The courtyard just outside Tianlu Pavilion was quieter than normal this afternoon. Cao Mingbao walked briskly over the white marble bridge extending over the lotus pond in the middle. A palace maid sweeping up fallen peach blossom petals stopped to curtsy as he neared.
"Cao Gonggong," she greeted, referring to him with the respectful term of address reserved for all eunuchs above a certain rank. None deserved to be called 'Gonggong' more than him, given that he was Emperor Xuanjun's head eunuch. Under his watchful care, the young prince had survived the gruelling ordeal of fighting for the throne. And Cao Mingbao had been by his side as he'd trod over the corpses of his enemies to claim his birthright.
No one knew the emperor as well as Cao Mingbao did. Which was why he knew what the emperor's temper must be like at the moment, after the commotion in court this morning.
"Retire to somewhere else," he said to the maid.
She hesitated. "But Caiming Gugu told me to complete my tasks…"
Oh? A disobedient one? It was rare to find a servant that dared to speak back to him once he issued an order. Caiming was a senior palace maid and in-charge of Tianlu Pavilion. She had rank over this girl, which was why the girl also used the respectful term to address her, but it didn't matter. Caiming could outrank a lot of servants but she couldn't outrank him. And even the newest, greenest palace servant would be aware of that.
Cao Mingbao's eyes narrowed. This maid was a fresh face and a beautiful one at that. He took in her supple skin and rosy lips that normal men would have a hard time resisting and wondered who'd sent her.
Ah, it was a bad day to be offering women up, considering the ruckus earlier on with the ministers. Emperor Xuanjun was a rational man most of the time. He definitely didn't commit acts of tyranny for the sake of it. But that didn't mean Cao Mingbao wanted to give him an excuse to vent his anger on the servants, just because some silly young sparrow had grand delusions of becoming a phoenix overnight. The officials deserved the emperor's wrath, let them bear the brunt of it.
"What? Is Caiming Gugu's word the law around here now?" Cao Mingbao said with a hint of sarcasm.
The maid paled. "This maid knows that she's in the wrong," she stammered, clutching onto the broom as she bowed her head lower.
"As long as you're aware of it. Be smarter from now on, don't let others make use of you. Retire. Now."
She fled.
The palace guards flanking the entrance of Tianlu Pavilion exchanged nervous glances with Cao Mingbao as he walked up to them. These two he was familiar with, members of the emperor's personal guard, the Yulin Army or 'Forest of Feathers' Army. Its name was a reference to the tall plumes on their helmets, that were fluttering gently in the light breeze.
Normally, Cao Mingbao would stop and exchange some friendly banter with them. But today, he rushed in after sparing them only a brief glance.
The inside of the pavilion was deathly silent, the four maids standing at attention in the main chamber scarcely daring to breathe. They gave him the same nervous look that the guards outside did, which Cao Mingbao recognised as the intimidating effect Emperor Xuanjun exuded every time he was in a foul mood.
Caiming was here as well. Given that Tianlu Pavilion was the emperor's study and a location the emperor visited every day, they had soon mutually developed a sense of teamwork. Cao Mingbao raised an inquiring eyebrow at her. To anyone else, that could mean anything, but Caiming knew Cao Mingbao's priorities and didn't misinterpret his message.
Cao Mingbao meant, [Has the emperor eaten?]
Caiming shook her head. [No.]
He frowned. [You didn't try to persuade him?]
She closed her eyes and bowed her head. [This maid is in the wrong. I failed.]
Cao Mingbao sighed and walked past her to head to the inner chamber, where the emperor's desk was. As he was about to exit the room, he suddenly remembered something and walked back Caiming, leaning in to whisper so no one else could hear. Whoever was plotting to occupy the dragon bed this time around was really bold, if they had managed to extend their reach into the emperor's study.
"I want to know where the new girl in the courtyard was originally working before she was posted here. And who her previous master or mistress was."
