yan Zheyun's face with the nosiness of bright children.

…Yan Zheyun wanted to massage his temples to ward off an impending migraine. What was the statistical probability of bumping into not just one but two members of the imperial family in a deserted, desolate garden on the night of a festival that emphasised spending time with loved ones? Sure, Yan Zheyun had to admit that he acted out of impulse when he scaled that osmanthus tree but he had rationalised out an optimal plan too.

He'd just failed to factor in the sheer amount of coincidences that tended to occur to this host body. Novel logic that couldn't be reasoned out. No wonder Yan Yun had run-ins with five whole scumbags throughout the entire course of the novel. Along with Yan Yun's body, Yan Zheyun seemed to have inherited that abysmal luck.

That being said, it was only abysmal luck if he couldn't turn the odds to be in favour.

With renewed determination, Yan Zheyun turned around and placed some distance between the emperor and himself. He presented a faultless salute, his bow a replica of Sun Momo's ridiculous expectations. Whoever had sent her might have thought that they were putting Yan Zheyun through the grinder but in truth, he had to thank them for the timely assistance. Despite being the favoured son of a noble family, Yan Yun had been too young to learn court etiquette in detail. And even if he had, he wouldn't have been familiar with the specific formalities of the inner palace. If Sun Momo hadn't shown up, he might not know how to present himself in front of the emperor now.

Thinking about it in this light, he really ought to be grateful to all these 'Big Sisters' for 'lending him a hand'.

Sun Momo had mentioned that she had been commanded by a Noble Consort Li to teach Yan Zheyun manners right? And it had been Imperial Concubine Hui and Lady of Bright Deportment Zhang who had so helpfully relayed his need to this Noble Consort?

Yan Zheyun was going to make sure that he thanked them in the future. Very thoroughly.

A hand touched his elbow, guided him firmly back into a standing position.

"What are you doing here?" the emperor asked. He was as emotionless as he'd been on that corridor they'd first met on but Yan Zheyun was relieved by the absence of an accusatory note in his voice.

Of course, this didn't necessarily imply that Yan Zheyun was out of trouble. If there were anyone in the imperial city that he imagined would be an expert at concealing his feelings and thoughts, it would be this man before him.

"In response to Your Majesty…" Yan Zheyun considered all that lies he had the option of using before settling on the simple truth, "…this subject came out for a breath of fresh air."

To the emperor's credit, he didn't ask Yan Zheyun why he couldn't clear his lungs in the courtyard of Zheshan Palace. His eyes traced Yan Zheyun's face before shifting down to take in the coarse low-ranking eunuch's tunic Yan Zheyun was donning. Yan Zheyun had been at the receiving end of countless stares ever since transmigrating but this was one of a precious few that didn't make his hackles raise. It was such a surprising revelation that it distracted him for a split second from focusing on the precarious situation he was currently in.

Why didn't it bother him? Was it just because of a superficial crush?

Yet another thing to file away for consideration later. If he weren't so paranoid, he would keep a journal to organise his thoughts. But if he weren't careful, that might one day end up constituting physical evidence against him. He had debated jotting down his observations in English but had dismissed the idea after a while. Using a 'code' that no one else understood could be misinterpreted as spying or, worse, a practitioner of witchcraft.

Yan Zheyun couldn't afford to make any mistakes, let alone leave obvious weaknesses like that for enemies to exploit.

"Where did you get this outfit from?"

"…"

Before Yan Zheyun could cover for Xiao De, the young boy, already petrified and trembling from being in the emperor's presence for the first time in his life, shuffled forward on his knees and kowtowed.

"This servant is at fault, Your Majesty! This servant saw that his little master was moody from staying in his chambers all day long and suggested coming out for a walk! To—to remain undetected, this servant f-forced his little master t-t-to c-ch-change—" Whether from fear or the cold, Yan Zheyun wasn't sure, but Xiao De couldn't hide his stammering anymore. The ground was covered in snow and Yan Zheyun could already see wet patches soaking into Xiao De's trousers. If he didn't find a way to obtain a pardon for Xiao De, the poor eunuch was going to get frostbite in his legs and possibly wind up crippled.

Ignoring the chances of Xiao De's godfather retaliating against Yan Zheyun for failing to take care of his godson, Yan Zheyun couldn't bear to see this happen. It wasn't because he was a saint or anything like that. But Xiao De to him was no different from the teenage boys in high school uniforms back in his society, he shouldn't have to suffer and definitely not because of Yan Zheyun's selfishness.

He reached out and pulled on Xiao De's shoulders until he had no choice but to stop bending over or risk straining Yan Zheyun's arm.

"Little Master—"

"Your Majesty," Yan Zheyun murmured, bowing again despite the emperor stopping him earlier. "The entire idea was mine and mine alone. Xiao De had no choice but to obey." He'd acclimatised to this ancient society by now and his body moved out of reflex, used to having to bow as a greeting, as an apology, when replying, when saluting an equal, when showing respect for achievement, the list went on.

