Ruan Jiqing paused, then said quietly, "Your Majesty, that is not according to protocol. Perhaps Lord Shen could wait a moment?"
Only the Empress and imperial consorts were permitted to dine with the Emperor. The Empress could sit at the same table, while consorts could only stand and attend to him—of course, except for those particularly favored. Officials generally had their own designated seats, and today the imperial kitchen hadn't laid out extra portions for an uninvited guest.
"Not according to protocol?" Qi Junmu repeated the words, turning his gaze to Ruan Jiqing with a smile: "They say the Emperor's word is golden. Is what I say not protocol?"
It was clear the Emperor was still in a sour mood, and Ruan Jiqing did not dare to provoke him further. He quickly slapped his own mouth lightly and said, "Your Majesty is right. This servant's foolish tongue has offended Your Majesty."
Qi Junmu could not be bothered with his obsequious manner and said, "You may go."
Ruan Jiqing scurried away.
Shen Nian had not expected to be treated to an imperial meal, but he was certainly not about to refuse.
The Emperor's meal was no simple matter—first, silver needles were used to test for poison, then a dedicated taster eunuch sampled each dish. Only after a moment, when the taster showed no ill effects, could the Emperor eat.
The imperial cuisine was naturally exquisite, but by the time it reached the Emperor's table, it was mostly cold.
Compared to the Emperor's elaborate procedures, Shen Nian was far more casual.
Fearing that the Emperor might subject him to the same ritual, he declared upfront as he paid his respects and took his seat: "Your Majesty, this humble subject will help himself. I will not stand on ceremony."
Ruan Jiqing's expression flickered when he saw Shen Nian sit not far from the Emperor—by protocol, even the Empress could not sit that close. But seeing Qi Junmu's calm demeanor, he ultimately said nothing.
Never before had a minister dined with the Emperor at the same table—Shen Nian was the first. But with the Emperor in low spirits, the attendants dared not speak up. Their own days were hard enough.
Shen Nian, true to his word, ate with complete abandon—helping himself generously to whatever he liked and skipping whatever didn't appeal to him.
Qi Junmu was initially somewhat put off by his table manners, but somehow, watching Shen Nian eat like that, he ended up having an extra half-bowl of rice and an extra half-bowl of soup compared to usual.
After the table had been cleared by the eunuchs from the imperial kitchen, Qi Junmu looked at the thoroughly satisfied Shen Nian and suddenly said, "Today, I had a dispute with the Empress Dowager over you."
Shen Nian, full and content, was in a relaxed state of mind. Hearing this out of the blue startled both his mind and his heart.
He looked at the Emperor, licked his lips awkwardly, and could not help but ask, "Your Majesty, what do you mean by that?"
The phrasing sounded dangerously ambiguous—as if, without realizing it, he had become the cause of discord between the Emperor and the Empress Dowager.
Imagining that scene, Shen Nian could not help but shudder—it was truly unsettling.
Qi Junmu hadn't given it that much thought. He had simply wanted to make sure Shen Nian didn't end up hearing the gossip from someone else later on.
He could have chosen a different time and place to bring this up, but seeing Shen Nian looking so content, he had spoken on impulse—purely because he found it irksome that this man was so blissfully unaware.
Now, seeing Shen Nian's startled expression, Qi Junmu felt somewhat better. He laid out the Empress Dowager's intentions for Shen Nian plainly.
He spoke candidly, without the slightest inclination to cover for his mother.
Shen Nian had not expected that despite his efforts to keep clear of such schemes, trouble still nearly found its way to him.
He had nothing to say about the Empress Dowager, but he needed to thank the Emperor for shielding him.
So when Qi Junmu finished speaking, Shen Nian lifted his robe and knelt solemnly, saying, "This humble subject thanks Your Majesty."
Qi Junmu shook his head. "Rise. There is nothing to thank me for. You are still in mourning, and summoning you to court was already forcing your hand. If I could not protect you, then I would be a rather useless emperor."
