BAO Ji (LIA)
The journey back may have taken two hours, but to me it felt much shorter.
In a strange way, the Queen, His Majesty, and I had the time of our lives on the ride back. We played Go, and I lost. Repeatedly. To both of them.
In the end, I teamed up with the Queen, and together we finally defeated His Majesty.
He pouted like a child.
But he accepted his defeat.
Somehow, we also ended up drinking a few cups of wine. I have no idea how the wine found its way into the carriage — but I was grateful for it.
All I can say is that we had fun.
Even the Queen seemed relaxed. Truly relaxed.
For once, we weren't thinking about hierarchy or palace rules or all that nonsense. We were just… human.
When we arrived at the palace and stepped down from the carriage, the other concubines were already waiting.
Every single one of them either gave me a death stare or looked at me with the most obvious jealousy.
But I wasn't bothered. It is what it is at this point.
They nearly surrounded us.
"It was a tiring journey. Go back and rest," His Majesty said.
"Yes, Your Majesty," they replied in unison.
"May we later invite Her Majesty for tea in the garden?" Concubine Yan asked sweetly.
The Queen looked at me. I looked at her.
"Sure", the Queen replied.
I wanted to give her the biggest side-eye and ask why she agreed — but in the end, she is the Queen. She can't simply ignore them.
God. That means I will have to go too. At least I won't be the only one wanting to run away.
"Concubine Ji, before you go rest, I have something to show you," the queen said.
I nodded.
But the emperor stepped slightly in front of us, his back to the other concubines, and said quietly, so only the queen and I could hear:
"Don't even think about drinking wine. Both of you."
"What?" I asked a bit too loudly.
"It's not what you think, Your Majesty," the queen said — guilt written clearly across her face.
I knew exactly what she had planned the moment she said she wanted to show me something. Thinking about it now, we probably look like alcoholics. But I swear we're not. It's just… when I drink with her, I loosen up. She loosens up too. She stops being the queen for a while. And I think she needs that. If it means getting slightly drunk with her every now and then, count me in.
Still, her inability to lie annoyed me.
The emperor saw straight through her. And honestly? It was his fault. He gave us wine during the ride back.
"Your Majesty—" I started, but he cut me off.
"I bet Her Majesty has wine hidden in her room," he said.
"Is everything alright?" Bao Si asked, stepping closer.
"I thought all of you had already left," His Majesty replied coolly.
"We are leaving now," Concubine Yin said.
"If His Majesty needs help with anything, please let me know," Bao Si added.
"I appreciate the thought, but I do not require assistance," he replied.
I leant toward the Queen and whispered, "While he's not looking, let's go."
She hesitated for a moment.
Then nodded.
We had barely taken a few steps before—
"Concubine Ji. Her Majesty."
His voice wasn't raised. It wasn't angry.
Just calm.
The Queen and I looked at each other.
"Should we run?" I whispered.
"From him? Are you crazy?" she replied.
"He won't do anything." I exhaled, and then I added, "Fine", and we turned back to face the emperor.
"Yes, Your Majesty," I said, pouting slightly.
An idea suddenly came to me. Through my teeth, I whispered to the queen, "Tell your maid to hide some wine."
"Mm-hmm," she replied without looking at me.
"What are you two plotting now?" he asked as he stepped closer.
"Nothing", I answered innocently.
"For some reason, I don't believe you."
"I'm tired. I will take my leave so I can rest and have energy for later," the Queen said smoothly.
"Me too," I added.
We bowed at the same time. I grabbed the Queen's hand, and we walked away quickly.
Both of us started giggling.
When I glanced back, I saw a faint smile on the emperor's face.
--
This so-called tea afternoon was complete nonsense.
The only reason the concubines suggested it was to get closer to the queen. They believed that being close to her might bring them closer to the emperor.
Good luck with that.
The Queen and I arrived together.
She took her seat.
I sat beside her.
Usually, I sit near the exit. Or somewhere less visible. I tend to avoid attention. But I can't keep hiding just to avoid jealousy and gossip. They will gossip no matter where I sit. And now that everyone knows I can calm the emperor, hiding makes even less sense.
What am I even saying?
Excuses. Probably.
When I took a sip of the tea, I nearly spat it out. It was horrible. But I forced a smile.
"I brought a gift for Her Majesty," Concubine Yin said.
"Oh? I didn't expect that," the Queen replied, surprised.
"I saw it and knew it would suit Your Majesty perfectly."
She presented a small wooden box. Inside was a light yellow jade bracelet with delicate flowers carved faintly along its surface.
I have to admit it was beautiful.
"It's very nice," I said honestly.
"It truly is," the queen agreed. "Thank you."
"I brought something as well," Bao Si said.
Is this a competition I wasn't informed about?
She placed her box before the Queen. Inside was a golden hairpin shaped like a phoenix.
It was stunning.
"Thank you", the Queen said with a polite smile.
Meanwhile, I continued sipping the awful tea.
"I appreciate the gifts", the Queen said. "But your company is more than enough."
"The Queen deserves only the best," one concubine added.
I looked at the Queen, trying not to smirk. She shot me such a strong side-eye that I nearly choked on my tea – not from fear, but from laughter.
She looked adorable when she was annoyed.
"Concubine Ji, are you alright?" Bao Si asked sweetly.
"Yes, I'm fine."
"You seem to enjoy the tea. Let me pour you more," the Queen said – her smile painfully fake.
"I will leave it for Your Majesty. After all, it's your favourite," I replied sweetly.
She started shaking her head with a little smile on her face while looking away.
I couldn't help but laugh quietly.
I stood up, picked up the phoenix hairpin, and said, "Let me put it in your Majesty's hair."
She didn't object.
"It looks beautiful on Her Majesty," Bao Si said.
"Her Majesty is beautiful," I added as I sat back down.
"I brought something as well," another concubine said.
"Me, too," another followed.
I leant toward the Queen and whispered, "Good luck, Your Majesty."
"I brought something for Concubine Ji," Concubine Yan said.
"For me? Why?" I asked, genuinely surprised.
"No reason. I simply think it would suit you."
"Oh, that reminds me — I brought something for my cousin as well," Bao Si added casually.
The Queen leant toward me and whispered, "I think you'll need good luck too."
I side-eyed her hard.
Then whispered back, "We should have drunk wine before coming."
"This will be long," she whispered...