“Never, the One Above All.”
“Liars, all of you.” He drank more. “I did what was necessary. He couldn’t blame it on me. He deserved it. He would have done the same. What can he do now? He’s dead! What harm can he do to me? He was no brother of mine. No, not anymore.”
His brother. The heir who was supposed to inherit the throne? Emperor Gaozu had three sons. The oldest son, Li Jiancheng, was the heir to the throne, but he died, and the youngest son died as well, leaving only the Emperor to inherit the throne.
The Emperor rose. The hem of his night trousers licked the flames. I gasped and dashed to smother the fire.
He swirled around. “What is it?”
“The flame—”
He staggered backward, his head turning left and right. “Where? Do you see him? I know he’s here. I know it!”
His voice changed again. It was cracked, broken, like a bone fractured under pressure. “Tell him to leave. This is my bedchamber. Tell him to leave. He’s screaming at me. Do you hear him?”
He was shivering. He looked frightened. I was alarmed. “No…the One Above All…I don’t hear anything.”
The flame caught the hem of his robe. I was about to cry out, warning him, when he dropped to his feet, smothering the flame. “You’re lying,” he said. Smoke drifted near his feet, and he buried his head between his knees. “You hear him. He mocks me, threatens me. ‘Sooner or later,’ he says, ‘sooner or later, Shimin…’”
I did not know what to make of it, and how swiftly his mood had changed. “I…I’ll get more candles.”
“Go. Go. Get out!”
I could not move. I had come to bed him, but he did not seem interested, and he was angry at me.
“No. Stay. Don’t leave.” He lay down on the floor. “Don’t leave.”
Relieved, I went back to the candles. He mumbled, waving his hands. Finally he quieted, and with his feet curled up, his arms tucked close to his chest, he fell asleep. I waited for a moment and then gingerly took the broken candle near his feet and put it on a table. Then I sat, hugging my knees.
The candle’s light glowed. It lit up the bedchamber, creating a bright ring of light, like the shining edge of the sun near eclipse, and inside the ring, darkness had spread to swallow the Emperor.
I could not understand what had happened to him or why he was so tormented. But he needed me. I was still his favorite, and that was good enough.
AD 642
the Sixteenth Year of Emperor Taizong’s Reign of Peaceful Prospect
WINTER
26
Finally! Secretary Fang gave the Emperor the report of his search for Mother.
The Gold Bird Guards had pasted many bulletins in the capital, and in a month’s time, they had received many messages regarding Mother, the Secretary said carefully. But it turned out people had misidentified Mother and most information was false, and all the clues led to nothing. It was his belief that because she had disappeared too many months ago, all traces of her had been lost. He paused and said no more, but from the way he bowed, I could sense what he was thinking—Mother was dead, and we might never find out what happened to her.
I wept, but I implored the Emperor to keep searching. Mother was still alive. I could feel her. And I would never give up on her.
? ? ?
A few days later, I came to the Audience Hall again.
“The One Above All.” Secretary Fang, in his purple robe, spoke first. “Forgive me that I must bring up this subject again. It has been more than four years since our beloved Empress Wende’s passing. The people are eager to pay their respects to the next empress, whose grace shall bring fortune to our kingdom.” I peeked farther out around the screen shielding the men. The Secretary had a square face and short legs. He was a taciturn man and frowned perpetually, as if he were unhappy in the court.
My heart raced faster when I realized what he was going to say next—his proposal for the new Empress. His strategy made sense. If the lady he suggested became the Empress, he would gain great control and fortune in the court.
“Let me restate this. Until another son is born, there will be no Empress.” The Emperor waved.
So the rumor was true. The Emperor considered it a punishment from Heaven that he had begotten no son after the Empress’s death.
The ministers near the Secretary shook their heads in disappointment. I moved near the screen so I could see their faces behind their ivory tablets. I wondered who they would ally with. With the Pure Lady’s son in exile, she was in disgrace, and none of them would support her. Then Secretary Fang had to ally with one of the three other Ladies or Jewel. But the Secretary did not know Jewel very well, so she would not be a likely choice. Perhaps he wanted the Noble Lady. The thought gave me great hope, and I was happy for her.