Samaya had expected to be kept waiting for a while when she arrived at the Tianfenggong.

To her surprise, however, she was quickly led to the large courtyard that surrounded the residence of the Empress. She had to walk beyond the Inner Court and the ForeHall directly to the heart of the Palace, where a grand residence stood. It was beautiful, jade pillars with crimson tiled roofs and golden carvings of Phoenix surrounding them. The murals depicted a Phoenix dancing with a dragon across the sky, the phoenix leaving a long trail of fire behind itself, matching the long tail of the Dragon. A seemingly divine light seemed to emanate from between the two, engulfing the world below them, represented by sceneries of fields, forests, villages, mountains, streams and rivers.

It was an obvious symbology, one did not even have to think about it. The Emperor was the dragon and the Empress was the phoenix and their combined light protected the world. Or perhaps created it. It was up for debate.

She must have paused for a bit too long, because the maid escorting her called for her, a hint of irritation in her voice.

“My lady, you must make haste,” she said, her voice soft. But Samaya could definitely hear the hint of disdain in it. “The Empress is waiting for you.” She emphasized that last word as if it was a personal insult to her that her mistress was waiting for someone like Samaya

She turned around and smiled at the woman, letting it roll off her. “Of course. I was just mesmerized by the art.”

The woman paused and nodded in appreciation. “It is a beautiful art.” Then, a stern frown marred her face. “But we must not keep Her Majesty waiting.”

“Of course,” she said and gestured forward. “Lead the way.”

The woman sniffed and then turned around, walking forward. Samaya exhaled softly. She was already exhausted. Why were these people so tiresome? What would not she give to go back to her home so she could actually punch her problems and make them go away?

She let her thoughts stray as she walked, absent-mindedly admiring the beautiful murals and pillars and paintings. Even the large talismans hanging over the place looked beautiful, fitting into the aesthetic of the place. She was led to a room, small compared to the massiveness and larger-than-life aura of the Palace. It was more private, perhaps a place where she entertained the Empress Dowager or the Emperor or even her close family members.

Then… what did she do to deserve this honor?

There were a variety of different snacks and tea laid out on the table at the center, The maids bowed as soon as she entered and she was clearly to be seated right across the Empress at the table, instead of to the side, on a luxurious mattress on the floor while she sat on the slightly elevated couch.

This was not the behaviour of someone looking to insult her in some way. She was almost treating her like an equal. Unless it was a trap. She quickly shook that thought out of her head. Paranoia was good to a certain extent. But once one went beyond that extent, it became a liability. Her mentor taught her that.

She exhaled softly and knelt on the ground, bowing her head. “Greetings, Your Majesty. I am grateful for your invitation.”

“Arise. You are my guest today, you do not need to kneel.”

She stood and bowed again. “Thank you, Your Majesty.” She then straightened and turned around. “Min.”

The girl stepped forward and handed her a small but beautifully carved wooden box. “Here, Your Majesty. This humble concubine has brought you a small gift.”

The Empress gestured at one of the maids who moved forward and took the box from her, taking it to the Empress. “It is not much. But this is the dried leaves of a plant that grows in abundance in the QingHu province. People there use it as a remedy for headaches and sleeplessness. It is good, but only in small amounts. I realize that this is unusual, but this is the only thing I can think of to gift you, Your Majesty. I did not think I could afford something luxurious enough for the esteem of Your Majesty. Therefore, I have brought you a gift that is meaningful to my home. I hope Your Majesty forgives my insolence and accepts it.”

Oh good. She managed to keep her speech relatively similar to the script. She had practised those words with Lian countless times. Anything she could afford to buy would have looked cheap against this opulence. Lian was right in that the gift had to be meaningful instead of expensive, But it was also true that the woman could have easily taken offence to her act of bringing in only a box of plants.

Sure enough, there was offence. Just… not from the Empress.

“You dare gift the Empress these weeds?” It was the woman who had led her here.

“Well… those weeds helped through countless nights and headaches. It is something special to me and my hometown. I only wished to give the Empress something of her people, especially now that in her condition she might have trouble sleeping.”

“You-”

“It is a very thoughtful gift,” the Empress interrupted her. “Ri, take this and make us two cups of tea. I shall drink it and examine the truth of these claims myself.”

Samaya looked at the girl. “Half a teaspoon for headaches. One or one and a half teaspoon for sleep. Never more than two teaspoons.”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“Why?” The Empress asked, looking at her warily.

