After failing the imperial examination for the first time, Shen Han felt too ashamed to go to Yuezhou to propose to Bao Se. Although Bao Se and her mother had previously assured him that they would not look down on him regardless of the outcome—and even if he did not attain an official rank, he could return to take over the family business—he had studied diligently for many years and could not bear the thought of abandoning his scholarly pursuits for the rest of his life, mingling among merchants. Whenever he thought of Bao Se, her charming smile would come to mind, and he would silently vow to one day adorn her with hairpins and a ceremonial robe to match her delicate beauty. How could he bear to let her youth continue to be worn away by the smoke and dust of daily toil?
Thus, he resolved to regroup and prepare for the next imperial examination, determined to pass as a presented scholar before having the face to return and marry Bao Se. Because of his failure, he was mocked and bullied by local bullies. Knowing that the Pei family would eventually come to Mingzhou to look for him if he did not return for long, he feared they would be implicated by his troubles. So, he moved with his mother to the countryside, both to avoid being found and to study in peace.
After years of relentless study—tying his hair to the beam and pricking his thigh with an awl to stay awake—he finally achieved his dream and passed the examination with honors. Elated, he returned to Yuezhou to see Bao Se, only to learn that she had entered the palace as a palace attendant... Yet he still held onto hope, striving to advance in his career so he could soon take up an official post in Lin’an and seek an opportunity to meet her. He firmly believed that though Penglai Mountain was far away, as long as their hearts remained unchanged, they would eventually reunite.
Just as he had anticipated, they met several times in Lin’an and confirmed their unwavering devotion to each other. They agreed to find the right opportunity to explain their situation to The Emperor and ask for his blessing. Finally, one night while he was on duty at the Hanlin Academy, a eunuch delivered The Emperor’s decree, summoning him to an audience at the Hall of Blessing and Tranquility. This was the opportunity he had long awaited. In the quiet of the night, after discussing official matters with The Emperor, perhaps His Majesty would be interested in hearing his story with Bao Se.
But when he arrived before the Hall of Blessing and Tranquility, he saw a young palace attendant hurriedly emerge, turning back to close the door with a slightly flustered expression. He stepped forward and bowed, requesting an audience with The Emperor. The young palace attendant returned the courtesy and said that The Emperor was still drinking, asking Hanlin academician Shen to wait a moment before quickly departing.
He waited for a long time. Alone, he paced in the cold, desolate night breeze, watching the flickering candlelight inside the hall and the occasional silhouette of a woman’s hairpin passing by the window lattice, while the door remained firmly shut.
He asked a eunuch serving outside the hall to go in and inquire whether The Emperor would grant him an audience. The eunuch entered as instructed and soon emerged, also carefully closing the door behind him, then bowed to Shen Han and said, “His Majesty is somewhat intoxicated, and a palace attendant is still attending to him. Once the attendant has settled matters, Hanlin academician will be invited inside.”
Recalling the somewhat familiar silhouette of a woman on the window lattice, a few threads of suspicion began to stir in his heart, like the bare branches of a paulownia tree shedding their leaves, casting stark black shadows on the ground that seemed to grow under the moonlight.
“Esteemed eunuch, could you tell me, which palace attendant is serving inside the hall...?” he finally couldn’t help but ask, his voice trembling slightly despite his attempt to remain composed.
“Director of Palace Catering, Pei,” the eunuch replied.
Receiving this answer—which he had guessed but did not want to hear—he froze. After a long moment without a response from him, the eunuch respectfully bowed again and retreated to his post outside the hall.
Silently standing in the courtyard at midnight, it felt as though two voices were conversing within him:
“If attending to an intoxicated emperor, wouldn’t two palace attendants be better? Why did the young palace attendant leave, leaving only Bao Se inside?”
“Perhaps the young palace attendant’s service displeased His Majesty, and he did not allow her to stay?”"Then why was she in such a hurry, looking so frightened, and still remembered to close the door? Whenever a scholar on night duty is summoned for an audience, the palace doors are always left open."
"...Tonight is cold and windy, what harm is there in closing the door?"
