Chapter 2 — As Ever, the Moon

Only after arriving at Zhongcui Palace did I realize Consort Chun was not favored at all.

The Emperor rarely set foot in Zhongcui Palace and never sent her gifts. The household allowance was meager, and there was little to spare for food, clothing, or daily needs.

Most importantly, the Sixth Prince, Zhou Hui, was ten years old and still living in Zhongcui Palace.

What prince who mattered would be given a name with the character Hui—meaning “darkness”—and, at ten, still kept beside a woman in the inner palace?

The Emperor was practically telling Consort Chun outright that he cared for neither mother nor son.

Unfortunately, Consort Chun was a fool.

Even the Empress could no longer tolerate her daily antics and the ridicule they brought, so she had excused her from paying respects.

Apart from trying every possible way to win the Emperor’s favor, Consort Chun’s other pastime was tormenting palace maids.

On the first night, she kicked over a bucket of water and made me kneel to mop the floor.

On the second night, she stepped on my hand and ground her heel into it.

On the third night, after washing her feet, she suddenly had an idea and ordered me to drink all the water left in the basin.

“You pampered young ladies from noble families—aren’t you still forced to drink the footwater of a former wine seller like me in the end?”

She laughed brightly, her eyes cruel and crazed.

If I refused, the same rods that had beaten Zhenzhu to death would come down on me.

My nails dug into my palms. Humiliation crashed over me like a raging tide, threatening to drown me.

But I could not die yet.

From the moment I entered Yiyou Court, I had prepared myself for the day my dignity would be ground to pieces.

I shut my eyes. I was about to bend down when a childish voice suddenly rang out.

“Mother Consort, how can you behave like this?”

It was the Sixth Prince, Zhou Hui.

He stood at the entrance to the bedchamber, thin and small, yet with his hands behind his back like a grown man. He looked at his mother with disapproval.

Though Zhou Hui was young, he was far more composed than Consort Chun.

It seemed the half of his blood that was imperial had prevailed.

Zhou Hui furrowed his brows. “Her Majesty the Empress has admonished you many times. Why do you keep doing such disgraceful things?”

Consort Chun seemed ill at ease when she saw her son. She gave a couple of forced laughs, then quietly told me to get out.

I lowered my head and left the hall. As I passed Zhou Hui, I caught the faint scent of medicine on him.

Back in the side room, the senior palace maid Jiuqu gave me a cup of hot tea and said sympathetically, “Her Highness has always been like this. Once she loses interest, things will settle down.”

She was mild-tempered and used to enduring hardship. She had served Consort Chun longer than anyone.

I sipped my tea and asked, “Sister, do you remember the maid who was beaten to death a few days ago after bringing in charcoal?”

Jiuqu sighed. She remembered.

That day, Consort Chun had finally managed to get the Emperor to visit Zhongcui Palace, just as Zhenzhu came in with the charcoal.

The Emperor thought she was pretty and unfamiliar, so he looked at her twice.

Those two glances were enough to drive Consort Chun mad.

I held back my tears. “Could they really just beat her to death like that? Wouldn’t the Emperor intervene?”

Jiuqu lowered her voice. “Her Highness once took a blade for the Emperor in Jiangnan. The lives of palace servants are cheap, so he lets her torment them however she likes.”

“Only the Sixth Prince argued fiercely with her after returning from class and seeing what happened.”

I recalled Zhou Hui’s deeply furrowed brows. Born into Consort Chun’s womb, he had truly started life in the worst possible circumstances.

Jiuqu whispered, “Her Highness has caused plenty of trouble over the years. The Sixth Prince has suffered for it too. He isn’t taken seriously and gets bullied by the other princes at the Imperial Academy. Once he came back with injuries on his face.”

“The Sixth Prince’s health is poor, too. Sigh.”

I tossed and turned until midnight before falling asleep.

In my dream I saw Zhenzhu’s blood-soaked body, then Zhou Hui’s prematurely mature gaze.

Finally, Master Juekong’s smooth face appeared—so eerily shadowed it seemed ghostlike. His eyes, cold as a dry well, stared at me.

Perhaps the novelty had worn off, or perhaps she feared embarrassing Zhou Hui. From then on, Consort Chun stopped doing anything too outrageous.

My life at Zhongcui Palace became bearable.

The third day of the tenth month was Consort Chun’s birthday.

By custom, the Emperor would come for dinner and might even stay the night.

We began preparing at dawn. After she had finished dressing, Consort Chun slapped Jiuqu.

“How much powder did you put on your face? Are you trying to seduce His Majesty right in front of me?”

Jiuqu retreated with tears in her eyes. Her skin had always been naturally fair.

Even now, I didn’t dare stop applying angelica juice to my face. Compared with being cherished by the Emperor, staying alive mattered more for the moment.

At dusk, the Emperor arrived.

I lowered my head and saw the hem of his bright-yellow dragon robe pass before me.

Dinner had been prepared with exquisite care. Hoping to be alone with the Emperor, Consort Chun had not even allowed Zhou Hui to come pay his respects.

Yet less than the time it takes to burn an incense stick after sitting down, the Emperor stood to leave.

I heard Consort Chun hurriedly try to detain him. “Your Majesty, this wine was brewed by my own hand. It tastes just like the wine we had in Jiangnan years ago.”

Perhaps Jiangnan truly held fond memories for him, because the Emperor sat down again.

Jiuqu and I stood outside the hall with two expressionless eunuchs, listening to Consort Chun’s coquettish laughter.

The night breeze carried the scent of wine, and I began to grow drowsy.