“Why?”
“You’re young, beautiful, and a Talent. You take care of the Emperor’s wardrobe, and soon, you’ll be promoted and dress him every morning in his chamber. The Pure Lady, as well as the other Ladies, cannot see the Emperor unless he summons her. Do you understand now? You have all the chances that she does not.” Jewel went to sit in front of her dresser, where she had spread out the bejeweled hairpins, jade combs, and colored boxes of tinctures.
“Do you expect me to believe that? She’s a Lady. She has no reason to be jealous of me.”
“What I’m trying to tell you is you must never offend her. Whatever you’ve heard about her, she is more.” Jewel took a long, gold hairpin out of her white hair and began to comb it. “She stings her adversary like a hornet, and when she turns away—when you think you have survived the sting—she attacks like a scorpion that thrusts its venomous tail.”
I understood why she had said that. “You are friends with her now.”
She put down the comb. “You see, Mei. That’s what I like about you. You’re very intelligent.”
I frowned. She still did not tell me why she had stolen the late Empress’s jewelry.
“You do understand what’s going on right now, don’t you?” She picked up a makeup brush and dipped it into a colored tincture box. “The Noble Lady wants to be the empress, but so does the Pure Lady. The Noble Lady hopes her older son, Prince Ke, will replace Taizi. If Ke inherits the throne, then she’s the indisputable empress. But the Pure Lady is the Noble Lady’s equal in many ways. Do you see the predicament?”
The princes again. Why was Jewel telling me that? I felt as though she had spread a snare before me while I sauntered around the edge of it like an ignorant bird. “I need to go back soon, Most Adored.”
“Do not be afraid, Mei. This is why you are here. You will help us.”
“Help you with what?” That was why Jewel stole the jewelry. She wanted to hold me hostage and force me to do her bidding.
She began to draw something between her eyebrows. “Destroy the Noble Lady.”
I wanted to laugh. How absurd!
“You’ve heard about her, haven’t you? She keeps spiders as pets,” Jewel said.
“She’s a weaver,” I said.
The way Jewel spoke, it sounded as if the Noble Lady was a witch of some sort, but in truth, all weavers liked spiders for their spinning ability. Once a year, before the silkworm farming season started, the weavers locked a spider in a chest overnight. If the spider produced a tight web the next morning, it indicated good luck for the weaver; if the web was loose or incomplete, it predicted the weaver’s poor skill and a poor year ahead. As head of the Imperial Silkworm Workshops, the Noble Lady certainly watched closely the signs from spiders.
“That’s the problem,” Jewel said. “A second-degree Lady is not obligated to do chores, but she carries her spindle wheel everywhere. Who knows how much she weaves every day? Her intention is clear. She just wants people to believe she’s the paradigm of goodness and a perfect candidate for the empress’s seat.” She turned to face me. “The Noble Lady is a crafty woman. Never be fooled by how good a facade she paints.”
I said nothing. I had to tread carefully.
“Do you understand what I am saying?” She tilted her head.
I replied, hoping my voice was mild and docile. “Most Adored, there is nothing I can do to help you.”
“Come.” She beckoned me to approach and then cupped her hand at my ear. Her voice was soft. “I’ll return the crowns and everything else I put in the quilt, once you extinguish the fire in the silkworm workshops. Very simple, isn’t it?”
I pulled away. Although I was not very familiar with the process of silkworm farming, I knew how important the warmth was for the eggs. A delicate species, they relied on heat to hatch, and the nurseries must keep a dozen fires in pits to keep them warm. “The silkworm eggs will perish in the cold.”
“They have countless batches of eggs in various stages of maturity. One night’s cold won’t kill them all.”
Even so, the Noble Lady’s reputation would be tarnished, and she would fall into disgrace, which was what Jewel and the Pure Lady wanted. But how could I bear the guilt if I froze even one egg? It was the silkworm. The most treasured creature of the kingdom. I thought of Pheasant’s jade silkworm in my pouch.
“You must be mad. Really mad, Jewel. What do you think the Noble Lady’s downfall will give you?”
“Everything a woman dreams to have. When the Pure Lady and I put our great minds together, we make good plans.”
“So you are aiding her in becoming the Empress?” Then Jewel would take the Pure Lady’s place, perhaps.
“I knew you would understand.”
I raised my chin. I would not be blackmailed. “I am not your pawn.”
She peered at me, a phoenix beauty mark painted between her eyebrows. “I would hate to hear something unfortunate happened to you, Mei.”