Sharing a Pavilion With You
Chapter 84: Chess Piece in Play

Chapter 84: Chess Piece in Play

With her head still spinning, Meili found herself being shown to her room in the palace by a young eunuch.

Tricky trotted at her heels, attracting stares wherever they went, but giving Meili the comfort of a little piece of home accompanying her. She missed Manni already...

She had no idea how she would find her way back through the maze of the palace to this little courtyard, but here she was.

It was a small courtyard with a plum tree in the middle casting some welcome shade, a large water barrel under the tree. Otherwise it was all paved, and Meili immediately missed her own lush green courtyard with the hot spring and a pavilion. She never thought she would miss that courtyard once she left it!

"Two other court ladies live here," said the eunuch, indicating two other rooms that opened onto the same courtyard. "Zhao Yuli and Xu Jingshu."

Meili nodded. It would be nice to have some female company, and also not to live alone.

The eunuch opened the door to her little room. It was much smaller than her room at home, and very plain. Just a bed, a dressing table and mirror, and a small dining table that could seat no more than three people.

It was very clean, like it had just been scrubbed, and it smelled fresh like a summer’s day. There were no windows, except for on either side of the door, and they were propped open, no doubt to air the place out for her.

She smiled her thanks at the eunuch, "thank you, gong-gong. This is lovely."

"Your uniform is on the bed," he pointed to a pretty pink brocade dress with matching shoes. "Get dressed now and I will take you to the kitchen and show you your work."

She quickly closed the door to her room and tried to get into the uniform as fast as she could.

It took much longer than it should have, because she was completely unused to dressing on her own.

Done at last! She smoothed down her dress, took a quick look in the mirror, and followed her eunuch out of the courtyard, tripping along in the unfamiliar court lady shoes.

After a quick lesson in the rules of the kitchen and how to carry and serve the Emperor’s tea, she was told to take him his first cup of tea for the day.

She entered the Emperor’s chamber as she had been taught to, with her head bowed, focussed on the tray and the tea, not staring at the Emperor, waiting for Eunuch Feng to permit her to enter.

He waved her through, and she approached the Emperor, holding forth the small tray with the cup of warm tea, her head bowed.

She was so nervous that her hand and wrist shook violently, spilling the smallest drop of tea onto the tray.

The Emperor stared in surprise and looked at the tiny woman who was shaking like a leaf.

"Raise your head," he commanded.

She dropped to her knees.

"My apologies Lord, it’s my first time serving you and I’m very nervous," she admitted.

Ah, here she was! His wildcard finally ready to be played. The Mei girl...

"Miss Mei, rise, rise. No matter, it’s but a drop on the tray."

He looked at the girl in close quarters, his eyes widening at her delicate beauty.

No wonder she was the object of a struggle between the three young men. If she wasn’t so useful to him as leverage, he would take her into his own harem...

She lowered her eyes demurely and served him his tea without mishap the second time around.

He looked behind her and saw Tricky-Wu standing politely with Chief Eunuch Feng.

"I see you’ve brought your trusty companion with you to the palace, Miss Mei," he said with amusement.

"Oh, sorry Lord, he’s meant to wait outside your chamber," she motioned at Tricky to exit the room and he reluctantly put his tail between his legs and went to stand outside.

"Does he play the part of your bodyguard or your teddy bear?"

"Both, Lord," she said instantly, without thought. "Opps, sorry... no... not bodyguard, just teddy bear. Of course I don’t need a bodyguard here in the palace," she amended politely.

He laughed out loud. "I think your first answer was the true one, hmm, Miss Mei?"

She nodded miserably, not wanting to lie to the Emperor, that didn’t seem like it would be a good start to their relationship at all...

"Don’t bother hiding your thoughts from me or trying to be too polite, girl. You’ll find I know what they are anyway, and it will only anger me if I know you’re lying. Let’s start off on the right foot, shall we?"

She looked up at him, checking his face to see if he was serious.

"Yes, Lord, if you say so. But what if the truth will make you angry, shouldn’t I say nothing instead?"

He laughed even more loudly this time, and Eunuch Feng smiled slightly, pleased to see the little girl could make his Lord laugh so freely. It was good for him to forget his heavy responsibilities when he could.

"No point, my dear. I can read everything you’re thinking on your face anyway. You grew up in the inner courtyards, beloved by your brothers and father, so you have no skills in concealment. None at all..."

"Oh," she said with disappointment.

That was actually one of the key skills her parents had tried to teach her yesterday, and here she was failing dismally at it already.

"Don’t worry your pretty little head about it. I value the most my aides who are honest with me. Don’t try and change now."

Her parents had told her he would say that, and that she must ignore him and learn concealment to avoid getting herself into trouble.

"Yes, Lord," she curtsied.

She moved to withdraw from the chamber.

"Come and help the maid with my hair."

Her eyebrows shot up. That was another admonition from her parents. Don’t get involved in any tasks that require you to touch the Emperor’s body. Just serve him food and drink and fetch memorials and other odd jobs.

"M... my Lord?" she looked beseechingly at the Chief Eunuch, and he swept his fingers at her with the meaning of, ’get on with it immediately’.

She reluctantly followed the emperor to his dressing table, a wide-eyed look of fear on her face that had the Emperor chuckling again.

Moving this chess piece around the board was going to be quite enjoyable, he realised.

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