Chapter 13: 12. Karma

Tang Daiyu went to the throne room to find her husband. He was seated on the throne, reading through some documents. She walked forward and bowed respectfully.

"Greetings, Your Majesty."

He looked up and smiled. "Daiyu, what a pleasant surprise. What are you doing here?"

"An Mei can't be trusted. She's been writing back to Emperor Jianyuan the entire time. I told Hua Chao-Xing to give her fifty lashes for her treason."

"I'm sorry, Daiyu. I can replace her if you want."

She nodded. "I need attendants that I can trust. An Mei needs to be gotten rid of."

"We'll leave her in Chang when we go there."

"Okay. But for now, I leave it to you to replace her."

He nodded. "I’ll send someone over this afternoon."

She bowed again. "Thank you, Rong."

"Of course."

Tang Daiyu excused herself and left.

~~~

Later that day, Tang Daiyu was reading in her residence when Hua Chao-Xing walked in. Her attendant bowed.

"Your Highness, His Majesty has sent someone over."

"Send her in, Hua Chao-Xing."

A new attendant walked in and kowtowed before Tang Daiyu. She examined her.

"This is Wu Caihong."

"Greetings, Your Highness."

Her face remained perfectly calm. "Rise, Wu Caihong."

Her new attendant stood up and kept her head down. Tang Daiyu rose from her seat and walked over to her. She raised the girl's head.

"Do you know who I am?"

"Y- yes, you're the Honoured Consort."

"Well, yes, but do you know my family name?"

Wu Caihong stammered, "T- Tang. Emperor Rong told me your real identity."

Tang Daiyu nodded. "Most in this palace assume I'm Qiao Yue. But both you and Hua Chao-Xing know the truth. I need

attendants that I can trust with secrets. I know I can trust Hua Chao-Xing. Can I trust you, Wu Caihong?"

Her new attendant nodded quickly. "Yes, Honoured Consort. I promise to serve you as best I can."

"Good," Tang Daiyu said. "Only the Emperor and his immediate family know that I am a Tang. His Imperial Uncles and Royal Cousins don't know. Be careful of where you say things and who you say them in front of."

"Yes, Honoured Consort."

"Alright, Hua Chao-Xing will brief you on how things work around here. For now, do whatever she says."

"Yes, Honoured Consort."

Satisfied, Tang Daiyu turned her attention to her book.

~~~

After having been given the fifty lashes, An Mei was led over to the palace prison. There, she was locked away for an indefinite time.

A week later, Tang Daiyu walked to the prison and talked with the guards. She was escorted over to An Mei's cell. A guard took out the ring of keys and unlocked the cell door. Tang Daiyu dismissed him, walked in and stood before her old friend.

"An Mei."

The other woman's head raised, and she asked coldly, "What do you want, Qiao Yue? Have you come to gloat?"

Tang Daiyu's eyes narrowed. "You brought this upon yourself when you agreed to spy on me. I thought we were friends."

"You were always better than me in everything. Even Princess Ling favoured you more. We were never equals; we could never have been friends."

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Realisation dawned on Tang Daiyu. "You have been working for Emperor Jianyuan since the beginning. He assigned you to Princess Ling to watch me."

Emperor Jianyuan, you will regret the day you offended me.

An Mei glared up at her. Tang Daiyu said coldly, "You've gotten what's been awaiting you, An Mei. The gods will surely not forgive you, and neither will Emperor Rong."

"Emperor Rong was a fool for marrying you. You pretend to be smart and wise, but you're just a maid pulled from the streets of Chang'an. Soon enough, he'll realise that. And when he does, your own karma will be served to you."

Tang Daiyu's eyes blazed. Using her qinggong, she shot forward, reached out, and pressed An Mei against the wall. With her hand at her former maid's throat, she growled, "Is that really what you think, An Mei? That I'm just some peasant, some street rat Emperor Jianyuan found in Chang'an?"

"Who else would you be? There's no noble family of Qiao. You have no background, no history, nothing."

Her hand tightened, choking An Mei.

I could kill her right now. The hidden weapons on my person would be good. They’re lethal enough.

"You aren't any better. You're just the daughter of a low lord. Compared to you, I-"

Just then, she heard the door open behind her. Tang Daiyu quickly let go, took a few steps back, turned around, and bowed as Feng Rong entered.

"Greetings to Your Majesty."

He nodded to her. Then, his eyes shifted towards An Mei and narrowed.

"You betrayed Honoured Consort's trust and my trust. For that, I cannot forgive you."

Feng Rong looked to Daiyu and asked, "Are you okay if she remains here until everything's settled?"

She nodded. "Wu Caihong is trustworthy. She'll serve me well. Thank you, Rong."

"Of course. I'm glad she worked out. Shall we go?"

He held out his arm, and she rested her hand on top of his.

They left the cell and walked out of the prison without looking back. The two returned to the throne room where Prince Yelang and Princess Guang were waiting. They bowed as Feng Rong and Tang Daiyu entered.

"Greetings to Your Majesty and Honoured Consort."

"Please, Royal Father, sister, stand."

She smiled. "Hello, Prince Yelang, Princess Guang."

"We heard about your maid."

"Ahh, An Mei. Yes, she betrayed me and now her karma has come."

"Does An Mei know, Daiyu?"

"What, who I am? No. I tested her to see if she did, but it doesn't seem like it. She still thinks I'm just a street rat pulled from Chang'an."

"It's better she still believes that. Upon your coronation as Empress, we'll announce your true identity."

"Okay. I think it'll be safe by then. Heping has no qualms with my family. Chang does."

The rest of the Feng family nodded. Tang Daiyu soon excused herself and returned to her residence. There, she saw no sign of her two attendants. Then, her ears picked up on something. There was a swish of clothing, and Tang Daiyu spun around to see a person, their nose and mouth covered, wearing a sheathed sword on their hip. Cautious, she took a step back. The masked person held up their hands placatingly and uncovered their face.

"It's okay, Honoured Consort. We met on the road to Nanning, remember?"

Recognition dawned on her. She nodded.

"Why are you here?"

"We have a source in the palace and heard about your predicament. I'm here to offer you any help you may need."

"Thank you, sir, but my husband and I are taking care of things. I do appreciate your concern for me though."

"Yes, of course, Honoured Consort. If you ever have need of us, we will know."

Then, he melted back into the shadows and disappeared. Tang Daiyu let out a long sigh of relief.

At least I know I have some support from fellow Chang citizens in this city.

Just then, Hua Chao-Xing and Wu Caihong entered the residence. They walked over to her and bowed.

"What is it?"

"We've been tasked with making the preparations for your upcoming coronation."

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