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The image of thetengaruclearing came to Xifeng’s mind, unbidden, and she remembered the tapestry in the reception hall. “Will you be going far?”
“To a quiet lake a day’s ride from here. I’m in need of time to pray and reflect, and receive guidance.” She turned to the miniature tree, lost in thought.
Xifeng watched her with an odd, unsettled feeling, wondering if the Empress’s private shrine lay with the demon guardians. Surely thetengaruwould not deny her entrance to the apple tree; surely she was worthy where Xifeng was not. But that, then, might make her the Fool—the woman whose fate could not coexist with Xifeng’s.
Don’t be silly,she chided herself. The Empress had only ever been gentle and kind; she had raised Xifeng closer to her destiny, whereas Lady Sun sought to push her down.
“Are you fit to travel, Your Majesty?” she asked, worried. “Won’t it be dangerous to go on horseback in your condition?”
“The guards will carry me in a litter. The baby and I will be quite safe.” Her face shone like sunlight. “You needn’t worry about me, my dear. And I hope you’ll join me for the moon-viewing party. I’d like you to be part of my retinue for the carnival days as well.”
“I would be honored, Your Majesty.”
The Empress came close and touched her face. “It was lonely for me before you came,” she said softly. “I’m glad you’re here to care for me.”
Xifeng’s lips quivered as she left the royal apartments.
If only she knew.
•••
After three long days of worship, a charge of excitement filled the Empress’s apartments on the day of the moon-viewing party. The ladies washed in basins of rosewater and helped each other dress. Xifeng combed her hair until it shone like a moonlit river, sweeping it into a thick knot pinned with a white jasmine flower. When she donned the simple gold silk Her Majesty’s women would wear, the other ladies stopped what they were doing to admire her.
“How beautiful you are,” one of them said grudgingly.
Xifeng dipped her head, as though she wasn’t fully aware of the power she would always have over others. She had made every effort to ensure all eyes would be on her tonight, to show Lady Sun she was no shrinking flower. She would bloom where she was planted and let her roots close around the throats of her enemies.
The ladies assembled in the royal bedchamber to dress the Empress.
“You seem rested and refreshed, Your Majesty,” Madam Hong told her.
Empress Lihua looked like she had spent the past three days sleeping. Her eyes were brighter, her skin appeared more vibrant, and shegreeted her women with complete peace as they set about preparing her for the banquet.
Madam Hong took the responsibility of brushing the Empress’s thin hair and wrapping it around an elaborate wooden headdress. Two ladies fussed over her hair ornaments while another dusted her face with a silken rice powder and painted her lips with vermilion paste.
Because of her junior position, Xifeng stood to one side, approaching only to hand the ladies whatever they needed, but Empress Lihua caught her eye a few times and smiled.
“Bring me the clothes,” Madam Hong told her brusquely.
Xifeng handed her a tunic of deep blue-gray silk, which rippled like rainwater and had silver frog clasp buttons down the front. The collar was embedded with tiny pearls of jade, so priceless and delicate that Madam Hong hadn’t trusted anyone but herself to work on it. The skirt was of a darker gray like a winter sky, embroidered with clouds in azure thread. The ladies had been hard at work on the other pieces in the royal ensemble all week, expanding the clothing to fit the Empress’s growing, four-months-pregnant belly.
The sky at last began to darken, and eunuchs filed into the royal apartments to light the lanterns. Empress Lihua led them through an entrance Xifeng had never seen, with the fourteen ladies following her in pairs and flanked by a guard of thirty eunuchs. The heavy oaken doors opened onto a splendid walkway, which led into the main palace itself.
Xifeng felt as though her eyes didn’t have time to take it all in. They passed pillars of imported marble, crystalline fountains, corridors draped in red-and-gold silk, and basins spilling fragrant flowers from the palace gardens. After two months of seclusion with women, Xifeng found the sight of so many men startling and pleasing. They looked tobe of every lofty rank: palace officials, ministers, scholars, foreign officers, and nobility.
But the banquet hall was the most magnificent sight of all. It seemed large enough to fit the Imperial City within its gold-veined marble walls. Artfully placed bronze mirrors reflected the lamplight and the masses of courtiers dressed in their finest silks and brocades. The savory-sweet aroma of steaming rice, herb-roasted meat, and exotic spices blanketed the whole room.
“Her Imperial Majesty, the Empress of Feng Lu,” a eunuch announced at the door as Empress Lihua approached the dais where her husband awaited her.
The Emperor wore dark blue-gray robes to match hers, the simplicity of his attire suiting his austere handsomeness. He led his wife to a high table they would share with the Crown Prince and a sickly-looking boy Xifeng supposed was the youngest prince.
Xifeng noticed Lady Meng still had a place next to Lady Sun, as a favored concubine—though that might change any day now, what with the rumors swirling that His Majesty would soon tire of her indifference toward him. The girl stared at her plate with empty eyes while Lady Sun dandled a boy of about five in her lap. This, then, was the “prince” she had boasted about giving the Emperor. Xifeng noticed she hadn’t bothered to bring her daughters.
A gong sounded, and four court musicians began playing a soft melody on four different instruments: a flute, a barbarian’s fiddle, a pipe-harp, and a stringed, oblong object Xifeng learned was a zither. An army of servants appeared with enormous bowls and platters. The Imperial cook himself carved a massive wild boar before the Emperor while all around the hall, his attendants served fish, glazed duck, and quail to the eunuchs, ladies, and assembled guests.
Xifeng sighed at the taste of the tender, juicy meat flavored with summer onions and garlic. The vegetables were equally delicious: crunchy, vibrant greens slathered in a ginger soy sauce and sweet potatoes roasted with sugar and chili powder.
“It’s nice to see a lady with a healthy appetite,” one of the eunuchs said approvingly.
