Chapter 2
Chapter 2
When I woke, two women were sitting beside my bed.
Noble Lady Zhou waved a round fan, her smile never reaching her eyes.
“Why put yourself through this, Sister? After winning His Majesty’s favor, why not ask him to show you some mercy?”
Noble Lady Feng folded her arms and spoke more bluntly.
“Fool. The empress tells you to make soup, and you obey. If she tells you to die tomorrow, will you do that too?”
I leaned against the pillows. The medicated cloth around my wrists still smelled bitter, yet I smiled.
“Thank you both for your concern. Only a few people remain to be served tomorrow. Then it will be over.”
Noble Lady Feng scoffed. “You certainly know how to bow your head.”
I did not answer. I merely asked Xiaoli to serve them tea.
Noble Lady Zhou was the Grand Tutor’s legitimate daughter. Noble Lady Feng was a general’s younger sister.
By family background, I ranked last in the room.
Naturally, they had not come simply to visit an invalid.
Sure enough, Noble Lady Zhou had taken only two sips before speaking languidly.
“I admire your temperament, Sister. But the palace is not the outside world. Endurance is no great skill. The child who cries is the one who gets fed.”
Her words were graceful, but her meaning was plain: she wanted to know what had truly happened that night.
When the emperor selected the three of us for the palace, he chose one woman each from the civil officials, the military, and an insignificant family.
We were supposed to assist the empress openly and balance one another in secret.
But the strong-willed empress had kept us all at the low rank of Noble Lady. We could not even secure an audience with the emperor.
For three years, Noble Lady Zhou composed poetry, Noble Lady Feng rode and practiced archery, and I simmered soups and stews in my small kitchen.
The emperor ignored us. Out of sight, we did not trouble the empress either.
Now I had broken that balance. Of course, the other two were uneasy.
Noble Lady Feng had little patience for indirect questions. As soon as Noble Lady Zhou opened the subject, she asked, “Why did His Majesty come that night? What did he say to you?”
Grievance filled my eyes.
“It was nearly dusk when he arrived. He drank a few bowls of tea, caught some wind, and felt unwell, so he borrowed my rooms to rest.
“His Majesty and Her Majesty are deeply devoted husband and wife. What am I but a lowly concubine who made a bowl of ginger soup?”
My answer left no opening.
Noble Lady Zhou resumed fanning herself, her thoughts hidden.
Having learned nothing, Noble Lady Feng set down her cup.
“This tea is worse than what I give my servants.”
I smiled. “My residence is poor. I am sorry to have inconvenienced you, Sister.”
When the curtain fell behind them, the hall grew quiet.
They had not come to form an alliance or demand an accounting. They had come to see which way the wind was blowing.
One was a civil minister’s daughter, the other a general’s sister.
Behind them stood the Grand Tutor’s estate and an army camp.
All I had was a heart tempered in scalding oil and boiling water.
After I finished the last bowl of ginger soup, the empress sent down another order.
From that day forward, the three Noble Ladies would attend her morning and evening without fail.
It was the first formal greeting she had demanded in three years.
I arrived first and waited quietly at the foot of Fengyi Palace’s steps.
Noble Lady Zhou came next and nodded to me.
Noble Lady Feng arrived last, her riding boots striking the stone steps with arrogant clarity.
She glanced at the tightly shut doors and snorted.
“The sun is not even up, but the rules have already risen.”
Noble Lady Zhou smiled. “Watch your tongue, Sister. A careless word might slip through the crack under that door, and then you will be ordered to make ginger soup.”
They exchanged a look and laughed.
The doors opened very late.
The supervising matron peered out, swept her gaze over us, and said, “Her Majesty is dressing. The Noble Ladies will wait.”
Only when the sun stood high did the doors open fully.
The empress sat in the place of honor, dressed in the complete formal regalia of her rank, as magnificently as on the day of her investiture.
How insecure did a woman have to be to wear her coronation robes merely to receive morning greetings?
The three of us performed the grand obeisance. She did not tell us to rise.
“For three years, I spared you the morning and evening greetings out of consideration. It seems that kindness made certain people forget their place.”
The words were aimed at me. I lowered my head and gave her nothing.
She turned to Noble Lady Zhou.
“You are the Grand Tutor’s legitimate daughter and a learned woman. You, more than anyone, should know which words may be spoken and which may not.”
“Your Majesty is correct.”
Finally, she looked at Noble Lady Feng.
“Your Feng clan has produced generations of loyal warriors, and I honor that. But the palace is not a drill ground. Those inappropriate riding boots should be changed.”
Noble Lady Feng clenched her teeth before forcing out, “I obey.”
Satisfied, the empress leaned back on her phoenix chair. The jewels in her headdress swayed.
She steadied the edge of her crown and accepted tea from a maid.
“Noble Lady Wu, have you recovered?”
I bowed. “Thank you for Your Majesty’s concern. This concubine is much better.”
She set down her cup. “I recently received an ink stick from Huizhou. Since you are well, grind a basin of ink for me.”
Even a senior maid would not ordinarily grind ink with her own hands. The order was plainly meant to humiliate me.
I answered yes, rose, and went to the desk. After adding water to the inkstone, I bent over it and began to grind.
The ink was excellent but unusually hard. Before long, the old injuries in my wrist burned.
Noble Lady Zhou suddenly smiled.
“Your Majesty, that ink stick resembles the latest Huizhou tribute.
“I heard there were only three. One went to His Majesty’s imperial study, one to an elder statesman who served three reigns, and the third is here with Your Majesty. Clearly, in His Majesty’s heart, Your Majesty carries the same weight as the ministers outside.”
It sounded like praise, but a closer taste revealed a blade.
No comparison between an outside minister and the empress could do anything but diminish her.
Yet the empress missed the insult entirely and replied with pride, “Indeed. You recognize quality.”