Flower In The Palace

by Jordan Silver

  I ran my fingers down the side of her face and cupped her cheek in my hand, lifting her lips to mine for one last kiss. “Now let me go temptress, I’ll be back soon.”

  I stopped in the doorway and looked back at the two of them on my bed. Is there anything I wouldn’t do to protect them? No! There’s nothing and before long I will remove all those who mean them harm.

  I will make my kingdom safe for them and then put her in her rightful place once and for all. A place where no one can touch her, or even think of removing her again.

  I checked on their security again which I needn’t have since Des was there, but it was for my own peace of mind. I left with my mind at ease and went back to my study.

  My brother was waiting for me when I returned. I filled him in on all that had happened while he was away, including all that Des had told me about what happened all those years ago.

  “Say the word, give me the order.”

  “Not yet brother. There are still those who will side with them. We must expose their dark deeds in a most spectacular way. So that there’s no doubt in the people’s minds.”

  “And how do you plan to do that?” I smiled as I told him of the plan I’d come up with after giving it much thought. The one systematic way that would reveal the Grand Empress dowager and all her schemes.

  “It will take time to reach all corners of the kingdom as I want, but if I get enough men on it that should cut the time in half.”

  “I like it. I only wish I could see their faces when they hear of it.”

  “Not to worry, you’ll get to see their fall firsthand.”

  “This is too much brother. They’ve gone beyond all understanding this time. Are you sure they’re safe here? No one knows you brought them home?”

  “They’re safe and no, I only have my most trusted servants here in the palace these days. I’m sure they’ll soon start to wonder what’s going on, but I’ve bought us some time. I almost forgot? Who was your search for the old woman?”

  “I have my men on it. There was a sighting a few days ago that they’re following up.”

  “She was here in the capital not long ago. Have your men search here. I have a feeling she came back to see the end of this thing. If that’s the case she won’t be too difficult to find.”

  We spent the next few hours going over and over the best way to expose the criminals. Prince Javan was all for killing them now and be done with it.

  But I wanted something more. I want to kill them while they’re still alive and watch them suffer before I take the breath from them.

  “Your bloodlust is showing brother, please be patient. Now I have to go be with my wife and son. I’ll introduce you to your nephew and sister in law soon.”

  He got up to leave and I hurried back to my chambers after a quick word with Des who assured me that everything was as it should be.

  Like I’d told my brother, I had my palace tightly secured. No one was allowed in or out and the only ones here were those I’d handpicked myself.

  Very few knew that my family was hidden away here, but I knew it wouldn’t be long before whispers started and others started trying to figure out what was going on behind the closed doors of my palace.

  I spent the next two days secluded with them, getting to know her again and holding my son every chance I got. Everything to do with them I left in eunuch Van’s hands, so that nothing untoward should occur.

  And while I stayed locked away with my wife and child, men were travelling across the land leaving cryptic messages in every town square for the locals to read and discuss.

  Every great ruler knows that it’s the people’s opinions that matters most. Once I get the people behind me, the rest will be easy I’m sure.

  Narrator

  As rumors spread throughout the kingdom. The Grand Empress dowager, having lost the ability to keep track of the Emperor and the dealings in his palace started to feel suffocated.

  For days no one could find out anything about the Grand Palace. It was so heavily guarded that none of her usual messengers were able to infiltrate the way they once had in the past and bring her news of what he was up to.

  All her efforts had failed and what’s worse, she’d had to sit by and watch as one by one all of her retainers and ministers, the men and positions she’d cultivated over the years, were destroyed.

  She’d taken to her bed weeks ago and had asked for her granddaughter to be brought to her in a last ditch effort to force the issue. But the Emperor hadn’t so much as looked at the girl.

  She’d thought after he’d relented and let her return to the palace after banishing her, and with the pressure from the ministers, that he’d finally given in. But now he was being even more secretive than ever and no one could get even so much as a whisper out of the Grand Palace.

  “Have you seen the Emperor since your return to the palace?” Her granddaughter was not looking her best. The events of the last few years showed on her face and she looked older than her twenty-one years.

  “No grandmother, I’ve not been able to see him.” The truth is that after their last encounter she was terrified of going before him for fear of what he’d do or say.

  He didn’t seem to have any problem embarrassing her in front of even the servants, and she was afraid she’d gone too far last time when she mentioned Mia.

  She too had harbored hope that this time would be different. That due to the pressure from the retainers and ministers that were in her grandmother’s corner he’d finally cave and take her to wife.

  But it didn’t look like that was any more a possibility now than it was before, and most of those men were now either dead or in the hands of the tribunal being tortured.

  She wasn’t smart enough to make the connection between their connection with her grandmother and their demise, all she ever really cared about was Emperor Jai and winning his heart.

