Two years later...
The palace has returned to its near normality, influenced only by Li’s absence and the Empress Zizi’s death. During this period the Emperor changed his daily routine a little, giving more emphasis to his public life at the expense of the private. In the official acts, inside the palace, the Empress’ throne remained empty, as if to remind that one day it would be occupied again by someone. This particular one conferred serenity to the court, except among the concubines where a climate of tension was notorious, contrasting strongly with the calm that lived in the rest of the personnel. Among them, the climate of intrigue and envy ran high - on a level of almost explosion. The youngest girls recently admitted and the ladies-in-waiting, were, here and there, making their predictions of who would be in the most favorable conditions to access the favorite places of the Emperor’s preference. This speculative wave extended, however, to other situations of a more serious nature. Rumors began to circulate through the corridors of the palace that the death of the Empress, after all, had not been as natural as the doctors’ diagnosis had admitted. Behind the scenes, especially among the ladies, there was the version of a probable poisoning. This version began to have supporters when it became known of the death of a cat that had ingested liquid, spilled accidentally, from a teapot existing in the Empress’ quarters - since the death of the Empress that her quarters had remained closed. Among the doctors the version was another - according to them, the death of the animal was probably due to the existence of poison that, however, resulted from the long time of permanence of the tea in the teapot that was of metal and had many precious stones embedded.
With the death of Empress Zizi and the absence of Li, the way was free for Xi, who took advantage of every moment to gain more and more influence with the Emperor. As time went by, that influence grew to such an extent that, in the eyes of the Emperor, it began to make sense to grant her a new status. At a certain point, in the corridors, there were talks of preparations for a new marriage. Shortly after, with the death of her father, Li returned to the palace. The first news, unwanted, to which she had to adjust, was precisely that Xi would soon be the new Empress. Among the concubines this event was already admitted, but for Li it was a brutal shock! The atmosphere of tension previously existing between Li and the other concubines had become lessened with time, perhaps because she now posed no threat to the others. The Emperor, busy with his political life, did not appear or claimed any of his concubines, however special they had been in the past. In the corridor conversations between concubines, the eunuch Zhu was now much talked about, both because of the circumstances of Empress Zizi’s death, and because of his influence with Xi. Among the eunuchs, the atmosphere was reserved and little given to corridor conversations. They didn’t externalize what was in their soul. There seemed to be total serenity among them. The concubines’ reading of this environment was, however, quite different, with the version that they were living another calm period before war.
Xi, in the months leading up to her wedding, was coy in her chambers, wrapped in silence, as if preparing some or simply hibernating to renew her poisons, more suited to her future social condition. The beginning of preparations for the festivities now pointed to a modest marriage, without the pomp and circumstance of other times, either because of the Emperor’s age or because he revealed, in recent years, less appetite for social life - a reflection of declining health, far from the vigor of youth. The official invitations, strongly limited in the number of attendances, revealed that same lack of enthusiasm that seemed to be installed in the soul of the Emperor. Had it not been for the commitment and dedication of Zhu, now appointed as coordinator responsible for the arrangements of the imperial enclosures and rooms, the celebrations would have been reduced to a gloomy, almost effaced wedding. The bride’s dress, prepared under Xi’s direct guidance, stood out in contrast to everything else. In this particular, it exceeded all that was predictable. Among the oldest ladies in the palace, it was commented that there was no memory of such a meticulous and pompous dress preparation as that which Xi had just had executed. All the concubines were invited to give their opinion on the dress, with the exception of Li, who was even forbidden to enter those quarters. Xi knew she had to be cautious, now more than ever - her enemy Li had to stay at a distance, not only from the Emperor, but also from anything that might damage the image of the ceremony. Gradually, in the corridors, conversations began to be heard among the concubines, expressing fascination and amazement at the dress, so that at one point there was not a single conversation between them that did not have this subject as the main theme.
- My friend Xi has a dress that matches her stardom, don’t you think?! – Observed the concubine Titi, perhaps to make it clear that the future Empress was her personal friend.
- I have been around for many years and I can assure you that to this day I have never seen anything comparable!
- She always knew what she wanted! I’m not surprised by all this.
When the big day finally came, Xi got up much earlier than usual. For her the night had not been quiet at all, she had had restless dreams and nightmares, involving a lot of emotion. After a light and first meal in the morning, she met Zhu to find out once again that everything was ready and compliant. Then she headed to the room where the wedding dress had been made, having noticed, strangely, that the door was half-open. That circumstance made her nervous, as she had given express orders for that door to remain closed at all times. She had been careful, but “despite all the care and recommendations, the result is this” she thought, already a little irritated. Xi took a look around the room, but as everything seemed normal to her, she became calmer, reducing the importance of the incident and ensuring, when she left, that the door was well closed. At the agreed time and with the arrival of the ladies-in-waiting, it was initiated the dressing of the bride. All the women were able to confirm once again that the dress was a real work of art. All that remained was to apply the final part of the veil - a long covering mantle, with pearls and precious stones inlaid, which gave the ensemble an incomparable beauty. For security reasons, this final adornment piece was enclosed in a giant lockable trunk. The bride watched the padlock being removed and was already imagining the greatest compliments with the application of that wonderful cloak. However, with the opening of the chest, the surprise and indignation of Xi was total. The cloak was reduced to rags, torn into a thousand pieces by so many scissors. For Xi, that instant represented an unspeakable humiliation - it was like the dethronement of a feathered peacock to which they had cut off all the feathers of his tail and was reduced, in nonsense, to the insignificance of a hen with raised wings. The pearls and precious stones remained in the chest and, by the number, they made believe, that whoever did that had as his only objective to humiliate her as much as possible. In the first moments Xi was as if petrified, without a single gesture or word, only her expression was becoming disfigured at a dizzying pace. Briefly, she left the room running, deranged, towards Li’s quarters. The door was closed, but that was no problem for Xi, the latch burst, entering Li’s room completely furious.