Suddenly, he felt a wave of self-contempt for suspecting the noble with a petty mind: The Emperor is diligent in governance and dislikes indulgence—how could he summon him only to leave him outside while amusing himself with a palace attendant? Besides, Bao Se cares deeply for him—how could she willingly accept the Emperor's favor?
Once he reasoned this through, his spirits lifted. He began pacing briskly in the courtyard, rubbing his hands together and blowing on them for warmth, the furrow in his brow gradually easing.
The eunuch guarding the door heard the movement and turned to him, speaking kindly, "If the Hanlin academician feels cold, perhaps you could return to the Hanlin Academy to fetch an extra layer of clothing before coming back."
He shook his head. "No need. His Majesty should summon me for an audience soon. I must not leave."
Yet, as he waited and waited, the palace doors remained shut. When he noticed that the candlelight inside the hall had been extinguished—by whom, he did not know—he felt as though he had plunged into an abyss. The fragile hope he had been clinging to seemed to vanish like the snuffed-out candle flame.
"Perhaps... perhaps His Majesty is merely drunk, and Bao Se is helping him rest..." he tried to explain to himself.
Another part of him coldly retorted, "If that were the case, wouldn't Bao Se have come out to explain to you?"
"Maybe Bao Se is attending to His Majesty outside the bed curtains and cannot leave..."
"Bao Se's duty is only to serve His Majesty's meals. For nighttime matters, there are dedicated palace attendants. There is no reason for her to remain in His Majesty's bedchamber."
It felt as though an icicle had pierced his heart—sharp, cold, and painful. He stopped pacing and stood rigidly, his gaze fixed on the window where no light now shone.
"Academician Shen, it seems His Majesty has retired. Perhaps you should return for now? If His Majesty awakens, I will send word to the Hanlin Academy," the eunuch suggested cautiously, noticing his troubled expression.
He seemed not to hear and offered no reply.
The eunuch asked once more but, receiving only silence, said nothing further and allowed him to remain standing in the wind and dew.
Holding his breath, he strained to listen for any sound from within the hall. He heard the night wind rustling the curtains beneath the corridor eaves, the dry leaves rolling over the jade steps before the hall, the faint, distant sound of the water clock marking the hours, and even the soft drip of dew sliding from the blades of grass growing between the cracks in the green bricks at his feet. But he heard nothing—no sound at all—from inside the hall.
She would not be willing, he thought. She would voice her resistance or weep in distress.
Yet there was nothing. Not a sound.
"She is but a delicate woman. What can she do when faced with the supreme emperor?" he tried to console himself. "Whatever happens, even if it is against her will, she can only accept it silently. Fate plays cruel tricks—it is not her fault, not her fault..."
He began to wonder whether, when he next saw her, he should comfort her and reaffirm his feelings, or avoid the subject entirely and pretend to know nothing. Yet, his heart felt as though it were bleeding, unable to suppress the waves of pain that surged forth. Trembling, he walked to the steps before the palace doors, turned his back to them, and slumped down.
Forcing himself to think no more of the matter, he lifted his gaze forward, attempting to distract himself by counting the leaves falling from the paulownia tree.
One, two, three... sixty-nine, ninety, ninety-one, ninety-two... one hundred and one, one hundred and two, one hundred and twenty... Ah, how is she?
At dawn, the bedchamber doors opened from within, and Bao Se, whom he had worried about all night, finally emerged.
He nearly leaped to his feet, immediately straightening his attire. As she looked toward him, he bowed deeply in greeting.She walked silently and slowly to his side. Before the hem of her skirt drifted into his downcast line of sight, he first caught a whiff of fragrance—a blend of cypress, borneol, and sandalwood.
As she approached him, the scent grew more distinct, clearly emanating from her.
Yet this fragrance was steady and cool, more commonly used by men, not the kind found in women's chambers. Moreover, as a palace attendant in the Directorate of Palace Catering, she had always avoided perfuming her clothes to prevent interfering with the scents of food.
So, this fragrance was... He raised his head sorrowfully, expecting to meet her tear-filled eyes, but instead, what greeted him was her smile—half joyful, half shy.
Meeting his gaze for a moment, a blush spread across her cheeks, deepening her shyness. She lowered her head slightly, her lips moving as if she wanted to say something.