He was betting that the emperor wasn't going to kick up a big fuss about this. Yan Zheyun had no way of knowing that the emperor and young prince were going to show up here tonight. This was a chance meeting, not part of a greater scheme. But there was the risk that he had already increased the emperor's mistrust of him, especially given his sensitive identity—

A small fist snagged on Yan Zheyun's belt and yanked on it for attention. The tension at the moment was abruptly shattered when the ties fastening the belt together came loose and Yan Zheyun had to break out of his serious pose, making a mad scramble to hold the tunic together.

"Liu An!" The emperor scowled for the first time since appearing out of nowhere like a spectre. "Where is your propriety!"

Where is your propriety? This was a stock phrase in inner palace dramas. If Yan Zheyun weren't currently mired at the centre of a painfully awkward situation, he might have even laughed out loud.

The ninth prince pouted but Yan Zheyun noted that he didn't appear intimidated by his powerful older brother's disapproval. He had once envied how close Young Master Huang had seemed to be to this cute kid but after learning of the emperor's true identity, he hadn't thought it possible for that closeness to be genuine.

Perhaps he stood corrected.

"Oops," the ninth prince mumbled sheepishly, letting go of the belt and ducking behind his older brother's legs to peek out at Yan Zheyun with a guilty expression. "I just wanted to ask, which palace are you working in? Did you escape with your friend because you're bored?" He gave Yan Zheyun a tentative smile that Yan Zheyun returned. This seemed to give him new courage because he started speaking louder and with growing excitement. "I was super bored too, that's why I came out!"

"Yes, Your Highness," Yan Zheyun ended up saying when he realised the ninth prince was waiting for affirmation. But…how was he supposed to correct the kid? He wasn't working in any palace, he was his older brother's squeeze, one of dozens. "I—"

"If whenever you're working is so dreary, come and work for this prince!" the ninth prince concluded enthusiastically. He reached out to yank on his brother's robes before remembering the incident he just caused and faltering. But his beam didn't waver. "Royal Brother, can this brother-subject have this servant? I promise I'll treat him well!"

…Yan Zheyun knew that the little boy didn't mean anything weird by it but that phrasing…

He was close enough that he heard the emperor's quiet sigh. The emperor caught the wet nurse's eye and she took a brisk step forward and gently detached the young prince from his brother's side.

"Your Highness," she said, managing to perfect a harmonious combination of soothing and authoritative that made the ninth prince listen to her. "That isn't a servant, that's one of your brother's concubines."

Yan Zheyun reeled inwardly. He knew that children of ancient societies matured at an earlier age compared to their modern counterparts. But how on earth did anyone keep a straight face when telling a kid things like that?!

"A concubine? But he doesn't look like one…he is pretty though…hmmm…"

"Stop thinking about nonsense," the emperor interrupted his young brother's thoughts before they could stray towards even more embarrassing topics. "If you have nothing better to do, memorise another ten poems from the Classic of Poetry (1). This sovereign will test you on it after your lessons tomorrow."

The ninth prince's face visibly crumbled. "Royal Brother," he wailed. "Please spare this brother-subject!"

"Hurry up, go back to your palace now and get started on it."

It was an obvious dismissal that everyone besides the person at the receiving end of it comprehended. The wet nurse increased her efforts to remove the young prince from the scene and it was with one last earnest, "Please don't punish your concubine and his servant! Being cooped up in the palace all day long is really very boring, Royal Brother, they can't be blamed!", that the ninth prince finally took his leave.

His departure didn't make the atmosphere less awkward. Yan Zheyun fumbled with his belt but his fingers were so stiff from the cold and he wasn't familiar enough with the eunuch's tunic to know how to tighten it properly. His movements grew more frantic under the emperor's scrutiny.

"You may rise."

That was so out of the blue that neither Yan Zheyun nor Xiao De comprehended what the emperor said at first instance.

The emperor raised an eyebrow. "Unless you'd prefer to squander the ninth prince's plea for clemency on your behalf and remain here for the rest of the night?"

Xiao De started. "N-no, thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty!" He tried to kowtow once more to express his gratitude but a sharp yank on his arm by his little master stopped him. Wincing, he climbed gingerly back to his feet, trying not to rely on his fragile little master for support.

Yan Zheyun lowered his lashes. "Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty. This concubine-subject apologises for flouting the palace rules and will not do so again."

The emperor didn't say anything. He reminded Yan Zheyun of a wolf, watching and waiting and assessing over and over again until he found the right moment to go in for the kill.

"If there is nothing else, please permit this concubine-subject to take my leave."

When the emperor didn't say anything, he saluted and turned to go.

"Did the Imperial Buttery prepare a share of dumplings for you?" the emperor asked suddenly.

Yan Zheyun looked over his shoulder. In the shadows, the wan full moon leeched away all colour from the world, leaving behind a monochrome. The air was silent and the boy underneath the bare trees was pale like a shade. He was dressed like a servant again but just like before, the shabbiness did little to conceal his dangerous beauty.

"They did," Yan Zheyun answered. "But this concubine-servant prefers tangyuan. Please excuse me now."

He walked away, with nothing to show that he'd been there except for a trail of footprints in the snow.