"Your Majesty's protection is deeply engraved in my heart." Shen Nian rose with a wry smile. "If Your Majesty had not spoken up for me, and the rumors had spread, I fear I would have been dragged into the mire. Even if I could climb out, I would still come out covered in mud."
Catching the implication in Shen Nian's words, Qi Junmu said, "Oh? From the sound of it, even without my help, you could have extricated yourself entirely?"
Shen Nian said, "Your Majesty jests. How could I possibly extricate myself entirely? When a princess's reputation is at stake, the most I could do would be to wound the enemy at the cost of eight hundred of my own men."
"Interesting." Qi Junmu's interest was piqued. "Tell me, then—how did you plan to inflict that damage on yourself?"
Shen Nian had not expected the Emperor to press further. He looked at him with some resignation. "Your Majesty..."
Qi Junmu raised an eyebrow.
Seeing that the Emperor would not let the matter rest, Shen Nian steeled himself and said, "This was my thought: if the rumors began to spread, I would go to the Empress Dowager and, before all present, confess my guilt, saying that I am a cut-sleeve and will never marry. I would say I never imagined that saving someone would invite such gossip. Then—"
[Cut sleeve: an ancient and poetic euphemism for male homosexuality in Chinese culture, originating from the story of Emperor Ai of Han who cut his own sleeve rather than wake his sleeping male lover Dong Xian.]
"Then, once you made that public declaration, everyone's attention would shift to the Marquis Zhenbei being a cut-sleeve—a major scandal indeed—and the princess's matter would no longer be on anyone's mind," Qi Junmu finished smoothly.
Shen Nian nodded, confirming that had been his plan.
Qi Junmu was somewhat speechless. "I have a feeling this idea of yours did not come to you in a moment of impulse. What exactly goes through your mind on a daily basis?"
Shen Nian cast his eyes down with a faint smile. "Your Majesty, every family has its own troubles. I do not wish to marry, and I had intended to use this excuse to fend off my mother after the mourning period for my father ended. Since Your Majesty asked, I have told you. The method is crude but harmless—I hope Your Majesty will not mock me for it."
Qi Junmu was taken aback. He did not truly believe Shen Nian was a cut-sleeve—if he were, he would never have admitted it so casually.
In his previous life, Shen Nian had left the capital before his mourning period ended, and these rumors had never had time to circulate.
That Shen Nian entertained such thoughts was likely because he did not want the Shen family meddling in his marriage.
Still, Qi Junmu was curious—why would he think this way? If he did not marry, would he not spend his life alone?
"Your Majesty, it is merely an excuse, a strategy." Shen Nian looked somewhat exasperated. "Perhaps I will soon meet someone to spend my life with. Then I can always retract my words. Why would I end up alone forever?"
Only when Shen Nian spoke did Qi Junmu realize he had voiced his thoughts aloud.
Somewhat embarrassed, he met Shen Nian's smiling eyes and forced himself to say, "I am only concerned for you, Marquis Shen. If one day you meet someone you love and find it hard to speak up, I can issue an imperial decree to marry you to that person."
"Then this humble subject thanks Your Majesty." Shen Nian had not expected such a promise and quickly expressed his gratitude.
Qi Junmu gave a noncommittal "Mm" and naturally changed the subject: "I have thought long and hard about whom to send to the West Frontier. There is a man by your side named Cheng Jin—I would like him to go along."
"Cheng Jin?" Shen Nian was surprised. "Why would Your Majesty think of him?"
Qi Junmu thought to himself, Why else—naturally, I can think of him. In the previous life, after Shen Nian left the capital, Cheng Jin returned to the North Frontier.
There, he rendered considerable service, and aside from being overly blunt in speech, he was a man of both courage and strategy.
Most importantly, who does not know that Cheng Jin is one of Shen Nian's men? Sending him to the West Frontier would give the court all the more to talk about.
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