by Zoey Gong
I have barely made it back to the duck pond with the girls when it is announced that Dowager Empress Fenfeng has arrived. Can I not get a moment’s peace? Everyone in the courtyard falls to their knees except for me, Dongmei, and Jiangfei. We only bow.
“Welcome, Mother,” I say.
“What is going on?” she asks. “What have you done to Lady Euhmeh?”
“I have done nothing to her,” I say. “She was insolent. She will be allowed to leave at sunset.”
She is clearly displeased, but she says nothing more on the matter. I am surprised that Fenfeng even knows Euhmeh’s name. Is Euhmeh a special pet to her?
“I have heard that you have moved the princesses away from me,” she goes on.
“I wanted them closer to me,” I say, “since I am their mother now.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Fenfeng says. “You are barely more than a child yourself. You cannot possibly know how to raise the girls.”
“I am the empress,” I say. “They are my children by right.”
Fenfeng scoffs and she steps closer to me, lowering her voice. “You are only the empress because I allow it to be so. Do you not think that one word from me to my son would send you back to rank six? Or even back to the home of your mother?”
My mouth goes dry and I tremble a little. Of course, all people are supposed to honor the will and wishes of their parents. Is it possible that Guozhi will defer to his mother and break his vow to me? I fear it is possible. I consider humbling myself before her. Begging her not to take the girls from me. I would do whatever it takes to protect them and keep them near to me.
I see Dongmei out of the corner of my eye. Tears are already running down her cheeks as she watches us. I promised her mere minutes ago that she would not have to move again. I promised, and she dared to hope it would be true. The first bit of stability she has touched in months is about to be ripped away from her. I cannot let that happen. I step back and speak clearly for all to hear.
“I thank you for your wise counsel, Mother. But as empress, I will decide what is best for the children from now on.”
Fenfeng’s face darkens so much, I think it starts to block out the sun. “You are going to regret this. I will go and see my son about the matter right now.”
“I am the head of the harem,” I say. “Any concerns you have should go through me.”
“You insolent, little bug!” she hisses at me. “I’ll have your tongue for this.”
I swallow in the face of a threat of bodily harm, but I’ll not give in. I will not let Dongmei think that I did not fight for her should the emperor abandon me. I say nothing, and Fenfeng whirls around, turning her back on me—on her empress—as she leaves the courtyard. It is a grave insult, but one I choose to ignore.
“Come,” I tell Dongmei and Jiangfei, “let us work on your embroidery.”
We work in tense silence in the courtyard. I expect the emperor to appear at any moment and chastise me for speaking against his mother. But as the sun sets and I see Euhmeh rise to her feet and her maid help her totter away back to her own palace, the emperor does not come.
And neither does the dowager.
7
“They say the dowager is furious,” Suyin whispers to me as she styles my hair for the day.
“Really?” I ask, though I can’t help but preen a bit like a fat cat. I haven’t seen Fenfeng for days except during the morning greetings. And even then, she hasn’t spoken to me.
“The emperor told her that you were the mother of his children and that the girls should answer to you.”
“As I expected,” I say. “He told me the very same. I was a little concerned that he would not keep his word in the face of his mother’s wrath, but I am pleased he did. What did Fenfeng say in response?”
“She was displeased, of course,” Suyin says, folding my hair around a bian fang. “Said that you were not fit to raise imperial princesses. But he dismissed her concerns with a mere wave of his hand.”
I chuckle. “She can’t have been too happy about that.”
“Certainly not, but she wouldn’t dare defy her son. She conceded and returned to her palace without another word. She hasn’t spoken to anyone outside of her palace since, but her maids say that she is brooding. She blames you for losing power over the harem and influence over the emperor. She seems to think you are her enemy.”
“Enemy,” I scoff. “This is not a war. Not a battle where two foes must fight to the bitter end. She is my mother-in-law. If she did not try to usurp my authority, did not try to take the girls from me, then I would gladly accept her as a friend. Does she not see that?”
Suyin shakes her head as she pins several jewels to my wide liangbatou. It is strange how accustomed I have become to wearing the silly fan on the top of my head. I used to dread it, but now I hardly notice it is there. The same with walking on pot-bottom shoes. Of course, I still cannot run or walk on uneven surfaces. But in the safety of the palace, balancing on top of the shoes and swinging my feet as I walk has become second nature.
I shrug. “Well, let’s just hope that her temper cools eventually and she sees reason in being friends.”
“Yes, my lady,” Suyin says.
I hesitate. “But…if you do hear anything that I should know about, do tell me.”
“Yes, your majesty.”
I know that there is much jealousy among the women in the harem. I expect it from the concubines and consorts. But I never thought I would clash with the emperor’s mother. I remember the time I saw Fenfeng and Lady An talking secretly in a garden. I forget the details now, but it was about Empress Caihong. Somehow, and for some reason I cannot understand, Fenfeng tried to elevate Lady An above Caihong in the emperor’s affection. It didn’t work, of course. The emperor never had any feelings for Lady An, while he was completely in love with Caihong. Still, I wouldn’t put it past Fenfeng to try to find ways to undermine my position as well. If she does, I would like to know about it so I can defend myself.
