Chapter 4
It seemed this would not be a good year. An epidemic broke out in Jiangnan.
When the news reached me, Xiayu was indignantly asking why all of that year’s luozidai eyebrow pigment had been given to Pei Shuangshuang.
I dismissed the retainer who had brought the report and pressed a pastry into Xiayu’s hand. “Try this. Stop grumbling like an old woman.”
She was still dissatisfied. “But, Your Highness…”
I reclined on my chaise. “The people of Jiangnan are suffering. It is only a measure of eyebrow pigment. We can do without it.”
Xiayu looked ready to object again, but Moyu approached with a plate of fruit and signaled her to withdraw.
“She is still young. Naturally, she does not understand your concerns.” Moyu offered me the fruit. I asked, “What about this year’s Snowpeak Green tea? This is just the weather for it.”
At a glance from Moyu, a young maid came forward with the tea utensils and knelt to prepare it. Moyu asked, “Have you already thought of a way to address the epidemic in Jiangnan?”
“Of course,” I said lightly. “I have devised three relief measures. Tomorrow, I shall go to the palace and present them to His Majesty.”
“May I ask what Your Highness proposes?”
“First, raise money from wealthy households. Second, reduce labor levies and taxes. Third, open the granaries and establish porridge kitchens to meet the most urgent need.”
The maid offered me a cup. I drank, then looked up at her. Her face was unfamiliar. “What is your name?”
“Lüyi, Your Highness.” She bowed.
Moyu smiled. “We were short of a maid in the inner courtyard a little while ago. This girl seemed quick and capable, so I brought her in to serve.”
“Oh?” I smiled. “You make good tea.”
Delight lit her face, and she knocked her head to the floor several times in gratitude.
At the palace banquet the next day, I had intended to leave early and speak privately with Pei Chu in his study. But the Empress Dowager was discussing Pei Shuangshuang’s wedding, so I decided to stay until the feast ended.
The wedding was set for the following month. So soon. They must have been preparing for some time, I thought, keeping my gaze demurely lowered.
“Mother, would it not be improper for me to marry first? Our elder sister is still alone.”
Pei Shuangshuang’s sudden remark made me lift an eyebrow. Why bring me into it? Pei Chu looked toward me as well. “You seem tired today, Sister.”
I covered my mouth with my sleeve and yawned. “A few new favorites joined my household. We drank and sang together last night. I stayed up rather late.”
The emperor and the Empress Dowager looked displeased, but neither rebuked me.
I took a pastry and smiled. “Marriage holds little interest for me. Ronghua should simply prepare for her own wedding.”
Pei Shuangshuang maintained her expression and gave a faintly apologetic smile. “But I cannot feel easy about it… Everyone knows you have pined for my lord for years.”
What was this? Had she come to parade her victory before me?
I grew serious. “There is no need to feel guilty. Lin Mo is something I discarded long ago. If you treasure him so dearly and have found such a happy match, you should cherish him.”
This time I spoke even more freely than before, treating Lin Mo as utterly beneath my notice.
Expressions changed around the hall. Even Pei Shuangshuang’s lips grew pale. I inspected the red dye I had applied to my nails the day before and blew gently across them.
“Your Majesty, there is something else I wish to discuss.”
Finding nothing to gain from me, she turned to Pei Chu.
She rearranged her expression and knelt gracefully before him. “I recently heard of the epidemic in Jiangnan. The thought of our people suffering has left me unable to eat or sleep. I spent the night devising three relief measures.”
His eyes lit up. “Let us hear them.”
She smiled tenderly. “First, raise funds from wealthy households and distribute them to those afflicted by the epidemic. Second, reduce labor levies and taxes. We must also dispatch officials to ensure that the policy is carried out, so the people may be reassured. Third, open the granaries and establish porridge kitchens, distributing grain to meet the most urgent need.”
It was an almost word-for-word repetition of my proposals. I looked at her. From an angle no one else could see, she smiled at me.
Pei Chu immediately clapped his hands in delight. “Excellent, Second Sister. Tomorrow I will discuss their feasibility with the ministers and put them into effect.”
The banquet ended in a chorus of praise for Pei Shuangshuang. Only at the last moment did Pei Chu remember me. “Sister, you asked to see me after the banquet. Was there something important?”
I rose and smoothed my skirts. “Oh. I have forgotten what I meant to say.”
Back at my residence, Liyang could scarcely believe it. “You are letting that go so easily?”
I propped my chin on one hand and held a cup of tea to his lips. “Would you like some?”
He looked irritated. Since Pei Shuangshuang’s return, he had lost his former composure.
I blew gently on the tea. “You once asked why I did not marry Lin Mo. With an imperial decree, it ought to have been simple.”
“Exactly—” He abruptly fell silent, as though something had occurred to him. His expression grew strange.
I laughed softly. “Yes. The emperor would not permit it.”
The Lin family stood foremost among the capital’s eight great noble houses, at the heart of the Pei dynasty’s power. Beneath the throne stood the nobility and those who controlled the armies.
When Pei Chu first took the throne, I had not merely killed corrupt and treacherous ministers. I had also earned the devotion of many loyal servants of the crown. Once his power was secure, he had always been wary of me.
Under those circumstances, how could he let me marry Lin Mo and bring the eight great houses into my grasp?
Thus, although he appeared to respect me deeply and tolerated my unruly behavior, anything I truly wanted was something he would never give me.
“Liyang, I have told you many times. Do not be impatient.”
With a faint smile, I leaned back against the large cushion.