by Qinghan CeCe
Princess Qi Le had her eyes fixed bitterly on Wang Ruo like sharp knives. When she noticed Huang Zixia looking at her, she didn’t look away but stared back aggressively. Her gaze was full of righteous indignation that she wanted Huang Zixia to see before she finally looked away.
Lady Zhao smiled at Empress Wang. “This is a new pipa player from the academy. She’s amazing. Li Rui loves her and says that in time she’ll become a master.”
“Really? She’s so young; can she really be that good?” the Empress said, smiling as she glanced at Jin Nu.
Jin Nu held the pipa and bowed slightly. “I’m just a student. I’ll never surpass my teacher. She’s the true master.”
This seemed to get the Empress’s interest. She looked at her again but didn’t speak. Lady Zhao smiled. “Which master is your teacher?”
“She’s from the Yunshao Court of Yangzhou. Her name is Mei Wanzhi. Has the lady heard of her? I’m her only protégé.”
The Empress looked like she flinched, but just for a moment.
Mei Wanzhi. Huang Zixia had never heard this name, but the Yunshao Court of Yangzhou made her think of Chen Nian and Feng Yi, and now Jin Nu. They all came from the same court. Quite a coincidence. No one else seemed to recognize the names. Only Lady Zhao seemed pleased. “Then you must be very talented to have earned your teacher’s respect.”
“Yes. When I was five, my hometown was flooded. My family fled to the suburbs of Yangzhou. One died of hunger, and they had no choice but to put me up for sale.” She held the pipa tightly and spoke quietly. “My master passed. She ordered the driver to stop. She had one of her people bring money to buy me. She said my hands show that I was born for playing pipa.”
Everyone looked at her hands. They were white with shapely joints and palms slightly large for a woman. The pipa was resting on her chest. Jin Nu smiled, her left hand pressing the strings on the neck, her right plucking them with the jade. Her hands were no longer trembling, and her face had a touch of red to it. Her fingers moved faster than the eye could see. The music poured out like pearls dropping in the hall, but each note was distinct. There were round, brisk, transparent, and soft ones. Thousands coming together on the platform and echoing faintly in the hall.
After the song, everyone remained entranced by the music. It even took Wang Ruo a long time to take a deep breath.
Lady Zhao smiled at the Empress. “What do you think?”
Huang Zixia realized then that only the Empress had an indifferent expression. “Not bad,” she said. Huang Zixia remembered that it was said that the Emperor loved a good party, while the Empress preferred quiet and wasn’t interested in dances and feasts.
Jin Nu put the pipa down, stood, and bowed. “Master said my playing is full of fire but lacks tranquility, which must be the limitation of my talent.”
“You’re young and beautiful,” the Empress said, “and in the prosperity of the capital. It’s good that you haven’t learned that yet.”
“The Empress is right,” Lady Zhao said. “You haven’t experienced great sadness; how could you know tranquility? I hope it lasts your whole life, my child!” Jin Nu bowed and prepared to retire. “Now,” Lady Zhao said, “is your master still in Yangzhou? She must be marvelous. When can she come to the palace to play pipa for me?”
Jin Nu forced herself to smile. “Master already passed away.” She glanced at the Empress.
“Shame,” Lady Zhao said. “I love pipa. I even asked Master Cao’s protégés to enter the palace. Unfortunately, that great talent is lost to us now too. From your tone, I bet your master was incredible, huh?”
“Yes. Unsurpassed in the world. If the lady would like, I can tell you a story about her.”
“Are you feeling up to it, Wang Ruo? Maybe you’d like to rest?” the Empress asked.
Wang Ruo shook her head. “I’ll lie down soon. I’d like to hear the story.”
Princess Qi Le said cynically, “Yes, better for the Princess to be among people, otherwise . . .” She didn’t say what, but everyone knew. Lady Zhao gave her a look, and she didn’t say more.
Jin Nu sat down, holding her pipa. “Eighteen years ago, in bustling Yangzhou, my master and five of her sisters cofounded Yunshao Court. They called them the Six Women of Yunshao. Then master got married and had a daughter, which coincided with the Emperor’s great celebration. Five of the Six Women of Yunshao went to the capital. Only my master stayed behind with her newborn.”
