Empress Orchid - Anchee Min [118]
Yung Lu cleared his throat, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
“What did Su Shun say to Emperor Hsien Feng then?” I asked.
“He gave His Majesty an example of a riot that toppled the empire during the fourteenth year of Emperor Shun Chih in 1657,” Yung Lu replied. “It was organized by a group of students who were treated unfairly by the civil service exam.”
I took up my tea and sipped. “And how did you end up working for Su Shun?”
“I was thrown in jail for being a troublemaker.”
“And Su Shun rescued you?”
“Yes, he was the one who ordered my release.”
“And he recruited you and has been promoting you?”
“Yes, from lieutenant to commander in chief of the Imperial Guards.”
“In how many years?”
“Five years, Your Majesty.”
“Impressive.”
“I am terribly grateful and I will always owe the grand councilor my loyalty.”
“You should,” I said. “But keep in mind that it was Emperor Hsien Feng who allowed Su Shun his power.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
I thought for a moment and decided to reveal a bit of information An-te-hai had discovered, which was that the leader of the Imperial Academy was Su Shun’s enemy.
Yung Lu was surprised. I expected a response, a question, but none came.
“Su Shun cleverly accomplished an end to a personal grudge,” I added. “He eliminated his rival through the hand of Emperor Hsien Feng, and did so in the name of doing you justice.”
Yung Lu remained quiet. Seeing that I was waiting, he said, “Forgive me, Your Majesty, I am at a loss for words.”
“You don’t have to say anything.” I put down my tea. “I was just wondering if you knew.”
“Yes, in fact … a little.” He lowered his eyes.
“Doesn’t such cleverness say something about Su Shun the man?”
Not daring to reveal himself too freely or doubt my motivation, Yung Lu raised his eyes to examine me. In this look I saw a true Bannerman.
I turned to Nuharoo. The beads sat still on her lap, and her fingers had stopped moving. I did not know whether she was engaged with the spirit of Buddha or had dozed off.
I sighed. The Emperor was too weak, Su Shun was too cunning, and Prince Kung was too far away, while we needed a man close by.
“Time will test Su Shun,” I said. “What we are concerned with here is your loyalty. Who will have it, Su Shun or His Majesty Emperor Hsien Feng?”
Yung Lu threw himself on the ground and kowtowed. “Of course His Majesty. He will have my everlasting devotion—there is no question about that in my mind.”
“And us? His Majesty’s wives and child?”
Yung Lu straightened his back. Our eyes met. As when ink wash hits rice paper, the moment created a permanent picture in my memory. Somehow he was betrayed by his expression, which told me that he was, in that instant, judging, weighing, evaluating. I sensed that he wanted to know if I was worthy of his commitment.
Holding his look, I answered him in silence that I would do the same for him in exchange for his honesty and friendship. I wouldn’t have done it if I had had any warning of what was to happen. I was too confident that I had control over my own will and emotions, and that I would be nothing less than Emperor Hsien Feng’s faithful concubine.
In retrospect, I was denying a truth. I refused to admit that I desired more than bodily protection from Yung Lu the moment we met. My soul craved to stir and be stirred. When I touched the edge of his sword, my “right mind” fled.
The eunuch returned with fresh tea. Yung Lu poured the mug down his throat as if he had just walked the desert. But it was not enough to overcome his nervousness. His look reminded me of a man who had just made up his mind to jump off a cliff. His eyes widened and his uneasiness grew thick. When he raised his eyes again, I realized that we were both descendants of the Manchus’ toughest Bannermen. We were capable of surviving battles, external as well as internal. We were meant to survive because of our minds’ ability to reason, our ability to live with frustration in order to maintain our virtue. We wore smiling masks while dying