He didn't need to elaborate. Caiming's eyes widened and her face turned ashen. It wasn't her fault, technically, since she didn't have control over the servants' postings and couldn't stop opportunists from planting spies or seductresses. But if the emperor found out and wanted someone to blame…
She thanked him and hurried out.
Cao Mingbao continued on his way.
Considering that the inner chamber was one that the emperor utilised daily, the furnishings were surprisingly sparse. Emperor Xuanjun had a preference for the light wood of bamboo furniture and had commissioned a set to be made for his study and bedchambers after ascending to the throne. White decorative curtains dangled from the ceiling and the scent of sandalwood permeated the air. The room didn't look like it belonged in a palace, it more resembled a wealthy scholar's mountain retreat.
Cao Mingbao was one of a handful of people who knew the reason why. But it wasn't something that he dared to speak about.
The figure in black behind the desk stood out like a sore thumb. The emperor had changed out of his court attire into everyday robes, but that didn't make him any less imposing, especially not when his expression was like a thundercloud. There was something intensely predatory about him when angered, heightened by the imposing painting of the 'Tianlu'—a mythical creature that symbolised great fortune—on the folding screen behind his back.
Not for the first time, Cao Mingbao wondered how many assassins it would take to murder the Grand Secretariat. This was a ministerial cabinet made up of the most powerful officials in court, and they were responsible for overseeing the six ministries so that the emperor's edicts could be carried out.
Although lately, they had been trying to extend this control over to the young emperor again. Emperor Xuanjun had been too benign in the last couple of years.
The Grand Secretariat had lots of people helping to run it but its power was consolidated in only five members. The leading two were the right and left prime ministers, and then followed by a grand preceptor, a grand tutor, and a grand protector. Technically, Emperor Xuanjun liked the grand preceptor, so Cao Mingbao only had to consider killing four people off for him.
Just a little joke, of course. It was tempting, but the historical records of Xuanjun's reign would be appalling, even if he knew that the emperor would thank him in private.
Emperor Xuanjun looked up at Cao Mingbao's approach and stopped him before he could perform a greeting.
"Dispense with the formalities. Did you deliver the message to Taishi personally?" Emperor Xuanjun was referring to the grand preceptor. He had sent Cao Mingbao over to inform this mentor of his that he wanted to meet him in their usual place for dinner this evening. Ordinarily, the head eunuch wouldn't be used as a messenger when there was literally a thousand other eunuchs to go in his stead. But there was no way to guarantee that any of them would be loyal. And if word got out that the emperor was leaving the palace incognito later that night, Cao Mingbao would bet his savings that there would be an attempt on Emperor Xuanjun's life before they even reached the inn.
These were chaotic times. The previous emperor had left a mess behind for his son to fix.
"Yes, Bixia, this servant succeeded in conveying the message." He addressed the Emperor Xuanjun with the honorific 'Bixia', which meant 'Your Majesty'.
"Mm. And the old man's reply?"
"Er…" Cao Mingbao hesitated, wondering if he should mince his words a little.
"Just tell it like it is."
"...as Your Majesty commands. The grand preceptor said that he'll attend, but…urges Your Majesty to behave…less…like a teenage, uh that is, ateenagerascal…and um…not to climb over the palace walls?"
This was the grand preceptor's brand of bluntness and one that they were both familiar with.
Emperor Xuanjun snorted. A small smile tugged on the corner of his lips, and Cao Mingbao immediately felt the pressure lift off his chest. Okay, the emperor's mood was 'rather angry but still could be cheered up', so no heads were going to have to roll anytime soon. That was good news. He could probably report about the new girl later today or tomorrow without her dying.
"Your Majesty," he said tentatively. "Dinnertime is still a ways from now, would you like to have something to eat first? The food is already cold but this servant can send for a fresh batch."
"No time," Emperor Xuanjun muttered, picking up a script submitted to him by the ministers and tossing it over to Cao Mingbao. "See the kind of rubbish this sovereign has to deal with? Dozens of ministers and all of them with nothing better to do than to scrutinise this sovereign's inner palace."
