Volume One, Chapter 11: You Must Go Today

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“Your Majesty, this is the method Master Su used to brew tea that day. Wan’er learned it then and now presents it for Your Majesty’s appreciation!” Shangguan Wan’er said with a hint of sourness in her voice.

Once, I, Shangguan Wan’er, had spent three or four years painstakingly elevating my tea-brewing skills to become the finest in the Da Qian realm. Yet today, the Su household’s visit was a direct slap in the face, dealt by none other than Su Chen himself. I felt a pang of discomfort deep within.

Only today did Wan’er realize that brewing tea is far superior to boiling it.

It turns out, to craft a cup of tea with a lasting aftertaste, one need not add scallions, ginger, star anise, or a host of other seasonings. Simply pouring boiling water to awaken the tea’s inherent fragrance suffices.

Just by steeping the tea in hot water, its flavor rivals the sweetest dew from heaven, its aroma surpasses the rarest of herbs, leaving one endlessly savoring its taste.

“Well done, Wan’er,” Empress Wu Zetian said, smiling faintly as she gazed upon the amber-colored tea, nearly identical to that from the Su household.

“Hmph, Su Chen, I owe you thanks this time for teaching Wan’er such a tea-making method. Without you, I might never have tasted tea with such a profound aftertaste!”

Yet, the Empress had just taken a sip when a slight frown crept upon her brow.

Shangguan Wan’er immediately noticed—how could she miss the subtle furrowing of the Empress’s brow?

“Your Majesty, was Wan’er’s tea not brewed well?” she asked hesitantly.

Though Wan’er’s grandfather, Shangguan Yi, hailed from an official family, her early years were far from fortunate. Because her grandfather was disgraced, she was sent to the inner palace with her mother and even branded on her forehead—a mark concealed beneath her signature bangs.

However, after gaining Empress Wu Zetian’s favor, Wan’er swiftly shed her lowly status, though the scar on her forehead remained.

“Wan’er, come taste it yourself,” the Empress said without elaboration.

Wan’er hurriedly poured herself a cup and sipped gently.

But that single sip revealed a subtle difference. Although the taste wasn’t worlds apart from the tea she’d had at the Su estate, something was just slightly off—an elusive flaw that kept the chrysanthemum’s fragrance from reaching its peak.

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“Wan’er’s tea skills are inadequate; please punish me, Your Majesty!” Wan’er quickly apologized, admitting no shame in being outdone; indeed, Su Chen’s tea was superior.

Yet what puzzled Wan’er was that she had brewed the tea using Su Chen’s exact method, even more meticulously than he had, but the flavor was still lacking.

“Wan’er, don’t blame yourself. Su Chen truly has talent,” Empress Wu said without reproach. As the foremost tea master of Da Qian, Wan’er’s chrysanthemum tea was by no means poor—simply lacking a subtle finesse compared to Su Chen’s brew.

“Your Majesty, there is something I hesitate to say,” Wan’er said reluctantly.

“Speak freely, Wan’er,” the Empress urged, her gaze steady.

Though Wan’er was one of her most trusted confidantes, hearing Su Chen’s inner thoughts today stirred something within the eternal Empress—who knew what truly lay beneath the surface of others? Without hearing Su Chen’s thoughts, she might never have guessed his true nature.

“It’s a pity I can only hear Su Chen’s thoughts,” Wu Zetian mused regretfully. If only she could listen to others’ minds, or choose whose voice to hear, governing Da Qian would be effortless. Who then could deceive her?

“Your Majesty seems quite fond of Master Su. Forgive my rudeness, but I fail to see what merits him beyond his tea-brewing,” Wan’er said, puzzled. Su Chen’s conduct today was unremarkable, even immature—a careless younger brother type. Yet the Empress’s attention to him was unmistakable.

“That matter involves other considerations. Su Chen is no ordinary man; appearances can be deceiving,” Wu Zetian replied lightly but said no more. The secret of hearing thoughts was known only to heaven, earth, and the Empress herself—she intended to keep it that way.

“Yes, Wan’er understands,” Wan’er bowed once more.

Though the Empress left much unsaid, Wan’er grasped one thing clearly: from now on, the Su brothers, Su Chen and Su Zhongwen, were destined to soar.

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The next morning, at the Su residence—

“Su Chen, get up at once! Today you must report to the Inner Academy. Hurry and get up!” Su Zhongwen shook him vigorously on the grand rosewood bed.

After the Empress’s instruction yesterday, Su Zhongwen had resolved to be strict. No matter what, even if the sky fell, he would shape Su Chen into a pillar of Da Qian!

Knowing Su Chen’s lazy nature, he didn’t expect anyone else to rouse him. This morning, he took matters into his own hands, determined to drag him to the Inner Academy.

“Mmm, brother, why the rush so early? Isn’t sleeping nice?” Su Chen mumbled, barely awake, opening his eyes to see his brother’s chubby, lively face right before him. Three-quarters of his drowsiness vanished instantly.

“Good heavens, where did this fat pig come from?” he grumbled.

“Still sleeping? The sun's already up, and you’re not moving? The Empress personally ordered you to register at the Inner Academy yesterday. Do you intend to defy her?” Su Zhongwen said sternly. The Imperial Academy was the official institution of Da Qian, not open to just anyone.

Wu Zetian’s direct command for Su Chen to attend was a rare honor, a promotion beyond all precedent.

“Get up! No more sleeping. Today, I’ll personally take you to the Academy!” Su Zhongwen was unmoved. For the honor of the Su family and for his own ideals, whether Su Chen wanted to go or not, he would attend the Academy.

He simply must.