“A small tribe.” The Emperor rolled up the map.
“Your Majesty may have nothing to fear, but what about your vassals? Will they be strong enough to hold against the Arabs’ assault?”
That was a good point. As the Heavenly Khan, he had the duty to protect his vassals, or they would rescind their oaths and revolt. I waited for the Emperor’s answer.
Silence befell the Audience Hall. After a moment, the Emperor spoke. “Any thoughts, my counselors?”
A resounding mix of voices filled the hall as the ministers argued.
“The Arabs are nothing,” the Duke said, holding his ivory tablet.
“Their emperor had a dream!” the Emperor’s uncle countered. His voice was angrier than usual. Earlier, when they were lining up before the throne, I had noticed he kept a great distance from the Duke, eyeing him in disgust. I remembered the friction between the two. Perhaps I could seek the Uncle’s support?
“I say we consider their emperor’s offer of alliance now and attack the Arabs,” said another voice. It was the Chancellor, Wei Zheng. “We can send the men from the Four Garrisons to the west. There is a good saying: you kill the animal when it’s a cub; you don’t wait until it grows to be a lion.”
“Unwise! We shall defeat them when they come!” the Duke said.
“Only a coward will wait!” the Uncle said, raising his voice. “A true warrior will not wait for a war.”
“And you’re an old man. You can hardly see the stairs ahead of you, let alone find the right path,” the Duke said, raising his voice too.
I heard gasps rise in the hall, and the Emperor’s voice came. “Counselors! Shall I remind you this is a moment for consultation? Consultation! Anyone?”
A moment of silence, and then a wave of murmurs followed.
I pulled away from the screens. If the two most prominent officials would argue like children in front of foreign guests, the rift between them must have been unsealable. Perhaps it was not a bad thing. I remembered clearly that Sun Tzu had mentioned that division bred weakness, and weakness provided opportunity.
The Emperor appeared in the antechamber. I took a tray of apples and went to him. He shook his head and asked for an empty tray. When I returned with one, he took off his bejeweled mortarboard crown and placed it on the tray. Daisy and the other attendants bowed and asked whether he needed any sweetmeat for a snack.
Carrying the tray, I stepped back, studying the crown. What a brilliant piece. There were thousands of pearls strung together to form two curtains in the front and back.
I was so close to the crown, however, that after a moment, the pearls turned dewy with my breath.
25
It was dark when I reached the garden. The small rock was leaning against the wall, and I could hear Pheasant’s whistle coming from inside. I hesitated. I was the Emperor’s favorite, and soon I might be Most Adored. But the other night, when Pheasant burst into the Emperor’s chamber, we had nearly exposed ourselves.
But I could not resist it. I had to see Pheasant. I put my hands on the wall and pulled myself up. I heard rustling behind me. I jerked around.
A shadow ran down the trail. I leaped off the wall and ran after it.
“Wait, wait!” I followed the shadow as it dashed to a grove. “I know it’s you, Rain!”
The shadow slowed and turned to face me.
“How did you know it was me?” she asked.
I stopped a few paces away, panting. My throat was tight, and I could hardly breathe. “You’ve been following me, haven’t you?” And if she told the Emperor about me seeing Pheasant…
“Now I know your secret.”
Her voice was hard, brittle, filled with resentment. I swallowed. “I know your secret too, Rain.”
“Well, what will you do, Talent? You cannot harm me.”
It was true. She was not the Emperor’s concubine, like me. “But you don’t know that, do you, Rain? If the Emperor believes you seduced Pheasant, he might grow angry and expel you from the court. Then you will be disgraced. But I want to tell you I never thought to expose your secret. I wish you would understand.”
“Of course you will say that. What else would you say?”
“I mean it.” She looked hesitant, and I hurried to continue. “What would you gain by hurting me? How do you think the Emperor would reward you if you told him? He may punish me, yes, but what about you? Pheasant will not forgive you. He’ll never forgive you.”
She came closer to me, her shadow slithering on the ground like a sinister beast. “You want my silence.”
“I…I wish…we could be friends.” I knew I sounded dubious, but I would not be the first woman in the court who put up a pretense to get a reconciliation.
“Friends? You stole him from me.”
“I…I’m sorry.”
“So we’re even now,” she said slowly.
Relieved, I breathed out. “Yes, we—”
“But we are not finished.” She slapped me.