Gold-painted little boots stepped across the floor, giving off the faint rustle of shifting bead ornaments.
And the fragrance drifting from between her skirts ought to be yujin, heluo, and purple sandalwood.
Almost all of them came from foreign lands—precious yet understated. As expected, only a young lady from a wealthy merchant clan could afford such things.
But even a girl from an ordinary household ought to know that one must not trespass into another’s private bedchamber. Wei Nanxu was the legitimate daughter of the Chancellor’s residence; did she think that, with the Empress Dowager’s oral decree to back her, she could seize the chance to barge in and pry into private matters?
Too impatient. Impatience bred disorder in the mind, and disorder led to loss of composure.
Deep within the palace forbidden grounds, she still did not understand how to speak and act with caution. It seemed there was no need to eat His Majesty clear-stewed today; braised legitimate young lady would do.
Jiang He lay still and silent, prepared to wait until Wei Nanxu saw what she looked like, then shout for help.
Whether Wei Nanxu came to untie her or fled in fright, Jiang He only needed to order the eunuchs and palace maids to seize her, then stuff her mouth with a rag, and she could say whatever she liked.
—Wei Nanxu took advantage of my sleep to tie me to the bed.
—Wei Nanxu harbored improper designs on me and intended to take liberties!
—Women can take liberties with women too!
—I am not like that! My heart belongs to my lord husband. Miss Wei, turn back before it is too late!
Having prepared her words in her mind, Jiang He waited for Wei Nanxu to come over.
The footsteps were already not far away. If she came just a few steps closer, Wei Nanxu would be able to see the person lying on the dragon bed.
She could not rush. She had to give Wei Nanxu a little time to tie the rope, after all. Wait a little longer.
Jiang He turned her head toward the palace doors, expectantly waiting for Wei Nanxu to appear quickly.
But just then, the palace doors were slowly pushed open.
“Who is there?”
A cold, forbidding voice pierced in like a keen blade from the state of Yue, startling Wei Nanxu into halting her steps.
“Your Majesty.” Wei Nanxu turned around and instinctively bent her knees in salute.
She was the legitimate daughter of the Chancellor’s residence, and also a woman whom the Empress Dowager often invited into the palace. Ordinarily, when she saw the sovereign, she no longer very often knelt and kowtowed.
Zhao Zheng looked at her.
Though he had left in haste at night, the black upper robe and reddish-yellow lower garment were still worn upon him without the slightest disorder. The cords of his crown were tied beneath his forehead, and the pearls hanging from them swayed faintly. A four-colored sash of yellow, red, dark blue, and pale blue was fastened around his waist, making Zhao Zheng appear even more upright and imposing.
The young sovereign’s dragon-like majesty and noble bearing drew admiration, but those eyes of his were cold as windows leading to the Yellow Springs of the underworld.
He was angry.
As if unable to control herself, Wei Nanxu dropped to her knees with a thud.
Shivering, she kowtowed and said, “This subject’s daughter is guilty! The Empress Dowager gave an oral decree ordering this subject’s daughter to come fetch the fish tally. This subject’s daughter heard that Her Majesty the Queen had not awakened and feared something had happened, which was why I trespassed into the bedchamber. I beg Your Majesty to punish me.”
Zhao Zheng paid her no heed.
He lifted his foot and walked toward the dragon bed, the broad hem of his deep robe flashing past Wei Nanxu’s eyes.
Zhao Zheng reached the bedside and lowered his head to look at Jiang He, who was staring outward with her head tilted back, eyes wide, cheeks puffed, her face full of disappointment. In a warm voice, he said, “What mishap could there be? The Queen is only… too tired.”
Wei Nanxu knelt on the ground.
The floor was icy cold. Threads of chill seeped through her thin skirts into her bones, deepening the pain in her knees, making Wei Nanxu unwilling to remain there for even another moment.
But Zhao Zheng had not granted her permission to rise, so she could not move.
With her head lowered, Wei Nanxu could not see what was happening on the dragon bed, but she could hear their conversation.
“Are you awake?” Zhao Zheng’s voice was gentle and soft, as if afraid of startling a flower goddess from her dreams.
“Mm?” The woman on the bed turned over, carrying the languor of having just awakened.
