Upon leaving Jiaolan Hall, Emperor Jingren had meant to return to Chengqian Palace and simply sleep alone. He wasn’t the type to indulge in hedonism; sometimes he stayed the night with a consort or concubine purely to lie under the covers and talk. He had a few eccentric principles that he upheld like a hardline moralist. He could never be found spending half the night in bed with one woman, then getting worked up halfway through the night and running over to indulge in passions with another.

But the pure consort’s peculiar dancing had been much too forceful, and the accompaniment played by Lühu and Cuihu had been most invigorating. Despite the cacophony of that song, for some reason its melody reverberated in Emperor Jingren’s head as he went, as if cursed music had entered his ears. In ancient times there had been celestial music that echoed among the rafters for three days after it was played. Emperor Jingren had previously felt regretful that he couldn’t listen to the melodies of the past. But today he understood why there was a common saying about “good advancing by a step while evil advances by a mile”: the pure consort’s evil music wouldn’t echo among the rafters for a mere three days; it would last thirty!

And as the melody replayed in his head, the pure consort’s dancing also appeared before Emperor Jingren’s eyes, scene after scene. He simply couldn’t erase it from his mind, however he tried. Emperor Jingren heaved a lengthy sigh, sensing that if he remained alone tonight, he would never get to sleep. He needed something to divide his attention, so he would stop thinking so much of that song.

So without his volition, his footsteps turned toward the empress’s Qifeng Hall. For some reason, he felt that the empress’s countenance had the same power as those two famous generals of the Tang dynasty, Qin Shubao and Yuchi Gong: it could drive away evil.

At this point, a sudden embarrassment came over Emperor Jingren. He abided closely by the teachings of the sages and didn’t judge people based on appearances, yet today he was at odds with himself.

But regardless of what Emperor Jingren thought, his feet wouldn’t listen to him and still took him to the empress.

Following the emperor’s departure, the secret guard surveilling the pure consort on his orders loyally noted down that the pure consort had said, “Is square dancing that scary?”; tomorrow he would report it directly to His Majesty.

The emperor’s sudden visit to Qifeng Hall delighted all the empress’s servants; only the empress herself wore a false smile. Dressed only in a light robe, she was about to genuflect upon seeing the emperor, but Emperor Jingren quickly lifted her to her feet and said, “The two of us are husband and wife by first marriage. There ought to be mutual respect between us. Apart from the Ministry of Rites’ grand ceremonies, the empress has no need to observe such formalities before us.”

The empress’s smile widened, becoming a shade more sincere than her earlier false smile. She said, “Thank you, Your Majesty. Didn’t Your Majesty turn over the pure consort’s token? You aren’t planning on spending the night at Jiaolan Hall?”

Before she mentioned the pure consort, it had been all right. Now the evil music he had just managed to forget returned to his mind. Emperor Jingren gave an undignified toss of the head. “The pure consort is indisposed. We just wanted someone to talk to.”

Tilting his head up to look into the empress’s eyes, Emperor Jingren repeated those words in his mind: Yes, just a talk.

“It is your subject wife’s honor to speak to Your Majesty by candlelight.” Half welcoming and half leading, the empress took Emperor Jingren to her room. The bed was perfectly made, while a candle burned on the table, where an open book lay.

“You hadn’t turned in for the night yet?” Emperor Jingren asked.

Most people went to bed early. Apart from the suffering pure consort, nearly all the consorts and concubines in the palace were asleep by now. After all, by candlelight, both needlework and reading put great strain on one’s eyesight. Anyway, it was summer now, and the days were long; it was better to read during the day.

The empress said, smiling, “The heat of summer days is oppressive. It is impossible to concentrate. But the nights are cool, so while I feel calm, I flip through a few pages.”

Emperor Jingren was very curious about the book the empress was reading, so he picked it up. Seeing a bookmark of fine gold fretwork stuck between the pages, he knew he wouldn’t make the empress lose her place, so he closed the book and looked at the title: Sun Tzu’s Art of War.

