Jiayi nodded. “To the end of my days.”
Der Ling sat back and smiled. “Oh, Jiayi. I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship.”
Twenty-Three
The next morning, bright and early, Zhihao returned to the Forbidden City, accompanied by Hu Xiaosheng. They were immediately shown into the empress’s audience hall. As the empress arrived, Jiayi was also brought in. She, Zhihao, and Hu Xiaosheng all kowtowed.
“Rise,” the empress said as soon as she was seated. The three of them sat up, but remained on their knees, as was proper. The empress looked harried; her hair was off-center, her robe wrinkled, and her makeup unfinished. She had undoubtedly prepared herself in a hurry, anxious to get her seal. “Well?” she asked.
“Your Majesty,” Zhihao said, “I am pleased to inform you that the mission was a success and we have found the emperor’s seal.”
The empress held her hand out. “Give it to me,” she said.
Zhihao reached into his bag and carefully pulled out the seal. The whole room gasped and the empress cried out.
“You did it!” she gasped. “You have greatly pleased us.”
The empress’s head eunuch took the seal from Zhihao and handed it gently to the empress.
“It looks just how I imagined,” she said as tears fell down her face. “Gather the ministers and my worthless nephew. We must meet today, this very afternoon!”
The eunuch bowed and left to make the arrangements. The empress held onto the seal, stroking it as if it were one of her little dogs.
“You have done a great deed for me, Zhihao,” the empress said. “How can I ever repay you?”
“Your Majesty honors me,” Zhihao said. “I would never have found it without the aid of Lady Jiayi.”
“Oh, of course, of course,” the empress said. “Isn’t she a treasure? I have missed her so. I am glad she has been returned to court.”
Zhihao glanced at Jiayi and saw her biting her lower lip. But they knew the empress would expect Jiayi to return.
“I must also introduce you to Hu Xiaosheng,” Zhihao said. “He was the brother of Lady Cai, and it was he who kept the seal safe all these years.”
Hu Xiaosheng bowed.
“I cannot wait to hear the whole story of how the seal was found,” the empress said. “But if this is true, I am also in your debt, Hu Xiaosheng.”
“I would never hold a debt against the throne, Your Majesty,” Hu Xiaosheng said. “All I have done has been for the good of the empire.”
“Indeed,” the empress said. “Well, whatever you need, you must only ask it of us.”
“I believe Your Majesty is aware of the archeological missions the foreigners are conducting on our soil?” Hu Xiaosheng asked.
“Indeed, we are,” the empress replied curtly.
“It is my only wish, and I believe the wish of all Chinese, that these priceless heirlooms remain here in China,” Hu Xiaosheng said.
“We are in agreement,” the empress said.
“It is my understanding that you promised young Zhihao a museum if he succeeded in finding the seal,” Hu Xiaosheng pressed.
The empress licked her lips and proceeded to speak slowly. “We did this thing, but considering how the seal was procured,” she said, looking at Jiayi, “explaining such an endowment would be difficult.”
Zhihao nodded slightly. So, the empress was not planning on keeping her word. He should have known as much. It only reaffirmed his desire to speak more with Lian about China’s future. At least Hu Xiaosheng was prepared for this outcome.
“I could not agree more, Your Majesty,” Hu Xiaosheng said. “Instead, I would beg of you to allow Zhihao and Jiayi to continue searching for China’s artifacts on their own. They can collect them, and I can keep them safe in the university library. After we have a large store of items, then we can approach the council with a request for a museum. After all, there is no point in having a museum if we have nothing to put in it. Let us procure the items first, then we will build the museum later.”
“I am in favor of this plan,” the empress demurred. “Yet you wish to take Jiayi with you? Are you aware that she is precious to me?”
“I am aware, Your Majesty,” Hu Xiaosheng said. “Your plan of sending her with Zhihao to locate the seal worked almost too well, did it not, Zhihao?”
“It did, sir, Your Majesty,” Zhihao said. “I could not have located the seal without her help.”
“If you allow her to work with Zhihao, supervised by myself, as a senior historian but one too old to go out into the field, Jiayi could be not only precious to you, but useful,” Hu Xiaosheng explained. “Think of what she could accomplish for all of China—in your name. Now that you have found the seal, you have secured the throne for your nephew. Next, you could preserve China’s history for generations to come!”
The empress mulled this over for several moments. Zhihao was certain that Jiayi had stopped breathing while she waited for the empress’s answer.
It was clear to Zhihao that Hu Xiaosheng knew what he was doing. He was playing on the empress’s weaknesses and vanity. Everyone knew that the Manchu only held a tenuous grasp on the throne. With the emperor’s seal, her grip on it was a little more firm, but how much stock the ministers, the nobles, and the rest of the country would put into it as a symbol of their right to rule was still unclear. Yet he was giving the empress credit for finding it…and the responsibility to do more. By preserving China’s history, the empress was blurring the line that separated the Han and Manchu, creating one China. Perhaps this was why she had also signed the edict allowing Han and Manchu people to marry. She wanted to effectively breed their differences out.
