At the Palaces in the Imperial City, servants and slaves seldom had much freedom to do what they wanted, and one of the few pastimes was to discuss rumours and gossip about various matters overheard by them. So within only a few days, rumours quickly spread within the City, but, as no one wished to mention any names, it quickly warped not only to a man being interested in the fifteen-year-old, but that it was one of the highly regarded tutors, officials, or ministers and that they had an affair behind the Crown Prince’s back.
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince flew into a fit of rage.
“Call that dirtied girl here!”
The slave bowed and hurried out of the door.
U’il-šanad happened to enter the shared room for their studies at that very moment. Caught by surprised he took a swift step aside, narrowly avoiding to walking into the slave boy, who instead ran into the attendant behind him.
A guard was about to catch the boy, but saw U’il-šanad’s slight motion to let him leave.
“What is the matter, elder brother?” U’il-šanad asked as he could properly step into the room.
“One of the girls father prepared is unfaithful!”
“Oh? That is quite unfortunate. Which one?”
“Some nameless girl. Not worth much. I’ll dispose of her.”
U’il-šanad looked at the Crown Prince in thought, while the Crown Prince’s expression relaxed as some of his angered faded.
“This girl’s name does not happen to be ‘Çuiren’?”
The Crown Prince tsked. “Yes, I’m speaking of that worthless girl. Do you know of her?”
The Crown Prince motioned for U’il-šanad to sit so they could chat properly, and U’il-šanad’s attendant brought over a chair for him.
“Çui-fa is quite beautiful,” he said while taking a seat and his attendant poured water for him in a silver cup. “She caught my eye once. If you do not wish to own her, how about giving her to me?”
“For you to want a whore is unusual.”
“‘Whore’?” U’il-šanad looked surprised. “What exactly have you heard, elder brother? Please share your knowledge with me.”
U’il-šanad wasn’t one to gossip, but he had always been a curious kind, so when he leaned closer to the Crown Prince, he didn’t find it odd that he showed such interest in rumours of a young slave girl.
“They say she gave herself to one of the ministers.”
“Why would a minister wish to ruin his reputation and risk his head? Surely Father Emperor would not choose such unreliable officials?” U’il-šanad’s eyes opened wide and he covered his mouth, before he continued in a whisper. “Is elder brother suggesting Father Emperor is incapable of seeing the good from the bad? I cannot believe elder brother to question Father Emperor!”
“Naturally I don’t question my Imperial Uncle. The Emperor is wise,” the Crown Prince reassured him. “But if it’s not a minister, then who? A lower official? A bodyguard? Tell me!”
“I dare not make guesses. I am not clever enough to deduce such things on my own. Besides, I have yet to hear of this; how could I impart you with knowledge, when you yourself are already so well-informed, elder brother?”
“How can you not? My guards told me it’s been going around the entire palace now. Everyone knows of my unfaithful slave.”
“Elder brother, where is the evidence this is all true?”
“What evidence is there to find? Do you wish for me to find the manhood that pierced my slave’s blossom?”
U’il-šanad covered the lower half of his face with his sleeve. “Oh my! My dear brother, the Crown Prince, says such vulgar things! How can I ever face you again, elder imperial brother?” He sounded quite believable, but the arch of his lower lids betrayed his amusement.
“Tsk. If you’re going to hide behind wide sleeves, they better be tied to your wrists.”
“But elder brother, how can I hide my embarrassment and astonishment if you will not allow me my sleeves? Father Emperor would be devastated to see such a fragile divine such as myself show flushed cheeks at the mention of blossoms.”
“Now you’re being silly. When have you ever blushed in the face of vulgar blossoms?”
“Do not wrong me, elder brother! How could I not blush? I am not strong like you, nor fit to lead our land. The Deities of the Elements blessed me not to be such a man like you.”
“I can never make sense of whether you enjoy your fragile body, or if you hate it.”
“I neither loathe nor love what the Deities offered me, elder brother. I received what they ought to trust be for the best.”
“This is why the Emperor will never make you heir apparent. You yield to the Deities, when you ought to stand alongside them as the Emperor’s child.”
“Elder brother is too kind. Father Emperor would not choose me even if he disregarded the birth order. Even Prince Rü’ia is a better choice than myself, young as he may be.”
The Crown Prince laughed. “‘Young’? He’s barely more than a toddler and the Emperor himself has since long declared our cousin much too young to truly be considered an heir.”
“If Prince Rü’ia is too young, then I am too impure. You forget that my birth mother is not Mother Empress, but a lowly concubine of Father Emperor’s. You are the firstborn of my eldest imperial uncle, and the son of his wife proper. You are first in line as Father Emperor had sons later, thus you are the Crown Prince. Being a fragile divine is not a poor lot for me.” He took the cup his attendant offered him, then smiled at the Crown Prince. “Now then, elder brother, will you tell me what evidence there is for the affair between Çui-fa and a minister or official? I am quite curious. Are there eye witnesses, mayhap?”
The Crown Prince turned to his guard. “Have you confirmed the rumours?”
