The Moon in the Palace (The Empress of Bright Moon Duology) (9 page)

The ministers lined up before the platform to praise Taizi. First the Uncle, then a hunchbacked man wearing jade pendants, Chancellor Wei Zheng. Following him were more ministers. They bowed constantly, their heads springing up and down like hungry birds pecking at grain.

When they finished, the Duke cleared his throat and shouted from the platform. “Today, we are here to witness one of the most important rituals in life, the Adulthood Ceremony, for my great-nephew, our Taizi, Li Chengqian, the heir of Great China.” He held a wrapping above Taizi’s head. “I now have the honor to recognize you, the firstborn of the Li family, whose ancestry is of the most supreme in this kingdom, son of the late daughter of the Changsun clan, now a man worthy of trust. You shall prevail on occasions of stress and moments of adversity…”

I wiped the perspiration from my forehead. I was shorter than the women in front of me, and, for a long time, I did nothing but stare at their backs.

Finally, the Duke concluded the ceremony and people began to disperse, the tide pushing me toward the entrance gate. The guards on the other side of the ladies waved, shouting for us to return to the Yeting Court. Someone around me mentioned the feast, and the ministers became animated, rubbing their bleary eyes.

I craned my neck in time to see the Emperor enter the Altar House, accompanied by three Taoist priests with long ponytails. One sprinkled yellow water in the air, as if to prepare for a divination. I glanced at the guards standing near the entrance. If I left, I might never see the Emperor again. I ducked under the arm of a minister robed in purple, went behind a painted pillar, took another turn at a corridor, and scurried in the opposite direction.

At the end of the corridor stood a small door. I pushed it open and quickly shut it behind me. The door led to a small garden. An ancient oak, its trunk as large as a round table, stood to my right. Bundles of hay were stacked on the left. The place appeared to be a temporary stable for imperial members who lived outside the palace.

I decided to hide in the garden and wait for the guards and ministers to leave. Once no one was around, I would go out and see the Emperor.

“Who is it?” a voice called.

I jumped, my heart leaping to my throat. A guard? I must not be caught!

“Are you alone?” A boy poked his head above a stack of hay against the wall.

“Oh.” I was relieved. The boy pushed a bundle of hay away from his face and jumped to the ground, his arms casting a graceful curve in the air. “I’m… What are you doing back there?” I asked.

He did not seem to hear me. “Quick.” He whistled and patted the haystacks behind him. “Come out now.”

From where he had first appeared, a girl in a red gown stood. She climbed down and tidied her creased skirt. Glancing at me, she whispered in the boy’s ear. He nodded, and she ran to the door, covering her face with her sleeve, and disappeared through the entrance from where I had come.

The boy coughed. “Well… We were looking for something.”

“In the haystack?”

“Yes,” he said, a piece of straw dangling from his mouth.

“I see. Could it be a needle?” I said, trying to help him out. He looked my age but was taller than me and dressed in a plain white tunic, the color for a commoner. He had a well-chiseled face, a straight nose, and a square jaw. He was like an image whom a painter had taken great care to paint—and the most attractive boy I had ever seen.

“That was it. A needle.” He laughed. “What’s your name?”

I hesitated. It was not wise to identify myself, yet I wanted him to know me. The wind blew my hair to my face, ruffling my bangs. I arranged my hair carefully with my fingers, hoping the wind did not mess it up. I had taken care to style my hair in Cloudy Chignon that morning, and I hoped I still looked presentable.

He leaned against the haystacks. “I’m Pheasant, like the bird. That’s what my brothers call me.”

This was Pheasant? I remembered his comment that girls were like horses. “So you are the heir’s groom.” He looked confused, and I explained. “I heard you talk to him in the Forbidden Park once.”

“The heir? Right… Is he finished with the ceremony? It was boring, wasn’t it? Whoever sits through that ceremony should be crowned as a saint, not just an adult.”

A fair statement. I laughed, liking him.

He took out the straw in his mouth. “I like the way you laugh.”

I stopped. I had forgotten to cover my mouth. Was he criticizing me for showing my teeth? I did not think so, but still I was displeased. “Well, you should be careful. Someone might tell the Emperor what you were doing here, and he will not be happy.”

“You won’t tell.” He stepped closer to me. His eyes were bright, shining the limpid color of newly brewed ale, clear, light, and inviting. “And you are not supposed to be here either, sweet face.”

I studied him. He did not look menacing. “All right,” I said. “I’ll keep your secret if you agree to keep mine.”

“That’s fair.” He nodded and then froze.

I froze too. Faint voices came from the corridor outside the garden. They were heading toward us.

Pheasant raced to the door and opened it a crack. Then he closed it. “It’s the Captain of the Gold Bird Guards.”