“You must be exhausted.” He bent down, and no one knew what he was doing; only faint rustling sounds could be heard.
Precisely because she could not see, that sound all the more stirred the imagination and made one blush.
“It’s all your fault,” Jiang He said coquettishly. “So many times, and still no good.”
She looked at Zhao Zheng and snickered, her lips parting to reveal pearly teeth. Her chest rose and fell slightly, yet she forced herself not to make a sound.
You brought this on yourself! From now on, Wei Nanxu, who pines for you, will know that the current sovereign of Yong is a man who tries again and again at night yet still cannot succeed.
I fear Your Majesty’s image in her heart is about to be greatly diminished.
Zhao Zheng, who was in the middle of untying the ropes, darkened at once. Almost without thinking, he gave a cold snort and said, “I merely wish for you to bear children sooner. There is someone waiting in the hall. Queen, mind your words.”
In one short sentence, he turned “no good” into “very good.”
Jiang He rolled her eyes at him and pretended to be startled and uneasy. “Who is in the hall?”
The thin cord that had just been untied fell from the head of the bed with a soft slap, drawing Wei Nanxu’s gaze.
Wei Nanxu lowered her head even further in an instant.
“It is this subject’s daughter’s fault. This subject’s daughter came under the Empress Dowager’s oral decree to retrieve the fish tally…”
“I know.”
Jiang He cut her off before she could finish.
She had already heard those words once; there was truly no need to listen to them again.
After Zhao Zheng waited for Jiang He to rise, he helped her sit before the dressing case, still without looking at Wei Nanxu.
“Miss Wei,” his voice was very distant, “trespassing into the palace forbidden grounds is a grave crime. At present, the inner palace is governed by the Empress Dowager, with the Queen assisting. As for how this matter is to be handled, I will not interfere.”
After speaking, he picked up a pearl hair ornament and placed it in Jiang He’s hand. Glancing at the dressing mirror, he said, “Wear this today.”
Jiang He nodded in assent, and only then did Zhao Zheng depart in satisfaction.
The dark azure robe flashed past. With her head bowed, Wei Nanxu saw only the very bottom of his garment, embroidered with patterns of mountains and flames. Those patterns were so close to her, yet Zhao Zheng’s heart was so far away.
He said he would not interfere.
He did not give anyone face, nor did he care whether his wife, in a fit of anger, would have her whipped and punished.
Zhao Zheng was cold and ruthless, utterly unconcerned with her dignity or her life.
“I beg Your Majesty the Queen to punish me.”
Wei Nanxu’s face went white, then red, then red, then white again. In her heart, all manner of feelings churned, and regret came too late.
Why, in the end, had she been possessed to barge in? It was because of Zhao Jiao’s expression, as if he wished to speak but stopped himself.
That expression had made her guess that Zhao Zheng and the Jiang woman were not harmonious, made her guess that within the bedchamber where palace maids were not permitted to enter, some discord or disaster was hidden.
She had thought that with the Empress Dowager’s oral decree, she could come in and investigate. She would see why the Queen had remained in bed so long without rising, and whether she was doing something behind His Majesty’s back.
There was nothing.
The husband and wife were deeply in love, tenderly entwined and reluctant to part, leaving her, who had witnessed it all, burning with jealousy and trapped in an unbearable predicament.
It was all Zhao Jiao’s fault.
Wei Nanxu bit the corner of her lip and waited for Jiang He’s humiliation.
There was no sound. A pair of feet wearing wooden clogs slowly paced over, and Jiang He said warmly, “Miss Wei, do get up.”
As she spoke, she had already reached out to support Wei Nanxu’s arm and help her rise.
“Miss Wei has been working in the palace these past few days. It has been arduous and tiring. Now you have merely committed a small mistake; is it worth His Majesty making such a fuss?”
Wei Nanxu’s face was flushed red, a breath of turbid air caught in her chest. Only after a long while did she say, “It was this subject’s daughter who was reckless.”
“It is no matter.” As Jiang He spoke, she took out from beneath the dressing case the fish tally kept by the Central Palace and handed it to Wei Nanxu. “Go on. It is important to prepare the sacrificial offerings as soon as possible.”
