The Moon in the Palace (The Empress of Bright Moon Duology) (22 page)

“Nonsense. Say what is in your mind!”

“It is better not to lie, and a man could always avoid it by keeping silent.” And if I must lie, I would lie only to my enemies, not to myself.

“Silent? I am asking you now.” He waved his arm, and beads of wine flew to my face. “Do you lie?”

There was fury in his voice, and I knew the fire would return if I did not comply. “It depends.”

He nodded. “This sounds more like you. Go on. Why do you lie?”

Because it was convenient and it provided protection, I wanted to tell him, but I said, “I don’t know, the One Above All. I only know that truth does not die, and we can’t live without it.”

He shook his head. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes, the One Above All.”

“When you’re older, you will know not to talk to your emperor like this.”

“Yes, the One Above All.”

“We always lie. We lie to our servants, we lie to friends, we lie to enemies, and we lie to ourselves. Lies are like this jug of wine. We drink it constantly to keep our essence and to fight. Who daresay it’s not good for health?” He raised the jug. A drop of wine fell on a candle, and the flame spluttered. He did not seem to notice. “And truth, who cares?”

I did not know what to answer.

“If we lie well, if we get everyone to agree to it, if we lie until our death, if we lie for a hundred years, would you not say the lies are the truth?”

That argument sounded perverted, and I did not like it, but I had to agree. Truth had value only when people cared to know, but if people were fooled for centuries, if they thought they knew, who would ask to hear the truth? Likewise, if a person pretended for his whole life, putting on a kind face and hiding his darkest secrets until his death, would people not think they had known the kind person all along?

“The hard part would be the moment when you awake from wine. Then you see his eyes.” He pointed at no one in particular. “His dead eyes.”

He froze, his head cocked to one side, his eyes distant. It looked as though he was lost in an old memory. There was sadness—yes, I was certain of it—in his eyes, and his mouth twitched as though he could not bear the pain of it, as though he were about to cry. Then he punched the air, and his face changed. There was no sadness, only hardness and coldness spreading over his face like a mask.

“But he punishes me. He is trying to make me weak! It’s him! I know it’s him!” he bellowed. “He stares at me. He even calls out my name. ‘Shimin, Shimin.’ How many years have passed? I don’t remember, but I remember the truth I made.” He stabbed his chest. “My truth, and everyone believes in it.”

I was confused. So confused. What was he talking about? Whom was he talking about?

“Do not lie to your emperor.”

“Never, the One Above All.”

“Liars, all of you.” He drank more. “I did what was necessary. He couldn’t blame it on me. He deserved it. He would have done the same. What can he do now? He’s dead! What harm can he do to me? He was no brother of mine. No, not anymore.”

His brother. The heir who was supposed to inherit the throne? Emperor Gaozu had three sons. The oldest son, Li Jiancheng, was the heir to the throne, but he died, and the youngest son died as well, leaving only the Emperor to inherit the throne.

The Emperor rose. The hem of his night trousers licked the flames. I gasped and dashed to smother the fire.

He swirled around. “What is it?”

“The flame—”

He staggered backward, his head turning left and right. “Where? Do you see him? I know he’s here. I know it!”

His voice changed again. It was cracked, broken, like a bone fractured under pressure. “Tell him to leave. This is my bedchamber. Tell him to leave. He’s screaming at me. Do you hear him?”

He was shivering. He looked frightened. I was alarmed. “No…the One Above All…I don’t hear anything.”

The flame caught the hem of his robe. I was about to cry out, warning him, when he dropped to his feet, smothering the flame. “You’re lying,” he said. Smoke drifted near his feet, and he buried his head between his knees. “You hear him. He mocks me, threatens me. ‘Sooner or later,’ he says, ‘sooner or later, Shimin…’”

I did not know what to make of it, and how swiftly his mood had changed. “I…I’ll get more candles.”

“Go. Go. Get out!”

I could not move. I had come to bed him, but he did not seem interested, and he was angry at me.

“No. Stay. Don’t leave.” He lay down on the floor. “Don’t leave.”

Relieved, I went back to the candles. He mumbled, waving his hands. Finally he quieted, and with his feet curled up, his arms tucked close to his chest, he fell asleep. I waited for a moment and then gingerly took the broken candle near his feet and put it on a table. Then I sat, hugging my knees.

