Page 31 of The Poet Empress
I left Wren and Pima for the door—only to find Jin Veris, my poisoner, on the other side.
“I was told you would be here,” she said, and peered at me. “Why are you in your storerooms like a lowly servant?”
“Why areyouin my storerooms?” I replied, because I felt like being rude.
“Because, Lady Yin, your life is in danger.”
It surprised me so much that for a moment, I forgot to be angry. “Danger? What kind of danger?”
“There are rumors. Rumors of the sort that, if found true, will see you executed.” She took me aside, deep into the cypresses and outside the hearing of my servants. “Sun Jia is trying to kill you. I know this because she told me to help her spread them.”
My head was spinning. “What are the rumors?”
“That you have not done your duties with the prince. That is, thechildmaking act.” She produced an edict from her jacket, a short letter stamped with the phoenix seal of the Inner Court, and handed it to me. “I stole this from Lady Sun’s pavilion: it is an edict given by the empress. Tomorrow, they will send doctors to examine you. And if they find that you havenotbeen planted by him, then…” She trailed off, intentionally coy.
“Then what?” I demanded.
She exhaled. “If a crown prince is found not dutiful, then he would be removed from his position, and all the concubines he has spent even a single night with would be executed.”
I went very still.
“But there is nothing to worry about, is there?” Veris continued, too carefully. “After all, you have told us all about the techniques you have used with our prince. You have spent many fruitful nights with him.”
“Yes, indeed.” My voice came out strained. “Thank you for letting me know, Lady Jin, but your warning was not needed.”
She nodded and turned to leave. On her way out, she paused and said, “Jia told me to put the poison in the wine. I did it, because back then I thought an alliance with her was the most valuable one to make. I no longer think that.” She left without waiting for my reply.
As soon as she was gone, I went back to my parlor and summoned Ciyi at once. “Send a message to Prince Terren. I must meet with him tonight.”
His mouth fell open. “Lady Yin, it is not proper for a woman to initiate—”
“Did I make a mistake promoting you to scribe?”
To his credit, he arranged his frown back into a smile at once. When he spoke again, his voice was once again sugar-coated. “How should we phrase our request?”
I lifted my chin and hoped he would not see my hands trembling. “Tell him that I miss him. Tell him that I cannot bear to spend another day without him. Tell him that I must see him tonight, or I shall weep so hard I go blind.”
20A TRAVELER’S TALE
Terren was absolutely delighted when I entered. He even looked up from the dead peacock he had been skinning, by the blood light of the sunset, to meet my eyes. “How presumptuous of you, to think that you can see me whenever you please.”
No doubt he was so pleased because he saw, from my unusual request, an opening—to newer and even more creative torture methods.
I could not look at that horrible smile without remembering the feel of a knife in my thigh, or the burning in my lungs as I was held underwater, or the bitter taste of bile in my mouth. Or Pima, bleeding to death on that bed of daisies.
That peacock. I wondered if it was the same one I had released, and he had somehow tracked it down.
“You miss me so much that you are trembling,” he continued, almost giddy. “With excitement, I presume. This is one form of flattery I can appreciate.”
“There are doctors coming tomorrow, Your Highness. They will examine me to see whether we have been dutiful.”
His smile vanished at once. His eyes flashed something dark and terrible.
“So that is why I had to see you tonight. For our mutual benefit. Me to keep my head, and you to keep your position as heir.” I set the empress’s edict on the table.
That was the only thing I had in my favor: for how wicked he was, Terren was no fool. If he did not desire the throne, he would not have been so angry as to punish Pima when one of his allies withdrew theirsupport. If he did not want to be heir, he would have ceded the position to Maro long ago.
His eyes brushed over the letter. Then he set down the peacock and rubbed the black blood off on his gown. In a voice chillingly calm, he said, “Shall we eat first?”