She launched into the story of one of her master’s most stunning moments.
Every year in Yangzhou during the winter solstice, Jiangdu Palace opens, and men and women join together in song. Then the best musicians come to play for the dance.
Eighteen years ago, there was a rival musical group called Jinli Park. They brought thirty-six Persian girls to upstage Yunshao. As usual, the Yunshao court dancers were dancing in the palace. Before the first dance was finished, music came on from the opposite stage. Amid the thirty-six girls, twenty-four played instruments—harps, flutes, and pipes. The other twelve sang and danced. The girls wore gauzy clothing and didn’t cover their feet. They moved their waists sensually. Coupled with their flowing blonde hair, it looked very erotic. The noisy crowd rushed to the other side to watch. The Yunshao dancers were at a loss, and just stood there, panicked.
The foreigners played their flutes furiously. Their flirtatious waists and winks won warm applause from the audience. Those on the other side were calm and focused on getting their things together and going over there. Master Mei Wanzhi walked over to a pipa player and took her instrument, then sat to the side of the hall and began playing along.
The sound resounded throughout all of Jiangdu Palace. The birds were frightened as it echoed through the mountains and valleys. Soon, the foreigners couldn’t keep up. They lost the tune and stopped playing. The only sound in the palace was the ring of the pipa like heavy raindrops on flowers. When the song was over, snow began to fall over the winter solstice sunset. That day, the hundreds of people in Jiangdu Palace all silently listened to that pipa as the snow fell, and no one dared to even breathe loudly, lest they interrupt the music.
“I was only seven at the time,” Jin Nu said.
Jin Nu’s story made everyone gasp. “How amazing!” Lady Zhou said.
As Huang Zixia imagined the scene, she was fascinated.
“Yes. I may never hear pipa playing like that again,” Jin Nu said with a smile filled with longing. “When that song ended, master played another, making people dance. The Yunshao Court dancers got their spirit back and lined up to sing and dance. All the attendants were overwhelmed. They danced arm in arm all night as the snow fell. Now there’s a legend in Yangzhou about Mei Wanzhi possessing hundreds of dancers with her pipa.”
“I don’t believe you,” Princess Qi Le said. “How could anyone play that well? You’re definitely lying.”
Jin Nu smiled and lowered her head but didn’t respond.
“Or maybe the memory’s grown richer over time,” the Empress said gently. Then she turned and said to Zhang Ling, “Tell the academy to bring a pipa as a gift for Jin Nu.” The Empress smiled slyly at Jin Nu.
“My pipa was given to me by my master. It’s called Autumn Dew. I’ve grown used to it over the years and am afraid I wouldn’t be able to change it.”
“Then have them bring a jade pick, strings, and rosin powder. They should be useful.”
Jin Nu thanked her. Lady Zhao waved her hand and said, “Well, I’ve seen the Princess of Kui. Think I’d better go get some rest. The Princess should take care of herself too. Soon it’ll be your celebration day.”
“Thank you, my lady,” Wang Ruo said with a deep bow.
Lady Zhou and her entourage left. Zhang Ling motioned for Jin Nu to leave too. Her gifts would be on the way.
Huang Zixia and Wang Ruo got up and went to the side hall to rest.
As they left, Princess Qi Le said, “Beauty is truly rare. I think that pipa player is prettier than a lot of ladies.”
Wang Ruo knew she was talking about her, but didn’t say anything. After a while, Jin Nu laughed coldly. “The Princess must be joking. I’m not beautiful. My master was a magisterial beauty, though.”
“Your master?” Princess Qi Le said, staring at her. “Who other than the Empress is worthy of the word magisterial?”
“The Princess is right.” Jin Nu didn’t seem to mind the rebuke. She smiled and turned to Huang Zixia with eyes squinting with delight. “Mr. Yang, remember what I said to you last time? Lots of girls love the Prince of Kui, even lots of students in the Yangzhou Academy. It’d be nice if you could get him to visit more often.”
Huang Zixia smiled and nodded.
When Jin Nu left, Princess Qi Le said, “She’s talking about the academy girls liking the Prince of Kui?”
Huang Zixia didn’t respond. You compared her with the Princess of Kui; why should she compare you with the academy girls? she thought. As she watched Jin Nu’s graceful outline disappear, she felt some relief as well as a little concern for her.
