The news of Helian Zheng's illness could not be kept secret.
The ministers who should have been pleased stood in court with sullen faces, stealing glances at the small, solemn young emperor above and at the curtain beyond which sat the woman rumored to be illiterate — Ning Zhiqing, whose few sharp words had left them speechless.
Over the past weeks, facing the boy-emperor had been easy; his youth, inexperience, and thin learning made them feel superior. More than once the young emperor flushed and paled as they pressed their points, only for a voice from behind the curtain to cut in: "Wait. I have a few words."
At first they'd ignored it. But when she spoke that first sentence, the air changed — could this rustic consort truly be illiterate?
In barely two months they had watched Ning Zhiqing's rise.
Now that Helian Zheng lay gravely ill, perhaps unable even to rise, and palace eyes whispered he was paralyzed, the ministers' moods soured.
"Any objection, ministers?" the small emperor asked.
"Do you agree with what I proposed?" Ning Zhiqing called through the curtain.
"I second it," Ning Wuyuan was always first to stand — proud father that he was; of course he'd back his precious daughter.
"I second it." Others followed, eager to curry favor. With Ning Wuyuan leading, his faction quickly rallied; the rest, boxed in, bit their tongues and complied.
"Good. That will be all for today. Court dismissed." Through the curtain Ning Zhiqing easily read their faces. Unhappy? Then hold it in — you cannot overturn what you cannot stop.
Helian Fu's usually huffy small face softened into a smile. He hopped down from the dragon seat and fell in step beside Ning Zhiqing, offering a shy grin. "Consort Ning, that was satisfying."
"Young man, learn your place. I'll likely outlive you." Ning Zhiqing teased.
Helian Fu thought bitterly: it's because you used to linger in Lin Fei's rooms in the cold palace — how could she not cook for you? Still, he knew they were on the same side.
"Is Consort Lin waiting for you?" he asked.
"She must be," Ning Zhiqing said with a coquettish tilt. At the thought of seeing the woman waiting for her, her chest warmed.
Helian Fu obliged her by moving off in another direction. Ning Zhiqing practically pushed him away. As he took two steps, she called after him, smiling, "Come meet Helian Zheng with us another day; father and son should reconcile."
A chill ran down Helian Fu's spine as he watched her turn. Her strategic, confident profile — the world felt suddenly large and sharp beneath her. The palace women were dangerous; two of them in particular he dared not offend.
From afar Ning Zhiqing spotted Axin. She tugged at a senior maid's sleeve. "Hurry — Consort Lin is still standing in the breeze; do not keep her waiting."
The maid's little steps annoyed Ning Zhiqing; she shrugged free and strode toward Axin with long, quick strides. The maid, terrified she might stumble, followed in a flurry.
Ning Zhiqing seized Axin's hand and found it cool. She shot a reproachful glance at the surrounding maids. "How long has Consort Lin waited? Why did none of you bring a cloak? What if she caught a chill?"
Startled, the maids dropped to their knees. Ning Zhiqing scolded them sharply. "Remember your senses. Think of your mistress's safety without my reminders."
"Yes, Noble Consort."
"All rise." Axin said, and Ning Zhiqing relaxed, still holding her.
"Axin, wear something warmer next time." Ning Zhiqing fretted. Axin's thinness worried her; the hands were icy. Years in the cold palace might have taken their toll. Her mind fluttered with fear.
"Summon the imperial physicians. Bring the court physicians to have Consort Lin's pulse read." Ning Zhiqing ordered.
Eunuch Yu, who'd kept watch at the medical academy, blinked in confusion. The physicians exchanged looks — none had answers for Helian Zheng's condition, yet with Eunuch Yu there they had to pretend to study. Inside, they were as helpless as anyone.
"Consort Ning commands. Will you risk her wrath?" someone prodded.
Reluctantly the physicians strapped on medicine boxes and hurried out. In the palace now the greatest power was Ning Zhiqing.
"Shouldn't they be studying the Emperor?" Eunuch Yu fretted and trailed after them.
After examining Axin, the physicians reported she was in perfect health. Ning Zhiqing finally relented and dismissed them, though Eunuch Yu lingered, anger and unease warring on his face — how could a Consort Lin matter more than the Emperor?
Ning Zhiqing let out a dry laugh. "You look displeased, Eunuch Yu."
A coldness hit him. He hurried to say, "I dare not." He had served the Emperor for years; his pride rankled. He believed Helian Zheng would not fall. Ning Zhiqing's surge was only temporary.
"You are old, Eunuch Yu," Ning Zhiqing murmured, reclining on a soft couch and smiling at Axin. That indulgent, warm look in her eyes loosened her chest. If she had a tail she'd wag it with joy.
"I will relieve you of duties," she said lightly. "Go live out your days in comfort in a mansion outside the palace."
