Chapter 10
2230words
The bronze mirror reflected a meticulously painted face—eyebrows like distant mountains, lips like cinnabar. I had practiced this makeup for an entire month, all for today. Lily, my personal maid, adjusted my hair at the temples while saying softly, "Your Highness looks radiant today." I didn't respond, just stared at myself in the mirror. At thirty-six, fine lines had appeared at the corners of my eyes, but today I must be dazzlingly beautiful. Because after tonight, everything in this realm would change.
"Is the banquet ready?" I rotated the jade bracelet on my wrist, my voice lighter than usual.
"Your Highness, everything has been arranged according to your instructions. Twelve pairs of golden goblets, twenty sets of jade plates, and even the musicians are the best troupe from the Imperial Music Academy." Lily's voice was trembling slightly; she must not have slept well last night. Understandably so—everyone in the residence could sense that atmosphere—not the fragrance of osmanthus, but the scent of power.
I rose and walked into the courtyard. The March breeze carried the sweetness of apricot blossoms, making the copper bells under the eaves chime. I had lived in this courtyard for twenty years and knew every brick and tile by heart. The old plum tree in the eastern corner was planted by my mother when she was pregnant with me; the stone table in the western corridor was where Prince Robert (the current Emperor) and I often played chess as children. Now the game was coming to an end, but I was the one playing the black pieces.
"Bring me the new headdress we received yesterday," I sat down before the mirror, "the one with kingfisher feathers and ruby inlays."
Lily brought forward a brocade box, and when she opened it, the whole room was illuminated. Twelve phoenix hairpins, each with tail feathers that trembled and shimmered with gold flakes. I inserted them one by one into my hair bun, wondering what Lord Marcus would say when he saw them? He would probably laugh at me again for having "a head full of jewels weighing down my neck." Thinking of this, my lips curved upward involuntarily. When he left last night, he slipped a note into my palm with only two words: "Hour of the Dragon." I knew it was our agreed-upon secret signal.
As the sun rose higher, the mansion began to bustle with activity. First came the aroma of stewed meat from the kitchen, followed by the sound of musicians tuning their strings. I changed into my third outfit of the day—a palace dress of gold-threaded brocade with floral patterns, cinched at the waist with a three-inch wide jade belt. The person in the mirror looked majestic and elegant, remarkably like my mother in her day. If mother were here, would she praise me for surpassing her? Or scold me for not knowing contentment?
"Your Highness, Lord Xiao requests an audience," the doorkeeper reported from outside the window.
I raised an eyebrow. Chancellor Thomas had arrived early. This man was promoted by me personally, rising from a seventh-rank minor official to Chancellor, all because he knew how to read the political winds. At this moment, his forehead was glistening - I couldn't tell if it was sweat or oil.
"Congratulations, Your Highness." He bowed so deeply his waist curved like a shrimp. "News just came from the palace that His Majesty is feeling unwell today, so the morning court session has been canceled."
My heart skipped a beat. Court canceled? This wasn't part of the plan. But I maintained my composure, merely responding with a faint "Hmm." As Chancellor Thomas was about to say something more, I raised my hand to stop him: "Wait in the flower hall. The banquet begins at dusk."
After he withdrew, I summoned my trusted eunuch: "Go quietly inquire who from the Left and Right Dragon Guard is on duty today." As the eunuch departed on his mission, I stared at his retreating figure and suddenly felt a chill down my back. This coldness came mysteriously, as if someone had blown a breath of yin energy on the nape of my neck.
Lily brought in bird's nest soup, but I put it down after just two bites. The blood-red bird's nest that I usually loved tasted bitter today. Outside the window, the sun was slanting westward. I asked for the third time, "What time is it?" The answer was still "half-past three in the afternoon." Too slow—the sun seemed nailed to the sky. Why was there still no news from Lord Marcus? By now, a carrier pigeon should have arrived with a message.
I began pacing in the corridor. My embroidered shoes made a sound with each step on the blue bricks. The sound reminded me of the dominos I played with as a child, knocking them down in a series of clatters. Now my dominos were all set up, just waiting for that final push. But why was no one coming to push them?
"Your Highness!" The household matron came running in panic, "The musicians from the music bureau... three of them have left!"
"Left?" My voice suddenly rose, "Bring them back!"
"It... it was the Left Dragon Guard who took them away, saying... saying they were needed for a palace banquet..." The matron's knees were trembling.
I felt dizzy and had to lean against the corridor pillar. The Left Dragon Guard was Prince Edward's territory. Musicians being transferred? Bullshit! This was pulling the rug out from under me! I forced myself to stand straight, my voice cold as ice: "Go, call back all the others, and tell them I'm offering ten times the price."
After the matron left, I immediately summoned General Richard. The old fox entered with an ashen face, even his beard drooping: "Your Highness... something terrible has happened... I just received news that the Crown Prince suddenly entered the palace this morning, bringing... bringing five hundred armored soldiers..."
"Where is His Majesty?" My nails dug into my palm.
"It's said... it's said that His Majesty personally issued an edict appointing the Crown Prince as Regent..." General Richard's voice grew increasingly faint, until he was practically gasping for air at the end.
There was a buzzing in my ear, as if someone was beating a gong inside my head. Regent? Those two words were sharper than knives. Just yesterday, Wei Anshi had said that His Majesty was bedridden, too weak to even hold a brush, yet today he could write an imperial decree? I staggered two steps and steadied myself against a flowered table. The white porcelain vase on it wobbled, and a few petals from the apricot blossoms inside fell softly, as if in premature mourning.