Wang Ruo remained in the side hall to rest. Huang Zixia, Su Qi, Xian Qun, Ran Yun, and others sat outside so as not to disturb her.
Su Qi and Zhang Ling looked at the new palace’s flowers. Huang Zixia felt drowsy, having not slept well the night before. She drifted off to sleep.
When Huang Zixia suddenly awoke, she jumped up and found Su Qi and Zhang Ling had left the flowers and gone to the hall. She heard commotion. She hurried inside and found Wang Ruo curled up on the couch, shivering with fright. A chunk of her hair had been cut.
Zhang Ling pointed toward the window. “There,” she said in a panic. “The assassin escaped through the window.”
Huang Zixia ran to the window, but no one was in sight. She looked above and below the window to see if the assassin was hiding but didn’t see anyone. There was nowhere to hide. If Zhang Ling saw them go over the wall, there was no way they could escape her gaze.
Where could he have gone in such a short time?
She hesitated before looking back at Wang Ruo. Wang Ruo was holding a blanket as she sat on the bed, the evening light illuminating half her face. Some hair from the part that had been cut hung over her cheek, casting a shadow that made her seem frailer.
Empress Wang came from the main hall and listened to the story of what happened. “In this palace,” she said furiously, “attacking the Princess right under our noses! What the hell are the guards doing?”
No one dared to answer.
“We must speak with the Emperor. This is no trivial matter,” she said, walking toward the door. Then she turned and looked at everyone. “If this gets out the rumors in the capital will intensify. Make sure no one speaks a word of this outside the palace walls. Yongqing, hurry and inform the Prince of Kui. Ask him to come immediately.”
Yongqing, a eunuch from Penglai Hall quickly walked out.
After the Empress left, they comforted Wang Ruo. Xian Yun said, “The Empress is truly concerned about the Princess and will keep her safe.” Wang Ruo stared silently, frightened.
Before long, the Emperor’s command came down. The Princess of Kui would stay in Daming Palace’s Yongchun Hall, and the court would mobilize one hundred guards led by Wang Yun. The Prince of Kui sent another one hundred troops, and the two hundred people took turns guarding the hall just in case. “Daming Palace has three thousand men standing guard day and night. There’s nowhere for a troublemaker to hide,” an attendant said joyfully.
Wang Ruo smiled with reluctance.
Yongchun Hall of Daming Palace was a small hall in the southeast corner. It was originally the palace treasury, so its walls were extremely thick, making it perhaps the safest in the palace. The hall’s south and east sides both had gateless, fifty-feet-high walls nearby. Atop the wall was a tower with a guard always on watch. There was no way someone could have entered from there. The west side was a defensive focal point. The hall was impenetrable.
In accordance with the security plan, there were three lines of defense around Wang Ruo. The innermost consisted of the ladies and eunuchs always by her side. The next was about thirty people, throughout the hall, who could see anyone coming and going. There were six units of thirty soldiers. Half were on duty at any given time and led by eight lieutenants and two captains, making for two hundred people in total.
“The hall has been thoroughly searched. There are no intruders. Please be at ease, Your Highnesses,” the two men in charge of the guards said to Wang Ruo and Wang Yun.
Wang Yun nodded and stood to leave. “Please believe that your safety has been ensured. It’s getting late. Get some rest. I’ll be in the front hall. If you need something, call for me.”
Wang Ruo and Huang Zixia walked him to the door and watched him leave.
Standing in the entrance, looking out at the guards on the verandah and in the rock garden as if a battle were imminent, she thought of the mysterious man and his birdcage. Who could have known that the cage had a contraption that with a slight touch would magically make the bird disappear? Wang Ruo was just like that little bird, sitting alone in the hall, watching the ladies light the lamps.
Huang Zixia walked over to her. “What are you looking at?”
Tears like crystals flickered in Wang Ruo’s eyes. “Chonggu, I . . .” She choked up and could barely manage to speak. “I feel like I’ve been floating in a dream this month. I’ve found myself in an unbelievably good situation but, like the light of spring, it’s going out.” There was deep sadness, sorrow, even, in her voice.