Wei Nanxu bent her knees in salute. As she rose, she noticed Jiang He lightly rub her wrist.
Though that movement quickly returned to normal, it was clearly because her wrist was uncomfortable.
Palace maids filed in one after another, serving Jiang He as she bathed, changed, combed her hair, and dressed.
When Wei Nanxu withdrew, she could not help but glance back at the doorway of the bedchamber.
Two palace maids were helping Jiang He undo her inner garment. Other palace maids held incense, offered tea, fetched clothes, steadied mirrors, or led the way. Within the hall, everything was busy yet orderly; everyone was silent, everyone solemn and graceful. And in the palace filled with ink-dark adornments, their fragrant sleeves, shadowed coiffures, and beautiful figures moved about.
The brocade, jade vessels, and jewels laid out on the table were things Wei Nanxu had long since grown accustomed to and did not find rare.
The Chancellor’s residence also had many maidservants attending to her washing, dressing, and changing, and Wei Nanxu did not envy Jiang He’s life beneath only one person.
But she envied that Jiang He could lie on the bed and speak coquettishly to that man, murmuring complaints.
She envied that Zhao Zheng held the power of life and death over others, yet spoiled and cherished her with tenderness.
Wei Nanxu stepped out of the bedchamber, and the palace maid standing in attendance at the door immediately closed it.
That movement held not only vigilance, but also resentment that she had barged in, and worry that she would be implicated.
Wei Nanxu paid her no mind.
If the legitimate daughter of the Chancellor’s residence were to be angry with a lowly palace maid, that would be beneath her status.
She needed to calm herself properly.
Those skilled at chess understood that when approaching the kill, one must not be hasty; victory was won through steadiness.
She had already made one mistake today. She absolutely could not be rash again.
Every morning, Lord Chang’an, Zhao Jiao, would go to the Empress Dowager’s sleeping palace, Dazheng Palace, to pay his respects.
As usual, several ministers would report matters in the Empress Dowager’s palace. When they finished and left, Zhao Jiao would often stand respectfully and watch them depart.
“Lord Meng has grown a little thinner. You must take care of yourself.”
“When shall I drink with Lord Li again?”
It was inconvenient for those lords to say much within the palace. They would often bow humbly, then turn and withdraw.
Zhao Jiao did not mind. He leaned over the armrest and waited for the Empress Dowager to come out.
But today, before the Empress Dowager emerged, Miss Wei Nanxu of the Chancellor’s residence slowly walked out instead.
“Sister Wei!”
An excited expression appeared on Zhao Jiao’s face.
“Are you all right? Are your knees better?”
Wei Nanxu stopped and saluted with dignified composure.
“May Lord Chang’an be well.”
“I am well, very well!” Zhao Jiao beamed as he moved closer to Wei Nanxu. Ignoring the obvious detachment on her face, he lowered his voice and said, “Are you free? My residence has newly made some fragrances. Come choose some to reward people with.”
Wei Nanxu, however, did not answer whether she was free.
Her voice was even lower, her face restrained and sorrowful, as she said softly, “You were right. Marrying His Majesty may not necessarily be a good thing either.”
These were treasonous words, yet she spoke them.
When playing chess, one needed not only a meticulous mind, but also daring. If one wanted the pieces to be used for oneself, one had to know when to give, when to take, and when to decide.
“What happened?” Lord Chang’an’s bright eyes grew even clearer in an instant, yet he lowered his lashes and concealed that light.
Wei Nanxu sighed briefly and hesitated, then at last seemed to make up her mind. “Lord Chang’an, do you know why, if a husband and wife appear extremely loving, there would nevertheless be ropes on their bed?”
Notes
[1] According to historical records, the Chinese have worn wooden clogs for at least three thousand years. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, wearing clogs became increasingly common; it is said that Confucius himself once wore wooden clogs. Taiping Yulan, fascicle 698, quotes Annotations on the Hidden Meanings of the Analects: “When Confucius arrived in Cai, he lodged at an inn. During the night, someone stole one of Confucius’s clogs and placed it in the household of someone receiving stolen goods. Confucius’s clog was one chi and four cun long, different from those of ordinary people.”