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

by Weina Dai Randel

  “The cure of a man by a woman is the true cure in the universe. Many practice it, but few succeed,” the astrologer said. “The essence escapes, a man’s spirit weakens, and a woman, in return, is strengthened.”

  “I have no sickness other than a toothache,” the Emperor replied. His voice was low and weak, carrying a slur with which I had become familiar. “Tell me a good remedy for it.”

  “Yes, the One Above All. May I elaborate? If the essence is contained, a man enjoys good health and a strong mind. Woman’s yin, thus, succumbs to man’s yang.” The astrologer droned on, and even though I could not see him, I could imagine his sesame-speckled beard shaking as he spoke. “Suppose a man copulates with ten women without losing his essence. His mind is greatly strengthened, and all sorts of dreams—of woman, of demon, or of any forbidden vision—shall be expelled, and thus the curses of the roaming ghosts shall be dissolved.”

  “What did you say?”

  The sharpness in the Emperor’s voice made me raise my head. Around me, the other attendants glanced at one another. The voices from the corridor dimmed somewhat, as though the ministers, who waited outside for their turn, were alerted as well.

  “The One Above All, dreams of all sorts are curses of those ghosts who roam on the dark side. They strive to break into the mind’s barrier, enticing man with their secret wishes.”

  “You exaggerate.” His voice was still slurred, but now it had turned hard.

  “When a man’s mind is weak, his defense is lowered. The ghost succeeds when a man releases his essence in a dream. That, the One Above All, is the ultimate calamity to a man.”

  If he had seen the sheets I had collected, he would not have said that. But it was too late.

  “I think your calamity befalls rather sooner than you think.” The Emperor roared, “Captain!”

  Outside the Audience Hall, the Captain answered.

  “Stitch up this man’s lips, so he can never utter another word in his life again.”

  Some footsteps pounded on the other side, and soon, a prolonged scream pierced the hall. I covered my mouth, as if the needle had pierced my own lips. Another hysterical cry. Then a string of heartrending wails. The ministers waiting in the corridor murmured, but none of them dared to object or enter as the astrologer’s screams slowly succumbed to whimpers. I went to the antechamber’s door and peered out. The poor man, stumbling, stepped over the hall’s threshold and rolled into the corridor. A pitiful thing, like a sacrificial animal, saturated in blood.

  “Resume the audience!” the Emperor ordered, and the ministers trickled into the hall. One by one, they presented their individual cases, as if they had seen none of the blood, as if they had not heard the astrologer whimper nearby.

  The usual solemnity, though thicker than ever, descended on the other side of the hall, and I leaned against the pillar behind me, wondering what the astrologer would do with his lips stitched. By now, I was sure, words of his punishment were already flying. And by the time the audience finished, all the people, the ministers, the scribes, the servants, the guards, the ladies, and even the people in the kingdom would question the Emperor’s sanity.

  And that would not be the end of it. From now on, nothing would be the same, because even though we could not speak of it, we could feel it, the moodiness of the Emperor, hanging above our heads like an invisible sword suspended in the air and threatening to drop when we least expected it.

  A sudden scream rose in the hall. I jolted and rushed to the side of the screen and peered through the gap of the folds. I could not believe my eyes.

  The Emperor was trembling, violently, not just his hands or his arms, but his whole body, as though someone we could not see was angry at him and shaking him. White foam gushed from his mouth, and his eyes rolled upward to the ceiling. Then, as the ministers cried out frantically, he stood up and threw out his arms as though trying to order people to calm down, but a spasm ran through him, his legs buckled, and his head snapped to one side. He tumbled from the throne.

  • • •

  The court physicians were quickly summoned. The Emperor was swiftly removed and carried to his bedchamber. By dusk, everyone in the palace was whispering.

  “The Emperor is haunted!”

  “He is poisoned!”

  “He is dying!”

  “He is dead!”