Was she trying to explain, or perhaps conceal? Shen Han’s heart ached, and he thought desolately, There’s no need to say anything. I will explain and conceal for you in my heart.
But it seemed he had overthought it. In the end, she said nothing. She gathered her sleeves in a respectful bow, brushed past him, and hurried away, lost in thought. She even forgot to notify him to enter the hall to see the Emperor. In the end, it was the palace attendant guarding the door who relayed the message, and only then did the Emperor summon him inside.
There was no court assembly that day, so the Emperor remained in his bedchamber in the morning. Apart from slightly dark circles under his eyes, the Emperor appeared in good spirits, as calm and composed as ever. After Shen Han paid his respects, the Emperor granted him a seat and chatted idly with him, not mentioning the drafting of the edict for quite some time.
Unable to contain himself, Shen Han leaned forward and asked, "Your Majesty summoned me last night. Was it to entrust me with drafting an edict?"
"Oh, I originally intended to ask you to draft the edict, but upon further reflection, the details still require deliberation. There’s no rush to announce it within a day or two, and we must also wait to calculate an auspicious date..." the Emperor explained casually, but Shen Han’s heart sank. He forced a smile and said, "It seems what Your Majesty intends to announce to the world is a joyous matter."
"Hmm," the Emperor affirmed briefly, his expression unchanged.
The Emperor said no more, but at that moment, a middle-aged woman entered carrying a box of wedding cakes, asking the Emperor to taste and choose among them, further indicating that there would be a joyous event in the palace.
From the announcement by the palace attendant outside the door, Shen Han learned that this woman was Lady Liu, the Director of Palace Food, deeply trusted by the Emperor.
Liu Shangshi took out the wedding cakes one by one from the food box, displaying them to the Emperor. She said, "These were just made by your humble servant. Please, Your Majesty, take a look and taste them to see if the patterns and flavors are appropriate. Once Your Majesty has made a selection, I will instruct the imperial chefs to prepare them for Your Majesty to bestow upon the officials."
The wedding cakes were all pastries imprinted with auspicious patterns such as dragons and phoenixes, peonies, and ruyi clouds on the surface. The Emperor picked a few to examine and said, "They are all quite good. Perhaps we could also make some round joy cakes using Chinese quince, glutinous rice flour, and sugar, coat them in syrup, and sprinkle some dried osmanthus flowers. The red and yellow colors are festive, the name suits the occasion, the taste is good, and she likes them too."
Liu Shangshi bowed her head in acknowledgment of the order. The Emperor glanced at Shen Han, who was still silently listening nearby, and explained with a smile, "It has been a long time since there was a joyous event in the palace. This one must be handled with care."
She likes them too, she likes them too... Shen Han repeated this phrase silently in his heart, thinking to himself that round joy cakes seemed to be a delicacy from the capital. In the past, in Yuezhou, he had never seen her eat them. Presumably, she had developed a taste for them after entering the palace and serving the Emperor’s meals, following his preferences.
He couldn’t help but feel an inexplicable pang of bitterness. In a daze, an overstepping question slipped from his lips: "Is she... willing?"The Emperor looked at him in surprise, as if he had asked the most inconceivable question in the world. After a long while, he lowered his gaze and said, "Willing. Such a wonderful thing—how could she be unwilling?"
Shen Han couldn't help but let out a wry smile, mocking himself: Indeed, what woman in the world would refuse to become a consort? Moreover, the Emperor himself was a graceful young man in his twenties.
He stole a glance at the Emperor, and the more he looked, the more he felt that the Emperor was exceptionally handsome and elegant, with a noble bearing that he himself could not compare to.
"You have waited through the night, and it has been hard on you. Return home early to rest," the Emperor said kindly.
"Does Your Majesty have any further edicts that require this humble official to draft?" Shen Han asked with a slight bow.
The Emperor shook his head. "No more. If there are any later, let the next scholar on duty draft them. You look weary—it is best to return and rest well."
Before Shen Han took his leave, the Emperor beckoned him closer and personally handed him the wedding pastries that Liu Shangshi had just presented. "These pastries are quite delicious. Take them back with you to enjoy."
In the Emperor's every gesture, Shen Han clearly caught the scent of cypress, borneol, and sandalwood wafting from his robes.
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