“Very well,” the empress finally said. “Jiayi will continue to be a member of my court. And when you are not looking for something specific, she will remain here with me. But when her services as needed, I will allow her to assist Zhihao as he searches for relics. But she must be carefully guarded. Where is Eunuch Lo?”
“I’m very sorry, Your Majesty,” Jiayi said softly. “But Eunuch Lo is dead. He died protecting me.”
“What?” the empress shrieked. “When? How? This is unacceptable. Who was guarding her honor?”
“It was…umm…only toward the end of the journey,” Zhihao stammered. “And then Hu Xiaosheng…he joined us…and…”
“I am sure we can trust that Zhihao Shaoye returned Jiayi to us as she left,” a strange looking woman to the empress’s right said.
“I don’t like this,” the empress muttered. “I don’t like it at all. What am I to do now, Der Ling?”
Zhihao nodded to himself. Princess Der Ling. He had heard of her before. The foreign daughter of a Chinese minister. That explained her odd appearance.
“We can appoint a new guardian for her,” Der Ling said. “I know someone who would be perfect.”
The empress sighed. “Fine, fine. You deal with it, my dear. I have too many other things to worry about.”
Der Ling bowed. “Of course, your majesty.” As she rose, Zhihao thought he saw her give a small smile to Jiayi, but Jiayi kept her face still. He remembered that Jiayi had said she had no friends among the court ladies. He would have to ask her about Der Ling later.
“Of course, Jiayi will not be able to leave the palace until we find a new guardian for her,” the empress said.
“Of course, Your Majesty,” they all said with a bow.
“If there is nothing else?” she asked, standing.
“No, Your Majesty,” they all said as they kowtowed.
“Good. I must prepare to meet with the ministers.” The empress and all of her attendants then left the room. Zhihao, Jiayi, and Hu Xiaosheng all took a deep breath of relief as they stood.
“So, everything worked out as we had hoped,” Zhihao said.
“Hope,” Hu Xiaosheng said, tapping his nose, “but be cautious.”
“Couldn’t the same be said of any situation?” Zhihao asked.
“Humph,” Hu Xiaoshe
ng scoffed. “Such a pessimist. You will learn, my boy…you will learn.” With that, he turned and walked out of the audience hall.
“I cannot wait to spend more time with him,” Jiayi said when they were alone. “He knows so much. Not just about history, but about me. If anyone can help me make sense of this, it will be him.”
“Will you walk me out?” Zhihao asked. Jiayi nodded and turned toward the door. “It looks as though we will be working together for the foreseeable future,” Zhihao said as they walked in the sunshine.
“Everything did seem to work out rather sweetly,” Jiayi replied. “We found the seal, the empress is happy, Hu Xiaosheng is going to be a teacher to me…”
“As will I,” Zhihao said. “If you are still interested.”
“We are both supposed to be students,” she said.
“I can be both a student and a teacher,” he said.
“What can you teach me that Hu Xiaosheng cannot?” she asked.
“Well, English, for one. You said you wanted to learn,” he said. Jiayi bit her lip and turned away from him. Zhihao followed her. “What is wrong?” he asked. “What did I say?”
“That night in the inn,” Jiayi said. “You were quite cruel.”
“I know,” Zhihao said, lightly grabbing her elbow and turning her to him. She did not look up, but kept her eyes to the ground. “And I apologized. I was terrible to you, and I am sorry. Is that not enough?”
“I don’t know,” Jiayi said. “I don’t know you. I do not know if you are sincere or are simply a very good liar. Or someone who knows how to trick women. Or someone who is out for his own gains.”
He felt pained at that. Not because she was wrong, but because she was right, at least partly. He did want to help her and preserve China’s history. But he also wanted the glory that could go along with being China’s preeminent archeologist. He also wanted to stay close to the throne so he could play a central role in overthrowing the Manchu. He could not tell Jiayi that, though. Even though she wished to escape the empress, he did not think she would support a coup against the Manchu. After all, she was Manchu as well. He would have to get to know her better before he learned her thoughts on that matter.
“The same could be said of anyone,” Zhihao said, deflecting. “I don’t know you. I don’t know what you hope to gain out of this relationship, out of this new assignment from the empress. You kept things from me too. I thought you were a lady, and then I find that you cannot even read…”
Jiayi held up her hand. “Stop talking, please. Of course I have kept things from you. I still have my secrets. And you are allowed to have yours. But I would never deceive you. I would never hurt you. I would never risk or threaten your life. You at least know me that well, wouldn’t you agree?”
Zhihao breathed out of his nose. “Yes, I would agree. But you could not say the same of me? Is that what you are saying?”
