The palace was buzzing with activities due to the party. The servants chatted in lowered voices, trying to socialize as they set the tables with snacks. A sweet tea aroma from roasted leaves filled the air, lifting the mood of both Mei and Ling'er. The setup was in the middle of the garden, surrounded by flowers.
Both ghosts looked for a good place to sit where they'd have a view of everyone present at the party, and that was on the Empress's chair.
After a short while, the women started arriving one by one with their maids. Ling'er introduced each one and their ranks to Mei. Then, Sun Rui entered with her entourage. She was dressed to the nines, fanning herself with a bright purple fan that resembled her outfit. With her back straight and a smile on her lips, Mei could see the jealousy in the eyes of the other small concubines. According to Ling'er, Rui had been the favoured concubine for the past few years, and it was said that the Emperor enjoyed spending time with her.
As soon as Rui sat, the eunuch loudly announced that the Empress was arriving. Mei looked up to see the Empress clearly for the first time. The previous night, the Empress had been furious, and Mei had had a lot on her mind, but the woman in front of her now was very beautiful. Her face was sharp, her lips full and bright red from the rouge, and her steps were very dignified. Compared to Sun Rui, she was very different. Mei couldn't reconcile the composed woman she was seeing now with the one she'd seen last night; she was clearly keeping up a facade.
All the women rose to bow until the Empress made her way to her seat, sitting next to where Ling'er and Mei floated. She sat, waving her hand to excuse them. Once she was settled, the "sisters" started exchanging words. From the outside, it looked like they were conversing like friends, but the more you listened, the more you saw they were using words as weapons, setting traps for each other. Despite being surrounded by flowers, their words were nothing but poisonous.
Ling'er perked up, pointing at a woman sitting in the furthest corner, trying to minimize her presence. "That's Concubine Ming," she said. "She was appointed recently. She was the maid of Consort Chu," Ling'er added, pointing at another consort, "but she drugged the Emperor, sleeping with him. Consort Chu has been bullying her recently," she explained.
Mei sighed. All this life looked exhausted. Little did she know she would soon be at the heart of it.
The Empress started talking, thanking the sisters for coming, and the process commenced. Suddenly, Sun Rui stood up, toasting the Empress and apologizing for twisting her leg and disrupting the Empress's night with the Emperor. Despite apologizing, her chest was puffed as she looked at the Empress gleefully.
The Empress clenched her knuckles hard in a bid to restrain her temper. "It's okay, we are all here to serve the Emperor. It doesn't matter who does it when, but maybe I should look into bringing sister a nanny to teach you how to walk without twisting your leg," she said, returning the gleeful smile.
Rui's smile fell as soon as the Empress said that. She replied, but it looked like she was clenching her jaws. "No, sister, thank you. I will be careful next time," she said, bowing and returning to her seat.
Ling'er laughed, and Mei smiled at the scene. The Empress already had a strong grip on the inner court. She was also the oldest of the vice ministers and had both a good background and strong family support, so Sun Rui had no option but to submit. Mei knew how Sun Rui was raised—very competitive and hated to lose—always suppressing Mei growing up, so it was satisfying to watch.
There was a clanging of teacups as the women sipped tea and ate snacks. Then, a loud voice caught everyone off guard, announcing the arrival of the Emperor. The ladies put down their cups, quickly fixing their appearance as they curtsied. The Emperor and his entourage entered. "I was walking in the garden and heard your chatters. I come to greet you all."
"Thank you, Your Majesty," they all said.
"You may have a seat," he said as he moved to where Mei was. She had to hop off the seat quickly, like a cat whose tail was stepped on. Ling'er laughed. "It's not that he can see you, why are you panicking?"
Mei sat next to Ling'er on the other side, while Ling'er snickered, enjoying the moment greatly.
Looking back at the women, they were all giving the Emperor coy looks, each one trying to attract his attention, but he stared vacantly into space, very absentminded.
"He's thinking about you," Ling'er said playfully, elbowing Mei. Knowing Ling'er was trying to get a reaction out of her, Mei didn't react. But deep down, she thought, Could that be true? Was he really thinking of her? She felt a flutter in her stomach, then caught herself. Ling'er was right; the Emperor could attract any woman who set eyes on him, and Mei was no exception. Despite being burned once by a man she loved, here she was feeling flutters for another. But at least this one had cried for her.
The party continued, but with the Emperor's presence, the atmosphere changed. More ghosts hung around the party, though they kept their distance. Mei noticed they seemed to be glancing at Ling'er, and Mei could guess they were afraid of her. Despite being young, she had quite a reputation in the ghost cycle; even ghosts with dark energy around them feared her. So Mei curiously asked why they were afraid of her. Ling'er answered that if they wronged her, she would usually jab them in the eye and drag them by the hair. She had a reputation for being petty, so they all avoided her.
"That's why I'm stuck with you, as I'm shunned in the ghost cycle. I have no friends, but now I have you," she said, holding Mei's arm coyly. Mei felt goosebumps; it sounded like a threat, but she smiled. She never had a friend.