Empress Orchid - Anchee Min [142]
Hsien Feng’s body suddenly contracted. The movement lasted a few seconds and then stopped. I heard Nuharoo’s wail and saw her reach into her robe for a string of beads.
According to superstition, this could be the moment the spirits of the dying entered the stage of mental reflection.
I prayed that His Majesty would call for Tung Chih. If his only son didn’t occupy his last thoughts, what would?
The ministers started to cry. Some elders fainted in the courtyard, and eunuchs went in with chairs to carry them out.
I moved toward Hsien Feng’s bed, pulling Tung Chih with me.
“No one is allowed to disturb the spirits!” Chief Eunuch Shim blocked my way. At his signal the guards took Tung Chih and me by the arms.
I struggled to free myself.
Kicking and biting, Tung Chih fought. The guards bent his arms behind him and shoved his face into the ground.
“Please!” I begged Chief Eunuch Shim.
“His Majesty is in the middle of his reflection.” Shim refused to yield. “You can go to him once his spirits are settled.”
“Papa! Papa!” Tung Chih cried loudly.
It would have won anyone’s sympathy if it were somewhere else. But the court no longer seemed able to address itself to the one they should serve. It had become Su Shun’s court. Everyone placed his own needs before those of Emperor Hsien Feng and his son. Everyone had heard Tung Chih, but no one offered to help.
If His Majesty desired to say something to his son, he could only wish for Su Shun’s mercy. It was too convenient for Su Shun to ignore the Emperor and get away with his crime. If Hsien Feng was angry, no one would know. In a few minutes, whatever regrets he might have would accompany him to the grave.
I had no more fear. I measured the distance between Chief Eunuch Shim and myself and aimed for his stomach. My eyes focused on the crane on his robe. I didn’t care if I became injured or worse. The story would go out. It would be my protest against Su Shun’s bullying. Tung Chih would gain sympathy from the nation.
Using my head as a battering ram, I charged.
Instead of ducking, Shim shoved and yanked me away.
Losing my balance, I was unable to stop and was headed straight toward a side column.
I shut my eyes and thought that I was finished.
But my head didn’t crack. It wasn’t a column that I hit; it was a man in an armored uniform.
As I collapsed in a pile on the floor, I saw my son running toward his father. When I looked up to see whom I had collided with, the face that greeted me was that of the commander of the Imperial Guards, Yung Lu.
“Papa, Papa!” The son shook his father.
Emperor Hsien Feng was half sitting, half lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling.
Nuharoo came and put her arms around Tung Chih.
I picked myself up and rushed to the boy’s side. Enraged, Su Shun pushed him back before he could touch his father again.
The child yanked his arm out of Su Shun’s grip and set himself free. “Papa! Papa!”
Emperor Hsien Feng’s eyes blinked. Slowly, his lips moved. “Tung Chih, my son …”
The court quieted and drew its breath. The Imperial secretary picked up his brush pen.
“Come to me, Tung Chih!” The dying man’s arms reached out from under the coverlet.
“Your Majesty.” I stepped up, taking the chance that I might be punished. “Would you let the court know your successor?”
It was too late for Su Shun to order my removal. Hsien Feng appeared to have heard me. He tried to speak, but there was no voice. After he struggled for a while, his arms dropped. His eyeballs rolled back into his skull, and he began to gasp for air.
“Your Majesty!” I fell to my knees by his side. My hands gripped his yellow satin sheet. “Pity your son, please!”
The Emperor’s mouth opened.
“Papa! Papa! Please wake up!”
I stopped Tung Chih from shaking his father.
Hsien Feng opened his eyes again. Suddenly, he pushed himself and sat up. A second later he crashed back into his pillows and his eyes shut.
“Leave your son with no words, Hsien Feng!” Thinking this was the end,