“Who suckled you at her own breast and changed your diaper?”
“I take no responsibility for anything I was too young to remember,” the Emperor replied. “However... I am grateful to you for saving me from that assassination attempt.”
It would substantiate the reputation of the legendary lady-in-waiting who had protected the young Emperor. Maomao wanted to ask what kind of stage-drama-worthy events they were referring to, but she decided it wouldn’t be wise to pursue the question too deeply, and instead kept polishing with her cloth.
“Did Ah-Duo face the same thing?” the Emperor asked.
“Yes! You didn’t know?”
“I didn’t. She never said a word.”
“Goodness gracious me...” Suiren sounded quite at ease, but Maomao thought she detected a hint of resentment in her voice as well. “I guess she really should have fled this court once she had a bit of money saved up.”
“She was thinking of doing that?” the Emperor said, sounding as if it were news to him.
I can sure sympathize with the desire to get away!
“Well, that girl never did like women’s clothing, did she? She was such a tomboy! You would never have taken her for someone who could be a palace lady even if she’d stayed, would you? She was actually talking about taking the money she’d made and becoming a merchant.”
“Until I interfered with her plans, as I gather.”
“I knew you were quick on the uptake.”
Now it wasn’t just the guard; Maomao, too, felt a chill. Still, she knew the Emperor would never punish Suiren, so she forced herself to keep breathing and try to calm down.
“Since you’re here, Suiren... About Zui.”
“Yes?”
“Does he know?”
Know what?
Maomao understood that they were talking about the circumstances of Jinshi’s birth. She’d been sure the Emperor was going to tell him the day before the surgery, but no such shocking confession had been forthcoming, and Jinshi and Maomao had been summarily ejected from the meeting.
What had Ah-Duo and the Emperor discussed after that? Was Jinshi aware that he was their child, or not? Even Maomao didn’t know.
“If he knows or if he doesn’t, it makes no difference either way,” Suiren said, never stopping in her work.
True enough.
Whether Jinshi knew or not wouldn’t change anything. Any change would be in those around him. And so long as the Emperor chose not to say anything, nothing would happen. She suspected His Majesty would not be raising the subject again.
“Now, Young Master, Granny’s done cleaning—you won’t be lonely, will you? I could read a story to you, if you like,” Suiren said.
Hrk!
Maomao slapped her hand over her mouth before she could spit out the sound she was threatening to make—but she was holding a cloth, so it became a sort of Urgh!
The guard looked like he was suffering too. He was biting his lip and digging his fingernails into his thigh, struggling not to laugh.
“Don’t call me that,” the Emperor said—words Maomao knew well from hearing them from Jinshi.
“I’ll be going, then!” Suiren said and left the room.
Maomao made to follow her, but the Emperor said, “Lakan’s daughter. Maomao, isn’t it?”
“Yes, sir.” Maomao halted and turned around.
“If I should die, will I be nothing but a lump of meat?”
Maomao almost choked, and sweat started pouring off of her.
Don’t tell me...
Had he been aware of what was happening throughout the surgery? He hadn’t made a peep, so she’d just assumed he was unconscious.
“People speak of the jade body, but yes, it’s made of flesh. And I don’t bleed gold, but regular red blood.”
“Ho ho ho ho ho!” Maomao said—the closest thing to a laugh she could manage with her face twitching so hard.
How calm and collected is he that he could stay silent and wait through everything that was happening?!
Maomao had the distinct sense that the guard was glaring at her now.
“Have you said the same sort of thing to Zui?”
“The same sort of thing, sir?”
She’d said far too many things to Jinshi, in fact, and wasn’t sure which one he meant.
I guess I might have said the sort of thing that would put a scratch on the jade...
Maomao was starting to worry, but the Emperor’s beard just swayed gently. “In any event. It seems my moving my hand during surgery caused no end of trouble.”
“Don’t give it a thought, please.”
Yes, she did wish he hadn’t done that—but it couldn’t be helped now. She was just impressed that he had endured the entire thing without making a fuss about the pain.
“I must say, it’s an experience I’ve never had before. It felt like I was in a haze—something felt wrong in my stomach, and the doctors kept bustling about. I think Luomen noticed, but he told me it was nothing. I don’t suppose it was true.”
Maomao pressed her hands together without quite meaning to. Luomen must have intervened to stop her in part because the Emperor had still been alert.
“Fear not,” the Emperor said. “As you can see, I’m doing fine. The incision still hurts and itches, but there’s nothing to be done about that. What matters is that Ah-Duo told me to write in my will that the physicians should not be punished.”
“She did, sir?” Maomao looked at the ceiling and gave thanks to Ah-Duo.
“Yes, and so I should like to say that you have nothing to worry about.” The Emperor looked down, deep in thought. “But in that case, my will would come into conflict with your wishes, Maomao, and I’ve been pondering what to do.”
“My wishes?”
“You said you wanted a reward, did you not?”
Maomao crossed her arms and thought.
“I believe you were asking for the fingers of one of the physicians. It sounded far away, but it was a woman’s voice, so it had to be either you or Liu’s little sister. Perhaps I misheard.”
Maomao froze.
“Maybe I’ll have him give me a few of your fingers, Tianyu. If you don’t have any use for them, I can dry them out and put them on display—tell people they belong to a mummy! At least they’d serve some purpose then!”
That was what she’d said. Oh, yes, she’d said it, all right.
“Er, well... Ahem. I wasn’t, you know, being entirely serious...”
“I suppose not. I for one don’t wish to take any medicine that uses human fingers as an ingredient.”
Hell, neither do I!
Either way, it was actually strange that no punishment had been handed down for the problem child who had declared on a whim that he wouldn’t do surgery. The surgery had been successful, and if the Emperor said that no punishment was to be meted out, then certainly none would be.
“Wait!” Maomao cried, realization dawning.
“What is it?”
“Er... Maybe it would be possible to dock that physician’s pay instead of cutting off his fingers?”
“Dock his pay?”
“Yes, sir. For six months.”
“Hmm. Yes, very well. I’ll speak to Liu.”
That meant it was as good as done. Maomao hadn’t seen Tianyu for the last few days, but she suspected he was a little taller now—at least by the height of the bump raised by all the knuckles he’d been subjected to.
“I’ll excuse myself, then,” Maomao said.
“Hold on,” replied the Emperor.
There’s still something else? Maomao thought, trying to remember any other outbursts she might have had during the procedure.
“I simply have so much time on my hands here. Maybe you could bring me the textbook? The one that you presented at the rear palace?”
“The textbook? Ahh...”
He was talking about the “instruction manual” she’d given to the rear-palace consorts. She’d also offered it to him at one point.
“I’m afraid it might fall afoul of one of Dr. Liu’s inspections,” Maomao said.
“One of Liu’s— Ahem. I think I ask for too much.”
“Not at all, sir,” Maomao said. Then she bowed and finally left the room.