  If I had not accompanied him to his bedchamber, I would have believed them. But it was true. The Emperor looked dead. He did not respond to our cries or the probing touches of the physicians. He did not open his eyes, or his mouth, or wave his arms. He simply lay there, his face contorted, his hands bent, and his breath faint.

  Day and night, the court physician Sun Simiao paced around him, feeling his pulse, examining his eyes, and listening to his breathing. Occasionally, the Emperor’s arm jerked and his mouth twitched. But he would not open his eyes.

  The Duke asked the physician if someone had poisoned the Emperor. Sun Simiao shook his head, looking adamant. “This is not poisoning,” he said. What was it? He would not give an answer.

  But all the same, rumor shook the palace like a great storm. The Emperor would not live to the end of the moon, it said, and something restless, something ominous, began to drift in the air. It hung low on the servants’ lips, the guards’ arched eyebrows, and the ministers’ uneasy coughs. It followed me, haunted me, like a stench that refused to dispel.

  One day, I went back to the Audience Hall to fetch the Emperor’s belt, which I had forgotten, when I heard whispers from a corner in the adjacent corridor. I stopped to listen. Ever since the Emperor’s mysterious sickness, the Hall had been almost abandoned. Who would be meeting there?

  “All morning, a flock of crows cawed on a pine tree in the Western Market, and all the fowl nearby died mysteriously.”

  The voice sounded familiar. I peered through the gap of the doors. A minister with a stooped back, Chancellor Wei Zheng, was talking to a man holding a cane. The Emperor’s uncle.

  “It’s Heaven’s sign!” The Uncle’s eyes grew as large as polo balls. “He’s not going to make it. He is going to die! I talked to a fortune watcher too. He predicts his days are numbered.”

  “No, no. It’s only a rumor… He is only forty-six, a man of great strength—”

  “A sick man on the verge of dying, my old friend, and it is his due.” The Uncle shook his head. “We should not have supported him when he conspired to kill his brother. Now the ghost heir is punishing him. Next will be us! We must do something, or we are all condemned!”

  I could not leave. I had to listen.

  “My old friend, do not work yourself up. This is a dark moment. It shall pass. We must stay calm,” Wei Zheng said.

  The Uncle knocked his cane against the ground. “We’re only fooling ourselves, my friend, you know better than this. We shall take this opportunity to right what we have wronged. This is our moment. We will make history again, just like the old times. We will choose our own emperor and kick out the Turkic clown. What do you say?”

  A moment of silence.

  “I would not have risked speaking to you if I were not confident. All the ministers resent him. He ordered the stitching of an astrologer’s lips, remember? Our reverend astrologer! The man who watches Heaven’s signs! I’m telling you, my nephew has lost us! Listen, my friend, I’m going to tell you something very important. We have received everything we need. The khans are with us. The khans! You know well they dislike him and his arrogance. They have agreed this is the time. They will attack the borders at our signal. Yes, on our signal they will surround him, just like the old times.”

  The Emperor’s vassals, the Eastern Turks and the people in Tuyuhun, had remained silent after the polo game, but the prophecy and the rebellions within the kingdom had surely reached their ears too.

  “The khans? It’s unlikely. Didn’t Taizi quiet them all when h
e defeated the Western Turks?”

  “That’s true. The vassals respect the heir. They do not like how the Emperor treats his own son. That is why they will join us.”

  A sigh. “Which khan?”

  “All of them! They are displeased with the yearly tributes demanded by the Emperor. It is too much. They cannot afford it. Have you seen last year’s breed? A poor batch of skinny horses! Besides…” He cupped his hand over Wei Zheng’s ear and whispered.

  “What? She is part of this?”

  Who was she? I pushed closer to the door.

  “Yes! The Pure Lady—and what an extraordinary woman she is!—has hired mercenaries, bought the rebels on the borders, and even recruited men near Chang’an. She has prepared everything…”

  Blood rushed to my head. I could not believe my ears.