The candle’s light glowed. It lit up the bedchamber, creating a bright ring of light, like the shining edge of the sun near eclipse, and inside the ring, darkness had spread to swallow the Emperor.

I could not understand what had happened to him or why he was so tormented. But he needed me. I was still his favorite, and that was good enough.

the
Sixteenth Year
of
Emperor Taizong’s Reign
of
Peaceful Prospect

WINTER

Finally! Secretary Fang gave the Emperor the report of his search for Mother.

The Gold Bird Guards had pasted many bulletins in the capital, and in a month’s time, they had received many messages regarding Mother, the Secretary said carefully. But it turned out people had misidentified Mother and most information was false, and all the clues led to nothing. It was his belief that because she had disappeared too many months ago, all traces of her had been lost. He paused and said no more, but from the way he bowed, I could sense what he was thinking—Mother was dead, and we might never find out what happened to her.

I wept, but I implored the Emperor to keep searching. Mother was still alive. I could feel her. And I would never give up on her.

• • •

A few days later, I came to the Audience Hall again.

“The One Above All.” Secretary Fang, in his purple robe, spoke first. “Forgive me that I must bring up this subject again. It has been more than four years since our beloved Empress Wende’s passing. The people are eager to pay their respects to the next empress, whose grace shall bring fortune to our kingdom.” I peeked farther out around the screen shielding the men. The Secretary had a square face and short legs. He was a taciturn man and frowned perpetually, as if he were unhappy in the court.

My heart raced faster when I realized what he was going to say next—his proposal for the new Empress. His strategy made sense. If the lady he suggested became the Empress, he would gain great control and fortune in the court.

“Let me restate this. Until another son is born, there will be no Empress.” The Emperor waved.

So the rumor was true. The Emperor considered it a punishment from Heaven that he had begotten no son after the Empress’s death.

The ministers near the Secretary shook their heads in disappointment. I moved near the screen so I could see their faces behind their ivory tablets. I wondered who they would ally with. With the Pure Lady’s son in exile, she was in disgrace, and none of them would support her. Then Secretary Fang had to ally with one of the three other Ladies or Jewel. But the Secretary did not know Jewel very well, so she would not be a likely choice. Perhaps he wanted the Noble Lady. The thought gave me great hope, and I was happy for her.

I was sad too. None of them would speak for me.

“I beg the One Above All to reconsider.” The Uncle, holding his ivory tablet, stepped next to the Secretary. “A kingdom without an heir can’t prosper, and likewise, the palace without an empress won’t have peace.” His voice was loud, assured, and full of authority.

“The One Above All.” The Duke came in front of the throne. “I beg to differ. The matter is of utmost importance, and we must not decide on impulse. The candidate for the crown must meet many conditions, such as family background of nobility, her pedigree, her title, and the number of children to whom she gives birth. Although it has been a while since the Empress’s death, sufficient time and careful examination are needed in order to make a proper evaluation.”

I was not surprised. The Duke did not want a new Empress, because the late Empress had been his sister. Anyone who replaced her would reduce his power and influence in the court.

“This is only your excuse.” The Uncle pointed his cane at the Duke accusatorily. “You will bring our kingdom to ruin, and your selfish ambition will bring our people to ruin! I only hope the One Above All will see that—”

“I did not ask for your tirade, Uncle.” The Emperor’s voice was threaded with warning.

The Uncle’s face turned red. It was the first time I had heard the Emperor openly reprimand him to side with the Duke.

After a moment of silence, the Secretary bowed again. “If I may be allowed to speak, the One Above All.” He cleared his throat. “By the glory of the One Above All, there is a woman who meets all your criteria. With her impeccable nobility, her pedigree, and her title, she has captured the heart of our Emperor and will make the whole kingdom rejoice.”

The Duke raised his head. “My esteemed Secretary, I am afraid there is no such woman.”

The Emperor looked interested. He leaned forward. “Let me hear you, Secretary. Whom do you suggest?”

I held my breath. Did he support the Noble Lady?

“I suggest no one other than the Lady-in-Waiting, whose wit has stunned those of us who have a chance to know her, our Most Adored.”

Jewel.

