The King was sick. That was what Hui had told me when the Crown Prince left for his meeting with the Assembly after telling me what his plans for the time-being. It has been a while since her husband had taken over the Kingly duties, though he does indeed consult his father every week at his bedside. The Central Palace had been emptied a week before my entry into the family, with the King resting in a smaller Palace for more peace and quiet.
Hui brought me back into her own Palace after an appropriate hour of pretending to talk to the King, and we sat down to discuss several things. I didn't have my own retinue - there was no point. Instead, Hui simply lent me half of her servants for the time-being, only for show. Though none of the servants seemed to know this, with how they glowered at me whenever I walked past them.
The Crown Princess had helped me remove my wedding robes, having prepared a simpler, though still heavy, set of robes worthy of a royal Consort for me to put on. I was thankful that she was willing to help me, despite the fact putting on underwear was a servant's job.
As I sat across her at her study desk, she began pulling scrolls from her shelves onto the table top. "This," she said. Unrolling one, she spread it open. A map of Yin Shang and Jin Tang. Though I was aware that Hui was in on the secret, I couldn't help being surprised that she knew more than the basic plan.
"Did... Did the Prince tell you what to say to me?" The question came unbidden, but I believed Hui was only tasked to train me. Watching her observe the map, eyes flitting from one side to the other, there was familiarity in her actions.
"No." She didn't say anything more than that. I brushed the question away for now as she pointed to the border between the two nations.
"You shall act as Consort for two weeks. After the two weeks, the Jin Tang contact will send his men to bring you into the nation. There, you will train with him for however long he requires you to before he will send you into the Heavenly Palace." Heavenly. Fitting only for the Emperor and his heirs.
"Then what am I to do here for two weeks? I have trained and done my time."
Hui gave me a placid smile. "You get to act as a Favoured Consort. The Prince... Our husband. Will visit you at your Palace tonight."
The thought was harrowing. But I understood it was necessary for the reputation of the Yan house. I tried not to shudder at how well they were hiding the seams of the plan they had for me. "I understand."
The Crown Princess patted my hand. "Good sister, let me treat you to some tea."
***
The servants bathed me in silence. They were all loyal to the Crown Princess after all, and to their knowledge, my presence served only to take the Prince away from her.
They left me alone, and I laid on my bed, staring at the red drapes they had decorated the marriage bed with. I was not allowed to wear clothes, and I only had a thin inner robe on. The Prince was to come in a few moments, and we were to "consummate" our marriage.
My dagger was under my pillow. The hot bath had helped reduce the indent that appeared after having it tied on my arm for so long. None of the servants questioned - which was fine by me. It was going to be a horribly quiet two weeks in the Pan's Palace.
"His Highness arrives!" an Eunuch announced. The Prince entered my hall, his dark blue robes hanging untied over his inner robes. His hair was undone, swaying over his shoulders as he walked in. He paused when he took in the sight before him.
I had laid out some sheets and a pillow for him on the floor next to my bed. "For you, Sire." I gestured to the floor. The Prince laughed. "You cannot truly think I will sleep on the floor?" I stared back at him, unspeaking in challenge.
"Speak," he commanded, but I rolled my eyes. Tensing, he strode over to me, reaching his arm out towards me as anger etched itself across his face. I slipped my hand under my pillow when he grabbed me by the throat. He clenched his teeth and hissed through his teeth, "You insolent wretch -"
Tightening my grip on my dagger, I shoved the tip of the blade to his throat, lips curling in satisfaction even as he gripped my neck tighter. "I am to be saved for the Emperor... Sire," I said breathlessly. "Leave me untouched."
For a moment, neither of us relented. The Prince's grip on my neck tightened, and my eyes felt like they were going to pop from the pressure. But I was sure - we had done so much to get here. He wasn't going to do something so stupid.
He released me. I took in a shuddering gasp of air, choking and coughing He pulled away and sat down on the sheets I set out for him. I laid back down on my pillow, placing the dagger on my belly, holding it tight to deter the Prince from trying anything funny. My throat felt a little tight, and I huffed as I tried to get my breathing back to normal.
"You do know. Even if there is no war, you would have been made my concubine." There was a slight pause as I watched him stare at me from my peripheral vision. I nearly laughed. What was the point of telling me this?
"Am I supposed to feel thankful?" I asked dryly. "That instead of this Palace, I get to join an even bigger one?"
The Prince didn't speak for a moment. Then before I could react, he was on his feet, my dagger in his hands. I sat up in alarm, protest dying at my lips as he threw it onto the floor. The metal clanged against the hard floor, bouncing once before landing still.
"In name, you are my woman. In the eyes of the Palace, you are my consort. Eyes and ears are everywhere. We have to act." I crossed my arms, judging from his smirk that he was talking about the "consummation" that was supposed to happen.
"Hui prepared me chicken's blood." Reaching over to the hidden compartment under my bed, I slipped the small ceramic jar of blood. She had handed it to me in order to pass the test of whether I had been a virgin, when the servants would come in to check in the morning.
"Of course. But..." He reached over, grasping my upper arms. I stiffened as he leaned in.
"You have never been kissed before, I presume?" The 35-year-old chuckled as his lips paused just a breath above mine. I didn't dare to move or breathe. With the position I was in, if I tried to tackle him, he could easily overpower me and slam me flat onto the bed. I had no intention of being kissed by the man who was forcing me to part with everything I had and knew.
"You presume wrongly," I replied, raising my gaze. He froze, surprised by my answer. "I am 19, not nine. Why are you surprised, Sire?"
"Who?" he asked, pulling back. He hadn't released my arms, but it was a good sign that he was backing away. "A boy... A boy named Yun." The twinge in my chest made me shove the prince away instinctively.
Prince Lang's grip had loosened enough for him to stumble back from my shove. "Yun?" he asked, as though disbelieving the name. I glared at him. "Yun. The boy who became your guard because he saved my life. The man who died for you when you were in Tong Zhen. Have you forgotten?"
The wheels in his head seemed to creak audibly as he frowned, thinking hard. "You're... Qingqing?" The words that left his mouth made me shudder. That was what Yun called me as a nickname, one he gave me the second time we had fun together in the marketplace.
"Don't call me that!" I snapped, getting up. The Prince only stood there in something like shock as I reached down to grab the dagger he had thrown on the floor. Thankfully, the dagger was undamaged. Shoving it back under my pillow, I sat down at the edge of the bed and waited for the Prince to speak. He no longer seemed interested in "acting" out our consummation, only looking slightly horrified.
"You're... Yun's beloved." It wasn't a question. "He's gone. There is no one to do the loving anymore," I retorted. Prince Lang stumbled and sat down on the makeshift bed, as though his knees had turned weak.
"By the heavens, I..." He trailed off, staring down at his lap. Annoyed and confused, I shook my head at his mumbling and laid back down on my bed.
"I am sleeping now," I murmured, turning my back to him. I slid my hand under the pillow and left it there, touching the dagger. I closed my eyes but didn't fall asleep so quickly. It was a few moments later when I heard the Prince shuffle about my rooms. A soft blow to the candles made the darkness of the night fall upon the room.
Neither of us fell asleep until deep into the night.