  Over time even the prospect of the throne had paled next to her love for him. He was all she thought about, all she dreamed of. Even more so now than when they were younger.

  It’s true that he’d grown into the most handsome of men. And the people loved him and sang his praises, both low born and nobleman.

  Instead of fading, her dreams had only grown stronger. But no matter how she tried, she could never figure a way to get him to notice her.

  And that last day, the last time she’d seen him, she’d been afraid he’d really hurt her. She never forgot the hate in his eyes, or the way he’d walked away once she’d fallen and hurt herself.

  But then the Grand Empress dowager had called for her and he’d allowed her to come. She still held out hope that the old lady had one more trick up her sleeve. That they could still somehow force the issue.

  “Well you’re not going to meet him sitting here by my bedside. He used to like taking late night walks in the Imperial garden.” The Grand Empress stopped to get her thoughts together.

  “I want you to put on your best gown and have your ladies in waiting fix your hair nicely. You must do whatever it takes to get his attention and this time watch your words.”

  She’d heard about the slip in judgment her granddaughter had made that got her sent out of the palace, and knew that the Emperor still harbored strong feelings for the dead Morgana girl.

  That too was one of the reasons she’d held out such hope when he’d agreed to let her back. If he’d forgiven her for that breach then obviously there was a chance he was softening towards the girl.

  But now she wasn’t so sure. And the only way to find out was to send the girl into his path one last time. If they failed this time there wasn’t much she could do.

  The boy had broken off her teeth while she was stuck here fading away. She’d achieved the throne sure, but none of the true power she craved.

  She’d underestimated Emperor Jai. He was more formidable than his father and grandfather before him, something she hadn’t expected and wasn’t prepared for.

  As she thought of all the years spent,
all the opportunities lost, she strengthened her resolve to give it one last try.

  It just so happened that after leaving his wife shut up in his private quarters for two whole days, the Emperor decided to leave his son in eunuch Van’s care and take his Empress for a stroll in the Imperial garden.

  It had been some time since they’d walked there together and he well remembered how much she’d enjoyed it in the past. The Orchid palace, her most favorite place, was too far from his own palace and he didn’t want to risk taking her there lest they were found out.

  They walked hand in hand under the moonlight, whispering softly to each other as their guards followed a safe distance behind.

  Their laughter could be heard throughout the garden every once in a while and the sound touched the hearts of all who heard it.

  There were smiles on the faces of the court ladies who’d served the Emperor since birth. Those who’d been called back into service just recently as the ones he trusted most.

  And his guards were happy to see their ruler back to being his old self once again. Those few who were there knew the story well and though they found it fantastical that the Empress had been found alive, they never the less saw it as a blessing that she had returned to the Emperor’s side.

  “Do you remember the day Prince found you out? The dog has better sense than me. He knew who you were right away.” They both smiled at the memory and he looked down at her beautiful face in the moonlight, drawing her closer to his side.

  Princess Rowena had followed her grandmother’s orders well. As she looked in the mirror at the finished results she was rather pleased with the image looking back at her.

  It had been quite some time since she’d had a reason to get dressed up like this, a long time since she’d felt the need. But now she was glad she’d followed her grandmother’s orders, so pleased with the results was she.

  As she left her quarters in her grandmother’s palace and headed for the Imperial garden, she had hope once more. Hope that this time she would be successful.

  It was a fact that the Emperor needed a son. He’d been on the throne too long without an Empress by his side, something that was frowned upon by all.

  As she walked she boosted herself up with these reminders. And by the time she reached the south gate to the garden she was feeling much more confident than in times past. Besides, there was no one else capable of taking the place of empress, no one to stand in her way this time.

  She smoothed her hand down her skirt as her heart raced in her chest. She was finally going to get everything she’s ever wanted. It had taken much longer than she’d hoped, but that was all in the past.

  She was even willing to forgive him for his treatment of her, for choosing someone else. And when she remembered how her own father and grandmother had plotted the girl’s death she smiled.

  She heard the laughter first before she turned the corner and saw them. She stopped dead in her tracks at the scene before her. Though the woman was in profile she had no doubt who it was.

  She’d seen that face before and knew it only too well. But it couldn’t be. She was dead. Her heart felt like it had turned to stone in her chest as her eyes stayed glued on the two people who had no idea that she was even there.

  “Be careful my Empress, before that mutt makes you trip and fall.” Emperor Jai’s words reached her ears and she stumbled backward into one of the court ladies who caught her before she fell.

  She stood rooted to the spot, tears of hurt and hate sliding down her face as she saw the last of her hopes dashed once and for all. There was no point in wondering how this had come to be.

  The fact remained that she’d seen and heard enough to know that Mia was not dead and was indeed back in the palace, by his side.

  She turned on trembling legs and headed back the way she came. Bile rose in her throat and she felt like she was going to be sick before she made it back to her chambers.