As I leave my palace, Yanmei is waiting for me, but Wangli is not. “Where is she?” I ask.
“She said she wasn’t feeling well,” Yanmei says. “She received some bad news from home.”
“What sort of bad news?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t know. She didn’t tell me.”
“Hmm. Odd. You would think that if a family member was ill or something she would tell one of us. I wonder what it is.”
“Would you like me to ask around?” Suyin offers helpfully.
“No,” I tell her. “I’ll call on her as soon as morning greetings are over.”
My arrival at Wangli’s palace is announced by one of my many eunuch servants. Wangli and all of her household rush into the courtyard and kneel.
“I am sorry I did not greet you this morning, my lady,” Wangli says. “I was unwell.”
I wave my hand to dismiss the servants and they quickly scatter. Wangli stands up and faces me. She looks terrible. Her eyes are puffy and her cheeks are red. She has clearly been crying. I take her arm in mine as we walk to one of her sitting rooms.
“What is wrong?” I ask. “Has someone taken ill? Is it your mother?”
“No,” she says as she pulls a letter out of one of her sleeve pockets. “It’s my brother, the one nearest in age to me, Tongtong.”
I nod as I wait for her to continue.
“He’s been conscripted into military service,” she says in a whisper. I shake my head dumbly. “He’s been ordered to join the army.”
“Ordered?” I ask. “By whom?”
“By the emperor,” she says.
“No,” I say. “That cannot be. Why would the emperor do such a thing?”
Wangli sniffs. “Apparently, we are at war.”
My stomach freezes in my gut. “War?” I can hardly believe what I am hearing. How could we be at war? And with whom? And why would the emperor need more soldiers than the army already has? I have so many questions but no idea who to turn to for
answers.
“What does the letter say exactly? Tell me everything.”
“Mother says that since Tongtong is unmarried—all three others have wives and children—he must report for military service by the end of the week. She says that—” She lowers her voice. “—that we are being invaded by foreigners.”
My head starts to spin. Foreign invaders! Hundreds of years ago the Manchu were foreign invaders. They overthrew the Chinese emperor and set up their own empire here in our country. Could the same thing be happening again? A new foreign power invading us and setting themselves up as leaders? The thought makes me sick.
I thought it odd at first that Wangli was whispering. But now I see why. This is terrible, frightening news. I would not want the servants or ladies of the harem to be worried by such information. I keep my voice low as well.
“Did she say where the foreigners were from? From the north?”
“She didn’t say exactly where, only that they were from across the sea.”
I shake my head. I know nothing of the world outside China. Outside Peking, to be honest. They could be from anywhere.
“But, they have invaded already?” I ask. “Where? When? Why have we not heard anything?”
“I don’t know,” Wangli says. Her eyes well up again and she cries into her hands.
“It will be all right,” I say, putting my arm around her. “I am sure it is only a lot of posturing, but nothing real. The emperor just needs a show of force. He needs to show that we cannot be overrun so easily.”
“Do you think so?” Wangli asks.
I nod, but in truth, I have no idea what is happening. We could be in a dire situation and I would never know.
“Don’t worry until we have more information,” I say, wiping the tears from her face with my sleeve. “I’ll try to speak to the emperor about this. Learn what is happening.”
“Do you think…do you think that you could ask the emperor to spare my brother? The army must have thousands of men in it. Surely the emperor could spare one.”
I don’t like what Wangli is asking of me. It doesn’t seem like my place to speak to the emperor about something happening outside the red walls. Wangli must read the hesitation on my face.
“No, of course you couldn’t,” she says, looking away. “You don’t even know him. Why should you stick your neck out for a stranger?”
“It’s not that,” I try to explain. “Not exactly. I have no idea what is going on. I would hate to ask the emperor to do something that might not even be necessary. I…I don’t want to look foolish.”
Wangli nods. “I understand. Maybe you are right and I am fretting for nothing.”
“The next time I speak to the emperor, I will ask about the war. Hopefully he will put all our fears to rest.”
“Yes,” Wangli says. “That is a good idea. No sense speculating, I suppose.”
“Exactly. Though, I am sorry for your family’s distress. I would like to send them a gift. Even if your brother comes home safe and sound, it must be a burden for your parents to not have him at home. Perhaps a bit of extra money will help relieve the stress.”
“You are too kind, my lady,” she says, her eyes going wide for a moment as if in horror. “But my family is comfortable. And my other brothers are still there. They will be fine, I am sure.”
I wonder if I have insulted her by offering to send money to her parents. I suppose I must have. As my lady’s maid and a rank-three concubine, her income is one of the largest of the harem. She must have plenty of money to send home.
I think about my family and wonder if this war will affect them. Will Father be ordered to join the army? No, surely not. Wangli said that her brother had been selected because he was unmarried. He has no family of his own relying on him. Father has a wife and many children. Wherever he is, I am sure he is safe. But I then think of my old hutong neighborhood. So many people lived as we did, able to earn only enough money each day to buy food to survive. Missing a single day of work meant a family would go hungry that day. It happened to us often enough. Any one of the families near us would suffer greatly if someone was taken away.
