Chapter Text
The entirety of the Cang Qiong Empire was in an uproar. Why? You may ask. Well, word had spread that the Emperor, Yue Qingyuan, had left the Tian Yi Empire with a bride. Of course, it was a marriage of convenience, but the bride was none other than Shen Yuan, the beauty of Tian Yi. There was not a more coveted man in terms of marriage in the empire.
Shen Yuan was as controversial as he was beautiful. There were rumors surrounding his true nature. People were divided into two when asked about Shen Yuan. One group would claim that he was an angel sent by the heavens and the other group would claim that it was all an act. Of course, there was no way of confirming anything, but here’s the thing about rumors: the morbid curiosity of humans is what drives rumors, and therefore, bad rumors have a greater chance of getting around. No one wants to know about what good was happening in someone’s life anyway! Deaths, humiliation, execution, arrests, and accusations, were the things that people wanted to hear about.
So, Shen Yuan was quite controversial, though without a doubt you would find many more who would bad-mouth the young prince than praise him. Another thing that had become the center of gossip in the public plazas and brothels, was the fact that Shen Yuan was young. Very young. However, it was universally accepted that Yue Qingyuan was a righteous emperor, and would never deflower a boy who had not even had his coming-of-age celebration yet.
The Cang Qiong empire needed extra trade routes, thus they had wanted to set up an alliance with the Tian Yi empire. They were the most neutral nation and were most likely to give them the trade routes. The meeting had gone well, but Tian Yi was more traditional in their ways of alliance making and offered marriage as a probable solution. Yue Qingyuan, desperate for the trade routes, agreed.
Shen Yuan, in the simplest terms, had both beauty and power.
He was the eighteenth prince, the youngest among the royal offsprings, hence he had no real chance of ever becoming the emperor. However, he was the fifth child of the empress. Though he could never become emperor, his being the empress's child still held a lot of weight.
No wonder he was the most coveted man in the empire!
However, being the overall eighteenth prince, youngest, and the fifth child of the empress, his power was considerably lower than that of his siblings’. Shen Yuan knew that he would be married off one day, and that day had now arrived.
He was infinitely grateful for the husband his parents had chosen. He was never one to trust rumors, but how could a person have no bad rumors about them unless they were truly a saint? Even Shen Yuan, who always tried to remain kind, had endless bad rumors about him being transferred from ear to ear. The only reason he could come up with was that Yue Qingyuan was as righteous as people claimed (Or just that enamored by the empress, but most people refused to believe that.)
It was also common knowledge that all other concubines in the emperor’s imperial harem were marriages of convenience. The court life in Cang Qiong was rather peaceful, save for some tiny conflicts here and there that would always be resolved easily.
The empress did have bad rumors around him, but Shen Yuan did not care. No rumors were claiming that he would harass people in the harem, and that was enough for him. Living the rest of his life in the concubines’ assigned quarters, without any drama, was what he wanted.
But of course, the world could never have such mercy on him.
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Yue Qingyuan smiled as he stared at his newly wedded concubine. The boy had such an awe-struck expression while staring out the carriage window, that he couldn’t help but smile.
The boy in front of him was indeed as beautiful as the rumors claimed. He was dressed in beautiful red robes, with black long straight hair neatly coiffured to reveal a bony, bright face. A mesh white veil fell from the crown on his head to his waist, complimenting the veil that adorned his face. Glittering green eyes, set high on his face, watched yearningly as various scenes outside the window passed by.
Truly, an ethereal sight, but it did not change the fact that he was young, and that showed on his face.
“What are you thinking?” Yue Qingyuan asked, breaking the comfortable silence in the carriage.
Shen Yuan turned around and smiled, his eyes sparkling with wonder, “Everything is so beautiful” he whispered, as though he could not believe how incredible the sight was. Yue Qingyuan had seen this same scene hundreds of times, but he agreed that Cang Qiong with its endless bamboo forests, wildlife, and plants, was indeed very beautiful.
“It is. Have you never been to Cang Qiong?”
“No… It looks wonderful though.” Shen Yuan’s smile was so innocent and so full of joy that Yue Qingyuan had to pause. It hurt to have to marry someone who was barely an adult like this (The boy hadn’t even had his coming-of-age ceremony yet for heavens’ sake). He would have been so happy to travel the world, and yet this child had been groomed all his life to be married off and to someday fight for his life in an imperial harem.
Yue Qingyuan had only agreed to marry Shen Yuan, as after meeting him, he became afraid of what would happen to the adorable boy if he was married to another emperor. Some emperors married boys or girls as young as 13, and it disgusted Yue Qingyuan to no end. He knew that marrying a young man like Shen Yuan would raise some bad rumors about his morals, but he was willing to take that risk.
Shen Yuan’s light need not be dimmed. Not yet.
Shen Yuan was, no doubt, aware of the horrors that often ensued in imperial harems. Still, if he could protect this child from even a fraction of the situations that could threaten his everyday life, Yue Qingyuan would be satisfied.
He chuckled and asked another question, “what else are you excited about?”
Shen Yuan looked down sheepishly. “It’s alright, you can tell me.” Yue Qingyuan coaxed him.
“… I wish to meet his majesty…”
Yue Qingyuan paused again. That was a strange request. (He was aware of his empress’s bad reputation)
He must have been staring for too long because Shen Yuan soon started mumbling out apologies, “I apologize if I have overstepped my bounds, I just…”
“Just?”
“Well, I enjoy literature. I had planned to become a scholar, but…” he trailed off.
“Anyway,” he continued, “I have heard that his majesty was a scholar…”
Ah, finally Yue Qingyuan understood the request.
He smiled fondly, “That is certainly doable, do you have any other requests?”
Shen Yuan was startled, “really? Then… well…”
Yue Qingyuan asked him gently, “yes? What is it?” (They would work on his confidence later.)
“If possible – if, that is – I would also like to meet concubine Liu Qingge.”
That was another strange request. Under Yue Qingyuan’s inquisitive stare Shen Yuan rushed to explain, “Ah, I am also interested in cultivation… I heard that in Concubine Liu Qingge’s hometown, they call him the war god.”
“It sounds like you are more interested in my partners than in me” Yue Qingyuan teased.
It was adorable seeing Shen Yuan stumbling over his words to try and correct himself, “oh- no- that’s not what-“
“Calm down, A-Yuan. I am only teasing.”
“O-oh” He blushed and looked out the window once again.