The Moon in the Palace (The Empress of Bright Moon Duology)

by Weina Dai Randel

  I stood beside her. Workers came and went around me, their steps agile, their faces content, and the heavy swishing echoed in my ears. I remembered the silkworms’ small mouths, their tiny bodies squirmy with life. The place resembled a tight cocoon with hope and vibrancy. “This is a wonderful place, my Noble Lady.”

  She smiled. “It’s because of the silkworms. They are lovely creatures. I often come here and work when I can’t sleep. The sounds of the looms and the silkworms nibbling leaves calm me. They bring me memories of a special lullaby.”

  Her wheel spun. Squeak. Squeak. The sound gnawed at my insides like a rodent trying to break through the shell of my feigned kindness. I felt smaller than the silkworms and slighter than the delicate silk threads.

  I could not remember how I left the workshops.

  16

  A week passed. The Noble Lady did not ask me to help pick leaves.

  I grew frantic.

  When I counted the sheets in the wardrobe chamber, I got the wrong number. When Daisy came, I gave her the robes with mismatching belts, and whenever the Emperor’s other dress maids’ footsteps echoed in the corridor, I grew nervous that they would ask for the Empress’s crowns, discover they had gone missing, and then report it to the Emperor. I knew I was paranoid, but I could not help worrying.

  I went to the polo field to look for Pheasant. He was my only comfort, and I hoped to talk to him about the silkworms. But the field was crowded with grooms, horse trainers, horse inspectors, and polo players holding mallets. It seemed they were preparing for an important match, and Pheasant was with some riders, who nodded vigorously as he talked. When he caught a glimpse of me, he held up two fingers.

  I would need to wait for two days until we could meet in private. I returned to the wardrobe chamber. Jewel’s maid, the one with freckles, was waiting in the corridor.

  “You have until tomorrow,” she said.

  “What do you mean?” I swallowed.

  “That’s what she wanted me to tell you.”

  “Then what?”

  She shrugged and left.

  Sitting on the floor, I hugged my knees. The night fell, but I did not want to move. She had given me one day. One day, and then my life would be ruined.

  I did not know what to do. I liked the Noble Lady. All the good things Plum had said about her were true. I could not imagine repaying her kindness with treachery. And the silkworms. I could not harm them.

  But I needed to retrieve the jewelry, and the only way to get it was to do as Jewel had asked. I could not fight off Jewel and the Pure Lady. They were ruthless, and they would destroy me if the Emperor believed I had stolen the jewelry.

  I did not have a choice. I had to obey them.

  In fact, it might not be as difficult as I had imagined. The Noble Lady liked me, and she would allow me to enter the workshops. Perhaps I could go there during the night when there were not many people and smother the fire without anyone knowing.

  I breathed hard. Yes. I could do it when no one was around.

  Quickly, I tidied up the room, ate my supper in my bedchamber, and put on a black robe. By the time I went to the workshops, it was near midnight. To my relief, the guards on duty were the two I had seen before.

  They frowned as I approached them. “Did the Noble Lady call for you? At this hour?”

  “Oh, no. She did not call for me. I came myself. She does not know,” I said pleasantly.

  “I’ll let her know you’ve come.”

  She was still working at this hour? I did not expect that. “It’s all right… I can wait to see her.”

  “Then get out of here.”

  “I will… I will… You see… I don’t know what to do about this…” I fished in my pocket and took out the silkworm Pheasant had given me. “I found this near the wall. I don’t know who this belongs to. But it looks valuable. Whoever lost it must be anxious. I don’t know who I should give it to…”

  The guards peered at the silkworm. “Leave it to us. We’ll give it to the Noble Lady.”

  “Of course, of course.” I put my hand out then took it back. “It’s not that I do not trust you… It’s just I would like to give it to the lady myself. She is so kind to me. Please?”

