Heaven help her — the area outside the Boyang Palace was still outside the harem’s boundaries. Never mind whether she even knew the way; just getting back inside the harem meant she’d have to come up with some explanation for why she’d been out here in the first place. When she’d been brought out, there hadn’t seemed to be anyone guarding the harem entrance, but going back in now, there would almost certainly be someone stationed there to stop her.

Prince Xi really was going to great lengths — whether she was a man or a woman, he clearly had no intention of letting the matter rest.

“My lady, what should we do?” Rui’er asked her quietly.

Thinking it over, Hua Chun said, “You go on ahead alone and find a way back, then find His Majesty and let him know — have him come quietly to fetch me.”

Rui’er’s eyes went wide, staring at her in disbelief. “Go straight to His Majesty?”

“Mm.” Hua Chun nodded. “Go on.”

This… Rui’er found it hard to grasp. Letting the Emperor know his consort was stranded outside the harem — wouldn’t that invite misunderstanding? And yet here she was, being so bold about it?

Rui’er had been in the palace for a good few years now, and considered herself to have some understanding of the Emperor. Given how cold and detached his temperament was, would he really believe this Consort Hua, and come to help her?

Hesitating, she started walking, glancing back at her mistress several times, only to see her already darting off to the side, apparently looking for somewhere to hide.

Before anyone else could find her ahead of the Emperor, she needed to disappear. Quick-witted as ever, Hua Chun spotted an eave nearby, and using a pile of hemp rope close at hand, climbed up onto the beam beneath the eave and crouched there.

The spot was high up, and there weren’t many people around — surely that would be enough to hold out until the Emperor arrived.

Yuwen Jie had finished his business and been invited by Consort Hui to the Qinghe Hall. He’d spent these past several days holed up in the Yangxin Hall, and he knew himself it wasn’t quite proper — he simply couldn’t seem to keep his feet from wandering there. Now that someone had come to pull him away, he let it happen, using the opportunity to ease off a little of the attention surrounding Hua Chun.

“This concubine has noticed,” Consort Hui said with a smile, “that all the sisters in the harem seem to be quite fond of Consort Hua. Zhaoyi Lan even specially asked this concubine to deliver a generous gift to her — very thoughtful of her indeed.”

Zhaoyi Lan? Yuwen Jie tried hard to recall — someone he had favored fairly often, quite a while back, it seemed. He couldn’t quite remember her face anymore, only that she’d been a rather gentle person.

“Since both are Zhaoyi in rank, and she sent a generous gift to Consort Hua, Consort Hua currently has nothing to give in return,” he said. “Go to the Imperial Household Department and fetch the red coral string and the agate bracelet from last year’s tribute — have them sent back to her on Consort Hua’s behalf.”

Consort Hui smiled. “Your Majesty is so thoughtful. This concubine will have someone see to it shortly.”

He nodded and sat on the couch, gazing out the window. The sky had turned gloomy — it looked like it might rain again soon.

“Will Your Majesty… be staying here with this concubine tonight?” After some hesitation, Consort Hui asked carefully.

The Emperor was startled for a moment, thought it over, and nodded.

If he went back to the Yangxin Hall again, he worried that girl would become everyone’s target before another two days had passed, shot through until there wasn’t a whole spot left on her.

Consort Hui was overjoyed, and quickly had her attendants prepare the bath, a shy blush rising on her face. “Your Majesty has finally remembered this concubine.”

In truth this had very little to do with remembering her specifically — today, whoever had come to ask this question, so long as it wasn’t Hua Chun, he would have nodded regardless. Consort Hui’s heart was broad enough; if being here could help Hua Chun even a little, then her own days would go more smoothly too.

“Your Majesty.” Eunuch Qin entered and leaned in close to whisper in his ear. “Rui’er from the Yangxin Hall is outside, saying there’s an urgent matter and asking Your Majesty to come at once.”

His heart sank, and the Emperor frowned. “What urgent matter? Is she in danger?”