“There must be other families that will suffer if their son is taken away. Especially families with only one son. I wonder if there is anything I could do to help.”
“What about your collections for poor relief?” Wangli asks. “The thing you were working on with Prince Honghui.”
Panic washes over me at the mention of Honghui’s name. I do my best to quickly wash it away and pray my feelings didn’t show on my face. If anyone even suspected that I had feelings for the prince, the emperor could throw me over—or worse.
“Oh, yes,” I say. “The prince delivered the money directly into the hands of the poor. He said that the people were very grateful. I suppose I could do something like that again, collect money to send to the families of soldiers.”
“You didn’t collect much before, though, did you?” Wangli says. “It was mostly your own money.”
“Yes, that is true. I felt embarrassed asking the other ladies to donate their allowance. I know that many of them support their families back home already. And some have a lot of expenses here.”
“I’ll help you this time,” she says. “If there is a war, the people will suffer greatly. We can surely do with a little less food or one less winter gown if it will help keep people from starving.”
“I agree! It is a thought very near to my heart that I have so much while the people of Peking have so little. I don’t need half of what I have.”
“The prince should be able to help you again,” she says. “He will surely know which families the soldiers are taken from.”
I hate the idea of seeking out Honghui’s company, but I cannot deny that she is right. The prince has always supported my efforts to give money to the people. Of course, he has no idea why. No idea that not so very long ago, I was living on the streets and could have used a bit of cash.
“I still need to speak to the emperor first,” I say. “It would not be right of me to go to the prince first. I will speak to him tonight when he joins me for dinner.”
8
The emperor did not come to my palace for supper that night, nor for many nights after. Neither did he call me to his bed. But he was not alone.
Suyin informed me that he had spent several nights with Euhmeh.
“How did Euhmeh come to be called to his bed?” I asked. “She’s a rank-five concubine. The chance that he would choose her from all the others is quite small.”
“I heard that it was Empress Dowager Fenfeng who suggested her to him,” Suyin says.
“Why would she do that?” I ask. I remember that Fenfeng knew Euhmeh by name when she saw her outside my palace. Why would the empress take such notice of someone so low-ranking?
“She seemed to have gotten to know Euhmeh when she was Lady An’s assistant,” Suyin explains.
“Is that all?” I ask. Suyin shrugs. It is all very strange to me. Still, none of that is as disconcerting as the fact that Guozhi has spent several nights with Euhmeh instead of only one before selecting someone else—or coming to me.
“The emperor is…pleased with Euhmeh?” I ask.
“It seems so,” Suyin says. “He has sent her many gifts. And…” She hesitates.
“And…?” I prod.
“And it is rumored that he will elevate her to rank four.”
“Is she with child?” I ask.
“Not yet,” Suyin says. “At least, there are no signs that she is.”
I sit back in my chair and sigh. I don’t understand it. I don’t want to mistrust Euhmeh. I had hoped that we would become friends. Though, it seems that by taking Guozhi’s advice and appointing a second lady to help manage the harem finances, I ruined any chance of that. And punishing her that one day for insolence probably made the dowager like me even less. I wonder just how many mistakes I’ve made since becoming empress. How many enemies I’ve made.
I ask Fiyang
gu, the head of household affairs, to tell the emperor that I needed to speak to him urgently. To my surprise, the emperor calls me to his small audience hall, not the large official audience hall with the dragon throne, but a smaller one he uses for daily meetings with his closest advisors.
When I arrive, we are not alone. Prince Honghui is there, as are a couple of other men I do not know. One looks to be a military man of some sort, a general, I suppose. The rest are all members of the emperor’s council I have seen from time to time. I am a little nervous around so many men. I had thought the emperor would speak to me privately.
I bow to the emperor when I enter the room. “Thank you for agreeing to see me, your majesty.”
“Yes, yes. I am sorry I have not been to see you,” he says. “My duties as emperor have taken much of my time lately. I will visit you soon, I promise.”
“Wives, even empresses, can hardly go a single day without constant attention, apparently,” one of the men says with a laugh. The other men, except for the emperor and Honghui, follow suit.
“That’s not it at all,” I say, focusing on the emperor. “The women of the harem have been receiving letters from home, as they always do. But the letters lately speak of unrest, even war. The women are frightened for their families. I have tried to reassure them, tell them that no matter what happens, you will protect us. But I feel compelled to ask if what they say is true. Are we at war?”
Guozhi rubs his chin as he looks at me.
“Leave it to clucking hens to fret over matters that don’t concern them,” someone says.
“Silence,” Guozhi tells the man. He then sighs as he looks at me. “I would not want to cause you concern. We are not at open war, but there have been hostilities between our empire and countries from the East.”
“Countries?” I ask, afraid. “More than one?”
Guozhi waves his hand as if this detail is not important. “No one power could ever defeat the great Qing Dynasty! They must join forces to even have a chance at such an endeavor.”