Eunuch Yu's heart sank — only then did he sense the grave shift. He glanced at Ning Zhiqing and saw her half-smile: a sovereign's look he had only ever seen on Helian Zheng. He understood then: this was no mere fit of fortune.
He struggled inwardly; Ning Zhiqing covered her mouth and laughed softly. "I asked the physicians: His Majesty's illness—"
"Your servant will obey the Noble Consort and retire," Eunuch Yu blurted, suddenly eager to save his life. If Helian Zheng could not recover, what was his purpose? Better to leave and live in comfort than linger under this new power.
Ning Zhiqing nodded with a satisfied tilt. "I will not mistreat you."
Axin spoke up. "Before Eunuch Yu leaves, he must do one thing for the Emperor."
"What is it? Your servant will see to it." Eunuch Yu's heart pounded; he realized he must now act for these two women, as much as for the Emperor. He had misread Ning Zhiqing's simplicity — she unnerved him.
Axin smiled faintly. "His Majesty spoke two phrases. I drafted an edict by his dictation: transfer the throne to Crown Prince Helian Fu, name Ning Zhiqing Empress, and, given the Crown Prince's youth, allow Consort Ning to continue ruling behind the curtain."
Eunuch Yu collapsed to the ground, blood draining from his face. Consort Lin was fearsome indeed. He finally understood why Ning Zhiqing had changed so dramatically: Axin had a hand in it. Frightened, he saw there was no turning back.
"This edict must be proclaimed by you tomorrow before the ministers," Axin said. Eunuch Yu could not even lift his head; her soft voice felt like an icy cellar.
"I will obey." He prostrated himself, vowing to carry out the deed. His words would testify that Helian Zheng had dictated the transfer and the selection of Empress — he was the Emperor's most trusted eunuch; no one would dare doubt the decree.
Eunuch Yu left the palace in a daze, soaked in cold sweat.
"You frightened him, Axin. Look at his legs — they trembled; he nearly stumbled crossing the threshold." Ning Zhiqing teased.
Axin offered a faint smile. Ning Zhiqing tensed, touched the teacup as if to steady herself. How could Axin look at her so gently and make her feel so fragile? She sipped and could not tear her eyes away.
"Let us tell Helian Zheng the good news: he shall be Grand Emperor," Ning Zhiqing said, meanly pleased. She thought of Axin's scar and the stories of how Axin had knelt outside Helian Zheng's bedchamber for a day to beg for Lin's pardon — Ning Zhiqing's eyes darkened. Those who hurt Axin must suffer. Even paralyzed, Helian Zheng would not escape.
Together they went to Helian Zheng's chamber. He Qing guarded the door; Ning Zhiqing glanced and murmured, "Captain He, come in with us."
"I have summoned the Crown Prince." He Qing's voice tightened; he followed, giving Ning Zhiqing and Axin a look of gratitude.
Helian Zheng brightened at their arrival — even paralyzed, two women were devoted to him. That, he thought, was his charm. Once recovered he would make them the most celebrated consorts.
"How does His Majesty feel today?" Ning Zhiqing asked, feigning concern.
Helian Zheng could not speak or move, but he blinked quickly to indicate he was well. His one discomfort was Bai Xi serving him, but Bai Xi now seemed cowed.
Ning Zhiqing cast a quick glance at Bai Xi, trembling on the side, and blocked Axin's view. That pitiful act of hers — did she hope to seduce Axin? Dream on.
"I come to thank Your Majesty," Ning Zhiqing said, bowing. "Thank you for naming me Empress. I am honored."
Helian Zheng stared in bafflement. Empress? When had he so decreed?
"Father." Helian Fu approached and bowed to Helian Zheng, beaming. "I come to thank you as well."
Helian Zheng had no idea why they thanked him.
"I thank you for not finding me small and for yielding the throne to me. I will guard this realm as Grand Emperor." Helian Fu's voice carried a sincerity that made Helian Zheng's eyes bulge with the helplessness he could not voice.
"Do not be agitated, Father. I will rule well; I will not bring you shame." Helian Fu set his small face with solemn promise.
Helian Zheng looked at Ning Zhiqing's gracious smile, at Helian Fu's reverent face, and at Axin's inscrutable calm — suddenly he understood. He'd been tricked. These two women and his son had seized his power.
His fury boiled; he wanted to leap up and tear them apart.
Axin stepped forward and looked down at him, bending slightly. Her voice was low and precise. "Lin Senior Minister was loyal to you, yet you framed and executed him until no bones remained. Lin Shen wished for you to suffer worse than death." She looked straight into his angry eyes. "This life, you will spend on that dragon couch."
Ning Zhiqing smiled gently. "My father was loyal, yet you used me as Bai Xi's shield. When no longer useful, you had men humiliate me to force my father to rebel and thus destroy a rival to your power. Helian Zheng, sorry — now you can only lie there. You tried to outmaneuver Consort Lin, and you failed. She is the city's foremost talent."
