Chapter 5 — Old Dreams on the Dragon Bed

Bright Emperor stepped up before him, a black Go piece rolling twice over his fingertips.

"No matter how I listen to this, it sounds entirely like the absolute truth."

Crown Prince Yuan trembled from head to toe. "May Your Imperial Father's brilliant judgment discern the truth."

"It was Ah Thuong, serving beside imperial concubine Lam, who brought word to the East Palace a few days ago. She claimed that the concubine had been feeling deeply unsettled lately, and frequently reminisced about her past encounters with Your Highness."

"Your subject thought to himself, regardless of anything else, she is still a daughter of the Lam clan, and furthermore raised personally by the Empress herself."

"Fearing that she might commit some foolish act in a moment of muddled confusion, your subject went only to offer her a few words of advice, urging her to remain calm, abide by her proper station, and serve Your Imperial Father with all her heart."

I jerked my head up to stare straight at him. "Your Highness..." Bright Emperor did not rush to believe his one-sided account. He turned his gaze toward me, his voice sinking low. "Imperial Concubine Lam, do you have anything to say in your defense?" I knelt upon the cold floor, parting my lips, yet no words ultimately came forth. Today's entire scene had been deliberately orchestrated to lure him right into this trap. If I were to explain every intricate detail from beginning to end, he would naturally believe me. Yet that would prove utterly boring. What I truly desired was to drag both the Crown Prince and the entire Central Palace down into the muddy mire together.

"This humble concubine... has nothing to say."

Yuan stood frozen in utter astonishment. If I had wept and wailed of my grievances, he would have been able to continue asserting that I still harbored lingering affections for my past love. But I uttered not a single word. I laid out the entirety of my wretched, tattered vulnerability right before Bright Emperor's eyes. Here was a woman betrayed by the very man who had once promised her marriage, and then slandered by that same man. If she were still howling and weeping in protest, it would look as though she still harbored vain hopes. But if she refused even to offer a single word of justification, then nothing remained save for absolute, bottomless despair. Bright Emperor stared at me, maintaining a profound silence for a long, agonizing stretch of time. A moment later, a chilling, mocking laugh echoed from above my head.

"A magnificent answer of having nothing to say."

I was placed under strict confinement within the Palace of Fragrant Rest. Only yesterday, I had been the most favored imperial concubine in the entire inner court. In the span of just a few brief months, I had plummeted from the ninefold heavens straight down into the filthy black mud. The gates of the palace were bolted tightly shut, guarded by imperial bodyguards outside. The incident had transpired with such terrifying speed, and had been suppressed so thoroughly, that the vast majority of people remained entirely unaware of the truth. Right on that very night, Bright Emperor suffered a violent upheaval of his vital energies and collapsed gravely ill within the Hall of Supreme Polarity. Taking advantage of this sudden illness, the Hall of Phoenix Regnant roared back to life. My noble aunt personally went to the hall to tend to the sick ruler, publicly proclaiming that His Majesty required absolute tranquility for recovery and forbidding anyone from seeking an audience. Imperial Noble Consort Shen arrived three separate times, only to be blocked at the outer gates every single time. On her final visit, she stood before the grand entrance with an expression of icy disdain.

"This palace holds the rank of Noble Consort to His Majesty. Could it be that visiting my own husband now requires permission from a pack of gate-keeping dogs like you lot to stand in my way?"

The very instant she took a step forward, the razor-sharp blade of an imperial guard swept right past the strands of her hair before slamming downward, cleanly slicing her jade hair ornament directly in two right where she stood.

"Her Majesty the Empress has issued a strict decree. During the period of His Majesty's recuperation, unauthorized trespass is forbidden to all."

"If Her Ladyship dares to take even one more step forward, she shall be charged with the crime of treason."

The Noble Consort's complexion turned dreadfully ghastly. She had maintained her lofty status within the palace for so many years; when had she ever suffered such humiliating disgrace? She glared fiercely at the hall doors for a long while before finally letting out a cold, venomous snort and whirling around to leave. As for myself, locked away inside the Palace of Fragrant Rest, for the first three days I was given nothing save a single bowl of water. Hunger gnawed relentlessly at my stomach, causing agonizing cramps, until eventually I lacked even the strength to call out for another person. By the fourth day, the heavy doors were finally shoved open. The glaring sunlight assaulted my eyes, forcing me to squint as I watched Ah Thuong step across the high threshold. Almost without a second thought, I scrambled toward her on my knees. "Ah Thuong, I was wrong, I truly was wrong."

"I want to see my aunt. Please, go and plead on my behalf. Just tell her that Thien Tuyet knows the error of her ways."

Hearing those words, Ah Thuong broke into a radiant, mocking smile.

"Wasn't Her Ladyship being extraordinarily arrogant just days ago? Why is it that now you are begging right beneath this lowly maid's feet?"

I cast away every shred of my remaining dignity. "I beg of you, Ah Thuong. I truly know I was wrong."

"I will give you every last piece of jewelry from my box, you may take whatever you wish, I only beg you to take me to see my aunt."

After accepting my treasures, Ah Thuong deliberately left me to starve for yet another half day before finally dragging me off to the Hall of Supreme Polarity. Two formidable matrons forced me down onto the cold ground, my gown of shimmering embroidered silk already rumpled and ruined beyond recognition. My aunt sat high behind the imperial desk, draped in garments of deep crimson imperial silk. Though she was clearly nursing a severe illness herself, the smug triumph radiating from her entire being could not possibly be concealed. She laid down her writing brush and let out a soft sigh. "Tuyet, how did you manage to grow so terribly thin?" I dragged my knees forward, weeping bitterly as I seized the hem of her skirt in a tight grip.

"Aunt, I was wrong, I truly was wrong."

"I beg you to spare me this once."

She lowered her gaze to look at my hands gripping her skirt, her expression filled with utter revulsion as if I were something filthy. The matrons standing nearby instantly lunged forward, roughly tearing my fingers away.

"Imperial Concubine, please do not soil Her Majesty the Empress's garments."

I was shoved backward onto the floor, struggling clumsily to prop myself up with my hands. Only then did my aunt let out a light laugh. "Look at you, just a few days apart, and you have even forgotten your basic court manners." She picked up her cup of ginseng tea from the side, took a slow sip, and then pinched a piece of pastry, taking a small bite. The plate of delicate refreshments rested directly before my eyes, emitting a faint, sweet aroma of lotus seeds. Saliva pooled uncontrollably in my throat. My aunt's voice was soft and gentle. "Would you care to eat?" Humiliation brought hot tears streaming down my face, yet I still nodded in desperate assent.