Eunuch Qin pressed his lips together, glanced sideways at Consort Hui, who was straining her ears to listen in, and lowered his voice further. “She’s not in any danger. It’s simply that Your Majesty is needed there.”

Yuwen Jie pressed his lips together, glanced once at Consort Hui’s expectant face beside him, and said, “This one cannot go. With her abilities, she should be able to handle it herself.”

He had already given his word to Consort Hui — to leave now would only stir up more resentment toward that girl, wouldn’t it?

“This…” Eunuch Qin looked at him, troubled. “Your Majesty won’t go?”

“This one cannot go there. You go in this one’s place and take a look.”

Eunuch Qin acknowledged the order and stepped back out.

“Your Majesty, has something happened in one of the palaces?” Consort Hui asked, smiling, though her brow furrowed slightly, her tone half-teasing, half-serious. “It seems that every time it’s this concubine’s turn to attend Your Majesty, there’s always one sister or another running into trouble.”

“It’s nothing serious.” Yuwen Jie said. “This one won’t be leaving.”

Hearing this, Consort Hui relaxed, smiling gently as she poured tea for the Emperor and cleared a space on the table so he could set down his memorials.

A crack of thunder rolled, and the rain began falling again. Hua Chun listened to the sound of rain striking the tiles above her, watching the occasional palace servant dash by below seeking shelter, and found, oddly, that there was something rather poetic about the scene.

If only the position she was crouched in weren’t so undignified, it might have suited composing a poem, giving voice to her own fine and lofty sentiments.

Her legs had already gone numb — she’d been crouching here for what must have been a full hour now, and still no sign of Rui’er returning. Just as she was starting to grumble to herself, she spotted, in the distance, a maid and a eunuch holding two umbrellas, rolling toward her like a pair of little mushrooms.

“Hey! I’m over here!” Hua Chun called out at once.

Rui’er heard her, and hurried under the eaves together with Eunuch Qin, shaking out her oil-paper umbrella and looking up in astonishment. “My lady, how did you get up there?”

“With rope, of course.” Hua Chun pointed at the pile lying by their feet. “Throw it up to me and I’ll climb down on it.”

Eunuch Qin didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Consort Hua, why are you up there in the first place?”

“It’s a long story.” Hua Chun pouted, glancing at him. “Where is His Majesty?”

Eunuch Qin paused for a moment, then told a well-meaning lie. “His Majesty is in the Zichen Hall meeting with his ministers — there’s simply no way for him to get away.”

“Oh.” That, at least, she understood.

She climbed down the eave using the rope, then looked at Eunuch Qin somewhat awkwardly. “Could you take me back to the harem?”

Eunuch Qin bowed. “This servant will escort you back in His Majesty’s name for now, and explain the situation to His Majesty afterward.”

“All right.” Hua Chun nodded, sharing an umbrella with Rui’er as she followed him back toward the harem.

Rui’er glanced a few times at the bright glint in her mistress’s eyes, words hovering on the tip of her tongue, but one look at Eunuch Qin and she held her tongue after all.

Eunuch Qin’s manner toward the other consorts and concubines was always rather aloof, but toward Hua Chun alone, he was remarkably warm, even protective. Rui’er couldn’t quite understand why, but she knew it was a good thing. As for the small lie he’d told, there was no need to expose it either.

Once back in the harem, halfway along the path, Hua Chun said, “Let’s just go straight to the Zichen Hall. Look how heavy this rain is — my skirt’s soaked through already, and the Zichen Hall is closer than the Yangxin Hall anyway.”

Eunuch Qin panicked and said quickly, “His Majesty is busy in the Zichen Hall right now, and said he’s not to be disturbed by anyone. You’re part of the harem now, my lady — it’s best you don’t go there.”

“That’s not it.” Hua Chun gestured as she spoke. “Doesn’t the Zichen Hall have a front hall and a back hall? His Majesty receives his ministers in the front hall usually — can’t we just go to the back hall?”

