But really, what was Shirazad doing in Samarkhand together with Shahryar? She was not really close to him. She was not going to praise him in public. And honestly she couldn't see a single benefit for him from her visit... Was it really because he was afraid to leave her alone in his own kingdom... afraid of her? It was not so simple as it seemed. The night after she... questioned his nobility, he'd left the room angrily, not planning to come back ever again.
He was too busy anyway, and he had to attend an assembly of counselors to discuss the current political situation regarding the neighboring kingdom of Samarkhand. Samarkhand's intentions were deemed quite unclear by the majority of counselors due to the interference of third parties, even though they trusted King Zaman of Samarkhand.
One of the counselors said,
"Your Majesty, in such situations, usually we would try to plant our own people among their nobility. But we already have our own people and the results of their investigation are unsatisfying. We must try harder or choose a person who is going to be more appropriate for the task. We may as well give the king of Samarkhand a gift – a beauty who is going to spy for us."
Shahryar had indeed also noticed that information from his current spies had been scarce.
"Your Majesty, if you allow me," another one said. "My suggestion is a bit unusual, but I believe the spy we must send must be very beautiful indeed and smart. She must have a way with words, be able to get information from other people without them even realizing it. And while I mention all these qualities, a single name pops up in my mind. ...Shirazad. I apologize for my daring thoughts."
"Are you suggesting that I send my queen as a gift?!" Shahryar frowned.
The counselor bowed deeply and hurried to say,
"Forgive me, Your Majesty. Forgive me. ...Your Majesty, I know, I know how it sounds. ...But Shirazad has hardly left her quarters while you were away, and after your return on your orders Shirazad was confined to her quarters and forbidden from summoning anyone. His Majesty once publicly admitted that he practically doesn't have a real relationship with her... Who in this palace even knows how she looks like? A few handmaidens. A few courtiers might have seen her face once or twice. You can easily substitute her with another woman, and no one will ever understand. Even among the counselors here – who has seen her face? Nobody would raise his hand! Not even I."
"And where am I supposed to find another woman who will pass for Shirazad?" Shahryar frowned.
"You can just keep her confined to her quarters... nobody will ever understand about it. Nobody will have the chance to speak with her or observe her for too long. As for the real Shirazad – who has not heard of her talents? Working as a spy, she will notice and tell us details others easily miss out. She will be truly useful."
"She will tell us... ..." Shahryar raised his voice angrily. "What makes you think she will tell you the details she notices?!"
"Your Majesty," another counselor said. "She is after all the daughter of the late Grand Vizier Azdavan. Even if she has a personal conflict with you, the one thing the vizier must have taught her is loyalty to her country and people. I believe she is the kind of person who likes challenges and we must make use of that. I believe she will make every effort to assist us for the greater good of the country. Your Majesty, please consider her upbringing and her personality."
Shahryar laughed loudly, "Consider her personality? It is you who should consider her personality! You think you can just gift her away and she will keep calm? She'd rather reveal our secrets to them than help us out!"
There was a short silence which nobody dared interrupt. After that, Shahryar said,
"You may be aware that the King of Samarkhand has a birthday soon. I will be attending the event together with Shirazad."
The counselors were speechless. Once the queen visited Samarkhand, of course, they could never send her again as a gift or as a spy. Perhaps it was a bad idea; naturally a king would not be willing to gift away his wife; but this was a unique opportunity in so many ways. Shirazad was a very well educated noble lady, and her life now basically belonged to the king. Other noble ladies' families would be unwilling to send them so far away; to find a person who could be both a spy and a noble lady at the same time was not easy. But the king had been repulsed by the notion.