I froze. What had she done to win his support? But how clever she was. Being a third-degree lady and still Most Adored, she had enough of the Emperor’s affection and support to get what she wanted. And she had seized her chance to climb further since her former ally, the Pure Lady, was out of the picture.

“Ah.” The Emperor nodded, his fingers drumming the throne’s armrest.

I could not listen. Would he agree?

The Duke laughed. “Secretary, have you checked? She has borne no son.”

“She’s still in her twenties, young and fertile. She has plenty of time.”

“What about the order of ranks and seniority? How can a third-degree lady surpass the second-degree ladies to become an empress?” That was ironic. I had never liked the Duke, but it seemed he was helping me.

“Are you suggesting that the One Above All must bow to the boundary he created, and he can’t choose his favorite woman as his chief wife?”

“I’m concerned only that such an endeavor will subvert the social order and tradition we have so valued for hundreds of years!”

The Emperor held up his hand. “What are your thoughts, Grand Chancellor?”

I searched for the hunchbacked man, Wei Zheng. He had helped me when the Duke accused me after the assassination attempt, and the Pure Lady had sought his support once. He was undoubtedly an important man.

“May I suggest—” The Uncle stepped forward.

“I’m asking the Chancellor.” The Emperor did not look in his direction.

The Uncle breathed hard. He looked humiliated. A few ministers glanced at him from behind their ivory tablets.

“Chancellor?”

“I read the signs on the chart today.” The hunchbacked man seemed more bent. “Today is not a good day to discuss domestic affairs.”

“Well, then.” The Emperor straightened. “We shall devote the rest of the morning to discussing foreign affairs.”

I went to sit in a corner. I had to tell the Noble Lady of the Secretary’s proposal. How had Jewel won such support from a powerful ally? And most importantly, what should I do now?

After the Emperor finished the audience, we headed back to the Inner Court. I finished my midday meal quickly and went to the Noble Lady’s bedchamber.

“I’ve heard.” She nodded. “What a surprise. Most Adored has been busy making friends, and what a powerful ally she has obtained. You said the Emperor asked the other courtiers’ opinions too?”

“Yes. Several.”

“What did the Emperor look like when he listened to their suggestions?”

“He didn’t seem to object to Jewel.”

The Noble Lady rubbed her chest nervously. “So we must stop her.”

“We need more time.” The Emperor liked me, but I was not Most Adored yet. I would need to spend more nights with him to solidify my status. “Or we could forge alliances.”

We needed a champion who would suggest the Noble Lady or even me. But I could not speak that thought openly, even with the Noble Lady. And we needed to find an ally fast. Secretary Fang would not stop pressing the Emperor until he succeeded, and we would not have the astrology chart to help us next time.

“The Duke has only his own welfare in mind,” the Noble Lady said. “He will not agree to have his late sister’s position replaced by another woman. Besides, he hates me.” She sighed. “His late sister was not fond of me.”

“How about the Uncle?”

He did not have the Emperor’s favor, for the moment. But he was still influential in the court. Then I realized he must have been the one who was behind the empress proposal. He resented the Duke. If he succeeded in making another woman the empress, he would gain a powerful ally and possibly crush the Duke.

“He’s from the older generation,” the Noble Lady said. “Proud and conceited. He was the one who aided Emperor Gaozu during the war. I hardly know him.”

“What about the Grand Chancellor?”

“It’s difficult to say. He is a great statesman, a well-known historian, but also a traitor.”

“Traitor?”

“He used to serve my father.”

I frowned, feeling lost. The intricate court relationships were more complex than I had ever imagined. Everyone had a history, a purpose, and a stance to maintain, but I had no history, no supporters, and my purpose led me nowhere.

“Then why did the Secretary support Jewel? Could it be possible that she is a relative of his?” I asked.

The Noble Lady shook her head again. “I know him. He is not related to Most Adored.”

“But she must have known him somewhere or some time ago,” I said. “Is she meeting him in secret? How does she get to know him?” I wished I could ask her in person, but it had been a few months since I talked to her in the stable. Suddenly, I recalled Jewel’s odd behavior there. It seemed she had known Pheasant when he was young, but she had denied she was exiled. She had been lying to me. She was trying to hiding her past. “My Noble Lady, are you aware that Jewel was exiled?”

