My heart raced faster. I had mentioned the rumor of him being the heir when we were alone together, and he had shrugged it off. But the moment had come.
“Look at all these people; look at their faces, Pheasant. And remember them. They are your servants, your advisers, your family. Understand them, understand them well, for one day, you will need their help to rule. Everyone”—the Emperor, his hands shaking as usual, held Pheasant’s shoulders—“here, I give you my heir, the future Emperor of Great China.”
The crowd roared. Waves of praise poured out of their mouths, and joyous shouts filled the hall.
My heart bloomed with happiness. Pheasant. The future Emperor of Great China!
But he looked shocked, and a shadow of panic raced across his face.
“What do you say now? You have made me proud, Pheasant,” the Emperor said, his voice less grave, his face softening with what looked like a smile. “Now sit with me and drink.”
A servant filled a goblet with some wine, and Pheasant drained it. “Father, ministers.” He paused. “I hope I will not disappoint you.”
“Praise our prince!” Secretary Fang stood and bowed. “It is our fortune to have a valiant heir!”
The other ministers all bowed, beaming with joy. Pheasant bowed back to each of them, one by one, and when he was done, he straightened, smiling, looking relaxed.
The Duke ordered the musicians to play again, and immediately, the hall was alive with the notes of zithers. Colorful ribbons whirled, and long dancing sleeves twirled. Everyone nodded, praising what a wise choice the Emperor had made.
The Duke laughed. Of course he was pleased. His enemy was dead, and Pheasant, one of his nephews, was the heir. Pheasant would be kind to him, paying him the respect and prestige that was due to an elder. And with the Emperor still unable to hold a calligraphy brush, I suspected the Duke would be indispensable for a while.
My heart swelling with happiness, I sat and watched. I wished the Noble Lady could have been there. She would have been surprised, but she would have been gracious and given Pheasant her blessing. I knew she would.
Rain, and Pheasant’s wife, Lady Wang, would rejoice too when they heard the news. I had yet to meet Lady Wang, but I would meet her very soon, whether I liked it or not, because once the announcement of Pheasant as the heir was heard by the whole kingdom the next day, both Lady Wang and Rain would relocate to the Eastern Palace, and Lady Wang, as the wife of the heir, would take over the Eastern Palace.
A few hours into the feast, the Emperor retired. The candles dimmed, the servants yawned, and the ministers fell asleep at their tables. When no one seemed to notice us, Pheasant nodded at me and slipped out. I followed. We went to a corner near a bamboo grove behind the hall.
“Ah, so good it’s quiet here,” Pheasant said as I sat next to him. The wall felt cold against my back, but I could feel the warmth from Pheasant’s arms.
“My emperor.” I dipped my head toward him.
He took a flask from his belt and sipped. “This is madness, isn’t it?”
He did not look happy. I searched for his eyes. “You will make a righteous ruler, Pheasant.”
The Emperor had once said Pheasant could not rule the kingdom because he had too much love. But he was wrong. An emperor with love did not rule a kingdom; he conquered it.
“I don’t know… It’s a serious business to rule a kingdom, Mei. I did not wish to believe it when they talked… But now…”
“You saved us. You saved everyone.”
He shrugged. “Anyone would have done the same, not just me. But Father doesn’t think so. He wants me to be the heir. He is adamant. He will announce the news to the whole kingdom tomorrow. He even promised me that he would build a Buddhist pagoda for my mother, as I requested.”
“Buddhist pagoda?”
Pheasant nodded. “Yes, I want to pay respect to her. My uncle recommends a Taoist abbey, but I want a Buddhist pagoda. After all, she was a Buddhist, and I think she would like to have an official Buddhist building dedicated to her.”
I turned to him, touched by his kindness. Buddhism, after all, was not a popular religion in our kingdom and was looked down upon by the nobles, but if Pheasant wanted to honor his mother and offer his support, perhaps people’s view of the religion would change. And many Buddhists, for sure, would benefit from that. I remembered the monastery where Mother stayed and how it was falling apart. “That is a fine idea, Pheasant. I am certain people will like that.”
“I hope so. The years have been hard on us. The rebellion, wars…”
“I know.” I sighed, leaning back. So much had happened. So many people had died…and I had nearly died too, and now Pheasant was the heir. Who would have expected that? For all the talk, the prophecy was wrong after all…
“Are you all right?”
“Yes. I was thinking about the prophecy.” When I had overheard the Uncle talking to the Chancellor, he had mentioned the Wu Man, and he had believed it was Prince Yo…