  They hesitated but finally waved me through. I dashed inside as fast as possible and crossed the courtyards. The whole building was quiet, only lanterns illuminating under the eaves. Some workers were still there on night duty. I could hear their footsteps behind the doors. When I reached the nursery, a lantern shone in the corridor, where the Noble Lady sat at her spindle wheel. Lights from the nursery shone on her plump face. She looked like a Buddhist statue. I hid behind a pillar, waiting.

  The sound of swishing echoed steadily in the nursery, and a few night workers paced inside. They must have been changing the leaves or checking the fire in the braziers. After a while, the Noble Lady rose, rubbed her chest as though tired, and instructed the night workers to get some sleep. “It’ll be another good four hours until our babies need to feed again,” she said, and they nodded and spread out pallets in the corridor. With four braziers in the nursery, it was too hot to sleep there.

  Four hours. That would give me plenty of time. I waited until the lady left and the workers fell asleep. They were obviously exhausted, and their snores rose instantly. I waited a bit longer and then tiptoed past them.

  Once inside the nursery, I snatched a broom and began at the brazier in the far corner. The heat from the fire burned my cheeks, and my hands trembled. I had no choice, I reminded myself. I was like a baby silkworm too, cocooned in the threads of my enemies’ conspiracies. And if I did not obey them, I could not transform to become the moth that flew on my own wishes and pursued my own light.

  I stabbed the flames with the broom, and they died off without resistance. I repeated the action with the second brazier. The nursery darkened. It became cooler. I moved to the next corner and stirred. The fire shot up fiercely, as though fighting me, but dimmed, and gradually, the red color faded from the embers. At the same time I could hear the swishing sound of the nursery became fainter, as though the silkworms had lost their breaths. Had any baby silkworms stopped hatching because of me? Were any silkworms freezing to death right now because of me?

  One more.

  I held the broom tight and moved to the brazier near the corridor. Afterward, I could go to Jewel’s chamber and get the jewelry back.

  “Mei!”

  I jerked around. In the corridor stood the Noble Lady. She had returned. Why had she returned?

  She was trembling, her whole face shaking. “What are you doing? What are you doing?”

  I dropped the broom and fell to my knees. “I… I… Forgive me, my Noble Lady!” The workers had awakened. They hurried to restart the fires. “I can explain… Please… I can explain!”

  “Yes. You have much to explain.”

  I could not hold up my head. She would report my crime to the Emperor, who could throw me in prison, exile me, behead me, or execute my family. Destroying the kingdom’s silkworms was a felony, after all. I wished I had not been so foolish. “It’s Most Adored, my Noble Lady! And the Pure Lady. They stole the late Empress’s crowns and blackmailed me! I did not want to extinguish the fire. I would never harm a silkworm. Please believe me, my Noble Lady! Please forgive me!”

  She sighed. “I forgot my handkerchief. That was why I came back. I did not expect to see you here. All of you”—she waved at the workers—“make sure the silkworms are not harmed. Mei, you come with me.” She went to the corridor and sank onto the stool before her spindle wheel. “Sit down. Look at me, and tell me. Tell me everything.”

  I perched on the edge of the stool, mortified. Slowly, I told her everything. How Jewel had stolen the jewelry from the chamber and how she had asked me to destroy the silkworm eggs.

  The Noble Lady seemed to have a difficult time
understanding me. Then she stood and paced in the corridor, breathing hard. “She is Most Adored. Why does she resent me so?”

  “She befriends the Pure Lady.” I stood too, not knowing what else to do.

  “The Pure Lady! She’s always planning something. Last year, she roasted a dozen mother silkworms. Mother silkworms! I didn’t tell the Emperor. Fortunately, the harvest of eggs was good, and the silk production was not affected. Now she wishes to extinguish the fire and freeze the eggs. This is unacceptable. We would suffer a great loss.”

  I glanced at the nursery. The fires shone through the window, and the swishing was heavy and steady again. I breathed out. I hoped she had caught me in time. “I am so sorry, my Noble Lady. I was stupid to do as she asked.”

  A worker whispered in the Noble Lady’s ear, and she nodded, looking relieved. It seemed the damage to the silkworms was minimal, and the workers went back to the nursery.

