"There will be a banquet in your honour, Your Imperial Majesty. Please allow this humble lord to show you to our main house for dinner." The fat Lord Gong was smiling at his majesty the Emperor with an ingratiating look.
Du Fen was nervously sitting in the room with the man after he dressed himself following his bath. He had been shooting sideways glances at the Emperor since he had come into the room after his own bath.
"A moment more, Lord Gong. We are not finished combing Our hair." The Emperor told him as the Shadow Guard behind him ran the toothed comb to untangle the sheet of hair upon his back.
Another of the Shadow Guards had been helping Du Fen with his long hair as well, and they were just finishing with putting his hair back in a half bun on his head. The beautiful phoenix was sat upon it as a finishing touch.
The Emperor snuck a glance at the youth when he was distracted. He was glad that he had insisted on taking the boy his clothes personally. Only by chance had he not spoken out to announce his presence when he entered.
His mind drifted to the glorious sight that had met his gaze. He was sure it would haunt his dreams for many nights to come. His beautiful wifey had been so incredibly tempting as he stood in his bath.
The wet curtain of his hair had partially hidden that strong back and sumptuous backside, but the lithe figure that had pleasured himself was imprinted on his thoughts like a temptress. If not for the breathy calling of his name that had jostled him from his stupor, he might have been caught peeping on his bathing bride-to-be.
Internally he shivered as he remembered it. It was a good thought to him, knowing his wifey truly desired him. Even if the boy did not admit it. He smiled faintly and then got up from his seat, finished with his hair.
He wore his dragon robes that evening, as there was no point going incognito. He wasn't one to be hiding from one of his own minister's relatives, or pretending a humility he didn't possess.
"I have made all of our family's best recipes tonight for Your Imperial Majesty. Please take the seat of honour at the master's table." Lord Gong led him into the banquet room.
There was a table set aside for their guards, who were not men of low station themselves. When the jiggling man moved to sit next to the Emperor, however, the Emperor moved to stop him with not so little internal alarm.
"That seat is for Our bride-to-be." He told the man in no uncertain terms. The Lord stopped in surprise, and looked at the Lord Du next to him warily. There was obviously a seat for the Ger at the head mistress' table, with fine table settings and both of the Lord's wives waiting patiently.
"I... I thought to seat him with the ladies... Your Imperial Majesty. So that the menfolk can talk." He bowed awkwardly as Du Fen narrowed his eyes at him.
"You thought incorrectly. We prefer him to be seated with Us." The Emperor motioned for Du Fen to sit. He bowed slightly and did as he was bid, sitting next to his majesty at the small head table.
Lord Gong's face froze and he bowed and turned to sit with his own wives at the next table over instead. His head kept turning to look at them though, and he rose his voice to speak to the Emperor instead of conversing with his table.
"My daughters and their cousins will be serving you tonight. They are all very accomplished young ladies, Your Imperial Majesty. I would have them perform for you also. My eldest shall be dancing to start." The man told him as serving dishes of food began to be brought out from the kitchens.
"Your meal, Your Imperial Majesty." A rather buxom young lady smiled at him and set dishes upon the table. "Shall I serve you?"
"Tsk." Du Fen shook his head and then proceeded to sample each dish that was placed on the table, much to the alarm of the young woman.
"What are you doing? His Majesty should eat first." She said petulantly. Du Fen glared at her.
"His Majesty cannot eat first. You have failed to test the dishes for him before offering him some. Are you so ignorant of protocol?" He scorned the young lady, who then blushed red in embarrassment.
"You also should not have eaten first, Lord Du. You are Our bride-to-be after all. Lord Gong, please send over a servant to taste the plates before us as they are served. It would seem there has been an oversight." The Emperor managed to barely hold his impassive face as the farce played out before him.
"It is fine. I think you will like these two dishes, Your Majesty." He replied somewhat carelessly. He served the Emperor the two dishes with an air of certainty, much to the shock of those present.
"Thank you, Lord Du." The Emperor picked up his chopsticks and tried the food placed before him. It was fairly good, and surprisingly to his taste. "Yes, We do like these."
Du Fen was satisfied with the Emperor's response and smiled as he served himself some sweeter dishes of chicken and roast duck. During his lapse in attention however, yet another loose robed girl came forward.
"May I offer His Imperial Majesty some wine?" She asked in a sweet voice. She poured a cup and took a small sip of it before offing it to the Emperor. Du Fen hissed in a breath with rage, but managed to hold his tongue.
"Take the cup away, and leave the bottle. We refuse to drink from that now. It is not Ours." The Emperor glared at the girl who now trembled unaware of her misstep.
"Are you not aware that drinking from the Emperor's cup without permission is forbidden?" One of the Shadow Guards scoffed at her.
"Trying to trap a royal into wedlock is treason, girl. Be grateful you still have your head." The Captain sneered at her. She looked shocked and looked back and forth from her father to the Emperor.
"But... what did I do?" She asked in a small voice. Du Fen sniffed at her ignorance.
"Drinking from the Emperor's cup is the same as declaring yourself his concubine or wife. You have some nerve doing so in front of his bride-to-be. Go sit down before you embarrass your father further." The Captain told her with a harsh tone.
"It cannot be as bad as that, Your Imperial Majesty. Although she is ignorant, she is a very lovely girl. Don't you think? Perhaps your Ger can find a few ladies in waiting here that would suit Your Imperial Highness, if she is not to your taste." The fat Lord said with a flippant air.
"I would never bring ignorance into the palace where it might harm the reputation of the crown, be it knowingly or not." Du Fen replied coldly. The Emperor smiled internally to himself, rather pleased that his wifey sounded a tad jealous and protective.
"It must be difficult though for His Imperial Majesty, being a regular man after all and not a cut sleeve*. It shows great forbearance that he is able to marry a man to satisfy his court." Lord Gong bowed slightly and seemed rather pleased with his supposed compliment.
The Emperor lowered his chopsticks slowly and turned to look at the fat man incredulously. The Lord realised that he was being looked at strangely and looked about him in distress.
"You may, of course, satisfy yourself with any of the ladies in the house that take your fancy, Your Imperial Majesty. I know a real man such as yourself may need to relieve himself with the gentler sex now and then." He nodded and puffed up in pride as he thought of his beautiful family members.
"Lord Du, I am afraid we will not be able to stay here overnight. I am sorry, as I know you are exhausted from sleeping in tents on the road. However, I cannot stay beneath this roof another second." The Emperor dropped his fancy speech and took his bride-to-be's hand carefully in his.
Du Fen looked up with wide eyes at the doting gaze the Emperor had bestowed him in front of all these people. He nodded faintly and gulped as the man helped him to his feet and took his arm as they walked from the banquet hall.
The Emperor's guards, and his own guards followed behind them without a backwards glance at the fine foods and wine they were leaving behind. Suddenly they felt the meal was too sour to bear.
"Your... Your Majesty? Your Imperial Majesty? Is the food not to your liking? Do you want a different wine?" Lord Gong stuttered over his words and sweated in his panic as his guest of honour abruptly left his banquet hall.
"Your manners are not to my liking. You and your family are hereby banned from entering the capitol city until you adjust them appropriately. We recommend you hire someone to teach you what is permissible before you show your face to Us again." The Emperor intoned harshly.
Lord Gong paled and took a step back in horror.
1581
*Cut Sleeve - from folklore, a homosexual man. It was said that an Emperor had a male consort and one night he fell asleep upon the Emperor's arm. The Emperor had to leave but was loathe to wake his male lover, so he cut off his sleeve rather than disturb his consort's slumber. ( I find this very romantic tbh )