By the hour of Hai, when a certain palace maid in Xianju Hall carelessly let slip that the emperor George Thompson had already gone to Consort Wei, the expressions on the faces of the gathered women finally became quite a spectacle. Some twisted the handkerchiefs in their hands, some bit their lips in frustration, and some even stood up outright, found a random excuse, and turned to leave. As soon as the first person left, countless others followed suit. In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the once-crowded Xianju Hall was suddenly left empty.

Seeing this scene of people leaving as soon as the tea cooled, Grace Harper did not get angry but instead smiled, stood up, and let out a long breath. She then called over the four original palace maids along with the new ones, and instructed in a low voice, “Starting tomorrow, except for Empress Wei of the central palace and a few princesses outside, no matter who comes to visit in the inner palace, turn them all away. Just say that without an imperial decree, I cannot meet with palace ladies in private.”

The four old maids understood immediately, but the four new ones were a bit confused. Before Grace Harper could say anything more, laughter suddenly rang out from outside: “Aunt Harper, you’re so ruthless—does that mean I won’t be able to get through this door in the future either?”

Hearing that familiar voice, Grace Harper glanced outside and immediately spotted a head poking in at the door, and couldn’t help but smile. She casually dismissed the others, then went up and pulled Eric Blake inside, feigning annoyance as she scolded, “I thought you’d forgotten all about your aunt! People have been coming and going all afternoon and evening, but you, little girl, were nowhere to be seen. What, you couldn’t even manage a gift?”

“How could I not come to congratulate my aunt on her promotion to Jieyu?” Eric Blake blinked, and with a magician’s flourish produced a box from behind her back. “The most famous ‘Imperial Concubine Red’ from Tianxiangzhai in the South Market—I brought it especially for you!”

“You little rascal, you’re so stingy—only a box of pastries for a congratulatory gift!”

“Who was it that said the ‘Imperial Concubine Red’ from Tianxiangzhai is more beloved than gold?” Grace Harper’s cold stare might have intimidated others, but Eric Blake was unfazed. She then produced a long case from behind her back with her other hand. “But if you want a real congratulatory gift, here are some guqin strings I specially got from Qinxin Pavilion a few days ago. If I hadn’t won them in a wager, they wouldn’t have sold them for a thousand gold!”

Grace Harper had only been joking, but upon hearing that Eric Blake had gone to such lengths, she was truly delighted. She handed the guqin string case to a maid to be put away, then sat down with Eric Blake, opened the box of ‘Imperial Concubine Red’ pastries, picked one up to taste, and a look of nostalgic pleasure gradually appeared on her face. Though the palace had every delicacy imaginable, she always remembered when, as a child serving as a maid in the Yeting, her mother would trade her meager earnings from spinning and knitting socks for a small piece of pastry.

Seeing the obvious wistfulness on Grace Harper’s face, Eric Blake said nothing more, simply sitting quietly by her side. Who knows how much time passed, when suddenly a long, uncontrollable sigh came from across the table. But when she looked again, that expression had already vanished without a trace.

Grace Harper closed the pastry box and said slowly, “Today, when I went to see His Majesty and the Empress, Charles Brooks was forcefully arguing that all the Wu clan should be executed. Just then, that scoundrel submitted a memorial requesting to be spared his princely title, so His Majesty praised him for his understanding, and as a result, Charles Brooks was left quite embarrassed. It seems for now, the Wu family has managed to get through this crisis.”

So it was all thunder and no rain! Though she was impatient with Wu family affairs, the fact that her own surname was Wu could not be ignored, so Eric Blake did not forget to put her hands together and quietly give thanks. Still, how could it be such a coincidence that Wu Sansi happened to submit a memorial at just the right time? If not for Grace Harper’s accurate intelligence, could the timing have been so perfect? Poor Charles Brooks, how frustrated he must have been at that moment!

As she was thinking this, Grace Harper’s voice came with a warning: “By the way, be careful when you’re out and about these days. The Luoyang magistrate reports there are quite a few unidentified people in the city lately. Don’t get careless just because you know some martial arts!”

Eric Blake’s heart gave a jolt, and she smiled wryly. Wasn’t that Matthew Perry she ran into today just such an unidentified person from Tingzhou?

Chapter 11: The Midnight Surprise Attack

They say the moon is fullest on the sixteenth, but though this was only the fourteenth day of the first lunar month, after several days of clear weather following a heavy snow, not a single cloud could be seen in the sky, and a perfectly round, bright moon hung overhead. Yet, whether due to the season or some other reason, the moon, though large and round, seemed somewhat dim. In contrast, the surrounding stars shone brilliantly, their scattered points of light especially striking against the black night sky.

As the last guest in Xianju Hall that night, Eric Blake did not return home. Xianju Hall and Linbo Pavilion were very close, and her relationship with Grace Harper was anything but ordinary, so spending the night here was nothing out of the ordinary for her. However, this was the first night after Grace Harper’s promotion to Jieyu, and the next day was the annual Lantern Festival, giving the night a special significance.

Night had grown deep. Grace Harper had sent all the maids to rest, leaving only her trusted attendant Ruby to watch the door. As usual, she set up a Go board in the bedroom, and she and Eric Blake began a game, each picking up black and white stones to battle it out. Though they looked the part, both were only average players, and in their back-and-forth, mistakes abounded. In the end, all three games ended in a draw, causing the two to look at each other and laugh.