My heart raced faster. If the Captain found me, I would be doomed. He would perhaps punish me, and I would never see the Emperor again.

“You should go,” Pheasant said.

“Go where? I don’t have time.” I looked around for an escape, wishing I had never gone there in the first place.

Pheasant hesitated. “Come. Help me move this.” He sprang toward the haystacks in the corner and lifted a square bundle of hay.

“What are you doing?”

“You’ll see. Quick. They’re coming.” He heaved, and behind the bundle a small hole appeared. A hideout.

“You go in,” he said. “I’ve never told anyone else about this place. Saving it for a special moment.”

I peered inside. The opening was too small for two people. “What about you?” Was he not afraid of getting caught?

The footsteps grew closer, and a man’s voice rumbled. Louder now. It sounded like the Captain who had escorted me to the palace. “Where is the intruder?” he asked.

There was no time to think. I ducked under Pheasant’s arm and went inside the opening.

“I’ll be fine.” He moved to close the haystacks behind me.

Squeak.
The door opened.

“Captain!” Pheasant said. “What’s wrong? Is your horse hungry?”

“I’m searching for an intruder. Someone reported it to me.” The Captain sounded suspicious. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to get some hay for the horses. Who are you looking for?”

There was a pause, and the Captain said, “Guards, take him. Keep him until I get back.”

“What did I do wrong? Watch out. Hey! Get your hands off me. I only came to fetch some hay…” Pheasant’s voice grew lower, and it soon faded in the corridor.

No one in the garden spoke, but the Captain and some of his men were still there. I could hear someone stomping across the ground, a sword slashing here and there. So nervous, I could hardly breathe.

“Search the haystacks,” the Captain ordered, and a chorus of voices answered.

Perspiration poured down my forehead and ran into my eyes. Tightly, I pressed my back to the haystacks. My arm swept something solid, and I heard a rattling sound. There was a secret door beside me. Elated, I pushed it open, and fresh air sailed to my nose.

I peered out. In front of me was a long corridor with latticed windows and a vast courtyard, and at the end stood a house with a blue roof and red beams. The Altar House, where the Adult Ceremony had taken place.

No one was in sight. The ministers must have been feasting in the hall. It was quiet too; only wisps of gray incense smoke spilled from the ceremonial bronze pot.

The Captain shouted something in the garden. I scrambled out of the hideout, stood up, and swept straw off my face. My tunic and my undergarments were soaked with perspiration, but I was relieved. If it had not been for Pheasant, things would have turned out badly for me.

I did not want to take more risks to see the Emperor anymore. I just wanted to get out of the courtyard and return to the Yeting Court as soon as possible. Looking around, I found the entrance in the distance and scurried down the corridor.

I heard a loud crack, as if roof tiles had split under a heavy weight. I paused, looking up. There, between the branches of the oak tree, I caught sight of a large shadow. Was that…a man? I blinked and looked harder. The shadow was gone.

In the sky, clouds gathered, but still no rain.

I was not sure what I had really seen. Frowning, I turned to face the wide Altar House. Its doors were ajar. The Emperor’s golden regalia flitted across the gap, and he shouted something. I could not understand what he said, but he sounded angry.

What was going on? I crept closer to the building. I was not allowed to enter it, for the Altar House was sacred and reserved for only men and high-ranking women, but what if the shadow on the roof was a man… I could not help myself. Carefully, I walked down the corridor and went up the stone stairs stained with the yellow water the priest had sprinkled earlier.

I stopped in front of the House and listened. It was quiet inside. I peered into the gap between the doors. It was too dark, and I could not see anything. Hesitant, I held the door frame and pushed. My hand touched something soft. I looked down.

A hand with yellow stains on the fingertips. The priest’s hand, clutching the door frame from the other side. I started and glanced up, expecting to see his reproachful face.

But there was no priest.

A severed hand!

I shrank back, an uncontrollable shiver rushing through my body. The priest’s hand. Still grasping the door frame.

My teeth chattered. I grabbed the other door for support. It swung away from me, and I fell facedown inside the room.

A peculiar odor—a mixture of mold, acid, musk, and camphor—assaulted my nose. My head swam.

A pair of red eyes gazed at me. The priest. Or rather, what was left of him.

I stared for a moment. Then I screamed.

That was what the comet had brought us. An unthinkable, unspeakable crime. Right in the sacred Altar House. And the Emperor. What had happened to him?

A loud thump rose somewhere. I froze.

“Who’s there?” I asked and searched. But a thick gloominess draped before me, and I could not see anything.

A groan came from deep within the House.

My throat tightening, I rose to my feet. “The One Above All?”

There was no answer.

