14 Ch. 14: Suiyan

There was a fierce clatter as a cup of fine porcelain tumbled the floor and cracked into numerous pieces, startling the trembling figure kneeling on the floor. Everything came to a standstill in the lavishly decorated Zhongcui Palace, warm braziers with high-quality charcoal doing little to distill the chill that went down everyone's spine.

"Truly my good sister," the imperious voice lilted softly, a thread of anger audible within. "Stealing my precious jewelry given to me by the emperor. Does our Zhao manor treat you so poorly that you must resort to stealing from your older sister when you come to visit?"

Zhao Suiyan trembled on the floor, the hot tea on the floor bleeding through her long pleated skirt and burning her knees.

"Sister, I-" she started whimpering in a shaky voice, her eyes trained on the pearl embossed shoes standing before her.

"Sister? Even when raised just like a di daughter, your low birth shines through. You must address me as Imperial Concubine Zhao," Imperial Concubine Zhao corrected with an arrogant sniff.

"Yes, Imperial Concubine Zhao," Zhao Suiyan replied, hot tears burning her throat as she moved to stand.

"Presumptuous. Has the imperial concubine given you leave to stand? Kneel until she says you can stand," a loyal first-rank maid scolded, pushing Zhao Suiyan back to her knees.

Imperial Concubine Zhao cast a disgusted look at her shu-born sister. "I'm going to be sending mother a letter about your behavior today. If you had returned home with stolen imperial gifts, it would've implicated our entire family. If you are so eager to seek your death, I don't mind, but must you drag your entire family down with you?"

Zhao Suiyan remained with her head bowed on the floor.

"S-Sorry, Imperial Concubine Zhao," she replied, looking like she had been properly whipped into submission. She had not. Her long fingernails dug into the meat of her palm as she withheld her burning rage and ire.

As the only two daughters of their generation from a large crop of sons in the Zhao Manor, Zhao Suiyan and her older sister had long been treated as precious pearls and raised with the intent of being sent into another important official's household to fulfill their father's ambition. However, Zhao Suiyan had been born from her highly favored, but low-born concubine mother while Imperial Concubine Zhao had been born from the official wife, so their treatment had always slightly differed.

When Imperial Concubine Zhao turned 10, the Zhao manor, an originally 3rd rank family, had practically walked over hot coals with bare feet to secure their di daughter a proper female official who had been released from the palace and was in high demand. Zhao Suiyan had been forced to watch her already lovely sister surpass her to new heights, attaining the necessary poise and demeanor of a proper highborn woman. Imperial Concubine Zhao always picked the best fabrics first whenever the tailor came to their home, and the cranky Old Madam who treated Zhao Suiyan like an ill omen somehow managed to crack a smile on her wizened face when Imperial Concubine Zhao had come to her quarters.

These slights had always rankled the prideful Zhao Suiyan, but the largest disgrace of them all was when there was an official draft from the imperial palace, the first that the recently conferred emperor had held. The shu-born sister clenched her teeth hard as she noted the finely embroidered carpet beside her as well as the number of maids attending to her elder sister's every beck and call. All of it, the wealth, the emperor's favor, it all was supposed to be hers.

"What?" Imperial Concubine Zhao murmured quietly when she noticed her younger sister being too still. "Are you upset? Do you think you are worthy of this jewelry?"

The delicate beauty stretched out her hand and her personal maid placed the agate earrings in her hand, the afternoon winter sun shimmering dazzlingly off the exquisite jewelry.

"First ask yourself if you are worthy of such fine things," she said tauntingly. "There is so much more where this came from, you didn't even have the good sense to try to steal the nicest pair. A lack of good taste and finesse, I'm not surprised you are an old maid living with your maiden family."

The last bit she knew would get under the skin of her hypocritical younger sister, and the desired effect was achieved as a flushed, red face met hers.

"I'm 16, not at all an old maid!" Zhao Suiyan indignantly replied, rage eating up her insides. Her entire heart and mind were set on blaming Imperial Concubine Zhao. If her older sister had not canceled her engagement and joined the draft, surely it would be herself enjoying the comforts of being a pampered concubine. What did she lack compared to her di sister?

If she too were dressed in the same silk brocade jacket that made one's skin appear even more jadelike and wore the same fine-tooth comb laden with pearls, Zhao Suiyan wagered she would look just as lovely as her older sister, if not better.

"You dare to raise your voice at the imperial concubine?" Her older sister's nursemaid asked with a stern voice.

Imperial Concubine Zhao leaned back against her seat, her earlier anger dissipating with her sister's humiliation.

"Enough," she said with a lazy flick of her hand, sending her nurse back to the corner where she had previously stood. Imperial Concubine Zhao could feel a headache coming and was eager to get rid of her greedy younger sister.

"You," she said pointing to a random second-class maid, another slight to Zhao Suiyan as usually, a female official or first-class maid would escort her sister from the imperial palace. "Escort my dear sister back to her carriage."

"Yes, imperial concubine," the maid said with a bow before unabashedly beckoning Zhao Suiyan to follow her.

