Page 41 of A Song to Drown Rivers
“You’re going to make that poor king lose his mind over you,” Zhengdan said without sympathy, clicking her tongue.
“Good. The sooner he loses his mind, the sooner his kingdom—”
Suddenly, the doors swung open. A maid entered, holding my meal.
My heart thudded in my chest as I tried to look natural. Had she overheard our conversation? Could she guess at what we were planning? The maid did not say anything, but she was staring atus oddly when she came forward and presented the tray. Up close, I saw that she had a flat, round face, with thin brows and eyes set wide apart. She was not the one who usually delivered my meals.
“We have a new drink from the kitchen today,” she murmured, her eyes cast down. There was an unpolished, regional accent to her words. Her hands were coarse too, peasant’s hands, and they trembled as she lifted the lid from a pretty cloisonné cup. A rich fragrance wafted toward us, sweet like honeyed osmanthus and dates. Inside was a dark green liquid that resembled tea. “It’s good for digestion. Do try it.”
I searched her face for any lingering signs of suspicion as I lifted the cup to my lips—
“Don’t drink that,” Zhengdan said sharply, swiping at my arm.
The cup slipped from my hand and shattered with a loud tinkling sound, the murky liquid pooling over the ground. The silence that followed was deafening. I could hear my own furious breathing, my pounding heartbeat.
Zhengdan’s eyes were bright with fear. “Don’t,” she said again. “It’s poison.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The maid stumbled back, her face stark white.Her widened gaze darted from the liquid spilled before our feet, up to my face, then down again.
“It’s not,” she stammered, shaking her head so hard her braided knot threatened to unravel. She could barely get the words out through chattering teeth. “I—I swear it—I don’t know anything—please, miss—”
“I recognize you,” Zhengdan was saying, and I saw the immediate effect of her words. The maid stiffened and recoiled as though Zhengdan had raised a hand to slap her. “You were with the palace ladies the other day. You’re one of Lady Yu’s maids, aren’t you?”
The maid didn’t reply, just uttered a low whimpering sound.
Somehow, her panic worked like an antidote, counteracting mine. I felt a curious sense of calm descend over me, my head clearing. A path opened up before me, as natural and obvious as if it were predetermined by the heavens itself. I needed only follow it.
“Lady Yu’s maid,” I repeated slowly. Now, I saw that what I’dtaken for suspicion had in fact been guilt. “She’s the one who set you up with the poison?”
The maid shook her head again. “N-no. No, it’s not like that. It isn’t poison—”
“Really?” I took a step forward. I felt the power of my own presence, my dark eyes bearing down on her. “Then drink it.”
She flinched. “W-what?”
I pointed at the puddle of liquid. “There’s still some left. Just drink it, and I’ll believe you.”
The maid seemed completely frozen for a moment, her face contorted in despair. She looked very young, perhaps fourteen or fifteen at most. Perhaps she had been sent into the palace by her parents, in hopes of advancing their social standing—the typical commoner’s fantasy of working in the palace, only to one day be noticed and adored by the king and eventually picked as his concubine. Or perhaps her family was already dead, and she had nowhere else to go. I felt a prickling of guilt, but my stance did not soften. Then there was a loudthud. With a choked sob, she threw herself down on all fours and kowtowed, all but banging her head against the hard wood, her voice trembling as much as her small body. “P-please, forgive me, miss. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I really didn’t mean to—”
“You clearly did mean to,” I said with a dry huff of laughter. “You knew what you were doing. If my palace lady hadn’t intervened, I would be dead right now.”
“I’m sorry,” she babbled. “I just—I don’t want to die. I’ll do anything, whatever you ask. Please. Please, miss, spare me.”
Over the young maid’s shivering, curled-up form, Zhengdan gave me a hard look. A nod of confirmation. I knew that if the one almost poisoned had been her, she would be happy to turn the page, to let the maid go with only a warning. But because it was me, she had no room for mercy.
“Look at me,” I instructed.
The maid hesitated, then lifted her head slowly. Her cheeks were streaked with tears, her skin splotched pink and red.
“What is your name?” I asked.
Clearly, she thought it was a trap; perhaps I would take her name and immediately run off with it to the king. She clamped her mouth shut.
Zhengdan crouched down beside the maid and placed a hand on her shoulder. The maid tensed under her touch as if it were a killing blow. “If you don’t want to die, then I suggest you answer whatever Lady Xishi asks of you.”
A beat. The maid swallowed thickly, then replied, “Xiaomin.”