  “But why? Why will she take such a huge risk… Yes, I know, I know… Of course I know about the prophecy… What?”

  “It is true, old friend.”

  “I… This…this is hard to believe…”

  “There is no denying it, my friend. Prince Yo is the man. He is the one who will destroy this dynasty. Remember the sign that says my nephew’s dynasty will end and his foe is coming?”

  “Yes, yes. But how can he be the man in the prophecy?” Wei Zheng’s jade pendants clinked against each other as he leaned closer to the Uncle. “How can you be certain?”

  “Think about it! Recite the prophecy.”

  “He comes when the stone turns flesh, the animal weeps, the birds cry thrice from Heaven. Then the Wu Man comes…”

  The Wu Man? What did it mean? The sound “Wu” contained numerous homonyms. Depending on the tones, each sound indicated different meanings. Of course, my family’s name was Wu too, but I was not a man…

  “Think about his rank in the birth order!”

  A pause. “He’s the fourth son…”

  “Yes, and now add the infant boy who died before him!”

  Wei Zheng had a sharp intake of breath. “He would be the fifth…”

  The word fifth was pronounced as “Wu.” I covered my mouth, nearly gasping. So the Wu Man in the prophecy meant the Fifth Man, and the Uncle believed Prince Yo, the exiled prince, was the real man in the prophecy.

  “Do you understand what I’m talking about, my old friend?”

  “That…that is…unexpected… But…but the Emperor told me he had eliminated the threat. He drowned two hundred men whose surname bore that sound of ‘Wu.’”

  His words struck me. The trip to the Forbidden Park, the two dead guards, the Black Boy—black was also pronounced “Wu”—and Fifth Girl. The Emperor had killed them, believing they were his foes.

  “He drowned the wrong ones! Now the augury says his rival is coming, upon three signs! If it’s not Prince Yo, who could it be?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t know.” Wei Zheng’s pendants jingled.

  The Uncle stepped closer to him. “This is Heaven’s design. He exiled him, and now he can’t touch him. He’s protected. All we need is a signal from the lady. A signal! Then everything will change. What are you waiting for, my old friend?”

  “Let me think it over. Let me, my friend.”

  Wei Zheng reached for the lion’s head on the railing and shuffled to the stairs. Together, they descended.

  I pressed against the door, my heart pounding. The belt was wrinkled in my grip, and my underrobe was soaked with perspiration. If they knew I had been eavesdropping, the Uncle and the Chancellor would not let me walk out alive. But planning a revolt! The Uncle and the Pure Lady must have been insane. But perhaps I was wrong. They had chosen a good time after all, now that the Emperor was unconscious…

  I had to tell the Noble Lady as soon as possible. It seemed the Uncle would put everything in motion soon…

  Taking a deep breath, I stepped from the antechamber.

  “What are you doing here?”

  Startled, I twirled around. The Captain stood behind me, frowning.

  My heart pounding, I scurried down the stairs.

  “Come here!” he shouted. “I need to talk to you.”

  I ran as fast as I could. When he was out of sight, I slowed down, in case other people grew suspicious of me. It was not until I arrived at the Inner Court that I began to worry he would report my eavesdropping to the ministers.

  35

  “The Uncle?” the Noble Lady asked after I told her what I had heard.

  I nodded. “With the Chancellor.” We were in a dire situation indeed. The physician Sun Simiao could not tell us when the Emperor would awake, or if he would awake at all. If Prince Yo attacked the palace, no one would be able to lead the Gold Bird Guards and defend us…

  “I never would have imagined this. I thought the old man would have accepted his fall from favor by now. How could he plot such an abominable crime? With the Pure Lady?” She stroked her neck. She was wearing another gold necklace, and I could see a scar had formed around her neck where the Pure Lady had yanked her necklace off.

  “He must be desperate. Did the Emperor suspend his duty in the court again?”

  The Noble Lady sighed. “Worse than that. He wanted him to retire.”

  “Retire?” That was no different from exile.

