Sharing a Pavilion With You
Chapter 97: The Borrowed Knife Falls Short

Chapter 97: The Borrowed Knife Falls Short

"Mei Meili, are you feeling better?" the Princess chirped, trying to change the highly charged subject of Miss Mei’s marriage partner.

She placed a basket of fruit by Meili’s bedside. "My Second Brother’s been keeping me blow-by-blow informed of course," she rolled her eyes in his direction fondly. "He wouldn’t even let me come and visit you before now, so my apologies it’s taken me so long to come by."

"Princess, thank you so much for taking the time to visit and there was really no need. As you can see, I’m almost better, thanks to your Second Brother. If it wasn’t for him, I’d have drowned for sure."

"Pei, pei," said the Princess, lightly patting her mouth in a superstitious gesture designed to avoid bad luck. "Don’t say that it’s bad luck. It was clearly not your fate to drown in that lake. Yicai tells me your Chow Chow kept you afloat until he could rescue you?"

"Yes," Meili looked fondly out at Tricky, who strangely, was fast asleep on the patio and had not even risen to bark at the guests, or to greet his favourite Bai Li.

Meili looked over at Bai Li, her concern for Tricky evident on her face. He gave her an almost imperceptible nod, mouthing ’he’s okay’.

"Tricky did his best to rescue me but he lacked the strength to carry me into shore. Once the court clothes and shoes are drenched you become terribly heavy, you see."

"Well, thankfully not too heavy for Yicai," said the Princess brightly, not wanting the girl to dwell on the experience. "I’m sure he had you out of that lake in no time once he arrived."

Meili smiled and nodded her agreement, and the Prince looked proudly across at Bai Li, looking down his nose at the fellow who hadn’t been there to save Mei Meili at the critical moment.

Bai Li stared fiercely right back at the Prince, narrowing his eyes at the man. Did he think he was the only man who had saved her life?

He hoped the Prince didn’t think that gave him any sort of claim over her, because it most certainly didn’t!

No doubt his highness had been lobbying the Emperor for her hand since it happened. The fact a betrothal hadn’t been announced meant he hadn’t been successful, so Bai Li still had a chance.

"It all sounds terribly frightening, Miss Mei," Ling Lumei said insincerely. "What a pity it’s kept you from our Lord’s service these past few days. Have you thought about asking the Emperor to send you home after such a fright?" she asked with a sly expression on her face.

"Do you think he would?" Meili asked innocently.

"No," replied the Prince and Bai Li firmly at the same time.

"There’s no chance of that, and you would only anger him for treating his favour like a punishment," warned the Prince, knowing that Ling Lumei was well aware of that fact.

Ling Lumi sighed. How boring...

If these two men were going to sit here like guard dogs, she might as well cut her losses and get back to her courtyard.

She planned to sing some opera tonight to see if she could entice the Emperor to choose her nameplate as he passed.

She’d lost all faith in Miss Li as the ’borrowed knife’ now. As they say, ’if you want a job done right, do it yourself.’

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Mei Meili was fully recovered and back in the Emperor’s chamber.

She had spent the morning since dawn, blending her own variety of tea for the Emperor in the kitchen, taste testing and hoping she might tempt his palate and please him.

The man worked so very hard, she only hoped she could ease his day and help him in some small way.

She had arrived at the blend she thought was the winner.

It was a white apricot flavour, combining the refined character of a white tea, with the sweetness and delicate flavour and aroma of summer-dried apricot pieces. It was served hot but was refreshing on this unseasonably warm autumn day.

"Your majesty," Meili said shyly, "here is your usual tea. I’ve also prepared a specially blended white apricot tea for you to try, if you’d care to taste some?"

The Emperor looked over at the young girl with satisfaction. She was both pleasing to the eye, and helpful to his manoeuvrings, and she had survived an attempt on her life.

She was fast becoming one of his favourites.

"Why not, why not," he said magnanimously, agreeing to try the tea to please her.

Chief Eunuch Feng tucked the interaction away.

His Lord didn’t care for new types of tea. It was a staple he preferred to remain the same, so he didn’t have to think about it in his busy day. His agreeing to try a new variety in order to please Miss Mei was highly unusual.

Feng Bao had very little interest in the women surrounding his majesty, except so far as they either contributed to his well-being or caused him problems. Those who fell on the positive side of the scales, he treated well and facilitated their access to his Lord.

The Emperor tilted his head to one side as he tasted the tea, his face lighting up with an expression of pleased surprise.

"That’s actually very tasty," he said with wonder, looking at Miss Mei anew.

Perhaps she was more than just a pretty face after all...

"Delicious," he pronounced. "Teach my other servants how to make this tea for me, Miss Mei," he sipped on the brew with pleasure.

The Emperor caught sight of a fluffy paw, just overhanging the servants’ entrance.

"Is that your famous dog that saved your life, Miss Mei?" his head flicked towards the errant paw.

Meili looked behind her with fear that Tricky was not where he should be, tucked away safely out of the Emperor’s sight.

"Y...yes, my Lord. I’m sorry. He should be sitting outside in the corridor. Tricky!" she called sharply. "Outside Boy!"

The paw slid back from view, and the scrambling and light tapping of claws on wooden floorboards could be heard.

"Bring him in to meet me," commanded the Emperor. "I must lay eyes on this beast that rescued his mistress from the jaws of death."