I blinked. I wanted to back out, but I could not do it. I had to find out what was going on. My hands shaking, I walked toward the center of the House. The long panels, draping from the ceiling, brushed my shoulder like the cold tail of a snake. But my eyes had adjusted to the dark, and I could see banners, bamboo sticks for divination, incense, and paper money scattered on the ground. Ahead of me, rows of mortuary tablets stood like miniature tombstones, while burning candles appeared like weeping statues.

The cloth covering the altar table fluttered. A man leaned against the table, his bejeweled mortarboard at his feet.

“Oh heavens, oh heavens!” I rushed to the Emperor. Blood gushed from his mouth, and his face looked gray like ashes. “What happened, the One Above All?”

A tremor passed over his lips, and he pressed his hand on his blood-soaked shoulder.

“Leave him,” a voice said, and a figure emerged from the dark.

The killer! Still inside the building! I released the Emperor and scrambled backward. “Who…who are you?”

The killer inched closer, dressed in a vest, a skirt, and leggings. He limped a little. I wanted to run but could not find strength to lift my feet. Where were the Emperor’s personal guards? Two had followed him when he’d entered the building, but most of them, I understood, had been dismissed by the Emperor prior to the divination, and they were dining in the feasting hall. They would not hear my screams over the rowdy drinking and loud fife music.

The killer raised his sword.

“Guards, guards!” I pulled up my skirt and ran. Panels brushed my face, and I pushed them aside. Behind me, the killer’s heavy footsteps followed. I kicked away a crumpled banner on the ground, ducked behind a small table, and passed an incense pot. I skidded on something slippery. Under my feet, a pool of blood spread like a thick, luxurious Persian rug. At its edge, a body…no, two bodies sprawled—the guards!—one with a dagger in his chest and the other with his throat slit.

Metal clinked behind me. The killer was catching up! Gripping my skirt, I raced toward the half-open door, where bright daylight poured through.

A cold breeze grazed my cheek, and my ear stung. I did not slow down. The door was closer. Five paces. Warm liquid trickled down the side of my face. Three paces. I stretched out my arm. I could smell the fragrance of wine and cooked meat in the courtyard. I surged forward, my fingertips touching the solid wood of the door, and gratefully, it squeaked, opening wider.

A large figure appeared in the center of the courtyard—the Captain. He shouted at me, but I could not understand him. The killer! The killer! I wanted to scream, but before I opened my mouth, a hand clamped around my throat and everything went dark.

• • •

The moment, dark and dreamless, swallowed me. I could not breathe, see, or hear. I was going to die, I knew it. But I did not want to. I must not die. Mother was waiting for me. I had not done anything to make my father proud yet… Suddenly, sweet air poured in my throat. I gasped again and again. I could breathe!

But I could not see well. Everything appeared blurred. I rose, wobbling. Somehow I was in the corridor, where bolts of bright daylight blinded me, and shadows of people, screaming, flitted around me.

Some guards carried the Emperor on a stretcher and laid him down. A dozen imperial physicians knelt beside him, while a ring of guards surrounded the physicians.

The body of the assassin was carried out too, and the Captain waved at the people, asking them to step aside.

My ear throbbed. Some blood had stained the shoulder and the front of my robe. But it was only a skin wound. In a day or two, it would heal. Someone bumped into me, and I almost tripped. I kept walking.

I had to stop to lean against a kylin statue. The stone felt warm, but I shivered. Behind the roof of the Altar House, clouds flooded the sky, and the oak tree, its lush leaves drooping, curved over the roof like a giant sickle about to tip over. The storm would arrive soon. I wanted to get out of there. Now.

“Where are you going?” A man in a splendid, embroidered purple robe stepped in front of me.

The Duke.

“I—”

“Who are you? What were you doing in the Altar House?”

“What?” My throat hurt. It was hard to swallow.

“You’re a woman, and a Select!” He scanned my green robe. “What were you doing in the sacred Altar House?” His voice was louder.

In a moment, the crowd swarmed around me like a human siege wall—the Emperor’s uncle, the Chancellor, other ministers in red, green, purple robes and high hats, Taoist priests, the guards bearing swords and clubs, and Taizi, who cracked his knuckles, as if readying to throw me over the roof.

I dropped to my knees. “Mercy, esteemed Grand Duke. I trespassed.”

He paced around me without a word, then his ominous voice rose again. “Who is the killer?”

I shook my head.

He circled me again and then tossed something to the ground. “Do you know what this is?”

“A fish emblem.” I heard the hollowness in my voice. Everyone knew what the carved emblem meant—admission to the palace. Anyone who requested to enter the palace, including the ministers, had to present it to the sentries at the watch tower, who verified its authenticity by matching it with a counterpart before granting entrance.

