Chương 109: Chapter 107

My mother sets the cup of tea down on the saucer, and by the way she breathes before speaking I already know, even before hearing the first word, what the answer to the question I have just asked her is going to be.

"Wen", she tells me with a measured tone.

"I have to tell you no." I slowly lower the chopsticks onto the bowl and look at my mother, because although the reply doesn't entirely surprise me, I cannot help a pang of disappointment upon hearing her.

"You cannot hire dancers to accompany you while you play the piece during the Emperor's birthday", she continues without waiting for me to react.

"What has been asked of you in the invitation is that you perform exactly the same piece you played at your birthday, no more and no less. And for something as important as the Emperor's birthday, we are not going to improvise changes that have not been requested." I open my mouth to protest, but my mother, who knows me too well, raises her hand a mere couple of centimeters above the table before the first sound leaves my throat.

"No, Wen", she repeats, and this time the no comes out with that tranquil forcefulness she reserves for the matters in which she knows I am going to try to negotiate and that have already been decided before the negotiation begins.

"The occasion is too important and formal to make that kind of changes. And what's more, I have already contacted personally with the same musicians who accompanied you during your birthday so that everything goes as perfectly as possible." I close my mouth slowly as I process what she has just said, and after an instant of silence a long sigh escapes me, of those I reserve for the situations in which there is no choice but to accept the inevitable.

"Very well, Mother", I reply to her with all the tone of a resigned martyr that I am capable of at this hour of the morning.

"I will do as I am asked." And while my fingers return to seek the chopsticks, a small part of my brain, the one that never quite manages to accept defeats with dignity, cannot help thinking with a touch of melancholy that it is a true shame not to be able to have the dancers for the Smooth Criminal choreography, since it would have been a spectacle worthy of remembering.

After that, breakfast passes in that comfortable silence of those who have already dealt with the matter they had to deal with and prefer to dedicate what remains of the time to breakfast and not to conversation. I finish my bowl with sufficient calm not to seem as though I am fleeing the hall and, once the cup is empty, I set the chopsticks down in their place and turn my head slightly back.

"Lianhua", I tell her.

"Take me to my study."

"Yes, Zhāohuán Wen", Lianhua replies in her usual tone as her hands settle on the handles of the chair. We leave the hall and advance through the main corridor of the Pavilion, where the morning light comes in through the windows and illuminates the polished wood of the floor, while I let the small frustration of breakfast gradually dissolve as we make our way.

But we have barely crossed the second turn when a sound of quick footsteps approaches through a perpendicular corridor, and what appears turning the corner is a small, hurried, and completely recognizable figure. Xia comes toward where I am with that enthusiastic urgency she puts on every time she has news that cannot wait to be told and, for a fraction of a second, it seems she is going to blurt out whatever she has prepared at the top of her voice right there in the middle of the corridor.

But then, just as she opens her mouth, she seems to remember where she is and with a restraint that I know perfectly well costs her to gather, she closes her mouth, stops at the appropriate distance, and dedicates to me a perfectly correct bow.

"Zhāohuán", she tells me as she straightens up.

"Would it be possible to speak with you in private?" I have to suppress a smile upon seeing the effort that can be discerned beneath all that formality.

"Come with me to the study, Xia", I reply with the same formality she has brought out. Xia inclines her head, falls in with our pace with a slightly exaggerated composure and the three of us follow each other down the corridor in a small silent procession until the study. Lianhua opens the door, pushes the chair across the threshold and, as soon as Xia enters behind, closes it again.

Which is the signal that Xia was waiting for, because as soon as the click of the door confirms that the three of us are alone, the rigid formality drops off in a single movement and the smile she had been holding back in the corridor escapes her in a way that almost makes me smile too.

"Wen", she tells me as she plants herself in front of the chair with her hands behind her back.

"Guess what I have managed this morning." I look at her for an instant with a deliberately serious expression, letting the pause stretch out just enough to make her suffer a little bit, and then I shift my eyes calmly toward Lianhua.

"Lianhua", I tell her.

"You have much better memory than I do for these things. I leave it to you to judge how long it has taken her." Lianhua doesn't bother to disguise the short sigh that escapes her upon seeing herself dragged into the game, but she turns docilely toward Xia with that impeccable professional neutrality.

"Three days fewer than Zhāohuán Wen", she announces with the same dryness with which she would recite a report. Xia, who during my pause had begun to deflate a little upon thinking that I wasn't going to reply, has the air returned to her abruptly by the news and the smile widens again to where her face allows it.

"Then I have won", she tells me looking at me with an expectation she doesn't bother to disguise. And here, I confess, I lose myself once again, because there are occasions on which one has to tease a little the people one loves, and this is clearly one of them. I compose an exaggeratedly thoughtful expression, tilt my head as if I were weighing a problem, and finally look at her with all the feigned doubt I am capable of gathering.

"I'm not entirely sure, Xia", I tell her.