  “It’s because of the upcoming polo game, isn’t it?” She began to spin the wheel.

  “What polo game?”

  “You haven’t heard? It’s a competition between the Imperial Team and the Tibetans, a major event of the year. The whole court has been preparing for it.”

  Was that why the polo field was crowded and Pheasant had been busy? “Why the Tibetans?” Those haughty mountain horsemen were not known as our kingdom’s allies.

  “You’ve heard of the wars on the border, haven’t you?”

  I nodded.

  “Well, the Emperor’s garrisons lost the last five battles and are retreating to a fort near the Jade Gate in the north. But the Western Turks are not stopping. They have allied with Qu Wentai, King of Gaochang, a powerful tribe in the northwest. Once they attack, they will kill thousands. The Tibetan king, Srongtsan Gampo, grows restless too. The Emperor is worried he will join the Western Turks and Qu Wentai.”

  If the three powerful tribes joined forces, the map of our kingdom’s western border would never be the same. The neighboring towns near Lake Kokonor, and even the towns near Dunhuang, would fall into our enemies’ hands.

  “I thought the trouble of the comet was over,” I said.

  “Over?” She shook her head. “The comet has given permission for everyone to doubt the Emperor. This is simply the beginning.”

  “So the Emperor invited the Tibetans for a friendly game?” The Tibetans were superior players of polo, I had learned, who had introduced the Persian game to our kingdom.

  “He proposes a marriage to seal the alliance.” She nodded. “The competition is to show the goodwill between us. All the important lords and vassals will attend, and”—she stopped in front of the spindle wheel—“by protocol, the Empress needs to be present. Because of Wende’s death, the Emperor has requested I attend the reception where the vassals swear their fealty to the One Above All.”

  And Jewel and the Pure Lady had plotted to disgrace her so they could take the honored seat next to the Emperor.

  “I—” I dropped my head in shame. “I am so sorry, my Noble Lady. I did not wish to dishonor you in any way.”

  “I understand, Mei.” She sighed. “Fortunately, Silkworm Goddess bless us, nothing has happened to our babies. It’s late. Go to your chamber, and go to sleep. Forget about what happened tonight.”

  I felt like crying in gratitude. “Why, my Noble Lady? I don’t deserve your kindness.”

  She waved her hand, looking sad. “I grew up in the palace, Mei. I understand how life is, and all these years living under the Emperor…” Something in her voice tugged at my heart, and I remembered the story Father had told me. The Emperor, who was a duke then, had killed the Sui Emperor, the Noble Lady’s father. “You are a courageous girl. You are different from them, better than them. I can see that. I would like to give you another chance.”

  I bowed deeply to her. “I will never forget your kindness, my Noble Lady. I shall leave at this instant…” I could not finish. The late Empress’s crowns…

  “I’ll see you tomorrow, Mei.” She began to spin the wheel.

  I turned to the stone stairs. The light from the hall failed to reach there, and I could see a valley of darkness lurking under the stairs, reminding me of what awaited if I left now. I felt ashamed of asking the Noble Lady to help me retrieve the crowns. After all, she was a peaceful, honorable woman, and she had no reason to confront Jewel because of me. Yet she was my only hope. “My Noble Lady, what do you think Jewel and the Pure Lady will do when they learn they have failed?”

  She stopped spinning, looking thoughtful.

  “I do not mean to upset you, my Noble Lady.” I walked to her. I needed an ally, and I had to persuade her to be on my side. “But you should know by now that the Pure Lady is a persistent woman. This time she plotted to extinguish the fire. Next time she will plan something else. She will not stop until she succeeds.”

  Holding the spindle wheel with two hands, she hesitated.

  I seized my chance. “I have a suggestion, my Noble Lady. If you’ll bear to listen to me.”

  “What do you suggest? Report to the Emperor?”

  “Why not?”

  “Do you think he will let me come off without blame? If I could, I would have done that last year. I know what kind of man he is. I might as well ask for my own disgrace.”

