Palace Banquet (2): Madam of the Gu Mansion

The hall fell silent as the grave. Zhou Yao kept her head bowed, stealing a glance at the ministers who were usually thick as thieves with Qi Yanhan. Every last one of them hung their head, feigning ignorance.

What a world—morals decayed, hearts corrupted. At a moment like this, Qi Yanhan was a disaster of the highest order...

She steeled herself and spoke. "My husband surely didn't mean to arrive late; he must have been delayed by urgent matters. After all, today's palace banquet is a rare and auspicious occasion. Since the foreign envoys have not yet entered the hall, why not let your daughter present her congratulatory gift now, that we may celebrate in advance the Han's victory without a single battle?"

A practiced, confident smile curved at the corners of Zhou Yao's lips. Before the Emperor could so much as respond, however, a eunuch's shrill announcement rang out from beyond the hall: "Grand Chancellor Qi has arrived."

The Emperor shot a cold glance toward the entrance, gave a contemptuous snort, and refrained from pressing Zhou Yao any further. She had no choice but to remain kneeling in a formal bow.

"Cough, cough, cough..." Though the man had not yet entered the hall, a weak, persistent cough echoed from outside. Zhou Yao kept her gaze fixed on the Emperor's face, silently gauging his expression.

In all honesty, this was a move no one else in the realm would dare to make. But Zhou Yao no longer cared. Those with nothing left to lose fear no one. This time, Qi Yanhan had truly dragged her through the mud. Setting aside the affair of the Suzhou officials, the mere fact that his lateness had earned her a reprimand from her royal father was reason enough for her to wring a hefty compensation out of Qi Yanhan.

The new arrival strolled in from the outer hall at a leisurely pace, as if taking a walk through his own garden. Compared with the day before, Qi Yanhan's complexion was noticeably worse; he looked for all the world like a man freshly recovered from a grave illness.

Come to think of it, that made sense. Handling the Crown Prince's camp last night must have taken no small effort.

"Your servant arrived late today and begs Your Majesty's pardon. On the way here, I chanced upon the foreign envoys. They seemed quite curious about our great nation and pressed me for Your Majesty's preferences, that they might present gifts to your liking." Qi Yanhan's posture was perfectly relaxed, utterly devoid of the fear a man ought to show before an enraged emperor. On the contrary, he looked as serene as if he were touring his own garden.

Seeing Qi Yanhan play the invalid before everyone today, Zhou Yao could well imagine the rumors that would swirl behind closed doors. Were it not for their pact, she would have savaged him in her mind on the spot.

The Emperor on the dais appeared faintly intrigued. The rustle of his robe—embroidered with golden dragons in the finest silk thread—and the soft, crisp clink of the jade pendants on his crown echoed distinctly through the hall, so that every word he spoke was heard clearly by all.

"Since the foreign envoys are already waiting outside the hall, we needn't delay further." He waved a hand and said to Zhou Yao with cold indifference, "There's no need to present the gift. Go wait outside with the others."

Before Zhou Yao could respond, Qi Yanhan reached out and helped her to her feet before the assembly. "Get up, Yao'er," he said. "Now that I'm here, I won't let anyone subject you to such grievances." His manner was calm, unconcerned with the other officials still kneeling in formal salute.

The spectators, who had been enjoying the spectacle moments earlier, were now too terrified to so much as glance at the Emperor's face, fearing that the slightest misstep would invite calamity upon their own heads. They expected the Emperor to erupt once more, but to their surprise, the eunuch Gao bent low and intoned in a thin, reedy voice, "Then pray, lords and ladies, make your way to the garden."

...

After the Emperor departed, everyone filed out of the hall together. Qi Yanhan shot Zhou Yao a look that sent a prickle of unease through her.

"Your Highness spoke up for me today; I shall always remember it. I hope Your Highness will likewise not forget the oath we have taken."

Zhou Yao said nothing.

But mindful of their past cooperation, she gave a brief nod.

She ran a quick tally in her head—the silver she'd earned from her stall before should be just enough to buy materials for making glass. Since today's palace banquet wouldn't end until near curfew, she'd simply go to the market tomorrow. As she made these plans, she failed to notice a figure stirring furtively by the window not far away.

The person concealed there pressed his ear against the pane, wishing he could flatten his entire body against it to catch every word exchanged between the two.

Before Zhou Yao could gather her thoughts, Duyun had already seized the spy. But as they were within the palace, it wouldn't do to raise a commotion by dragging the man away for interrogation. Qi Yanhan cast a sidelong glance at Zhou Yao and, seeing her unmoved, said quietly to Duyun, "Take him away first. Don't frighten the Princess."