“I would like to trust you,” she said, and Zhihao met her gaze. He looked deep, as though he was looking for something. There was something inside her he wanted, that he needed. He felt as though there was an answer hidden in her eyes, but he didn’t know what the question was. But did he want Jiayi? Was he looking for Rebecca in her eyes? Hu Xiaosheng did say that the river of time flowed both ways. Did Rebecca see through Jiayi’s eyes as Jiayi did through hers? Could Zhihao see them both staring back at him?
Jiayi blinked, breaking the spell, and turned to walk again. “I would like to,” she repeated. “But such trust takes time. I am anxious to work with you and learn from you, but when it comes to trust, please do not rush me. I have lived a lonely life. I have no friends, no family. I do not know what it means to trust, to befriend. I must ask for your patience.”
“As long as we can work together while we are building that trust, then, yes, I will wait for you,” Zhihao said.
“Good,” Jiayi said with a sharp nod and a broad smile.
Twenty-Four
“So, what happens now?” Jiayi asked. “The empress wants us to find China’s lost relics. Where will we begin?”
“Honestly, we could begin almost anywhere,” Zhihao said. “As long as humans have existed, there have been civilizations here in China. You can’t throw a stone in this country without hitting something with historical importance.”
“But you know that isn’t what the empress wants,” Jiayi said. “She doesn’t want just any old thing found. We have to find amazing things! Fascinating things! Things that when people enter your museum, they will take your breath away.”
Zhihao chuckled. “I’ve said before that you should be a writer. You have quite a way with words.”
“As soon as I learn to read and write, I will,” she said.
“I will talk to Hu Xiaosheng, consult my books. I’ll see what the foreign archeologists are looking for. Then we can come up with a list of things we should focus on,” Zhihao explained.
“I cannot wait to learn more about history,” Jiayi said. “Can you tell me more about Prince Junjie?”
Zhihao tossed his head back and laughed out loud. “Can’t stop thinking about that handsome man, can you?”
“It’s not just that,” she said, trying to act nonchalant. “I would love to know more about the people I have met, the people I have been. Lady Cai, for example! You said she was disgraced. What did you mean by that? What about Empress Wu? One of her relics would certainly thrill the empress.”
“Slow down!” Zhihao said. “I can’t teach you everything in one day. But Prince Junjie is easy. We don’t know much, but he died quite young.”
Jiayi stopped and felt her heart freeze. She tried to keep her face impassive, but was not sure she was doing a very good job.
“What do you mean?” she asked. “In battle?”
“Oh, no, nothing like that,” Zhihao said. “Treachery of some sort. Someone murdered him, we think. We don’t really know all the details.”
“I don’t like the sound of that,” Jiayi said, her heart racing. All of a sudden, she wanted to fly to him, make sure he was all right.
“You could help rewrite history,” Zhihao said.
“What did you say?” Jiayi asked, and it was as though a light went off in her mind.
“You could find out the truth,” Zhihao said. “You could find out what really happened and could change or clarify what we currently know about past people and events.”
Jiayi knew what he meant—revising history books to reflect the truth. But what if she could do more than that? What if she could actually rewrite history? She didn’t know if she could influence the people she possessed. She had always thought she was just water in a vessel, flowing the way her host went, saying and doing what her host had already done. She was merely an observer. But what if she was wrong? What if she could force her host to do as she willed? What if she could change history? She thought about the time she was Rebecca, how Rebecca wanted to cry and beg Zhihao not to leave her. She had stopped her, held the tears back, at least for a moment. Could she exert more control?
What if she could save Prince Junjie’s life?
“Jiayi?” Zhihao said, snapping his fingers in front of her face. “Jiayi, are you there?”
“What?” she asked, looking at him.
“For a moment I thought you had touched something and were lost in the past,” he said. “What were you in such deep thought about?”
“What if you are right?” she asked. “What if I can change the past?”
Thank You For Reading!
Jiayi and Zhihao will return in The Empress’s Dagger, available now!
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The Empress’s Dagger
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As the Qing Empire continues to crumble, the Empress is more desperate than ever to find a way to secure her stranglehold on the country. Every day, she forces Jiayi to use her powers to see into the past to the
time of Empress Wu to discover the secret to securing power.
But Jiayi already knows the answer.
Empress Wu’s dagger is more than it appears. Blessed with an ancient power, the dagger can be used to make and destroy empires.
Jiayi’s ability to travel through time is growing stronger, and she is not sure she wants to use that power to prop up a dying empress. There is only one man she wants to save. The man she lost her heart to. A man who died over a thousand years ago.
Zhihao knows he cannot fall in love with Jiayi, a palace slave. But with each passing day, his feelings grow stronger.
When a ghost from his past walks into his life, Zhihao may have to choose between his country and the woman he loves.
Secrets will be revealed in the second exciting installment of the Touching Time Trilogy!
About the Author
Amanda Roberts is a USA Today bestselling author who has been living in China since 2010. She has an MA in English from the University of Central Missouri and has been published in magazines, newspapers, and anthologies around the world. Amanda can be found all over the Internet, but her home is AmandaRobertsWrites.com.
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