I stood firmly. “Don’t be so certain. You would be punished too if the Emperor knew of your stealing.”
“My stealing?”
“You give me no choice, Most Adored.” I would tell the Emperor the truth, even if he would punish me for my negligence.
“You do not understand, do you, Mei?” She sighed. “How will he think it’s me, if he finds the crowns in someone else’s chamber, say, a Talent’s?”
I faltered. “You would not dare to do that!”
She picked up a piece of red paper near the colored boxes. “Of course not, Mei. It will not happen. I will not do that. I give you my promise. As long as you give me yours.”
I bit my lip, unable to speak.
She sighed, staring at the red paper in front of her. “But such is our life in the court, Mei. I’m certain you know it as well as I. The gate to the Yeting Court is perpetually open, but the path to return to the Inner Court is long and tortuous.”
I could not raise my head. It had taken me so long and so much pain to get to where I was. My Talent title, my duty in the wardrobe chamber. I was so close to the Emperor, who would summon me any day. And Mother. I had not yet saved enough silver to send to her. If Jewel succeeded in accusing me of stealing the jewelry, everything—my dream to take care of Mother, my title, even my life—would be ruined.
“I’m glad you understand this now. You may leave, Mei.” Jewel’s hand flicked in the air. “When I hear the news of the fire, I’ll return the items to you.”
I wrung my hands. “I do not trust you.”
“What other choices do you have, Mei?”
“But…but…” I could not move. “What if the silkworms die? All of them?”
She laid the red paper between her lips and smacked. Perfectly red lips appeared in the mirror. “Then I’ll wear my old gowns.”
“But the workshops are guarded,” I said, desperate. “There is no way I can get in.”
She smiled wickedly. “You’re a clever girl, Mei. And a clever girl will always find a way.”
15
The Imperial Silkworm Workshops, a site almost as sacred as the family shrine, was accessible to only a few skillful weavers and workers who had special permission granted by the Noble Lady. Fiercely guarded, it was where silk—the bargain for peace offerings, the gift to a woman’s heart—was made in secret.
How could I enter the workshops?
I thought of Sun Tzu, belatedly, after I left Jewel’s chamber. “The clever combatant imposes his will on the enemy but does not allow the enemy’s will to be imposed on him.” I wished I had remembered that while I had been in Jewel’s chamber.
I made my way to the workshops, housed in a walled building behind the Archery Hall on the east side of the palace. When I came to the front of the gate, where two guards stood, I told them I would like to speak to the Noble Lady.
They looked me over suspiciously. “Wait here,” one said, and the other went inside the workshops.
I paced in front of the gate.
Every year, the silk farming started in early spring, and many bolts of silk would be produced and brought to the markets throughout the kingdom. The Imperial Silkworm Workshops produced half of the kingdom’s silk. The other half came from the silk farms in the south, where the weather was warmer and the temperature was easier to control. Everyone in the kingdom, young or old, understood that silk was our promise of prosperity and that silkworms were Heaven’s gifts to us.
And I had been ordered to destroy them.
I thought of the powerful Lady at the apple distribution, whom the eunuchs had to consult before giving away the apples. Would I bring her ruin? Or would she destroy me first?
A plump figure in a splendid yellow gown came to the building’s threshold, and my hands began to sweat. I had hoped the Noble Lady would send a maid to fetch me. Once inside, I would find an excuse to slip away, locate the nursery, put out the fire, and leave.
But she had come to greet me. Personally. Outside the walls of the workshops. I wanted to flee, but it was too late. I lowered my head and gave her a deep bow, thankful that etiquette mandated I avoid making eye contact.
Hoping my voice was calm, I said, “May I be allowed to give my utmost respect to the Noble Lady, the one and only, the kindest of all.”
“So you are the girl they were talking about. I was hoping to speak to you during the apple distribution but did not have the chance.” The Noble Lady had a pleasant voice, strong but not too loud, confident but not haughty, as if she was accustomed to speaking to a group of women. “Mei, isn’t it? You have exceptional courage, I’ve heard. If you had not been there in the Altar House, the One Above All would have been seriously harmed in the attack. I see goodness and bravery in you.”
I lowered my eyes to show my respect. But I was surprised. Her courteousness toward a low grader like me was unexpected.
“Would you raise your head so I will have a good look at you?”
I obliged and fixed my gaze on her shoulders.