Page 59 of Forest of a Thousand Lanterns

The Emperor and Empress led the way outside, followed by the princes, concubines, and court. The terrace faced the western edge of the Great Forest, where a calm, wide river ran from beneath the palace into the trees. The sun had long since set, but the air was still warm, and streaks of peach lingered in the sky between the dark blue fingers of night. Servants wove in and out of the crowd, serving sweet rice wine in delicate bone cups.

Xifeng lifted her face to the full moon, which stood out clear and bright in the heavens. Someone moved beside her in a rustle of heavy brocade, smelling of fir and sandalwood, and she knew who it was before he had even spoken.

“Last year,” said the Emperor of Feng Lu, “it was so cloudy we couldn’t see the stars.”

She bowed low, murmuring, “Your Majesty.”

Though every face around them was turned to the skies, she sensedtheir acute awareness of the Emperor... and on her, trailing in his wake like a toy boat on the sea. He was not much taller than Xifeng, but he had the grandest presence of anyone she’d ever met. He seemed to fill the terrace merely bybeing,another moon on the earth itself.

“I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect evening. It’s a very good sign.”

“A good sign, Your Majesty?”

“Of a new beginning.” He gave her a boyish smile, and she could see the stars reflected in his eyes. It was his close-cut beard that made him seem older, she decided; he was youthful in all other aspects. Over his shoulder, she caught a glimpse of the only person who dared to blatantly watch them: Lady Sun, with her little boy in her arms. Xifeng noticed with satisfaction that the Crown Prince stood close by, his sharp gaze on the concubine.

She gave His Majesty her brightest smile. “The ladies told me the fable of the moon tree.”

“There it is. That movement you see is the greedy man chopping away at the trunk.” He pretended to point at a spot on the moon, and they both laughed. They watched a dozen eunuchs cross over to the riverbank, holding tiny boats of rice paper and bamboo. “Each of those boats holds a drop of beeswax,” Emperor Jun explained. “The eunuchs will light them on fire and send them down the river in the moonlight’s path to honor this auspicious phase.”

“A pretty tradition.” She turned her eyes from the boats, which sparkled like fireflies, to him. “Thank you, Your Majesty, for allowing Ambassador Shiro to speak to me at the banquet.”

“Shiro’s a good man.” The Emperor folded his arms, and the shining lengths of blue-gray silk caught the light. “I don’t need to see eye to eye with him to realize that. He’s an advocate of peace in every circumstance, even when force is required.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

He was silent for a long moment. “A king and a diplomat both care about their people. The difference is the king has to make the hard decisions, even when lives are at risk.” A steely glint surfaced in his eyes. “Peace often comes at the cost of war.”

“You speak of the conflicts in the east?”

Emperor Jun raised his eyebrows. “Yes, I do. What do you know about that?”

“Only that it afflicts Dagovad and that the Great Forest is aiding their queen, thus remaining in her good graces.”

The corners of his mouth turned slowly upward. “How do you know of such things?”

“I listen to the eunuchs talk at mealtimes.”

He let out a great laugh that sent more than one glance in their direction, including Empress Lihua’s. Xifeng felt oddly proud and happy to have pleased him, considering he was a person she didn’t know at all well. But that, she supposed, was a king’s power.

“Will a new treaty be drawn to settle the dispute over the Unclaimed Lands?” she asked, and he had opened his mouth to respond when a great shattering sound echoed over the whole terrace. A woman cried out, and the music and chatter silenced immediately.

Xifeng spun to see a tray of bone cups scattered across the stones, wine having splashed all over the guests, including the Empress in her priceless silks. The Crown Prince stood in front of his mother with his hand still raised, and it took Xifeng a moment to realize he had knocked the tray of wine right out of the servant’s hands. His face was red with anger as he looked down at Lady Sun, who stood close enough for him to strike her. For a moment, with his chest heaving and his hand in the air, Xifeng believed he would.

“What is the meaning of this?” Emperor Jun demanded, stalking furiously toward the Crown Prince. “What have you done?”

“What haveIdone?” the prince repeated, eyes glittering with hatred. “I have protected my mother, Your Majesty, as is my duty.” The crowd murmured at the sword-sharp edge of his voice, which was not lost on the Emperor.

“By your tone, I see you’re implying I was not doing mine.” Emperor Jun spoke calmly, and though he moved toward his wife, he looked at his concubine. “What has Lady Sun done to you that you should waste this good wine?”

“It isn’t good wine when it has been poisoned,” the Crown Prince said, prompting gasps from the crowd. “I saw her standing near my mother’s cup. I saw her raise her sleeve.”

“Your Majesty,” Lady Sun sputtered, her face stark white. For the first time since Xifeng had known her, she seemed at a loss for words, and Xifeng reveled in her discomfort. Her little boy stood clinging to her robes with wide eyes. “I would never... The Crown Prince...”

“I have it on good authority that you have been gathering poisons from the Imperial physician’s stores. I don’t blame Bohai, as he has loved and served my mother well all his life,” the prince said icily. “Forgive me, Your Majesty, for causing this scene, but I will not stand idly by when this woman seeks to supplant my mother as Empress.”

Xifeng clasped her hands together with delight, though to anyone else, it would seem a gesture of deep concern. She fixed her gaze on Lady Sun’s face; she wanted to remember the concubine’s expression of shock and humiliation for a long time to come.

“When my mother’s wine came,” the Crown Prince continued, his voice shaking with fury, “I noticed that this woman made certain tostand nearby and hover over it. The gods only know what she has put into the Empress’s cup.”

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