“Exiled?” She looked at me in surprise. “Where did you hear that?”

“I met her in the Yeting Court years ago. She told me.”

“I did not know. Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“It did not seem important.”

“I have never heard that she was exiled. I thought she was one of the old Selects from the Yeting Court. Are you certain?”

“She told me a few years ago, before she won the Emperor’s favor, but then more recently, she tried to deny it.”

The Noble Lady looked pensive. “If she had been in the Inner Court before, shouldn’t I or someone else know her? When was she in the Inner Court?”

Jewel had waited in the Yeting Court for seven years, and it had been two years since she told me her past. “That would be at least nine years ago.”

“Nine years ago? What was her title?”

“She didn’t mention it so she could have been a minor concubine.” I stared at the Noble Lady with hope.

“Nine years ago, a minor concubine named Jewel… Let me think… A minor concubine… I would not see her often.” She shook her head. “I don’t remember. But with her cunningness, and her returning to the Inner Court for the second time, she would certainly know how to manipulate the ministers.”

“Including the Secretary.” I sighed.

“Now I’m very curious.” The Noble Lady stroked the box filled with spiders. “Why was our Most Adored exiled from the Inner Court?”

I had asked Jewel the same question, and I had heard no answer. But all the same I was excited. Jewel had a secret, and that would be her weakness. If I found out what it was, I would be able to strike back. I could even stop her from taking the crown.

I bid the Noble Lady a good day and then left her bedchamber.

The master’s words came to me: “Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.”

What was Jewel’s secret?

• • •

I began with Jewel’s maids. I stopped in front of her house more often. To make myself less conspicuous, I dropped the things I carried, a candle or a handkerchief, so I could get an idea of the activities inside Jewel’s house. But Jewel’s maids noticed me and they drove me away. I changed my strategy, bribing them with my allowance, sending them sweet dates and rice cakes. The maids ate them but never had the grace to say thank you.

I began to talk to the food delivery eunuchs, the laundry ladies, and then the eunuchs working in the kitchen. None of them knew of Jewel’s past.

Eunuch Ming. Would he know about Jewel’s history? I found him near the entrance to the Yeting Court. He caught sight of me and followed me as I led him to a quiet bamboo grove near a pavilion.

I put out my palm, where a gold ingot sat. I had five of them, which I had saved for moments like this. “Tell me about Most Adored. Why was she exiled?”

His small rat eyes fixed on the gold. “Exiled? I did not hear of that.”

I closed my fingers on the gold. “Well then, I will give this to someone else who will be more helpful.”

“Well, it must have happened many years ago. Who would remember?”

I turned.

“Wait, wait! Come back! I don’t know why she was exiled, but I know she is not who she claims to be.”

“What?” I turned around.

“She is not called Jewel. I remember some old eunuch mentioned it once. He died years ago. A sick man, you know what I mean. Yes, Most Adored. She was in the Yeting Court for years, always alone too. She had a different name then, but somehow she told people her name was Jewel. No one really cared then…”

She had changed her name? How clever! It was easy to do in that forgotten court where no one knew her. “What is her real name?”

He frowned, scratching his head. “It’s…Slender Willow? No…Silver Lotus? Wait…Snow Blossom!”

I handed the gold ingot to him.

My heart racing with excitement, I walked fast to tell the Noble Lady. She would be shocked, and pleased, to hear Jewel’s real name.

“Snow Blossom?” The Noble Lady’s eyes were wide. “Her real name is Snow Blossom?”

I nodded. That was why few people remembered her. She had been a minor concubine in the Inner Court nine years before, and she had changed her name. After so many years, with her white hair just like the other old Selects in the Yeting Court, everyone just assumed she was one of them.

But why was she banished? What was she trying to hide?

• • •

“Mei, there you are!” Plum put down a handful of roasted sunflower seeds on the table and pulled me to the corner as I entered our bedchamber. “I must tell you something. Most important news! Very shocking indeed.”

“What news?” I asked.

“They found a body this afternoon, buried in the leaves under a bridge near the Archery Hall. A body! A guard’s body!”

“Who’s the guard?”

Plum popped a sunflower seed into her mouth and spat out the shell. “He was the head of the ninth Gold Bird Guards division. His nickname was Fifth Girl.”