“You should really just go straight back to the Yangxin Hall.”

Rain fell all around them, the air cool and damp, yet Eunuch Qin broke out in a cold sweat all the same, looking at Hua Chun pleadingly. “There are no spare clothes for you to change into at the Zichen Hall.”

“I see.” Finding Eunuch Qin a little strange, Hua Chun looked at him a couple more times but didn’t think too much of it.

On the way back to the Yangxin Hall, they passed by the Zichen Hall, and Hua Chun idly glanced over.

Because of the rain, everything around was dim and gray — yet inside the Zichen Hall, not a single lamp was lit.

Hm?

Though a question rose in her mind, she didn’t press it right away. Only once they reached the Yangxin Hall, and she saw its hall lit up bright and warm, did she remark with a smile, “And here I thought the palace was rationing candles, not even lighting the lamps in weather like this.”

Eunuch Qin laughed. “You worry too much, my lady. Candles are never in short supply — His Majesty likes things bright all around.”

“Is that so?” Hua Chun stopped smiling and looked at him seriously. “Then why weren’t there any lights on in the Zichen Hall?”

Eunuch Qin was caught off guard, his face turning slightly pale as he lowered his head. “Perhaps it simply slipped everyone’s mind.”

“Mm.” Hua Chun nodded. “I believe you.”

A chill ran down his back — those two words should have sounded reassuring, but for some reason, spoken so calmly from Consort Hua’s mouth, Eunuch Qin only felt his heart lurch with unease.

“This old servant will go back and attend to His Majesty. Please take care, my lady.”

“Mm.” She watched him go, then sat down calmly in a chair in the main hall.

“My lady?” Qing Niao came out and, seeing her, grew anxious at once. “You’re soaked through and you’re just sitting there? Come, let this servant help you change.”

Looking down at herself, Hua Chun stood and let Qing Niao wipe her down and change her clothes without a word, then sat holding the ginger tea Qing Niao had brewed for her, staring blankly into space.

“Little Qing, where did His Majesty go?”

Rui’er’s heart jumped, and she quickly tried to catch Qing Niao’s eye to warn her off, but wasn’t fast enough — Qing Niao blurted it right out. “He went to Consort Hui’s palace. He said he’d be staying there tonight.”

“That was only just now, wasn’t it?” Rui’er said quickly. “After all, it’s been a while since he last visited Consort Hui.”

Giving her an odd look, Qing Niao said with blunt honesty, “Hasn’t it already been a full hour?”

Rui’er’s face went pale, and she gestured frantically at Qing Niao with her eyes, glancing at their mistress, whose gaze remained lowered, then shook her head.

Qing Niao caught on quickly and forced a laugh. “It might’ve only been half an hour… or maybe just the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn.”

“Let’s eat.” Hua Chun ignored the two of them, rubbing her stomach. “I’m hungry.”

“Serve the meal!” Rui’er called out at once, and the servants outside answered and went to prepare it.

Seeing that Hua Chun wasn’t saying anything more than necessary, Qing Niao grew anxious. She waved the others out, then sat down beside her. “My lady, try to think of it more openly. There are plenty of women in this harem with far greater backing and standing than you — His Majesty can’t possibly stay with us all the time.”

“I know.” Hua Chun nodded. “An emperor is meant to spread his favor evenly, or the harem will only stir up trouble and bloodshed.”

She understood the reasoning well enough, but there was still that small, nagging discomfort in her chest — not much, just a little.

This whole business of sitting at home waiting for a man to come back was truly wretched — worse still, that she couldn’t even manage to make him come, which didn’t suit her twenty-first-century, independent, self-reliant persona one bit.

“My lady, eat first,” Qing Niao said with a smile, “and once you’re done, this servant can keep telling you the story. It’s been a while since the last time.”

“Mm.” Hua Chun agreed, shook her head, and stood to walk toward the table.