Entering the Palace
The next morning.
Bai Jingyan had just finished her morning training and was about to sit down to breakfast when Bai Jinchi came dashing headlong into Qinghui Courtyard. She told the maids to set a spoon for her as well, then turned to Bai Jingyan and launched into the news.
"Sister, word leaked out of the palace banquet yesterday! When the Emperor rewarded General Liu Hong, the general said the honor wasn't his alone to claim — that the great victory at the Northern Frontier was only possible because you proposed the strategy! And he asked the Emperor to reward you for it. So the Emperor said your merit was too great to go unrewarded, but that he needed more time to decide what to give you. And he said that if you enter the palace today, you'll receive your reward — most likely a eunuch will come calling for you right after morning court."
Bai Jinchi lifted her bowl, her eyes brimming with expectation as she looked at Bai Jingyan.
"Sister, what if the Emperor recognizes your ability and appoints you Grand Marshal?"
Making a woman a general? The Emperor had neither the nerve for it nor the character to be the first man in history to attempt such a thing.
Confer a general's rank upon a woman, and the standing of every woman in Jin would rise with her. Start such a fire carelessly, and once all the talented, brilliant women who had been confined to their courtyards stepped out into the world, Jin would be transformed from the ground up.
Neither the Emperor nor the men of Jin would ever tolerate that.
Even Yan had proven the point. Xi Hou had spent ten years building the Great Capital, moving the seat of power there, then implementing new policies that brought real benefit to the people and raised an impoverished, powerless nation into a strong one.
But what was the first thing the Emperor of Yan did when he regained his senses? He killed Xi Hou. And all across Yan — even among the common folk — people applauded. In the end, it all came down to the fact that the root of the belief that men stood above women had never been torn out.
At best, the Emperor would grant Bai Jingyan a monetary reward. If he were feeling truly generous, a princess's title. A woman setting foot into the court itself would never, ever come to pass.
To make her a general, the Emperor would have to fight not only the old military families of Jin but every man in the realm. And needless to say, the Emperor was hardly a man who would exert himself on Bai Jingyan's behalf.
Not long after breakfast, the Emperor sent men to summon Bai Jingyan to the palace.
She changed her clothes and applied only the lightest touch of makeup. The woman in the mirror looked far from well — her lips were pale and slightly swollen, and she appeared even more frail than before.
The Emperor was a suspicious man by nature. The worse Bai Jingyan's health appeared, the more at ease he would be.
Bai Jinchi returned to Qinghui Courtyard after changing, and at the sight of Bai Jingyan's wan complexion she started in alarm.
"Sister, what's wrong? Shall I call for a physician?"
"My health was never good to begin with. The war in the Northern Frontier wore me down badly — once we return to Suyang, I'll need a long rest."
Bai Jingyan squeezed the hand Bai Jinchi offered in support.
Bai Jinchi nodded as though she understood perfectly.
Perhaps it was a deliberate show, meant to keep tongues from wagging, but a magnificent procession of carriages arrived to escort Bai Jingyan and Bai Jinchi to the palace.
Five carriages, with an escort of the Imperial Guard. The ceremony of it outshone even the reception once given for her grandmother, the Grand Princess.
"By His Majesty's special command, I have come to escort the Zhenguo Commandery Princess and the Gaoyi County Princess to the palace!"
Gao Demu, cradling his horsetail whisk, approached beaming and bowed in greeting.
"We've troubled you."
Bai Jingyan gave him a slight nod.
Bai Jinchi followed hard on Bai Jingyan's heels and waited until they had climbed into the carriage before dropping her voice.
"He sent Gao Demu himself!"
Bai Jingyan only smiled and said nothing.
The wind fluttered the carriage curtains as the guards cleared the road, holding the crowds back on either side to secure their passage.
The grander the display, the smaller the reward that would actually land in her and Bai Jinchi's hands.
"When you meet the Emperor later, ask for as much of the useful sort as you can get," Bai Jingyan instructed.
"The more gold and silver, the more soldiers we can raise to stamp out the bandits."
Bai Jinchi nodded vigorously.
"I know! Turn down the hollow honors, take the gold and silver! I'm young, and I'm a martial officer besides — I can get away with being shameless. I'll just keep whining until he gives us more!"
Bai Jingyan's smile deepened.
The carriages carrying the Zhenguo Commandery Princess and the Gaoyi County Princess clattered noisily through the palace gates, and the Emperor, with the Crown Prince in attendance, received Bai Jingyan and Bai Jinchi in his study.
His face glowed with such vigor that he looked a good few years younger. Whether the great victory at the Northern Frontier had gladdened the imperial heart, or whether it was the elixir he had been taking, there was no telling.
Bai Jingyan led Bai Jinchi in a formal, reverent salute to the Emperor, and when he offered them seats, Bai Jinchi rose a step ahead of her sister to support her.
Only then did the Emperor notice how poor Bai Jingyan's color was. Her skin had always been fair, but looking closely, even her lips were drained of blood.
The Crown Prince was equally startled.
"Your spirits seemed fine enough yesterday — how did you fall ill so suddenly? Shall I summon the Chief Imperial Physician?"
"Your Highness, thank you for your concern, but it is nothing serious. My constitution has always been weak, and I could barely endure the war in the Northern Frontier... I have been holding on by a thread since the victory, and I suppose that once we returned to the Great Capital, the tension finally let go — since yesterday afternoon a high fever has kept me abed. Do not worry, Your Highness. My aunt has already examined me and said I will be fine."