"Where is Lord Marcus?" My voice was hoarse. "Where is Lord Marcus?"
General Richard shook his head: "Your Highness... I do not know..."
I shoved him aside abruptly and ran toward the courtyard, lifting my skirts. Lily called something after me that I couldn't hear; my mind was filled only with the words "it's over." Just as I reached the second gate, I collided with a squad of armored soldiers coming toward me. I recognized their leader as Captain Alexander, Prince Edward's personal guard.
"Princess Grace, receive the imperial decree!" His voice boomed, startling the swallows under the eaves into scattering.
I stood still. Receiving the imperial edict? What imperial edict? I had schemed for three years, rallied hundreds of officials, and even secretly prepared three dragon robes. And now I'm supposed to receive an edict? Captain Alexander frowned deeply when he saw I didn't kneel: "Your Highness, this is personally written by His Majesty..."
"Hand it over." I reached out, noticing my hand was shaking.
The edict was brief, laughably so. It simply stated that I was "forming factions for personal gain and harboring treasonous intentions," and effective immediately I was to "reflect on my mistakes in isolation." The most ridiculous part was the signature - the character for "dawn" was crooked, as if someone had been holding the writer's wrist. I clutched the edict and suddenly burst into laughter, laughing until tears came to my eyes.
"Your Highness?" Captain Alexander stepped back half a pace, his hand moving to the hilt of his sword.
I stopped laughing and threw the edict in his face: "This prince demands to see His Majesty!"
"His Majesty has ordered," his voice was flat, "that no one is to disturb his recovery."
Recuperating? More like nursing a blade! I turned to walk into the inner courtyard, but was blocked by armored soldiers. Captain Alexander's voice sounded from behind: "Your Highness, please return to your room. The Crown Prince has ordered that no one in the residence may move about without permission."
No moving without permission? This is house arrest! I looked back and saw soldiers continuously pouring in through the gate, their armor clashing like death drums. Lily came running, crying: "Your Highness... something terrible... Master Xiao, Master Dou... they've all been taken away!"
My vision darkened. Taken away? My right and left hands, the wings I had carefully nurtured, just cut off like that? I leaned against the wall, my fingernails scraping five white marks on the blue bricks. From a distance came women's screams and the sound of porcelain shattering. My residence, my fortress, now like a broken sieve, leaking from all sides.
"Your Highness! Look!" Lily suddenly pointed to the sky.
A flock of pigeons took flight from the back of the mansion, circling in the twilight. Those were Lord Marcus's carrier pigeons! I grabbed onto this glimmer of hope like a drowning person clutching at straws and ran toward the dovecote, lifting my skirt. But after just a few steps, I saw several armored soldiers emerging with blood-soaked birdcages. Inside the cages was nothing but a bloody mess—how could anything still be alive?
My legs gave way, and I fell to my knees. The March wind suddenly turned bone-chilling, making my whole body tremble. Cries came from the front courtyard as the musicians from the entertainment bureau were being led away as prisoners. Yesterday they were still flattering me, seeking my favor; today they were captives. In this game of power, it seems the first to perish isn't the chess piece, but the chessboard itself.
"Your Highness, please return to your chambers," Captain Alexander's voice suddenly softened. "Outside... it's not safe."
Not safe? This is my residence! I struggled to stand up, only to find I could barely keep my balance. Lily supported me, her hands trembling as well. The two of us, mistress and servant, were like two mice cornered by a cat, with nowhere to escape.
On my way back to my room, I saw several young eunuchs crouching in the corridor with their heads in their hands. When they saw me, they began to cry: "Your Highness... please save us..." Save them? I couldn't even save myself! In the flower hall, the feast I had meticulously prepared still lay untouched. Golden goblets and jade plates gleamed in the candlelight, yet no one dared to lift their chopsticks. The scene was laughably absurd—my victory banquet, planned for years, had become a last meal.
"Light all the lamps," I said hoarsely. "I want it bright in here."
Lily lit four lamps, making the room painfully bright. I sat at my dressing table and began removing my hairpins. One by one, the phoenix hairpins came out, my hair falling loose, as if I were taking off armor. The woman in the bronze mirror suddenly looked ten years older, her rouge streaked with tear tracks. I pulled out the list from my sleeve—Lord Marcus's final trump card for me, now turned into a death warrant.
"Your Highness!" the doorkeeper called again, this time with tears in his voice, "The Crown Prince... His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived!"
My hand trembled, and the list fell into the charcoal basin. The flames surged up with a "whoosh," completely devouring the paper. I stood up, my legs as soft as noodles, but I still straightened my back. Prince Edward, my dear nephew, had finally arrived.
When I climbed to the tower, I saw torches blazing outside the mansion, with soldiers forming an impenetrable wall. In the center stood a figure in dark armor with a red cape—who else but Prince Edward? He sat on horseback, the torchlight dancing across his face, an expression that reminded me of a winter seven years ago—when he had just been appointed Crown Prince and came to pay his respects to me, wearing that same expressionless face.
"Aunt," his voice carried through the night air, "your nephew has come to escort you to the palace."
To the palace? More like to the grave! I held onto the railing, suddenly feeling the urge to laugh. Three years ago, I bid farewell to Emperor Gaozong from this tower; two years ago, I sent off Empress Victoria from here; and now it's my turn? The wind made the torches flicker wildly, like countless little ghosts clapping their hands.
"I am weary," I heard my own voice floating in the wind. "We shall discuss this tomorrow."
Prince Edward smiled, a smile that sent chills down my spine: "Aunt, tomorrow... I'm afraid the weather is about to change."
Indeed, the weather changed. My sky collapsed.
