Outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation in the Zhou imperial palace, Wei Xun called out.
Xiao Mo's consciousness slipped free of the Hundred Lives Book. He opened his eyes and let out a long breath. "Come in."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Wei Xun answered, walked into the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and bowed with great deference. "This servant pays his respects to Your Majesty."
"What is it?" Xiao Mo said slowly, looking at Eunuch Wei.
"Reporting to Your Majesty," Wei Xun said, smiling, "the Empress Dowager summons you to dine with her."
Xiao Mo's brows knitted. "Did Mother say what it was about?"
"The Empress Dowager did not say, but..." Wei Xun's eyes shifted. "This servant guesses it must be about the selection of consorts."
"I understand. Have the carriage brought around."
Xiao Mo very much did not want to set foot outside, but there was no help for it. When the Empress Dowager invited him to dine and he declined, it was far too easy to be branded unfilial.
Even though she was not his birth mother and he was only an adopted heir, it made no difference at all.
"Yes... this servant will go and prepare the dragon carriage for Your Majesty."
"Wait." Xiao Mo stopped Wei Xun.
"What are Your Majesty's orders?"
"Clear out an empty plot somewhere in the palace—a remote, quiet spot—and set up all manner of Daoist ritual implements inside, peachwood swords and the like. I mean to raise an altar there and absorb the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth. No one is to enter. Understood?" Xiao Mo instructed.
"This servant will see to it at once."
"Go."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Wei Xun had no suspicions about any of this; he simply concluded that His Majesty had truly cultivated himself into an obsession, raising a ritual altar of all things...
Since ancient times, what emperor had ever raised a ritual altar inside his own palace?
In truth, Xiao Mo wanted to practice the Cursive Sword Formula. The altar was nothing but an excuse.
The Hall of Mental Cultivation was large, but practicing the Cursive Sword Formula indoors would never do.
Sword Qi would slash this and smash that; the racket would be far too great, and very likely draw Yan Shan'ao's attention.
But if he spent every day fiddling with an altar on the pretext of cultivating the Dao and practiced his swordplay there, Yan Shan'ao would never grow suspicious.
Yan Shan'ao would simply take His Majesty for utterly absurd, and feel all the safer about him.
Once his cultivation realm was about right, he would summon the man into the palace and find a chance to do away with him.
Before long, Xiao Mo arrived at Lingxin Palace in the dragon carriage.
"Your son pays his respects to Mother. Has Mother been well of late?"
Xiao Mo came before Empress Dowager Yan and bowed to her.
"Mother is very well indeed."
Empress Dowager Yan nodded with a smile, came down, took Xiao Mo's arm and settled him beside her, then patted his hand. "Mo'er, Mother has heard that you have been absorbed in cultivating the Dao lately, and that you even dress like a Daoist priest now. This will not do. You must devote your heart to affairs of state!"
"Mother worries too much. Chancellor Yan is a minister fit to govern an age; he keeps the court in perfect order from top to bottom, and there is no one who does not praise the Chancellor's sagacity. If even your son does not worry, Mother need not worry either."
Xiao Mo sang Yan Shan'ao's praises, every word against his own conscience.
In truth, the court was one reeking swamp from top to bottom: with Yan Shan'ao at its head, the officials banded into factions for private gain, purged anyone of a different view, and even sold offices and titles.
These days, Zhou was giving off a distinctly "eat dates, swallow pills" sort of air—sooner or later, it was done for.
Why was Yan Shan'ao so eager to find himself a backer in the Myriad Sword Sect?
Because the neighboring state of Yan watched Zhou like a tiger eyeing its prey. Yan Shan'ao was no fool; he knew exactly how badly Yan wanted to swallow Zhou whole.
"You..." Empress Dowager Yan sighed, her tone one of considerable helplessness.
In truth, Xiao Mo suspected Empress Dowager Yan was secretly delighted.
"Never mind, never mind. My younger brother may be a good-for-nothing, but he does have some ability. If Your Majesty wishes to cultivate the Dao, then cultivate." Empress Dowager Yan spoke with heavy earnestness. "But cultivate as you may, Your Majesty—the foundations of the state cannot be neglected."
"What does Mother mean?"
"The Chancellor has raised this with Your Majesty before: Your Majesty is no longer young and ought to be selecting consorts. The lists of eligible daughters from each of the great ministers have all been submitted."
"Mother looked them over. There are indeed fine young ladies from good families among those ministers, but somehow none of them quite took my fancy."
"The most suitable is still Yan Ruxue of the Yan clan."
"Your Majesty has surely heard of Ruxue's reputation as well."
"Naturally I have." Xiao Mo nodded. "Yan Ruxue is the foremost talented lady of our Great Zhou—widely read, versed in all things ancient and modern. Court ministers and common folk alike sing her praises."
As he spoke, it suddenly came back to Xiao Mo that he had named the little white snake "Ruxue" because of "Yan Ruxue"—he had thought the name sounded lovely and suited the little white snake, and so had unconsciously given it to her.
Hearing Xiao Mo praise Yan Ruxue, the corners of Empress Dowager Yan's lips curved upward:
"By the rites, the plan was originally to select ten young ladies of noble families to enter the palace as consorts, and after a year, Your Majesty would choose from among them the one of both talent and virtue to be empress."
"But I gave it some thought."
"Now that Your Majesty cultivates the Dao, you have no great store of energy to spare."
"Taking in so many consorts all at once would likely be bad for Your Majesty's health as well."
"And the state cannot go a single day without an empress."
"The rites are made by men."
"So I propose that we let Ruxue enter the palace first, to serve Your Majesty."
"With Ruxue's lineage and her name for talent, if she were empress of our Great Zhou, she would surely win the people over."
"Afterward, Ruxue can help Your Majesty manage the rear palace, and bring in other consorts for Your Majesty, filling it out."
"What does Your Majesty think?"
Xiao Mo knew perfectly well what Empress Dowager Yan was after.
Her original notion had probably been to hold a consort selection for him, bring her own Yan clanswoman Yan Ruxue in, and after a year maneuver her into the empress's seat.
But now she had decided that was too slow—and too risky.
What if some other woman wins his favor?
What if another consort conceives first?
And those other consorts would have backers of their own.
What if he joins hands with one of the other great houses?
So Empress Dowager Yan had turned it over and over, and settled on simply sending Yan Ruxue into the palace first, letting her get a firm grip on the empress's seat before anything else, lest trouble brew overnight.
As for this talk of "bringing in other women to fill out the rear palace," that would have to wait at the very least until Yan Ruxue had borne a prince.
It was not that Xiao Mo was in any hurry for "three thousand beauties in the rear palace."
It was the feeling of being held in their palms, of being reduced to nothing but their tool—that truly grated.
He was a puppet on a string, and nothing more.
"Your son has no objection whatsoever. If Ruxue enters the palace, I imagine I shall have that much less to fret over—and Ruxue can keep Mother company and reminisce about old times," Xiao Mo said respectfully.
"Good... good..."
The more Empress Dowager Yan saw how sensible Xiao Mo was, the fonder of him she grew.
"The elders of the Myriad Sword Sect have already arrived within our Zhou borders. The Myriad Sword Sect is the foremost sword sect under heaven; we must not be lax—we must entertain them well."
"When the Myriad Sword Sect's elders arrive, Ruxue will enter the palace and the grand ceremony of her investiture as empress will be held."
"It will be just the occasion for the Myriad Sword Sect's elders to join the celebration, and to behold the hospitality of our Great Zhou."
Xiao Mo lowered his head and said:
"Everything as Mother wishes."