1 The Return

The young girl wailed with grief. "This can't be happening!" she cried. "I won't become his concubine!"

"Why not?" demanded a wrinkled palace maid, some aunt with an ordinary name.

"Because," the girl sobbed. "Everybody says he is stupid and the eunuchs only picked him so that he would be easy to control! What kind of husband is that?"

The servant woman slapped the girl across the face. "Watch your tongue! You're speaking of the emperor of China!"

Emperor Xuanzong watched the scene unfold from his palace balcony that overlooked the courtyard. He felt sorry for the girl. But she was misled—he was not stupid. He had only pretended to be stupid since he was a boy. He belonged to a family full of backstabbers and intrigue, and to survive that, you have to seem simple. The brave and intelligent are always the easiest targets.

"Your Majesty," said a skinny little eunuch, "you should have that girl executed!"

"She is only thirteen," the emperor said placidly. "Far too young to be executed, and also too young to be my concubine. Send her home to her family."

"Once Your Majesty rejects her, she will never find a husband," said the eunuch imperiously.

"I will personally see to it that she is married. Maybe she can marry the court doctor, Guanyu."

"Your Majesty is far too gracious—"

"You are dismissed, eunuch," said Emperor Xuanzong. His head hung, the eunuch backed out of the room.

The emperor rubbed his temple and sighed. It was his third week ruling. Before that, he had been the crown prince, Li Chen, and before that, just an ordinary prince, Li Yi. The eunuchs had insisted he change his personal name from Yi to Chen to sound more auspicious. Xuanzong had agreed just to put a stop to their nagging.

Really, at heart, Xuanzong was a basic man. Of course, he wanted to be emperor. He wanted to help China—but he could not trust anyone around him.

Another eunuch suddenly burst into the room, a plump one with a long beard. "Your Majesty!" he cried. "A woman claiming to be Wu Ning has arrived in the Forbidden City!"

Xuanzong's heart began pounding quickly. "Where is she?"

"Kneeling outside, on the other side of this palace," said the eunuch. "She begs for an audience with Your Majesty."

"Bring her in."

A few minutes later, the eunuch led a slender, petite woman with piercing brown eyes into the room. Xuanzong gazed at her sadly. She was Wu Ning, alright—he would remember those eyes anywhere.

"Leave us," Xuanzong told the eunuch. The eunuch obeyed.

Ning bowed to Xuanzong. "Your Majesty, I have come to show you our son. He is at Empress Dowager's palace. She is meeting him for the first time."

Xuanzong sighed. Three years prior, he had indulged in wine and gone on a hunt. He remembered how guilty he had felt afterwards, but how refreshing it had been to meet a beautiful country girl like Wu Ning, the daughter of an obscure village's mayor. Xuanzong heard of her pregnancy weeks later, and insisted that she come serve his main wife Bai as a maid so that they could continue to be close. Ning had never come when Xuanzong was just a prince, but here she was now that he was emperor. Xuanzong clenched his fists tightly.

"How dare you," he hissed. "You are a bad woman! A scheming social climber! A shameless opportunist! Why didn't you come when I summoned you years ago?"

"I can explain, Your Majesty," said Ning, staring up at Xuanzong with her sparkling eyes...he couldn't resist those eyes. "The Chao clan of Empress Yuanzhao was angry that you had slept with me. They perceived me and my son as a threat to their daughter and her good fortune. I was going to bring Zi to the palace, but they put a bloody horse leg in my bed, so I have been too scared to come all these years. But now I must be brave like a good mother." Ning bowed her head. "I must make my son the prince he deserves to be."

"And what of me? Do you care for me at all?" said Xuanzong.

"Your Majesty," said Ning quietly, "you have been so good to me. You found me beautiful but did not hurt me. You were a gentle lover. You offered my father lots of money those years ago, though he was too humble to accept it. You begged to be there for the birth of your son, though I suspect your consorts prevented you from doing so." Ning's eyes looked up at him boldly. "Your Majesty, I would take a sword for you."

"Get up," demanded Xuanzong.

Ning clumsily got up from her knees with the wobbliness of a newborn horse. Xuanzong furrowed his brow.

"Are you sick? You are usually so graceful."

"I am just nervous," she replied.

"Do not be nervous," said Xuanzong. "Let me follow you to Empress Dowager's palace, and we can talk with her and Zi."

Ning gave him a broad smile. "Your Majesty, you are so good."