Helian Zheng burned with impotent rage. If he could speak, he would order these two treacherous women executed. The palace women were actors, all of them — every one worse than the last. When he recovered, he swore, he would never trust them again; he would kill them and gouge out the hearts of the harem and feed them to dogs.
Helian Fu pressed his lips and glanced at He Qing; the two drew near Helian Zheng. Seeing He Qing, Helian Zheng's hope flickered.
In his mind he begged: He Qing, cut these two down and I will make you a great lord.
"Father," Helian Fu said, "I never knew my mother. I later learned you married her to gain my grandfather Chancellor Meng's support. After you secured the throne, fearing the clout of in-laws, you joined with the Bai family to slaughter the Mengs."
Helian Zheng wanted to say: You're my son and heir — why side with these traitors? Don't be fooled by women's lies.
Helian Fu pulled a small, bitter face. "Later my mother was executed by a white sword."
That, Helian Zheng thought, was deserved.
Helian Zheng's face darkened. He blamed Bai Xi for medicating him.
"If you first destroyed the Mengs, would my mother have plotted against you?" Helian Fu mocked. "Father, do you think I'm foolish to be your son? Why would I heed the words of a consort and a concubine? I will not be deceived."
Helian Zheng blinked; of course they were his son and heir. He swore inwardly that once he recovered he would not accept this boy; the Meng blood might bear consequences. He could sire many more sons.
Helian Fu caught that thought and smiled a brilliant, knowing smile. He turned to He Qing and asked playfully, "Father, why does Helian Zheng think I look like him? Clearly I resemble my real father."
He Qing felt vindicated. When Helian Zheng coughed up a mouthful of blood, a thrill ran through him. "Young Prince, perhaps the Grand Emperor should rest well," he said.
"We, Consort Ning, Consort Lin, and I — and my father He Qing — will guard the realm for the Grand Emperor," Helian Fu declared. "Rest easy." The last words drove Helian Zheng to spit blood once more and faint.
Axin swept a glance at Bai Xi, who gaped in disbelief in a corner. Turning to He Qing, she said, "Let Consort Bai remain here to tend the Grand Emperor. She will not leave until he recovers."
"Yes." He Qing replied.
Bai Xi collapsed, white and broken. There was no escape from Helian Zheng's bedchamber now; Axin's single sentence had cut off all her routes. She burned with hatred — only now did she realize the people before her were more dreadful than even she, reborn, had been.
The next morning Eunuch Yu read the imperial edict at court: Helian Zheng abdicated in favor of Helian Fu; Ning Zhiqing was proclaimed Empress; He Qing named commander of the palace guards.
After the accession, Ning Zhiqing became Empress Dowager; Axin, formerly Consort Lin, was elevated to Grand Consort Lin. Eunuch Yu could not wait to flee the palace the day after the edict — he dared not stay.
The ministers were not surprised; Ning Zhiqing had been ruling from behind the curtain for some time, her suggestions sharp and increasingly persuasive. They grew used to her and gradually acquiesced, so long as she did not seize the throne herself.
Ning Zhiqing now liked to visit Axin's chambers whenever free. She found she could no longer restrain herself, though she loathed the thought of causing pain to the woman she loved.
One day she arrived at Axin's chambers and found it empty.
"Where is Axin?" she asked.
"She is bathing, my lady," the maid answered.
Ning Zhiqing froze. Her imagination flared; cheeks flaming, she stammered, "Show me the way."
"Yes." The maid hurried ahead.
Her heart pounding, Ning Zhiqing followed the maid toward the baths. A gauze veil shielded the pool; through the haze a sweet aroma drifted. Ning Zhiqing ordered, "Wait outside. I will go in alone."
"No one may enter without your leave," the maid replied. "You will bathe unobserved."
No one dared disobey Ning Zhiqing. She let the thin veil fall away and stepped toward the pool.
The water brimmed with red petals and perfume. There, leaning at the pool's edge with shoulders bare, was the pale beauty: Axin's exposed collarbone, the curve at the neck — exquisite and impossibly tempting. A faint blush colored her face; Ning Zhiqing felt a fierce desire to taste it.
She slipped out of her outer clothes, leaving only her dudou and undergarments, and eased into the warm steam. She moved behind Axin and peered: was the woman asleep?
A wild thought seized her: could she — should she — kiss her? One kiss, she told herself.
She drew close and pressed a gentle kiss to Axin's cheek. No response. Emboldened, she kissed again, this time on those two petal-soft lips.
When their mouths met it was like a secret blossoming — beyond words, intoxicating. Ning Zhiqing wanted more. Then something soft touched her lips from the inside — and their eyes met.
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