“You are pregnant, Your Majesty. It is not recommended. As much as I like it, it does have some side effects and is easy to get addicted to.”

“I see.” She paused and then nodded at Ri. “Half a teaspoon then.”

She turned to Samaya. “Sit down, Lady Qing.”

It was an order.

She obeyed and sat down opposite the woman.

“Have some snacks while we wait for the tea.” The Empres pushed one of the plates towards her.

She did not touch it and instead stared at the woman.

“Your Majesty, now may I ask why you invited me?” She asked. “I shall be very honest. I know there is no love lost between us. You consider me and my son eyesores and I do not blame you. So, why … all this?”

She gestured at everything.

The woman sighed and tapped her fingers on the table. “I called you here … for advice.”

“For advice?” She asked, surprise in her voice.

“Yes.” She seemed to hesitate for a moment. This was probably something difficult for her. Samaya understood. To ask her, a peasant woman whose son could very well take the position of Heir, for advice must be very harrowing for the woman, who had grown up in a noble household and then became Empress. She was pragmatic, but she also had her pride. It seemed both sides were fighting each other.

At the end, pragmatism won out.

“I wish to ask you… how did you raise Prince Xu?”

“What?” She asked, dumbfounded again.

Of all the things to ask…

She guessed it made sense. Was this a to-be mother’s nervousness?

Could be.

The Empress sighed. “The Emperor speaks to me on a lot of things, including Prince Xu. He seems so very proud and doting.” Proud and doting? That man? “He claims that Prince Xu would grow up to be a fine warrior. More than that, a fine man. The Prince must have accomplished much for the Emperor to have such a good opinion. What did you do? What did you do that the Prince became such an ideal little Imperial Prince? How can-” she seemed to cut herself off, frowning, hesitating again to speak.

“How can yo do it as well?” Samaya asked, guessing her last question.

The woman paused. And then nodded.

So this was what she was worried about. Not only that the Manu would become Heir, but that her own son won’t measure upto him.

She sighed softly. “First of all, you need to stop doing that, Your Majesty.”

The woman was confused. “Doing what?”

“Comparing your child to mine.” She shook her head when the woman opened her mouth to protest. “Please do not deny it. It is as clear as day.” She sighed. “May I speak frankly?”

The woman paused before gesturing at the maids. All of them bowed and walked out of the parlour, closing the door behind them. The room must be sound insulated. Made sense, since it was private room.

“The poor child has not even been born yet. It is not fair to them to compare them to Manu when they have not even come to the world. You do not know how the child will grow up to be, what they will like, what they will not, what they will be good at, what they will be bad at. You do not even know if they will be a Prince or a Princess. Comparing them to another will only build resentment in them, Your Majesty. A hatred for themself, especially if they are not able to live up to the standards you set for them. They will keep asking themself. Am I not good enough? Why am I not good enough? Why is everything I do a mess? Why is anything I do never enough for Mother? What do I do?”

“You sound like you speak here from experience.”

“I do.” She nodded but did not go into the detail. “And perhaps that colors my words slightly. But I stand by what I say. Your child will be their own person. They will grow up to be strong and unique and special in their own way.” She exhaled softly. “I do not think I can give you much advice on how to raise a child. I barely knew what I was doing. He just came into my life and I did my best to hold onto him and protect him. That’s all I could do. However,” she leaned forward, “I know one thing that you must do.”

“What?” The Empress asked, her eyes sparkling in anticipation.

“Love them. However, that child is, love them, cherish them, protect them. Them, not the Prince, not the Princess, not the Heir to the throne, but the child. Your child. I never knew Manu was a Prince. And I do not care that he is a Prince. All I know is that he is my son and I will go to the ends of the Earth to protect him.”

“Yes, I gathered.”

Samaya chuckled in response, showing no remorse for the previous events.

“Love that child,” she repeated. “Make sure they know you love them, no matter what. Even if they are not as good as others, even if they are not what you want them to be. Teach them to protect themself. Make sure they are confident in themself and, most importantly, are able to love themself. I want to make sure that my son grows up to be a healthy human being and a good person. That is all that matters to me.”

The Empress exhaled, her eyes drooping slightly. It made her look a bit sad. “Alas. I do not have the luxury.”

Samaya tilted her head. “I know. I cannot say I understand, but I know.” After all, she probably had pressure on her to get her family's blood on the throne. “That’s why, it is important to focus on the first part. Love, cherish and protect, no matter what.”

The Empress seemed to be lost in thought now.

Samaya leaned back, waiting for her answer, just as she heard a knock from the door.