The Moon in the Palace (The Empress of Bright Moon Duology)(9)

I was rather flattered. “How did you know that?”

“It’s my secret. But I see you’re more beautiful than they say too.”

And she certainly knew the right things to say. “You’re very kind,” I said. When I was at home, I had not cared about my looks, but after spending all these months with the Selects, I understood a woman’s beauty was important. Still, it bored me to spend hours dabbing white cream on my face.

The woman herself was stunningly beautiful. She had willowy eyebrows and a small cherry-red mouth. Loops of white fringed her forehead, while two heaps of hair stood at both sides of her head like the pointy ears of a feline.

“How old are you? Fifteen?” She smoothed a scroll on the table and anchored the corners with the ink stone, ink sticks, and a calligraphy holder painted with white clouds and red peonies.

“Thirteen.” Most of the Selects were fourteen—another reason I did not fit in. I had bled for the first time the month before I came to the palace. My body was changing too, and my breasts were sore. But I still had the slender figure of a girl.

“So young,” she said. “They call me Jewel.”

“I’m Mei.”

“Of the Wu family.”

“You know my family?” I could not have been more proud.

“I heard the eunuchs talk about you when they were discussing the summons.”

“Summons? Have you met the Emperor?”

She shook her head, her gaze fixed on me. Her eyes were like a cat’s, inscrutable, observing me quietly but refusing to be observed. I wondered what she was thinking.

“How long have you been here?” I asked.

“Long enough.” She picked up a calligraphy brush on the table.

“From what others have said, it sounds like we could be waiting forever. I do not like it, waiting here and wasting time.”

“There are some ways that can help you obtain the summons.”

“Really? What ways?”

She dipped her brush in the ink stone, her left hand holding back her right sleeve. “If you have a powerful relative in the court.” She dabbed it against the stone to remove excess ink and began to draw a few lines on the scroll. Her hand was steady, the strokes smooth and thin. Soon the lines formed a large blossom. I could not criticize her skill. She was a good painter. “A truly powerful one, a first-degree minister, or second-degree, who will have opportunities to exalt your beauty to the Emperor. When he hears it, he’ll surely be eager to see you.”

“Ah, connections.” That was how the world functioned, of course. People with good connections received good opportunities; people with no connections received no opportunities. “What are the other ways?”

She glanced at me. “Bribe the eunuch who’s in charge of deciding the Emperor’s night companions. He’ll whisper in the Emperor’s ear about your beauty when he has a chance. When the Emperor gets curious, he’ll summon you.”

I wanted to groan. I did not possess anything valuable that could be used as a bribe, not a jade pendant or even a silver bangle.

“I did not mean to upset you, my friend.” She put down the brush. “Let me tell you something else. Every year on his birthday, the Emperor accepts gifts from his concubines, including us in the Yeting Court. If you give him an unforgettable gift, he may honor you by seeing you.”

“Oh, really?” I was excited. “What kind of gift?”

“Something unique.”

“It has to be, doesn’t it?” There must be thousands of gifts from all the ministers, titled ladies, and all the other ladies. How could one gift stand out and attract his eye? “What have the ladies given him in the past?”

“Gold or expensive toys, jewelry, silk robes, lapis lazuli even. I once offered him a horse.”

A horse! One of the most treasured animals in the kingdom. The rebellion against the Sui Dynasty had cost many precious steeds. With peace at hand, horses were cherished and desired by every man. A conqueror like the Emperor certainly understood their value. “And he didn’t summon you?”

Jewel shook her head.

“If he is not interested in seeing us”—I frowned—“why does he summon maidens to the palace each year?”

She sighed. “All I can tell you is our Emperor is a collector.”

“Collector?”

“A general is no general if he has no soldiers, and what kind of emperor would he be if he cannot have any woman he wishes in the kingdom?”

I would rather not think of myself as something to be collected, like the piece of bone relic Mother cherished. “So he would summon us, any of us, if he is interested in the gift?”

“That’s right.” She nodded, gazing at a group of women coming down the winding path to fetch water from the canal. “But let me tell you—for seven years, no one from the Yeting Court has impressed him.”

The women came closer. I did not recognize them. They were probably the other Selects who had come years before. Their white gowns fluttering in the wind, they glanced at me and frowned.

“Do they know about giving gifts?” I asked.

“They live for the Emperor’s birthday and the chance to impress him. We all do. Once the Emperor summons us and honors us with a title, we will move to the real Inner Court and receive monthly allowances, beautiful gowns, and good food. We will not need to do any embroidery or laundry. Perhaps we will even have maids to serve us. Who does not wish for that?”