"I recall that I obliged you to cultivate for twice as much time each day as I was doing. I'm not sure if that could be considered cheating." After listening to me, I see how Xia's face goes through, in a matter of a couple of seconds, all the phases of what could be called the Tempering of Indignation.

"That is not fair!" she blurts out completely indignant.

"When the wager was made, only the number of days was specified, at no point was it said that the number of Periods per day also counted! And, besides, you were the one who obliged me to do it, so it shouldn't even count." I hold my poker face for a couple more seconds while I watch her shake her finger in the air to underline each one of the points of her argument, but in the end something yields within me and the laughter escapes from between my lips without my being able to do anything to contain it.

And Xia, who was already with her whole body leaning forward in the middle of her speech, freezes mid-gesture for half a second, her eyes narrow with that very specific expression she puts on every time she realizes I am teasing her, and the indignation changes target without losing an ounce of its intensity.

"You're doing it again!" she protests crossing her arms.

"You're teasing me again!"

"All right, all right", I tell her holding back the laughter as best I can and raising a hand in a gesture of truce.

"It's my fault. I admit that you have beaten me by finishing the Tempering of Bones and Tendons three days before I did, regardless of the time each one of us has dedicated per day to cultivating." Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Xia uncrosses her arms slowly, with the wounded dignity of someone who considers that the acknowledgment has come perhaps a couple of minutes late, but lifts her chin with a pride that, given the circumstances, comes off fairly well.

"And since you have won, you deserve a reward", I continue.

"Tell me what you would like to ask for." Xia blinks a couple of times at the change of course, and the expression of wounded pride fades little by little as she remains thoughtful. When she finally speaks again, she does so in a different tone, much more measured and almost shy in comparison with the effusiveness with which she entered the study.

"Wen", she tells me as she joins her hands in front.

"We have already seen the Imperial Palace, and I have loved it. But I would like to see something more. This time I would like to get to know the imperial capital a little." I remain in silence for a moment at her request, because as much as it is exactly the kind of thing Xia would ask for, it is also exactly the kind of request that does not have a simple solution. An official outing is ruled out from the start.

An official outing means a closed carriage and a Nei Wei escort that would occupy every street we passed through. In practice, it would be like looking at the capital through a slit while everyone steps aside and bows as we pass, which is not exactly what Xia is asking for and certainly is not what I would want to show her, or for that matter, see myself. But then, as I turn the matter over, an idea begins to take shape slowly, and upon seeing it gel I turn my head toward Lianhua.

"Lianhua", I tell her.

"Tell me something. How do my imperial brothers manage when they want to leave the Imperial Palace incognito? Because I am completely certain that all of them, at some point, have gone out in that way to handle matters they prefer to keep off the records or simply to amuse themselves." Lianhua lets out the sigh of someone who had been waiting a good while for exactly that question and was wondering how long it would take me to formulate it.

"There are passageways and ways to leave the Imperial Palace discreetly, Zhāohuán Wen", she replies without moving from her spot.

"In fact, they are perfectly known routes, and practically every day one imperial prince or another makes use of them." She makes a brief pause before adding what she clearly has been wanting to add for a while.

"But in your case, it is much more complicated", she continues.

"Your situation is unique and widely known in the capital, and the moment a girl in a wheelchair were seen strolling through the city, practically everyone in the capital would realize that she is the Zhāohuán." I nod slowly as I think about what Lianhua has told me, because she is right, but precisely what she has told me has given the final push to the plan that was forming in my head.

"I have something thought out", I tell her finally.

"But this time I want to do things as they should be done, so the best thing we can do is go see my mother and tell her what it is I want to do." And then, during a barely perceptible instant, on Lianhua's face something appears very similar to relief. It is not a great change, it is not anything someone who didn't know her could detect, but it is enough for me to understand perfectly how much it reassures her that, this time, we are not doing things on the sly and we are actually going to ask permission.

I turn toward Xia, who has been listening to the exchange with growing attention, and I smile at her.

"We're going to go see my mother", I tell her.

"If she agrees, we will be able to go visit the capital. But first we have to convince her." Xia quickly uncrosses her hands with a gesture of protest.

"Wen, I also don't want you to get in trouble because of me", she tells me with genuine worry.

"I can ask for something else."

"Don't worry", I reply with a wry smile.

"I would also like to see the city without having to go in a carriage. There's nothing to lose by trying." I turn again toward Lianhua before Xia can protest again.

"Take me to see my mother, Lianhua", I tell her.

"If we hurry a little we may still catch her finishing breakfast." Lianhua, without saying a single word, takes me out of the room and begins pushing me back down the same corridor we have just traveled while Xia falls in beside us. We arrive at the breakfast hall just in time, because when we enter I confirm that my mother is already getting up from the table, with Lingxi a step behind her, ready to accompany her to her usual tasks.

My mother sees us enter, raises an eyebrow upon seeing the three of us together, and again leans her hands on the edge of the table like someone preparing to listen to something.

"Wen", she tells me with a tone that is at once amused and suspicious.

"If the three of you return here so soon and together, that means you either have something to inform me of or something to ask of me."