  “Get my father, I need to see my father.” She didn’t go to her grandmother, too afraid that the old woman would blame her once again for her failure.

  Her mind had gone numb and her insides felt like they’d been ripped out and left exposed. She thought back through the years, to all the time she’d spent loving him when he didn’t even know she existed. And the hate that she’d always felt towards the one who’d stood in her way found new teeth.

  She may not gain the throne, and never stood a chance of winning his heart. But she could make him pay for the pain he’d caused. And there was only one way to do that.

  Prince Loren received the news that his daughter was urgently seeking him and rushed to the palace the next day. He was hoping the girl had good news for him.

  He’d given up on the girl long ago, but who knows, maybe she’d found a way this time to win the Emperor’s favor. Why else would she be sending for him?

  The men his mother had used over the years had been falling one by one and he’d grown afraid that somehow they’d been found out.

  But when his mother tested the waters and asked to have her granddaughter by her side, the Emperor hadn’t refused and now she was back in the palace.

  He could only hope after all this time, that their efforts had finally paid off as he made his way to her chambers for a private audience.

  He knew as soon as he saw her that the news wasn’t going to be good. But there was no way he could’ve expected what she had to say.

  “That’s impossible she’s dead.”

  “No father I saw her with my own two eyes in the Imperial garden. He called her his Empress. I heard it. You must do something father, you must get rid of her once and for all.”

  Years of anger and disappointment came to a head in the Prince as he looked at his useless offspring with distaste. She saw the look on his face and recoiled in fright.

  “I put all my hopes in you and you failed me. All these years and you couldn’t get into his bed.” He struck her hard across the face. So hard she was knocked back into a wall.

  The court ladies and her attendants came running at the noise and helped the Princess up from the floor. One of the court ladies passed this news onto the courier who would take it to the Emperor.

  EMPEROR JAI

  The rumors had finally reached the capital, the last place left on the list. In a matter of minutes I expect them to be spread throughout the palace and the ministry. What a stir it will cause.

  I sat in my study reading over my father’s letters. I read the line where he asked me not to be a fool like he was, but to use the knowledge given to him by his father to bring down the Grand Empress dowager once and for all.

  “Not to worry father, I will be sure to finish what you started. I will not let you down.” This is what I had been preparing for. What I had spent the last few years planning.

  First I will take down my uncle. Just the thought of him had me clenching my fists in anger. For his part in Mia’s death alone I will make him suffer a fate worse than death.

  As for his mother I will save her for last. Her end must be written of in the history books for generations to come. So that all those who would follow in her footsteps to achieve power and status by foul means, will know their end.

  “Your majesty.” I looked up as eunuch Van rushed into the room all flustered.

  “What is it?” I didn’t panic because I knew it couldn’t be wife and son. They were more heavily guarded than me these days.

  “What’s got you so flustered? Did you break something again?” He looked putout at my reminded of his penchant for dropping and breaking things lately.

  He hasn’t been getting enough rest which was no one’s fault but his own. I’d finally been able to talk my Empress into allowing the nursemaid to at least bathe the baby and watch him for a few hours each day to give her some rest.

  Only to learn that eunuch Van, who has all but deserted me for my son, wouldn’t let the poor woman do her job, but finds every excuse to snatch the child from her arms.

  Now
my son has formed the annoying habit of not being able to return to sleep at night after his midnight feeding unless the eunuch rocks him in his arms. Serves him right. Baby thief!

  “There’s been an incident Your Majesty.”

  “What kind of incident?” I knew he wasn’t talking about the rumors finally making their way to the palace because he’d been there when I received the news earlier.

  I’d purposely allowed the news to leak in the right quarters and was expecting the fallout any second now. That’s why I’d been rereading father and grandfather’s letters. Things were finally coming to a head.

  Once word spread of the Grand Empress dowager’s misdeeds it wouldn’t be long before the people called for a reckoning.

  Emperor Jai

  I hadn’t given everything away in the rumors. Just revived an old scandal that had never seen the light because the Grand Empress dowager had done all she could to quell it back then.

  I’d chosen to start with my grandmother’s death because of the many who still believed that she’d played a part in that, though they’d been too afraid to come forward.

  From there I plan to reveal all. By the time all of her crimes were exposed no one would doubt and the noose would be too tight for her to escape as she has so many times in the past.

  I’d been waiting for one last piece to the puzzle, the one thing I was sure would be the final nail in her coffin, and my brother had just sent word that he had that thing in his hands.

  “Prince Loren has struck Princess Rowena Your Majesty.” I looked at him dumbfounded for a few seconds before finding my voice.

  “What? Why?” Not that I thought that animal needed a reason. But to strike someone within the palace walls was a huge breach of etiquette not to mention a serious offense that was not to be tolerated.