Chapter 22: Keeper of the Table

The Small Hall smelled of ink.

A scribe sat cross-legged at a low desk with a fresh sheet of cream paper.

His brush was loaded and his eyes were fixed on the Empress Dowager's knees.

Ruoxi stood in front of the old woman's chair with Mingzhu beside her.

"I am told you have conditions," said the Empress Dowager.

"Three, Your Majesty."

"My daughter has described them to me. I was not asked to consent, only to be impressed."

The old woman waved a hand.

"Say the first."

"I read every paper that carries my name before it is sealed."

"Then read this one as it is written. Scribe."

The brush moved, and the old woman spoke in her dry, even voice.

"A decree establishing the office of Keeper of the Princess's Table."

"The Keeper shall oversee the kitchen of the Plum Pavilion."

"She shall test its stores and dishes for spoilage, sour milk and bad wine, and take her seat beside the princess at every meal."

"She shall be paid from the Hall as an officer of the household, and not from any private purse."

"The office is held by Du Ruoxi, of the outer city, aged twenty-two, who found the turning cask."

Ruoxi stood very straight.

Her name looked small and clear on the page.

"The second condition," said the Empress Dowager.

"No one lies to me again."

"There is no pretext in this decree."

The old woman looked at the scribe.

"Write that. Nothing in this paper is a pretext. Let anyone who reads it know it."

The scribe wrote it.

"And the third?"

"I don't stand in the corridor. I don't eat in the kitchen. I'm beside her, in daylight."

"The decree says beside the princess at every meal."

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