Sharing a Pavilion With You
Chapter 86: Just "Good Friends"?

Chapter 86: Just "Good Friends"?

"Don’t worry too much Miss Mei. I don’t plan on letting anything happen to you," a small smile played at the corner of the Emperor’s lips.

Just yet anyway, he thought.

She turned to him with surprise, wondering how he knew she was frightened.

"T... thank you, Lord. I... I wasn’t fright..."

"What did I say to you about telling me the truth?" he interrupted her tersely.

She nodded resolutely; she mustn’t try to hide things from the Son of Heaven. It seemed he could read her mind anyway.

"You’re right Lord, I was a little scared by the Noble Consort’s invitation. My mother told me to keep below the notice of your harem."

He laughed loudly at this honest admission, and Eunuch Feng gave a small smile to see his Lord laugh so openly in the company of this young lady.

"She said that to you, did she? She’s a very smart woman, your mother."

Though not smart enough, if she thought a girl of Meili’s looks had any chance of avoiding the intense scrutiny of the harem. Nothing of relevance to him and his preoccupations could slip past them.

The Emperor would have liked to have Yu Yan in his harem, but she had been betrothed since childhood to Mei Tianyun. She had more than proven her value, bearing the man no less than five strapping sons and this jewel-like daughter and raising them all so well.

"The Second Prince requests an audience, Your Majesty," called Eunuch Feng.

"Does he now?" he looked at Meili with interest. "You seem to attract more supplicants than I do, girl."

She looked shocked. Didn’t his own son come to pay his respects to him every day?

"Show him in," he nodded, looking forward to watching his son struggle in the web he’d built for him.

The Second Prince strode into the Emperor’s study, his jaw clenched with what appeared to be anger.

Meili was used to that look from the Prince by now, so she didn’t think too much of it; it seemed to be his main expression unless he was mercilessly teasing her.

He greeted the Emperor with a bow, "Emperor Father, your son pays his respects to you".

The Emperor gave him a scant nod, "to what do I owe the pleasure of your company, second son?"

"Surely a son visiting his father doesn’t require a reason?"

The Second Prince’s eyes kept flicking towards Meili, drinking her in, like he was relieved to see that she was still in one piece.

"You seem very interested in my new Court Lady, Yicai," his father drawled, amused to see his son so preoccupied and giving his thoughts away with his eyes; he was normally so contained and hard to read.

"Miss Mei and I are acquainted father. As you know I spend time training with her brothers at the Mei mansion. I would go so far as to describe us as friends, if that’s not too forward a description Miss Mei?"

Both men looked at her and Meili blanched.

Was there a wrong answer to such a seemingly innocuous question? Everything here seemed to be a riddle she couldn’t solve.

The Emperor raised an eyebrow at her, the reminder not to dissemble.

She nodded. "Yes, the Second Prince and I are good friends. We know each other well."

The Emperor smiled with satisfaction, there it was, the admission that they cared for one another, even if Miss Mei’s feelings were not romantic, she cared for his son, and he could tell that she would act to protect him.

"An unmarried young woman raised in the inner courtyards, and an unmarried young prince are ’good friends’," the Emperor pretended to ponder that unlikely fact, while stroking his goatee. He sniffed loudly, "interesting..."

These young men had rapidly built a tangled Gordian knot around the woman; he was quite diverted by the pathos of it.

The Bai and the Tan families had both made betrothal approaches, and he knew it was just a matter of time before his son asked him for her. Yicai was just waiting for the right bargaining chip to fall into his hands to offset the high cost to have her.

"Emperor Father, may I speak with you alone for a moment?"

And here it was! So soon, the Emperor thought with secret delight, as his chess pieces moved exactly where he had hoped they would place themselves for him.

"Miss Mei, fetch me another tea and some snacks while I have a private conversation with my son."

As soon as Meili withdrew, the Second Prince jumped to his purpose.

"Emperor Father, I know what you’re trying to do here, but was it necessary to drag Mei Meili into the political fray? She’s an innocent young girl with no experience of the world. She’ll be slaughtered by your harem in this position by your side. You’re deliberately putting her in harm’s way!"

His father raised an amused but stern eyebrow at him. "Are you questioning the decisions of your Emperor now, son?"

Zhu Yicai swallowed hard and breathed deeply, trying to regain his equilibrium. He couldn’t be effective if he was shooting from the hip.

"Certainly I would never question the wisdom of the decision of the Son of Heaven, Emperor Father," he spoke respectfully. "I’m just concerned for the safety of my friend, Miss Mei, so please forgive any perceived disrespect. I’m sure you don’t disagree with me that a young woman of Miss Mei’s... appearance and temperament... will be at risk of harm in the rough and tumble of the inner palace."

"She will be under my protection, Yicai, so there’s nothing to concern yourself about."

The Second Prince politely refrained from mentioning that even the Emperor was not always able to protect those he loved from the harmful machinations of the inner palace.

"Thank you, Emperor Father, I’m pleased to hear she has your personal protection. I will also do my best to protect her."

"Good, good, it seems our interests are aligned then," said the Emperor heartily.

Father and son watched one another in a wary truce.

The Second Prince knew full well it was no coincidence that his father had taken Mei Meili into the palace as the politics intensified in the lead-up to the northern campaign, and the fact that Bai Li was leading it made her doubly valuable to him, as his Father handed the reins of a campaign, he would probably prefer to lead himself, over to the Bai family.

The Second Prince’s own alliance with the Bai family would be preoccupying his father too. The man was heavily concerned to make sure the Crown Prince’s path to succession was never challenged. The Emperor himself had used his own military strength to displace his elder brother, the Crown Prince, so he had first-hand experience of the bloody results of princes battling for the throne.

"The Crown Prince requests an audience, Your Majesty," called Eunuch Feng.

The Emperor frowned, but nodded at the eunuch to show him in.

Here was a complication he had expected but hoped to avoid.

Miss Mei, Miss Mei, your status as a wildcard has exceeded even my own expectations... he thought.