Alex jerked awake, immediately alert. "What? What's wrong?"
"It's not wrong, exactly, it's just... Mei Ling loved the perfume! She loved it so much she told three other maids about it, and now one of them wants to buy a bottle! She's the personal maid to Lady Zhao, the wife of the Minister of Rites!"
Alex sat up and processed this information. That was fast. Much faster than he had expected. Which meant either the perfume was better than he thought, or there was serious demand for luxury goods among the palace women.
Probably both.
"How much is she offering?" he asked.
"She said she could pay eight taels!"
Eight taels. His minimum price. Which meant she expected to negotiate down.
"Tell her ten taels, and it's non-negotiable because supplies are limited and the perfume maker only produces small batches."
"But what if she refuses?"
"Then she refuses, and we've learned that eight taels is probably the real market price and we adjust accordingly." Alex swung his legs off the bed. "But I don't think she'll refuse. If she's a personal maid to a minister's wife, she has access to funds. And luxury goods are all about perceived value. The moment we start negotiating down, we signal that the product isn't actually worth the price."
Xiao Cui bit her lip. "If you say so. Should I take her a bottle?"
"Not yet. Tell her you need to check with your supplier first. Make her wait a day. Anticipation increases desire." Alex stood up and stretched. "What about the intelligence gathering? Any useful gossip?"
"Oh! Yes!" Xiao Cui's eyes lit up. "I talked to Ying Ying, who serves Consort Liu. She told me that Consort Su is furious because the Emperor hasn't visited her in four days!"
Alex filed that away. Four days. Which meant the Emperor had stopped visiting Consort Su right around the time Alex had woken up from the poisoning. Coincidence? Or had something else happened?
"Why hasn't he visited her?"
"No one knows! But Ying Ying said that Head Eunuch Wang told Consort Su that His Majesty was dealing with urgent state matters and couldn't be disturbed. Consort Su apparently threw a jade vase at the wall."
Interesting. An emperor who prioritized state business over his favorite consort's expectations. That suggested either he was genuinely busy, or he was deliberately creating distance. Either way, it meant Consort Su's position wasn't as secure as she thought.
"What else?"
"Um, Consort Chen is pregnant! She's two months along. That's why she's been refusing all invitations lately."
"Which consort is Chen?"
"She's ranked fifth. She's quiet, doesn't get involved in harem politics. Her family are minor nobles from the south. The Emperor visits her maybe once every few months."
Pregnancy was politically significant in a harem. It meant potential for sons, which meant potential for power. It also made the pregnant consort a target for rivals.
"Is Chen worried about the pregnancy? Any security concerns?"
Xiao Cui looked surprised by the question. "I... I don't know. Should she be worried?"
"In a competitive harem where someone like Consort Su is willing to use poison? Yes, she should be worried." Alex made a mental note. Consort Chen might be a useful ally. She was low-profile, non-threatening, and probably scared. Scared people made good allies if you offered them protection. "Find out more about her. Where her pavilion is, who her servants are, what her situation is like."
"Okay! What else?"
"Tell me about the other consorts. Start from the top."
Xiao Cui settled in and began reciting what she knew. It was a mix of gossip, rumor, and observed fact, but Alex filtered it for useful information.
Consort Wu, ranked first. Thirty years old, been in the palace for eight years, had one daughter but no sons. Came from a military family with connections to the border generals. The Emperor respected her but rarely visited. She was essentially a political placeholder.
Consort Zhang, ranked second. Twenty-six years old, beautiful, talented musician. The Emperor had been infatuated with her two years ago but the interest had faded. She had no children and was reportedly depressed about her declining status.
Consort Su, ranked third but functionally first in terms of current favor. Twenty-three years old, stunning, manipulative, dangerous. Merchant family with massive wealth. No children yet, probably deliberately. This was his primary threat.
Consort Qin, ranked fourth. Twenty-eight, scholarly type, had two daughters. From a family of government officials. Kept to herself mostly.
Consort Chen, ranked fifth. The pregnant one. Twenty-four years old, quiet, minor noble family.
The list continued down through ranks six through eleven, most of them unmemorable women from various families who had been selected for political alliance purposes and then largely forgotten.
And then there was Yan Lingxi. Rank twelve. Dead last. Forgotten, dismissed, poisoned.
But she is not dead yet. Ah to the god of death.
Alex committed all the information to memory. This was his competitive landscape. These were the other players in the game. Most of them were probably not hostile, just indifferent. But indifference could be as dangerous as hostility in the right circumstances.
"Good work," he told Xiao Cui. "Keep gathering information. I want to know about the eunuchs too. Who has influence, who takes bribes, who's loyal to which consort."
"I'll try! Oh, and Lingxi? Lao Zhang spent the whole afternoon working on the courtyard. It already looks better! He cleared away all the dead plants and trimmed the tree. He said by next week it will look proper again."