Phoenix Rising

052

"I hope it's not too presumptuous of me to ask for you to accompany me for the memorial rites," Lady Li said to Zi-ning as their carriage trundled in through the main gates of the palace. "I was hoping to invite you over to the manor for tea a little earlier, but unfortunately there were too many arrangements for the memorial that needed my attention."

"Not at all, Madam. I'm honoured that you would think of me," Zi-ning replied.

The invitation had arrived at the Han manor two days ago, resulting in quite the flurry back home. Everyone was up in arms to find out that Lady Li had personally invited Zi-ning to enter the palace for the late crown prince's memorial rites, and Minister Han was only more than happy to oblige. The same could not be said of the other women of the household. Meisi hurled insults at her every time they crossed paths, and although Lady Min and Meiyan said nothing, Zi-ning knew they were fuming because there were sounds of things breaking from inside Meiyan's quarters every now and then.

Even though the ministers and their wives would be required to attend the memorial ceremony, the same could not be said of their offspring. Zi-ning had been bestowed with an honour that Meiyan and Meisi would never have.

Lady Li lifted the curtain of the window slightly, then she sighed. "I've told him many times that he no longer has to carry out these memorials, but he won't listen," she said quietly. "The dead have been gone for so long. Surely it's time we put them to rest..."

Zi-ning guessed that the "he" that Lady Li spoke of was the king. In her past life, she had attended two of these memorial ceremonies before, when she had been Ru-wen's consort, but she had only been able to see Lady Li from afar then. At that time, she remembered having a passing thought about King Shunde's piety and devotion towards his older brother. On hindsight, it was a pity the bond in their brotherly relationship had not been passed on to Shunde's own sons, else the tragedy she had experienced would not have happened.

The carriage did not stop in front of the great hall, where the rites would take place later in the day. Instead, it took them to the Winter Blossom Hall, which had once been Lady Li's quarters when she had been crown princess—and had somehow been kept vacant ever since.

The moment Zi-ning stepped out, her gaze was met by a sea of winter blossoms in bloom, weaving to form an exquisite tapestry of soft pink. It was obvious that the gardens of the Winter Blossom Hall had been carefully maintained, and when they walked into the front hall, the tidiness and orderliness of the space said the same about the interior of these quarters. It certainly did not look like a place that lacked an owner.

Did they tidy up because they knew that Lady Li would be coming? she wondered as she ran her fingers over the cold surface of an intricately carved and likely very expensive white jade guanyin that sat on the rosewood shelves. Not a speck of dust anywhere.

It was strange enough that Winter Blossom Hall, which was one of the most luxurious and centrally located living quarters in the royal palace, remained devoid of a new owner ever since Lady Li moved out. It would be stranger still for the palace attendants to bother keeping it this pristine all year round.

"My Lady," the chief attendant of the Hall, a middle-aged woman with greying hair tied in a neat bun, came forth and bowed respectfully to Lady Li. She ushered them through the front hall and down a corridor that was once again surrounded by winter blossom trees, before they arrived at an octagonal pavilion next to a small lily pond. A pot of jasmine tea was already brewing on its burner, and a small plate of green bean and osmanthus cakes beside it.

Lady Li beckoned for Zi-ning to sit down, after which, the attendants poured out two cups of perfectly warmed tea.

"This place is beautiful," Zi-ning remarked, raising her cup to her lips.