"The second, Mother", I reply without trying to disguise it. My mother lets out a small sigh and steps away from the table.

"Follow me to the study", she tells us. The three of us move behind her through the corridors of the Pavilion to her study, where Lingxi opens the door for us and steps aside to let us pass. Lianhua pushes the chair across the threshold and, as soon as we cross, my mother walks around the desk and sits in her usual place. Lingxi closes the door softly and positions herself beside her, in her usual spot.

"Well, Wen", my mother tells me leaning her elbows on the desk and joining her hands in front.

"Tell me then, what is it that you want to ask me now?" She makes a very brief pause before adding, with a small smile of forewarning.

"And if it is to change something about the piece you are going to play at the Emperor's birthday, the answer is still no", she tells me without hesitating. I let out a small sigh upon hearing her and shake my head.

"The request has nothing to do with the Emperor's birthday, Mother", I clarify upfront.

"What I want to ask you is permission to leave the Imperial Palace incognito to visit the capital." My mother listens to the entire sentence in silence, and when I finish pronouncing it, her reply comes without the slightest pause.

"No", she tells me without hesitating an iota. The forcefulness of the no is such that I can practically hear it bounce off the walls of the study for an instant, and my mother, without waiting for me to react, continues.

"Wen, are you out of your mind?" she adds in a tone which, surprisingly, is more exasperated than angry.

"In your condition it is absolutely impossible for you to go incognito, practically the entire capital will recognize you the moment they see you." Just as I suspected, the reasons she gives me are exactly the same as those Lianhua gave me a few minutes ago, which, far from discouraging me, confirms that the plan that has occurred to me is on the right track. I smile slightly and lean a bit forward in the chair.

"On the contrary, Mother", I reply calmly.

"In reality, this is probably my last opportunity to go out incognito without being recognized." My mother, who was already about to keep dismissing the idea, stops cold and arches an eyebrow.

"Wen", she tells me as she joins her hands in front of her face and rests her chin on them.

"I have the very clear feeling that I am going to regret what I am about to do, but I want to hear the argument you have to defend that." I take a deep breath, mentally thank her that at least she has agreed to listen to me, and I begin.

"As of today, I still have just the right age and height for Lianhua to be able to carry me in her arms without drawing too much attention", I tell her with the most measured voice I am capable of putting on.

"And evidently, without anyone connecting me with the Zhāohuán. If I wait a bit longer, I will already be too old for that outing to work, and as much as my situation is known in the capital, if what they see is a girl in the arms of a handmaiden, no one is going to immediately think of me." I make a brief pause to catch my breath and continue before my mother has time to interrupt me.

"For once I would like to go out as all my brothers have done at some point in order to be able to visit the city without drawing attention", I add.

"And, in all sincerity, Mother, it will probably be the only time in my life that I can do it." When I finish speaking, my mother remains in silence for a couple of entire seconds, and then she pinches the bridge of her nose as she closes her eyes.

"I knew I was going to regret having let you explain yourself", she murmurs more to herself than to the room. When she opens her eyes again, she lowers her hands and rests them carefully on the desk. Then she turns toward Lianhua and lets out a sigh.

"Lianhua", she tells her.

"Being a former member of the Yushitai, you are the one who knows most about the real risks this entails. Tell me honestly, is what Wen has said viable?" Lianhua, who has also emitted an almost identical sigh to my mother's, inclines slightly before replying.

"It is perfectly viable, Guifei Xiang", she replies with her habitual professional tone.

"Leaving the Imperial Palace incognito is something that practically every day one imperial prince or another does, and on that side there is no problem." She makes a brief pause and, as she continues, her words force me to hold back a shiver of pure mortification.

"As for carrying her in her arms, there is also no problem", she adds.

"With her height, Zhāohuán Wen actually looks a few years younger than she really is." And upon hearing her say it like that, out loud and in front of my mother, I writhe mentally upon recalling what I had realized on the day of my birthday and confirming, with a considerable delay, that it seems I was the only one in the entire Imperial Palace who had not noticed that I was shorter than normal for my age.

Lianhua, whom I know well enough to detect how she has suppressed a slight smile upon saying that, continues without becoming agitated.

"And if instead of taking a couple of Nei Wei as escort, we took a couple of Jin Wei, we could perfectly pass for a family out for a stroll or shopping in the capital", she concludes. My mother, after listening to Lianhua, drums her fingers on the desk for a couple of long seconds that seem to me longer than they probably are. And then, in the middle of the drumming, she turns her head toward Lingxi.

Lingxi, who has been listening to the entire exchange without pronouncing a single word, returns her gaze with that unalterable serenity that characterizes her and dedicates to her a small smile accompanied by a barely perceptible nod. It is a minimal gesture, but it is enough for my mother to turn again toward me and for her fingers to stop drumming.

"Wen", she tells me with a tone that combines resignation with a severity that doesn't quite end up being threat or concession, but rather a very particular mixture of the two.

"I hope you will not make me regret doing this, but I give you my permission."