  “I am not asking you to explain, my Noble Lady. I would never put you in harm’s way,” I said softly. “I would explain to him.”

  She gazed at me. “You?”

  I nodded.

  “You’re accountable for the loss of the crowns.”

  “I know.”

  “Are you not afraid?”

  “I think the most important thing is I tell the truth,” I said with conviction and hoped she would not hear the fear in my voice. “This is the best solution.”

  She did not speak. But her plump face looked serene, and I knew she was considering my suggestion.

  “Yet I have one request, my Noble Lady.” I held my hands tightly. “Would you agree to come with me?”

  She looked pensive. Whether she would become my ally depended on her answer. If she agreed, I would have support in the court from that moment on. If not…

  “I shall be glad to go with you.” She nodded.

  I let out a sigh of relief.

  • • •

  The Emperor swung his mallet, grimaced, and then swung again. A ball bounced in the courtyard in the early morning light. A servant ran in haste to catch it and put it near his feet. He cursed, touching his chest.

  Nearly a year had passed since the assassination attempt. His wound had healed, and the physician Sun Simiao had suggested it was time to strengthen his qi and nurture his vital organs. He prescribed food recipes that contained fungus, such as ginseng, musk, and oyster, and some tonics mixed with realgar, rhinoceros horn, and deer velvet. The Emperor had taken short walks every day. Soon he would be able to ride a horse, and within a few months, even play polo.

  But Daisy told me he had changed somehow. He slept fitfully at night and often fell asleep after drinking jugs of herbal wine. Several times, he slipped off his stool, and if it were not for Daisy and the other night attendants, he would have injured himself.

  He also appeared bad tempered in the morning, and when he dined, he would be angry when served a lamb stew, even though he had asked for it in the first place. He had not officially resumed the bedding schedule yet, only summoning the Ladies, sometimes the Ladies-in-Waiting, and always, the conniving Jewel. But he was not interested in bedding them, Plum had whispered to me. One time he summoned Lady Virtue, but he let her sit on the floor, naked, for hours, without touching her, and then kicked her out, blaming her for staring at the mirror and not him.

  He looked morose, his face hard and his lips pursed tight. He did not appear to notice me kneeling in the corner or how long I had waited. Perhaps that was a good thing. I ra
n through the phrases again in my mind and glanced at the Noble Lady, standing under the apricot tree. I was ready.

  Then two figures scurried to hide behind a pillar in the corridor, one holding a fan and the other stroking a white cat in her arms.

  Jewel and the Pure Lady.

  The words in my mind turned to dust.

  The mallet touched my chin. The Emperor stood before me. He was breathing faster than usual, his whiskers leaping up and down.

  “I remember you,” he finally said.

  “The One Above All.” I lowered my gaze to the front of his robe where a golden dragon, soaring in the clouds, glared at me. I remembered folding that robe. “Forgive my insolence. I should not have come—”

  “What’s the matter?”

  “I can’t locate the crowns that belonged to the late Empress. I asked the Noble Lady, who has kindly offered to help me, but it seems the items inside the chest were all misplaced.”

  “Were they taken or were they misplaced?”

  I swallowed.

  “Where were you?” The dragon seemed to come alive as his chest rose and fell.

  “I…I was receiving the apples in the courtyard.”

  “Receiving apples?” he asked. “Not flirting with some groom?”

  Was he talking about Pheasant? Did he know us? My hands trembled. But it was not possible. He could not know. We had been very careful, and I had not seen anyone around us when we had met.

  “No, the One Above All. I would not dare.”

  He did not speak, and my heart pounded. Could it be possible that someone had reported to him that I was not in the wardrobe chamber all the time?

  “The Noble Lady?” he said.

  “Yes, the One Above All.” The Noble Lady folded her hands across her abdomen and bowed.

  “You know about this?”

  “She is telling the truth, the One Above All.”

  “Have you searched?”

  “Only in the wardrobe chamber, the One Above All.”