Chapter 9

The spring day was lovely.

Looking at the sky, the Noble Consort decided on impulse to go see the flowers.

I gave her a beautiful new hairstyle and a fresh green spring outfit.

My mistress really was gorgeous!

Plainly pleased, she admired herself in the mirror for a long time.

Then she went out with Luo Xiu and me.

Flowers bloomed everywhere in the imperial garden.

I’d seen plenty of large parks in the modern world. Their landscaped attractions were far prettier than this small garden.

So I wasn’t especially interested.

She looked intently, though, studying even the folds in each flower.

Of course. In these materially poor times, a woman’s world consisted of a view, a flower, an object.

She might look up at the sky, but even that was boxed into a square by palace walls.

I gazed at her with a little pity.

Distracted, none of us noticed another group beyond the flowering trees.

Sharp-eyed Luo Xiu quietly warned us first.

“Your Ladyship, the Empress is ahead.”

On a narrow path, the higher rank prevailed.

However unwilling she was, the Noble Consort had to bow.

As minor underlings, we nearly had to perform the full sequence of kneeling and kowtowing.

But the Empress was kind and waved us up.

I sensed something odd in the atmosphere between the two women.

Women had their own chemistry. Those who got along became as close as sisters, growing closer still.

The chemistry here was strange.

Sure enough, after only a few exchanges, our mistress wanted to leave.

The Empress remained composed. “Such a beautiful spring day. Won’t you stay a little longer?”

The Noble Consort gritted her teeth. “I don’t have certain people’s thick skin, parading before others whenever they please.”

The Empress smiled. “Wanmei, are you talking about me?”

“…No.” Clutching her handkerchief, she answered through clenched teeth, “I mean the maid Yuan’er in my palace.”

Huh?

I’d been quietly admiring the flowers. Being singled out so suddenly nearly shattered my composure.

Your Ladyship, was I your shield now?

She continued, “Yuan’er doesn’t behave. She nearly fell victim to a villain last time. I told her to be careful, but she wouldn’t listen!”

What could I do after that?

She was my mistress. I had to indulge her.

I could only act meek and say nothing.

The Empress smiled. “I hear His Majesty has been visiting you often lately. Now that I see you, you do look refreshing and elegant.”

The Noble Consort merely bit her lip.

She led us away in a temper.

That night, Luo Xiu whispered, “The Noble Consort and the Empress used to be intimate friends.”

“What?” I was astonished.

With all those barbed exchanges, they hardly looked like best friends!

“Shh.” Luo Xiu lowered her voice. “Our mistress excelled at riding and archery; the Empress excelled at poetry. One martial, one literary—the capital called them its twin jewels.”

“But… the Empress’s elder sister died after giving birth to the Crown Prince. His Majesty feared other consorts would mistreat him, and the late Empress’s family, the Xies, feared losing their position. So they sent her into the palace.”

I gasped and covered my mouth.

“So a man married his wife’s younger sister!”

“Exactly. She was engaged to our mistress’s elder brother then.”

Luo Xiu was a true friend. If she had gossip, she shared it.

I frowned. “Then when our mistress entered the palace later…”

“Yes. There are no true sisters here. However close women were, entering the palace weakens the bond. But our mistress and the Empress fell out for another reason…”

What reason?

I wanted to ask more, but she refused to speak.

Candles burned all night in Chengxi Palace’s main hall. Two other maids were on night duty.

Presumably someone there hadn’t slept either.