The strict etiquette Emperor Xuanjun had grown up with dictated that he had to style himself as 'This Sovereign' whenever he spoke to anyone. But when he was alone with Cao Mingbao, he retained a hint of his carefree younger self, and it always invoked a sense of nostalgia in the middle-aged eunuch.
When had Emperor Xuanjun changed to become a strict, lonely man? Cao Mingbao couldn't place it exactly, but he knew that it was after that person's death.
Pretending not to notice the minor lapse in Emperor Xuanjun's decorum, he unravelled the script that he'd precariously caught and read through. It was one of many that had made its way onto the emperor's desk in the past couple of months, urging the emperor to frequent the inner palace and produce an heir of his own.
Emperor Xuanjun had ascended the throne at 20 and was 5 years into his reign. Initially, he had used the immense workload as an excuse to avoid the inner palace. Given the dire state the country had been in, the ministers hadn't dared to do more than utter mild protests.
But now, after so many years without any good news from their daughters, these old men were starting to fret. Some even went one step further to imply that if the emperor didn't find any of the ladies to his liking, it would not be amiss, in these extenuating circumstances, to hold another round of drafts before the 3-year duration was up. This selection process was to pick a new bevvy of beauties. After all, half a decade had already passed, their younger daughters were now at a ripe age to enter the palace and support their older siblings.
This was exactly the reason why Emperor Xuanjun had lost his temper earlier on in court. The officials had been so cooperative lately that he had relaxed into governing them in a stern but reasonable fashion. Clearly, some people took a whole mile when given mere inches.
"How is this sovereign planning on handling this situation?"
The noise Emperor Xuanjun made was irritated. "Why should this sovereign have to justify my personal matters to a bunch of stubborn old fools? Should this sovereign force them all to take on concubines too? This sovereign recalls Minister Zhang voicing his opinions very passionately on the matter just now, perhaps he'll learn to hold his tongue after Madam Zhang gives him a good lashing with hers." It was a well-known fact in the capital that the uptight and pompous Minister of Personnel Zhang Quan was terrified of his wife.
"…" Cao Mingbao didn't know how to respond. He couldn't tell whether Emperor Xuanjun was joking or not, but he had to lighten the mood somehow, if only for the sake of the marital lives of all the ministers in the capital. If the emperor decided it actually was a good idea and started matchmaking all his elderly ministers with pretty young things...Cao Mingbao could already see the words 'tyrant' scribbled all over the pages of the future historical annals.
"Your Majesty, this servant does have another suggestion," he said, adopting a mischievous tone on purpose.
"Oh? Let's hear it then." Emperor Xuanjun eyed him with suspicion. There was a hint of amusement in his gaze though, so Cao Mingbao bravely returned it with a knowing look, letting his eyes trail meaningfully down to the emperor's waist.
It took a while for Emperor Xuanjun to catch on, but when he did, he nearly spluttered.
"Impudent!" he said, coughing to hide his embarrassment. "Do you believe that if this sovereign told the court that this sovereign is impotent, they'll try and use it as an excuse to dethrone me?"
Oh, Cao Mingbao did. The rectifications the emperor had made to the court after amassing power had benefited the civilians but offended the officials.
"This servant was kidding, of course," he replied, slapping himself lightly in jest. "This servant knows that he was wrong. But Your Majesty, all jokes aside, is there a solution in mind?"
Emperor Xuanjun reclined back in his seat. There was a calculating gleam in his dark eyes. His handsome visage was regal. Even without the finery of his court attire or the headdress with twelve-string of jade beads that proclaimed his status, he looked every inch an emperor. The son of heaven, ruling over all with a mandate from the gods.
"Liu Wei has been doing well in court lately," he said, at last, referring to the only younger brother that he shared a mother with. "Perhaps it is time to let him know just how high this sovereign's expectations of him are."