  “The Emperor had drafted the edict, but he fell sick, so he did not announce it. The Duke has decided to follow through with the Emperor’s decision. The Uncle’s retirement will be official next month. He must have sensed something, or perhaps a scribe told him.”

  Since the Emperor’s sickness, the Duke had taken charge of collecting all petitions and state matters. When there were some urgent matters, he had made decisions on behalf of the Emperor.

  “Of course, the Duke hates the Uncle.” And the Uncle would not be squeezed out easily; after all, he had made considerable contributions to founding the dynasty.

  The Noble Lady nodded. “I didn’t tell you about this, Mei. A few weeks ago, I caught the Pure Lady conversing with the Emperor’s uncle during a gathering in the Outer Palace. She handed him a piece of paper. The old man read it rapidly and then spat on the paper and smeared the words with his forefinger. He nodded, agreeing with her about something.”

  “Did you hear anything they said?” I asked.

  “I did not. I didn’t give it much thought, but the way he smeared the words was peculiar, and I could not forget that afterward.” She paced in her room, looking thoughtful.

  They must have been plotting then. “What should we do, my lady?”

  “I know the Pure Lady never forgets a grudge. But planning a rebellion?” The Noble Lady seemed immersed in her own thoughts. “How clever she is to choose the Emperor’s uncle. The old man is bringing about his own doom because of his feud with the Duke. Now he hates the Emperor too.”

  “He’s still powerful in the court.” Even the Chancellor seemed to side with him.

  “That is why this is unthinkable.” Still in deep contemplation, she stroked the box that contained her spiders. It was not spring yet, and the weavers were not working for the season. “Did he say when they would revolt?”

  I shook my head. “He said they’d send a signal.”

  “What kind of signal?”

  I shook my head again. Whatever the signal was, we had to find it before it was sent out.

  “We need proof.”

  That would be the challenging part.

  “We must act quickly. I will talk to Ke. You must not tell anyone about your discovery.”

  Since Taizi had been dishonored; Prince Ke was the most favored. If he proved the Pure Lady’s treachery, no doubt the Emperor would claim him as the heir.

  I nodded. “I won’t.”

  “It’s for your own safety.”

  “I understand.”

  “Meanwhile, you must keep an eye on who the Emperor’s u
ncle contacts and listen to their conversations if possible. You may learn more details about his plan.”

  I was not certain I would do better spying this time. “What are you going to do now, my Noble Lady?” I would have liked to hear her thoughts, and if she could lay out her plans with me, that would have been even better.

  “We must not waste a single moment,” she said, ignoring my question.

  • • •

  One afternoon, the Duke, who had come to see the Emperor in his bedchamber, ordered me to go to the Emperor’s library to fetch some ink and calligraphy paper. As soon as I turned onto the path near the building, I knew I was being followed. I walked faster. The large figure behind me walked faster too. I stopped and spun around.

  The Captain.

  My heart jumped to my throat. Had he seen me eavesdropping on the Uncle and the Chancellor? Had they ordered him to arrest me?

  “Stop right there.” He stood before me, the purple patch spreading on his cheek like a shadow. He did not look as menacing as I had expected, but his voice was emotionless. “I have a message for you.”

  I stiffened. “What message?”

  He took out a roll of paper as small as my finger from his pocket. “It’s from your mother.”

  “What?” I snatched it and unfurled the roll.

  It was Mother’s handwriting. She was well. She had sought shelter in a Buddhist monastery. I covered my mouth, relief washing over me. “She’s safe! She’s in a monastery. A Buddhist monastery.”

  I wondered where the monastery was. In China, the nobles studied Confucianism and worshipped Taoism, and Buddhism was a foreign religion that was looked down upon and appealed mostly to women, outcasts, and the lower class. There was no official Buddhist temples or monasteries in Chang’an, and the religion did not receive support from the Emperor or the palace. Relying mostly on themselves, the temples and monasteries were often located in remote places and remained isolated.