His Favored Empress

Terrible Tea

They turned down a hallway and entered a large courtyard with a French country design. The smell of lavender, lemon, and mint entered his senses and filled him with a sense of tranquility. The hall on this side was outside and several topiaries lined the wall while one side was open to the courtyard garden. A guard stood at the end of the hall. When he saw Shaugn approach, he stood straighter and bowed.

"Greetings, your majesty."

Shaugn nodded in response. "Greetings. How are things in the harem?"

"They are quiet, majesty. The consorts are having tea in the back garden."

"I'll go take a look."

"Yes, your majesty." The guard took a wooden tube the length of a pinky and as thin as a pencil and blew into one end. A moment later, a stern-looking woman with her hair pulled back into a tight bun approached them. She was dressed in a light blue gown tied with a white obi-style belt. She looked at Shaugn with dark beady eyes.

"Your majesty." She bowed.

Shaugn channeled his experience with tv dramas and historical movies into an aloof and arrogant demeanor. "I'm here to check on the harem. Please inform the kitchen I will be joining them for tea."

"Yes, your majesty. " She waved her hand at a young servant following behind her. Then she turned back to Shaugn. "Follow me this way."

They took a short walk and entered a covered courtyard surrounded by a low hedge and peonies. Three women and two men were seated at the table. They all stood up as Shaugn entered. These were the consorts that had the highest status within the harem. The women had given birth to children and the men were of high birth. As Shaugn passed by, he made sure to give them all an assessing gaze.

A woman wearing a yellow dress with red flowers embroidered on it, spoke. "We were told his majesty wanted us to go to his place for lunch tomorrow. Why did you come here today?"

Arching his brow at her tone, Shaugn stood at the head of the table and clasped his hands behind his back. No one else spoke. The people with him were frowning at the woman who spoke. Nirik stepped forward to speak but Shaugn's hand on his shoulder stopped him.

This woman was the ambitious maid who became the third consort. Her name was Shilian. She had given birth to a son and a daughter for the emperor. But her son was not the first son. That honor belonged to the second consort -Sieh. Shilian's son would have been the second son had she not played her games. 

During Sieh's second pregnancy, she'd been poisoned and her son was born a month early. Had that not happened, Shilian's son would have been the second born and one step closer to the throne. He was now the third in line. If nothing happened to the other two princes, he'd probably never be the emperor. The third consort had been bitter since.

Shaugn looked her up and down. There was no doubt in his mind who it was that enjoyed using poison to achieve their ends. He was sure two of these present, if not more, were responsible for OG's misery and the death of his father and first child. 

He smiled. "It is considered standard practice to greet someone with a 'hello' or 'good morning' first."

There were a few chuckles. Shilian's cheeks burned. She stuck her nose in the air and snorted as if she was the empress. "Hello. Why are you here?"

"Even I know a 'your majesty' should be attached on there somewhere," Nirik chastised. A man at the end of the table snorted.

Annoyance was beginning to show on Shilian's face. She grit her teeth and clenched her hand into a fist. "Your majesty. Why are you here?" she ground out.