“With all due respect, Your Imperial Highness, but no one dares to utter the name of the man. He must be quite highly esteemed and have shown favour towards the girl.”
“See, there are no doubts.”
U’il-šanad sipped on the warm liquid until the cup was emptied then replied: “You are wise, elder brother.” He nodded and put down the cup on the table before he stood up after his bodyguard offered to help him stand. “I shall spare you the embarrassment and speak to father Emperor myself.”
“No need, no need. How could I let you do such a thing? This is already a vulgar affair; how could I involve you, who the Emperor loves dearly? No, I shall take it upon myself, and spare you the embarrassments. You may have wide sleeves, but it won’t shield you from far worse rumours, if you stand up for me now.”
“Elder brother is wise.”
U’il-šanad smiled before he left the study, two of his bodyguards carrying books as they followed him. Once out of range for the Crown Prince to hear, the Prince turned his amber eyes to his trusted guard walking to his right.
“How come I heard nothing of this affair?”
“I thought it unimportant, Your Highness.”
“It’s about the girl I set my eyes on; how is it unimportant?”
The guard lowered his head in apology. “Your Royal Highness never involves yourself in the gossips of the palace, so it seemed this, too, was of little value. I was a fool.”
“Have you told my father I want Çui-fa?”
“I have indeed, Your Highness. I personally went to ensure he would know of your wish to take her for yourself. He wondered if it was as a serving girl or a maidservant. Unable to answer, I simply told him that you saw her during one of her lessons.”
The Prince looked thoughtful before he smiled. “You were quite right. This rumour is unimportant. If the Crown Prince doesn’t want her, and I do, I will easily get my hands on her now.”
“Your Highness, may I ask why? Surely it is not as a serving girl? If this rumour is true…”
U’il-šanad lifted his arm and hid behind the sleeve. “Please, please, say no more. I am tormented by shame.”
“Your Highness? You don’t mean…?”
U’il-šanad laughed soundlessly behind the sleeve. “I am quite serious, my dear guard. And I will get what I wish for, at all times.”
“But for you to wish her as a serving girl… Was her beauty that outstanding?”
“Her eyes are deep like seas at night; her hair, the darkest silk; skin, the shade of lilies and lips kissed by roses. I wonder who found her and where…”
“Shall we investigate?”
“Please do. I wish to know all about Çui-fa’s background. Parents, life before she was brought here, who sold her… Every little detail, no matter how unimportant.” He tapped his rosy bottom lip in thought. “Make sure it’s not just what men she may have been with. I’m not interested in trivialities such as that, though I certainly am curious.”
“Shall we investigate the rumour within the Palace first?”
U’il-šanad chuckled. “No need. The highly esteemed man is none other than myself, I am quite sure.”
“Your Highness, how could this be? You have had no women serving you in your chambers! You didn’t leave your chambers, did you? If so…” the guard swallowed nervously.
U’il-šanad chuckled behind his sleeve. “Naturally, I have done no such thing. I have been in my chambers at night and received no visitors.”
“Then…” Another guard moved slightly closer, lowering his voice to barely more than an exhale. “How bold of you, Your Highness. In broad daylight.”
U’il-šanad had to stop to lean against the wall as he could nearly not hold in his laughter.
Had this been his own chamber he would have roared, but he was in the eye of the public anywhere where even so much as a servant not of his could see or hear him.
The guards were at a loss for what to do. They couldn’t forcibly escort the Prince nor did they want to pretend he was ill and alarm the Emperor.
“Your Royal Highness, may the Sun shine wisdom upon you,” the Prince heard after a while, his shoulders still shaking and his stomach hurting. He turned to see the slave from earlier and behind him was a round face with sharp eyebrows. Her clear eyes were like they were made out of water reflecting the bark of a tree, and petals would fall and stir in them any moment.
He ignored the slave boy and stepped up to Çuiren. “Çui-fa, we meet again.”
She curtsied. “Your Royal Highness, it is my pleasure to find that you still remember my name. But my heart is filledwith anxiety, having seen Your Highness look ill.”
He chuckled. “It was nothing of importance. I will return to my chambers to rest now, regardless.”
Çuiren studied the Prince, then nodded. “Then I shall take my leave.”
“You better hurry, elder brother, the Crown Prince, isn’t a patient man.”
U’il-šanad hadn’t exaggerated that the Crown Prince wasn’t a patient man. As soon as she stepped inside, he flew into another fit of rage. Çuiren looked down into the floor, wondering how such vile rumours could have spread.
She had noticed the odd atmosphere, but she thought it was just the slaves in her living quarters and the other ones in her class, at most. Yet no one explained the situation to her. Some surely delighted in the rumours, other felt bad for being judged for following the Emperor’s wishes, yet this one girl could ruin their reputation before they could prove their worth to the Princes or Emperor.
She fell to her knees, pressing her forehead against the back of her hands in a kowtow. “I have been wronged!”
“They all say that. Have father dispose of her.”
The guard studied the girl earnestly, bowing toward the Crown Prince. He shook his hand and pulled to her feet. When she looked at him in horror, he shook his head. Çuiren wanted to talk back and prove her innocence, but that was not the plan of the deities.