“We should follow them quickly,” Jewel said, returning. “Where is my girdle? Mei?”
I composed myself and pulled up my trousers. “Yes, your girdle is near the futon.”
She took it and wrapped it around her. “It’s a great honor to have the Emperor bestow a name upon you.”
“I know. I’m honored. Shall we go now? Where are we going?”
“To the Eastern Palace.” She stuffed the unsigned golden paper in her pocket. “If you don’t wish to go, you could stay here.”
I wanted nothing other than to hide in a corner, but if I stayed, Jewel would suspect something was wrong.
She cocked her head toward me, her catlike eyes glinting. “Are you all right?”
I could not arouse her suspicion. I squeezed out a smile. “Of course. I am disappointed, that’s all.”
“Disappointed?” She arched her painted eyebrows. “Are you blaming me for ruining your night?”
“No. I’m not.”
She nodded and walked toward the door. “Did you see how Prince Zhi stared at you?”
My hands froze on the ties of the skirt. “How did he stare at me?”
She chuckled but did not answer. I could not understand whether she was fishing for clues or simply testing me. I tidied up my skirt and tucked my hair behind my back. When I was ready, I folded my hands across my abdomen and followed her out.
We soon caught up with the Emperor, who was riding on a sedan carried by four porters, and Pheasant, who walked behind him with a number of servants holding lanterns. The Eastern Palace, separated from the Inner Court by a tall wall, had one entrance, Tongxun Gate, which opened to the Inner Court. It required a long walk from the Emperor’s chamber, and we would need to pass the back of the Imperial Silkworm Workshops before reaching it.
I walked slowly behind them, putting some distance between Pheasant and me. Pheasant’s gait looked stiff, and he nodded while the Emperor talked.
“So what happened, Prince Zhi?” Jewel asked, walking near the Emperor.
“Taizi and Yo had a wrestling match near dusk. Yo lost. He insulted Taizi.” Pheasant turned sideways and glanced at me.
I stumbled, my face burning and my heart racing faster. Look away, look away, Pheasant.
“I’m certain it didn’t mean anything,” Jewel said. “Brothers banter with each other all the time.”
“He cursed Taizi’s women too and said they were barren.”
“That was thoughtless of him.” Jewel sighed. “However, he does have a point. The heir is a grown man and has twenty concubines. But he has not fathered a child. Shouldn’t he have a son by now?”
Neither Pheasant nor the Emperor answered as they ascended the stairs to enter a gate. I lifted my skirt to walk easier, gazing at the light dancing before me. I prayed Jewel would keep focusing on the heir so she would not pay attention to me or Pheasant.
“And I suppose Taizi insulted him back?” Jewel asked as we left the gate and entered a corridor.
Pheasant cleared his throat but did not speak.
“Nothing? That’s unlike the heir.”
“He pissed on Yo.”
“Pissed! How inappropriate! I certainly would not have imagined that. Did you hear that, the One Above All?”
The Emperor grunted. We finally reached the Tongxun Gate.
“What do you think about the heir, Mei?” Jewel turned to me while we waited for the guards to open the gates.
She would not leave me alone. I felt the Emperor’s gaze on me, and Pheasant’s too. My heart pounded. “I… Most Adored…I’m afraid…I don’t know.”
“Don’t know? What does that mean?” Jewel asked.
“Enough talk,” the Emperor said.
The gate opened. He entered the passage under the archway, his back red in the lantern’s light. Fortunately, Jewel said no more and we entered the Eastern Palace, heading toward the heir’s stable, where many shadowy figures were gathered.
“Halt!” The Emperor got off the sedan and went straight to them. Pheasant followed. The crowd parted, and a clamor arose as the men shouted.
“Father, this swine insulted me!”
“Father, he pissed on me!”
“I think this is the moment,” Jewel said, standing close to me. A group of ladies came before us, blocking our view. I stood on tiptoe, watching the two princes, their faces lit by the bonfire in front of the stable.
“What moment?” I asked.
“What kind of Emperor would he be if he gives his kingdom to an uncouth heir like Taizi? He’s finished. The Emperor will depose him.”
Of course Jewel wished Taizi to be deposed so the Pure Lady and her son could rise. I could not stand her tone. “This is rather hasty, in my opinion. Taizi is a good man.”
She tilted her head at me, and I looked away, afraid she could read my mind.
“We’ll see.” She faced the Emperor.
Some guards held Taizi and Prince Yo apart, but they still argued with fists and spittle. Their arms thrust violently, and their heads jerked this way and that. Pheasant stood between them, pushing them apart. Poor Pheasant. It must have been hard on him to see Taizi suffer such a disgrace.
“Has he met you before?” Jewel said, her voice smooth.