Emperor Jingren was taken aback.

He took a deep breath and calmly replaced the book. Looking at the dim candlelight, he said, “We recall that last year an envoy from the southerners brought two glass lanterns that can make night as bright as day. One of those lanterns is in our study now. Since you like to read at night, tomorrow we will have the other lantern sent to you. Also, each hall is allotted ice in the summer. You feel oppressed by the heat during the day—is that because there isn’t enough ice? There is no need for you to adhere so rigidly to the customary allowance. If you are too hot, send for more ice.”

The empress was unmoved by the emperor’s favor. She said, “Thank you for your solicitousness, Your Majesty, but the ice is not necessary. Your subject wife performs spear dances outside during the day. No amount of ice would help.”

Spear dances… Emperor Jingren nodded and said stiffly, “The empress is the fierce daughter of a military family, a heroic woman.”

For some reason, after he said this, Emperor Jingren felt the atmosphere lighten. The pressure he had felt since coming through the door lifted, and he breathed easier.

Eyes fixed on Emperor Jingren, the empress said, “As Your Majesty is so caring, I will make so bold as to speak aloud what is in my heart. Actually, when I first came to the palace, I was unwilling. Others desire wealth, but I had no such thoughts. Nor did I want to vie with others for your affections. But it was what was expected of me by my family, so I had no choice.”

This was a rather rude thing to say. It might even be described as trampling Emperor Jingren’s dignity into the mud. But Emperor Jingren sensed that there was a hidden meaning behind the empress’s words; what she had said wasn’t as simple as it seemed.

“But now I no longer feel that way.” The empress rose and went to Emperor Jingren. She put her hands on the armrests of his chair, as if gathering Emperor Jingren into her arms.

This confining posture made Emperor Jingren a little uncomfortable, but he couldn’t very well squirm away from a woman, especially his own wife, so he only looked back at the empress in the same manner.

To his surprise, what he saw in the empress’s eyes was sincerity.

“It is suitable to die for one who recognizes your value,” the empress said earnestly. “I hereby swear that each day I remain in this world, I will do all I can to protect you. I will not let them neglect your feelings and hurt you by foisting upon you things you do not wish to do or people you do not like.”

Then, like a warrior, she went down on one knee, took Emperor Jingren’s hand, and kissed the back of it.

Her hands were so strong it seemed she could take everything in her grasp. Her shoulders were so broad it seemed she could hold up the whole realm for Emperor Jingren.

But Emperor Jingren only smiled slightly, pulled his hand away, and patted the empress on the shoulder. “A hundred thousand imperial guards protect our safety, and not only ours, yours as well. We have no need for you to ‘die for one who recognizes your value.’ We ask of you only to ‘indulge one who takes pleasure in your company.’ Every day I am alive, whether you bear children or not, you will still be my empress, beneath the one, above the many.”

Then he rose and said, “It’s late. Help us undress.”

The empress smiled and ordered the maids to make the bed, while she herself helped Emperor Jingren remove his stylish but somewhat cumbersome imperial robes and put on instead a bright yellow inner robe. Then she went to change herself.

When she was changed, the empress took a box from her wardrobe and removed a piece of incense from the box; she put it under her nose and sniffed it. Xiahe brought over an incense burner, and the empress was just about to put the incense inside; then she suddenly changed her mind and put the incense back in the box.

“Forget it. I’ll take appropriate measures as the need arises.” The empress smiled and put the box away. Wearing only an inner robe, she went to see Emperor Jingren.

She had been thinking that it would be no matter if she were found out; instead, when she returned to the room, she found Emperor Jingren already in bed, asleep, his brow slightly furrowed, as if he felt a little unwell.

The empress tapped the center of Emperor Jingren’s forehead, easing his brows apart, and quietly said, “Sleep well.”

Then she lay down in bed. The two of them, each covered by their own quilt, slept peacefully through the night.