“The Captain found this on the assassin’s body,” the Duke said.

I wanted to ask how the assassin could have gotten access to the carp, but I could not speak. An ominous feeling clouded my heart.

“Did you steal this and give it to him?” he asked. “Or did someone ask you to give it to him?”

His words sent a jolt down my spine. “What? No!”

“Then why were you in the House?”

“I…I don’t know.” I should have ignored the shadow on the roof. I should not have gone inside the House. I should not have hidden in the garden at all. If I had just left the yard, nothing would have happened to me.

The Emperor’s uncle threw his hand in the air, looking outraged, and the crowd murmured in anger. I curled my hands into fists, refusing to let tears roll. An ant crawled out of a crack in the stone floor. Probing with its tiny antennae, it veered toward my hand but slid and fell on a tuft of grass.

The Duke stomped on the grass. “Why didn’t he kill you?”

I felt like the wretched ant under his foot. But I refused to let the Duke stamp me with his hand-stitched leather boots. I faced the Emperor’s stretcher. “The One Above All, it was wrong that I entered the House, but I am telling the truth. Believe me. I swear on my father’s honor.”

The Emperor did not answer. The physicians glared at me as though they believed it was better for the Emperor to save his energy rather than my life.

“Your father?” the Uncle asked. “Who is your father?”

“He was Wu Shihuo, the governor of Shanxi Prefecture,” I said.

“So you are the maiden who composed a riddle.” He nodded, looking less angry. “I’ve heard of him too, the wealthy Wu Shihuo from Shanxi Prefecture. He was a man of meritorious service in founding our dynasty.”

“That was twenty-five years ago, venerable Uncle.” The Duke frowned.

“What are you going to do, Grand Duke?” a minister in a red robe asked.

“Secretary Fang, it is my recommendation that we torture this maiden so she will reveal her conspirators. I am certain there are some,” the Duke replied.

“Is that all you can do, Duke?” The Uncle knocked his cane against the ground, each pounding my heart like a hammer. “What would you recommend, Chancellor?”

Chancellor Wei Zheng stood beside me. “Venerable Uncle, it is my understanding that since each carp is issued and recorded in palace journals daily, the Grand Duke might find it helpful to check with the court recorder.”

“That’s a fine idea.” The Uncle nodded.

“We’ll interrogate the recorder in no time.” The Duke waved. “Meanwhile, this suspect must undergo investigation.” He turned to the stretcher. “I’m certain the One Above All would approve of my suggestion.”

And the Emperor, to my dismay, still did not answer.

“So it is.” The Duke clapped his hands in the air. “As you wish, the One Above All. Guards, take her! Guards!”

The Captain clamped his iron-like hands on my arms, his purple birthmark twitching on his face.

“Do not touch me.” I struggled. But he lifted me up and walked across the courtyard as if he were holding a dead hare.

I did not care about anything anymore. I kicked. My feet were in the air. My life hung in the air too. “Don’t touch me! I saved the Emperor. Can’t you see? I saved the Emperor!”

“Halt,” a quiet voice said. The Emperor’s.

“Bring her to me,” he said.

I floated, like the heavy clouds above the roof, as the Captain carried me to the stretcher. I could not imagine what fate the Emperor would order for me. When the Captain dropped me, I knelt, moisture stinging my eyes.

For a long moment, he only breathed heavily. “So listen, Select, this is what will become of you.” He took another labored breath. “I hereby bestow the title of Talent upon you.”

His voice was thin, like a thread drifting in a gust of wind, but it struck me like thunder. He had just conferred a title on me. Talent, sixth degree.

“The One Above All?” The Duke stepped closer to the stretcher. “Are you feeling well? All your servants are waiting to serve you.”

The Emperor raised a forefinger to stop him. “I recall a woman in the Altar House. She cried for help, Duke. Guards, guards, as you just called.”

“Indeed?”

The Emperor nodded.

“So it is, the One Above All.” The Duke bowed.

I could hardly move. I was now a Talent, a sixth-degree lady, a titled woman. It changed everything. It meant I would leave the Yeting Court, move to the Inner Court where the Four Ladies and other high-ranking ladies resided. I would also receive an additional silk gown in the spring, a coat in the winter, and relish one serving of meat in my victuals on a monthly basis. But most importantly, I would be closer to the Emperor. I would have opportunities to beg him to help my family.

“I am honored—” I bowed deeply.

My forehead touched the ground three times, and I did not rise when the physicians, guards, and ministers poured forth to surround the Emperor. The feet of the guards shifted, and then they left the courtyard. The ministers and servants trickled out as well. When the courtyard quieted again, I rose.

As I stepped out of the gate, the first drop of rain pelted my face. The storm had arrived. I spread out my arms and welcomed it.