Chapter 9

He Hui spent the entire night pondering the meaning of the Prince of Ning’s words. She did not remember ever making an appointment with him to go anywhere today. Could he have been referring to the Empress Dowager’s palace? That did not sound right, however. With her mind preoccupied and the noise outside continuing well into the night, she found it impossible to sleep.

Yao Zhu, also awakened by the commotion, brought a candle over to help her get up for a drink of water. "Please, miss, bear with it for a moment," she said. "It is the joyous day for the maidens to be presented to the Emperor, which is why it is so noisy. Once today is over, they likely will not be living here anymore."

Reminded of this, He Hui sighed. She felt sad that she would no longer be able to chat, joke, or play games with the maidens, yet she was genuinely happy for them. After today, these maidens would become true masters of the palace. If she were to see them again, she would have to bow and address them as "Your Ladyship." Perhaps some of the maidens she was close with would become favored consorts, and she might even benefit from their status.

Thinking this, she finally drifted into a deep sleep once the noise outside faded. This slumber proved exceptionally long, and when she finally opened her eyes, it was already near noon. The room was empty and silent. Sunlight streamed through the lattice windows, casting a distinct pattern of begonia blossoms onto the white walls, so bright it was dazzling.

He Hui sat up with a start. After sitting still for a moment, she scrambled to pull the chest-binding cloth from under her pillow, wrapped it tightly, put on her undergarments and outer robe, and was about to leave when she was held back by Yao Zhu, who had just entered.

"Where are you going, miss?"

"The time to pay respects to the Empress Dowager is almost up!" He Hui said anxiously.

Yao Zhu pointed to her attire. He Hui looked down to find her round-collared robe was on inside out, and she quickly took it off.

"Miss, don't rush. The Empress Dowager likely has no time to see you today," Yao Zhu said, noticing her distress.

He Hui paused and looked up. Yao Zhu took the robe, turned the sleeves right-side out, and draped it over her. "The maidens are meeting the Emperor today, and the Empress Dowager is likely attending as well. I heard the news and saw that you were sleeping soundly, so I didn't wake you."

Hearing this, He Hui let out a long breath of relief. She reached up to adjust her binding cloth, feeling a slight release of pressure, and sat before the vanity to tie her sash. Since entering the palace, she had rarely had such free time. With the others from Shouming Palace away and no need to worry, her eyelids grew heavy. She rested her elbows on the vanity, drifting in and out of sleep, barely registering Yao Zhu’s suggestion to wash up and eat.

In her drowsy state, she suddenly sneezed several times, which snapped her back to alertness. It was the middle of the day; who was talking about her behind her back?

"What is wrong, miss?" Yao Zhu asked.

He Hui covered her nose and mouth with a handkerchief and shook her head. "Probably caught a chill from staying up too late last night."

Yao Zhu suggested, "I will take your pass to the Directorate of Ceremonial later and ask them to find a palace physician to come and take a look at you."

He Hui said it was unnecessary. "A bowl of hot soup and a good sleep will be enough; no need for such trouble."

As they were talking, a sudden commotion broke out outside. Listening carefully, they realized that people from the Directorate of Ceremonial had arrived. The two women exchanged a look. Why were they here at this hour? The maidens had already gone to meet the Emperor; could it be that one of them had behaved improperly and offended the Imperial carriage, and now they were here to cause trouble?

He Hui called out to Yao Zhu, "Sister..." but Yao Zhu covered her mouth and shook her head.

The Directorate of Ceremonial was the most powerful of the twenty-four palace offices, and the other departments dared not provoke them. For them to appear here with such a grand display meant something serious had happened. However, no matter how great the incident, it had nothing to do with Miss Shen; they would simply keep their doors closed and ignore the world outside.

At that moment, the steward and the matron of Shouming Palace, having heard the commotion, had already lifted the curtain to go outside. Upon seeing the men, both turned deathly pale. The fact that the Attendant Eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial had come in person—and two of them at that—meant something truly calamitous must have occurred.

A young attendant brought two armchairs into the shade and offered tea, only to have them pushed aside by Wei Ling, whose brow was tightly furrowed. Glancing at the steward and the matron, he sneered, "A fine job you've done!"

The two fell to their knees with a thud, cold sweat pouring down their faces. "We do not know where we have erred. We beg the Chief Eunuch to enlighten us."

Wei Ling threw the roster of maidens at their feet. "Take a good look."

The two frantically opened the scroll, reading it over and over, unable to find anything amiss. "We beg you to tell us, we—"

"Is there anyone missing from the list?" asked the other Attendant Eunuch, Zhao Yan, who had been sitting quietly. He was clearly the calmer of the two.

"Missing someone?" The steward’s forehead was soaked in sweat. "Re-reporting to the Eunuch, truly, there is no one missing. This concerns the Emperor's selection of a consort; we would not dare to deceive you."

Zhao Yan pursed his lips. After a moment, he asked, "It was dark this morning; the maidens might have been lazy. Have you checked every room?"

The matron, parched by the sun, kowtowed repeatedly. "I have checked them all, old servant. I watched each and every one of them get up and dress. There cannot be a mistake." On such a joyous day, no maiden would dare sleep in; they would crawl to Yuxi Palace if they had to.

"Are you certain?" Zhao Yan pressed.

The matron was ready to stake her life on it. "Absolutely certain. If I have spoken even half a lie, may my mouth rot, and may I go to Shouan Hall to await my death."

Wei Ling and Zhao Yan exchanged a glance. They knew that these people would not lie about such a matter; it brought them no benefit. But today, when the maidens met the Emperor, His Majesty had not granted a single one of them a rank. Not even the lowest-ranking attendants or ladies.

Such a situation was unprecedented since the founding of the Great Zhou. If they were to fail in their duties to this extent, their heads would not be enough to pay for their crimes. Their foster father, Wang Zhi, had looked extremely grim, sitting with his hands tucked into his sleeves, eyes closed in contemplation.

They were veterans of the Imperial presence. This outcome could only mean one thing: the Emperor was not satisfied with this selection. When they had knelt at their foster father's feet begging for guidance, he had only slowly opened his eyes and said, "Look and see if anyone is missing from these maidens."

The Emperor hated it when others tried to guess his thoughts. For Wang Zhi, who served constantly by his side, to reveal even this much was the limit—it was a lifeline thrown to his subordinates. Whether they could follow this path to safety depended on their own fortune.

Judging by their foster father’s words, it seemed the Emperor had taken a fancy to a certain maiden in private, but that maiden had not appeared today. It was strange. If the roster was correct, why did she not appear? Entering Yuxi Palace meant ascending to the heavens in a single step; unless she were a saint or a bodhisattva, there was no reason not to be tempted.

If the roster was correct, how could a living person simply vanish into thin air? Unless... she was not a maiden.

Wei Ling’s gaze moved coldly across the doors and windows of the many rooms in Shouming Palace. Suddenly, a sound seemed to emerge from somewhere. Following the noise, Wei Ling unexpectedly looked toward a small room in the farthest corner, its door tightly shut. He raised his eyes slightly and said, "Who is in there? Bring her out."