Bai Jingyan's voice, faint and exhausted, drifted across the room.
"Cousin, please talk some sense into my sister! She only listens to you! She's always been frail, and all the strain of waging war has worn her down. My aunt says that if she keeps neglecting her body like this..."
Bai Jinchi choked on her words, on the verge of tears.
She only listens to me — the Crown Prince warmed to that at once, though he could not let the pleasure show on his face, and so spoke with an air of concern instead.
"I heard General Liu Hong's account. The Zhenguo Commandery Princess endured great hardship."
Bai Jingyan rose humbly and bowed once more.
"As a subject of Jin, as the Zhenguo Commandery Princess of Jin, lending my strength to Jin is simply my duty. How could I dare call it hardship? The Bai family has staked its lives and spilled its blood for Jin, generation upon generation. As a descendant of the Bai clan, it is only right that I carry on the spirit of such ancestors. My only regret is that I cannot, in this ailing body, stand guard over Jin's borders."
The Emperor gazed down at Bai Jingyan as she knelt with her head bowed. Hearing that her health was failing seemed, if anything, to put his mind at ease.
"Gao Demu, help the Zhenguo Commandery Princess to her seat."
The Emperor turned his head and gave the order.
Gao Demu hastened over and steadied Bai Jingyan.
"Commandery Princess, please, sit down at once!"
"Your Majesty, thank you."
Bai Jingyan bowed once more before taking her seat.
The Crown Prince needed majesty that would awe the nations of the realm — and so, naturally, did the Emperor. Bai Jingyan had to go on living, and living well.
"The great victory won against Liang in the Northern Frontier owes a great debt to the Zhenguo Commandery Princess."
The Emperor studied Bai Jingyan's ashen face as he spoke slowly, idly kneading the cushion with his fingers.
"The Crown Prince proposed that I confer a princess's title upon the Zhenguo Commandery Princess and elevate the Gaoyi County Princess to Commandery Princess, and I too think it most fitting."
The Emperor believed that Bai Jingyan genuinely served the Crown Prince's interests, and meant to honor his request on that account.
The Crown Prince smiled.
"His Majesty has also learned that recently the imperial clansmen of Suyang looted the Bai family's estate, and so has decided to grant the Commandery Princess a separate reward as well."
Gao Demu once more hurried forward and handed Bai Jingyan the itemized list of the Emperor's reward.
Bai Jingyan rose quickly to express her gratitude, then continued.
"That my sister and I render loyal service to the state is only natural. I will use the reward Your Majesty has bestowed to crush the bandits of Suyang, and in doing so, on behalf of Your Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince, I will root out this menace and repay your profound grace."
"Your Majesty — no, Uncle!"
Bai Jinchi suddenly spoke up.
The Emperor's fingers, kneading the cushion, went still. Wide-eyed, he turned his gaze toward Bai Jinchi, who was looking straight at him. Her use of the word Uncle had evidently taken him quite by surprise.
But come to think of it — the Grand Princess was his aunt, and Bai Jinchi's father his own first cousin, so it was hardly strange that Bai Jinchi should call him uncle.
Feeling the Emperor's eyes on her, Bai Jinchi gathered the hem of her skirt, crossed the room in quick little steps, knelt, and bowed.
"Uncle, I have one shameless favor to ask. I have no need of a Commandery Princess title. Commandery Princess, County Princess — they're all the same to me! Rather than a grand title, I want to pacify the bandits. We've only just settled the Southern and Northern Frontiers, and Xiliang and Liang remain wolves with their eyes on Jin,Ambition burning bright — they will eye our Jin at every turn, so we must strengthen our defenses.
I know full well that disasters have struck Jin again and again this year, and that the court lacks the resources to fight the bandits. So I want to do as my sister does — root out this menace in your name, Uncle, and yours, Cousin.
I have no need of an exalted title. It may sound greedy, but I beg you, Uncle — grant me more of the vulgar things instead. Gold, silver, that sort of wealth. With funds in hand, I can recruit far more hands in Suyang and crush the bandits! With the poor unable to fill their own bellies, who would ever risk their lives following me against the bandits?"
Bai Jinchi's eyes were clear and bright — simple and endearing as a child's.
The Emperor gave a light laugh and glanced at the Crown Prince.
"So a creature has finally appeared who asks me for silver instead of titles!"
Bai Jinchi beamed.
"In my humble view, the Gaoyi County Princess isn't taking silver to fight bandits — she's recruiting playmates."
The Crown Prince couldn't hold back his laughter either.
"Still, with the Zhenguo Commandery Princess at her side, surely—"
The Crown Prince had been about to say she'll put down the bandits in no time, but catching sight of Bai Jingyan's pallid face, he changed course.
"Surely she'll keep the Gaoyi County Princess well in hand."
Bai Jinchi bowed again in great haste.
"Uncle, Cousin, have no fear. I'll keep a record of every coin spent, and every month I'll send someone to the palace to show you the accounts."
The Emperor straightened his posture and asked, his smile unreadable:
"And does the Zhenguo Commandery Princess entrust the matter of the bandits to the Gaoyi County Princess?"
Bai Jingyan rose and raised her cupped hands in salute toward the Emperor, then shot Bai Jinchi a single look. At the reproach in her sister's eyes, Bai Jinchi shrank back.