Zhao Suiyan was still rooted to the ground, her position of both hands and knees on the ground greatly resembling that of a dog. She was utterly incensed, disbelieving that her sister would send her out with a lowly maid. And the maid in question was shameless, not even having the good sense to act shy or nervous, but instead with all the gall of a proper first-class maid.

The concubine-born girl stood from the ground slowly, her periwinkle pleated skirt wrinkled and stained from tea. No one ever offered for her to change, so her humiliation would be witnessed by all parties wandering the palace.

"Miss, your coat," the outspoken maid said, handing Zhao Suiyan the fox fur lined vermillion cloak she had worn proudly to visit her sister and make a good impression should she run into the emperor. Now she just felt like a fool. She viciously snatched the cloak from the maid and put it on herself before giving her sister the perfunctory greeting necessary for all royal women.

Although she said nothing more, Zhao Suiyan fixed an icy glare upon her sister for her embarrassment, forgetting that it was all caused because she had thought to steal the imperial concubine's jewelry for herself.

"Your highness," Zhao Suiyan heard a fawning maid say behind her as she stormed down the stairs without the maid's assistance and nearly slipped at the bottom. "It is getting cold in here, I will have the servants top up the coals in your brazier. It would do you no good if the emperor visits tonight and you have fallen ill."

The simpering voice cozying up to her older sister was the final straw and Zhao Suiyan stormed off ahead of the maid with a huff, the low whispers and giggles of passing servants in her sister's palace stoking her rage. Snow covered the gardenias planted within Zhongcui Palace and now there were servants painstakingly brushing off the snow so as to preserve the flowers and allow her sister to only see nice things.

Zhao Suiyan knew she wanted this life too. The wealth, the favor, the stunning red palace that belonged to herself and herself alone. The thought sat in the back of her mind like a fishbone caught in one's throat, the red walls and primly dressed maids seeming to mock her as she stumbled towards the distant entrance of the palace.

The second-class maid who had been designated to lead Zhao Suiyan to the exit was confused herself. In her mind, any smart sister would cozy up to her well-favored sister so as to obtain a better marriage and be well respected by her future in-laws. Yet, this unruly upstart, who was moving quite quickly for a pampered young miss, instead stole from her sister and tried to ruin their already weak sisterhood. It could be said for certain that the imperial concubine's shu sister would not have a good fate. But just as suddenly as the maid came to this conclusion, her heart dropped as she realized that the sulking little girl dressed in a bright red cloak was no longer visible.

"Older brother," the maid said sweetly to an approaching eunuch as she tried desperately to mask her shock, "Have you perhaps seen a young miss wandering around this area? She is about this tall and is wearing a bright red cloak."

The eunuch was a tough nut, unmoved by the maid's relatively attractive face and carrying on after shaking his head. The second-class maid harrumphed, but deep down she knew the eunuch was just looking out for himself. How easy would it be for him to be roped into this crime just by giving simple directions? Living to old age in the palace was no easy feat. Watching the eunuch's departing back, sweat trickled down the maid's head as she realized that if that stupid young miss did something foolish, she would not have enough luck to keep her life either.

So where was Zhao Suiyan? Having dramatically stormed out of Zhongcui Palace, her anger made her forget her concubine mother's stern warnings of the imperial palace. Lay low, don't draw unnecessary attention, don't make your older sister upset. Naturally, she had long broken all three as she stormed down random pathways without any regard for who was coming and going.

Stomping over a random gateway, Zhao Suiyan nearly ran into a leading eunuch with a horse tail whip. The head eunuch was briefly startled, but his many years of training kicked in as he reached out and pushed Zhao Suiyan from his path and motioned for the procession to cease.

"Who-" Zhao Suiyan roared angrily, her fiery gaze staring up at the culprit before it was promptly doused.

A woman sat on a litter of fine wood in a casual palace dress, her eyes cold and unfeeling although her face wore the slightest smile. Several eunuchs and maids followed her path, belying her importance within the palace. Zhao Suiyan had been afraid to throw her weight around her sister, but judging from the sheer number of people in this imperial woman's retinue, the young miss knew she had provoked someone she couldn't afford to anger.

"Daring! Blocking the empress' path is a crime worthy of death!" the lead eunuch roared in an imperious tone.

Two strong eunuchs broke away from the retinue to grab Zhao Suiyan and pull her into a kneeling position, their grip on her weak arms impossible to break. Zhao Suiyan's mouth wobbled, she was too afraid to even speak. As she was concubine born, her official mother had never bothered to bring her to palace banquets, thus she was unacquainted with Empress Chu.

However, Zhao Suiyan had heard of the woman. The youngest of her generation at the Chu family and acclaimed for her soft beauty, the empress was also known to be a benevolent, kind woman who frequently visited and donated to Buddhist temples. But Zhao Suiyan was concubine born, and thus knew firsthand how ugly harem fighting could get. For the empress to maintain such a pristine reputation within the palace, yet somehow in all these years not a single concubine had given birth to a son save for one, spoke of her capability.

It was a reality check that the young miss desperately needed. Seeing the empress' piercing gaze, Zhao Suiyan immediately lowered her eyes to the ground, afraid the empress would somehow spy her fervent desire to enter the palace.