With the man's hands bound tight behind his back, Duyun answered, "Yes."

"If you still have matters to attend to, I'll head to the garden first." Zhou Yao gave it a moment's thought, and when Qi Yanhan offered no reply, turned to leave. She'd taken barely two steps when his voice stopped her.

His eyelids lifted slightly, gaze drifting to the spot where Duyun had vanished, almost as if caught off guard. "Your Highness was not at the mansion last night, and the robes you wear today are not the set I had the embroideresses finish the day before yesterday... Is all well?"

Zhou Yao nodded to assure him she was fine. As she was about to step out the door, she heard Qi Yanhan speak again from behind her, his tone tinged with a sinister chill: "Should Your Highness ever face trouble from the Crown Prince again, you may always confide in me. I would be glad to resolve your worries."

She gave a light snort, paying his words little heed. Qi Yanhan could barely manage his own affairs these days—how could he possibly look after hers?

Today's banquet broke up early. It had just turned dark, and there was still ample time before curfew.

She hadn't meant to pass through the garden, but it so happened that she caught the tail end of a conversation there.

A woman was saying, "They said foreign envoys would be visiting, but in the end, it was just a maidservant from their party, relaying a few greetings on their behalf. Honestly, I went and dug out my finest jewelry for nothing, all ready to make a grand showing at court."

"After all, this is only a small palace banquet. On the social circuit, who really cares what's set out on the tables or what dishes are served? You're too naive."

"Naive? You should see that Ninth Princess. Married into the Qi family and still the same spineless creature, daring to show up in rags like that. Isn't she afraid of becoming a laughingstock?"

The woman beside her turned pale, immediately sensing the danger. She jabbed the speaker hard with her elbow, signaling for her to lower her voice. The other looked unconvinced and was about to argue, but when she noticed Zhou Yao standing nearby, she snapped her mouth shut.

For all the dignity of her title, Zhou Yao might as well have been invisible.

The plain truth was that she, Zhou Yao, was not strong enough. With no wealth and no power, was it any wonder people dared to flap their tongues right in front of her face?

"Miss Li seems quite fond of spreading palace gossip. How about this: tonight I'll have a eunuch report to the Li mansion, telling Grand Servant Li that his daughter so delights in the palace that she's decided to remain here forever as a songbird. And order the servants to cut out the young lady's tongue. What do you think?"

The smile on Zhou Yao's lips was gentle and warm; her tone carried no menace at all, as if she were merely exchanging pleasantries with her closest companions.

"Forgive us, Your Highness! Forgive us! We know we've done wrong... Please, spare our lives!"

The two women collapsed to the ground in terror. Zhou Yao cast them a warning look, then said with a smile, "I've no wish to take lives today. Get lost while I'm still in a good mood."

She watched the two scramble toward the palace gates.

The ladies and misses who had been milling about the entrance in lively chatter suddenly parted, clearing the center of the path for someone.

The flower-shaped lanterns in the palace attendants' hands cast a warm amber glow over the palace walls in the deepening night. The figure at the center of the crowd happened to raise her eyes just then. Though they stood a fair distance apart, Zhou Yao was struck at once by the woman's bearing.

Even from afar, the woman emanated an air of majestic grace. Every inch of her was adorned with priceless jewels, yet none of it appeared garish—indeed, her exquisite beauty made one almost overlook the gold and jade draped upon her.

The fabric of her gown shimmered with a soft, lustrous sheen in the lamplight, clearly woven from threads of gold and silver. Such a lavish display brought to Zhou Yao's mind exactly what the two eunuchs had mentioned earlier—the Madam of the Gu Mansion.

Zhou Yao paid it no more mind and made her way straight to the carriage the Qi family had sent. The person she'd expected to find inside was not there. She lifted the curtain and scanned her surroundings, but of Qi Yanhan, there was no sign.

"Your Highness, shall we head back to the mansion now?" A young servant trotted up to the window to ask, his eyes flitting about nervously.

"Where is Qi Yanhan? Isn't he returning with me?"

There was a hint of concern in her voice that she herself hadn't noticed. As she posed the question, she couldn't help but wonder whether her father had given Qi Yanhan a difficult time.

"Lord Qi came by just now and instructed me to escort you back first. He was likely held up by some matter. Your Highness, perhaps... we should set off now?" The servant asked this, and without waiting for her answer, scurried to the front of the carriage, took up the reins, and drove the vehicle straight out.

The carriage had barely cleared the palace gates when—before the eaves of the Qi Mansion even came into view—a loud, heavy thud sounded from up ahead. The unmistakable crash of something weighty striking the ground reached Zhou Yao's ears.

Author's note: None