Wind slowly came through the palace gate and made the lamps rotate and flicker. The wind dimmed the lamps, and the rain fell. Huang Zixia looked at Wang Ruo’s face and thought that worry was aging her. Though Wang Ruo probably had something to do with Feng Yi’s death and may not be so beautiful on the inside, Huang Zixia still felt some pity and whispered, “Be at ease, Princess. There are many guards closely watching the palace now. Even an insect couldn’t come in undetected.”
Wang Ruo nodded but still looked heavyhearted.
Huang Zixia didn’t know what else to say. She thought the Empress had put too much pressure on Wang Ruo. Then she looked outside and saw Li Shubai appear in the bright light. He came to the entrance of the hall. Xian Yun and Ran Yun bowed quickly, and Su Qi and Wang Ruo stood and did the same. Wang Ruo’s eyes glowed brilliantly like pearls when she looked at him. But she couldn’t shake the shyness and grief from her face.
Li Shubai glanced at her but didn’t speak, just indicated for Huang Zixia to come out. Huang Zixia bowed to Wang Ruo and left. She and Li Shubai went through the rock garden to the front hall’s verandah. They were only feet from Wang Ruo and could keep an eye on any movements.
“What’s the arrangement tonight?” Li Shubai asked.
“Su Qi, Xian Yun, and Ran Yun will accompany the Princess in the inner palace’s east hall. The rest of us will be nearby in the west hall, ready to handle anything at a moment’s notice.”
“I don’t think anything bad will happen in Daming with all these guards,” Li Shubai said, “But with so few days to the wedding, the Empress putting on such a big show of force seems problematic.” Huang Zixia was wondering what the problem was when Li Shubai said, “I originally thought we’d take care of the paper over the next couple of days. Time is short.” He spoke as flatly as if discussing the weather—no hesitation, no rancor—heartless.
Huang Zixia gave him a slightly confused look. “Does the Prince wish to reveal the truth to the Princess? I don’t think the Empress or the Wangs will like it.”
“I’ll take care of it privately. I wouldn’t disrespect the Wangs.”
Huang Zixia was at a loss when Wang Ruo came out of the hall. The cool night air blew her clothes and hair. She was wearing a thin yellow garment and had her hair in a loose bun, a leafy golden hairpin at her temple. She came toward them through the rock garden with Ran Yun.
She bowed deeply and said, “Hello, my Prince.”
Li S
hubai nodded, indicating for her to rise.
She did so and whispered, “Thank you so much for coming in person. The palace is heavily guarded and should be safe now.” Despite her words, her eyes were wide and helpless like a doe’s. If he left, she’d be heartbroken.
“Certainly, no need for worry. You can go rest and have a peaceful day tomorrow,” Li Shubai said.
“Yes.” Wang Ruo bowed. She blinked, and there seemed to be a glimmer in her eye, which Huang Zixia thought was a tear.
She rose and went back to the hall.
Li Shubai and Huang Zixia watched her pass slowly through the rock garden. In the entrance, she seemed to be in a trance. She tripped on the threshold, and Ran Yun helped her regain her balance and straighten her skirt.
“Since there are so many guards, I’ll go back to the palace. You stay extra vigilant.”
“Okay,” Huang Zixia said, still looking at the hall. Xian Yun carried a container of food to the rear kitchen, and Ran Yun lit the way with a lamp as they spoke in whispers.
“What are you looking for?” Huang Zixia called.
Ran Yun cupped her hands around her mouth. “The Princess’s hairpin is missing!”
Huang Zixia waved at Li Shubai and said, “I’ll go help them look.”
As Huang Zixia crossed the rock garden, she saw a small piece of gold, leafy with two pearls. Wang Ruo’s hairpin.
She picked it up and walked quickly to Ran Yun and gave it to her.
Ran Yun took it, and the two went to the hall entrance where Xian Yun was returning with food. She angrily opened the container. “The cook is already out, so I could only find some walnut biscuits. Will you eat them?”
“Eat, eat, eat. All you do is eat. Have you seen your waist lately?” Ran Yun asked.
“Well, Yang Guifei was round as a pearl and was still Empress dowager.”
“You’re comparing yourself to Yang Guifei? That was a hundred years ago. She’s certainly not a plump beauty anymore. Now the Princess, that’s a nice figure . . . We retrieved the hairpin by the way.”