Murder in the Forbidden City (Qing Dynasty Mysteries Book 1) Read online

“I know,” Lady Li replied. “A most repulsive man.”

  “What I wouldn’t give to feel the touch of a man like that…or any man…” her voice drifted off, so Lady Li decided to change the topic.

  “Girls,” she said. “I want to tell you that your grandmother will be coming to live with us.”

  “You mean Popo?” First Daughter asked.

  “Yes, I mean Popo,” Lady Li confirmed.

  “Why?” asked Second Daughter.

  “Because she is very lonely,” Lady Li said. “And I think it would be good for you to have your grandmother close to you. There is much she can teach you.”

  “How? She never gets out of bed,” First Daughter said as she shoveled rice into her mouth.

  “Slow down when you eat,” Lady Li said. “Your grandmother is very sick. You know that. But maybe we can find a better doctor for her. And she can still talk to you. She can tell you stories about the old days. Or about your father.”

  The girls didn’t seem to respond to this. They didn’t know their grandmother very well, but the house was large, so they wouldn’t see her much anyway.

  “When can we see Auntie Suyi again?” Second Daughter suddenly asked.

  “Why are you asking that?” Lady Li asked, concerned.

  “That man was asking about her,” First Daughter said.

  “Was he?” Lady Li asked. First Daughter nodded her head, but she didn’t say anything else. Lady Li wasn’t sure if she should press her. She didn’t want the girls to ask about their aunt. She wasn’t ready to tell them what happened. Damn that man.

  “Will Auntie Suyi still be at the Forbidden City when I go there,” First Daughter asked.

  “I don’t think so,” Lady Li replied. “She will probably be married by then.”

  “Not if she’s lucky,” Concubine Swan piped up.

  “That is enough,” Lady Li said sharply. “Why don’t you go to your room if you aren’t going to eat, you wasteful cow.”

  Concubine Swan blinked slowly a couple of times before rising from the table and drifting back to her own quarters. Lady Li shook her head and motioned for one of the servants to follow her and make sure she got back to her own room safely.

  “Was she acting like that when you were in her room earlier?” Lady Li asked.

  “No,” First Daughter said. “It was later, after the man left. I think she liked him, but she only saw him for a second before she left the courtyard.”

  “She is very lonely,” Lady Li said.

  “I hope when I get married, my husband doesn’t die,” First Daughter said.

  “Marriage is a blessing and a curse, my little one,” Lady Li said.

  “Maybe I can just stay at the Forbidden City forever, like the empress. She gets to rule all of China and not have to worry about being lonely.”

  “It would be hard to be lonely when you are surrounded by so many smart and beautiful ladies,” Lady Li said.

  “Yeah,” said Second Daughter. “We should just all live together, all girls, so we can keep each other company and not have to worry about a husband.”

  “Some women do that,” Lady Li said. “In the silk communities in Canton. The women devote their life to art, to silk making, and to their embroidery work, and they never marry. They just live with each other.”

  “That sounds wonderful!” First Daughter said.

  “Well, don’t think you will be able to do that,” Lady Li said as she waved a kitchen maid over to clear away their empty dishes. “You are both ladies of quality with big dowries. The men will be demanding the right to marry you.”

  “If I get to serve the empress in the Forbidden City,” First Daughter explained, “the empress will choose my husband, if you don’t pick one.”

  “That is very true,” Lady Li said.

  “Will she pick a husband for Auntie Suyi?” Second Daughter asked.

  “I don’t know,” Lady Li said.

  “Can we go to the Forbidden City and see her?” Second Daughter asked.

  “No, she is much too busy to play with you.”

  “Well, when we serve the empress, she will have to play with us because she will see us every day!”

  “You will probably be too old and too busy for playing by then,” Lady Li said.

  “No!” Second Daughter cried. “I’ll never be old! I don’t want to be a grownup.”

  “You better grow up!” Lady Li said. “I am not taking care of two babies for the rest of my life!”

  The two girls got out of their chairs and started marching around the table chanting, “Never grow up! Never grow up!”

  Lady Li hid her smile and laugh behind a napkin as the girls ran faster and faster around the table. Lady Li finally had enough, so she stood up and chased them around the courtyard. “You better grow up, you little creatures!” she said. The three of them laughed and screamed with joy as they ran up and down the long hallways of their large home. The maids and eunuchs also smiled and laughed as the mother and daughters ran past. It was not often the little family was able to lose themselves in joy.

  Lady Li finally chased the girls into their bedroom and helped them change into older, simpler robes they used for sleeping. They all took turns brushing each other’s hair. Then, Lady Li got the girls into bed and told them the story of Mongeyisu, the historical Manchu bannerwoman. They had heard the story countless times, but they never tired of hearing it over and over again.

  Finally, the girls laid down and started to sleep. Lady Li, though, couldn’t leave them just yet. She wanted to sit and watch them, to make sure they were safe. Her mind wandered between staring calmly at the sleeping girls and her heart racing in terror at the horror inflicted upon Suyi. Even though Suyi had been living at the palace for some time, Lady Li never missed her more than she did right now. She started to realize that Suyi would never be coming home. She then realized that the empress had not sent her the body. She needed to be buried with all the proper funeral rites so she wouldn’t become a hungry ghost.

  Lady Li stood up and started pacing. What had happened to her that would keep her from being returned? Were they examining her? Poking and prodding her young body? Were they going to keep her? Did she need to pay for it? She would have to tell her girls what happened before she could bring the body home. They needed to be prepared. What if they dropped it off before she had time to tell them? She should have told them before they went to sleep.

  She then thought about what her elder daughter said, about her going and serving at the Forbidden City. What if the killer wasn’t caught, and he was still there when First Daughter entered the palace as a lady-in-waiting? Would she be in danger?

  Lady Li realized that she needed more information. She needed to get Suyi’s body back and she needed to make sure the killer was caught. That abominable Inspector Gong said he needed her help to solve the murder, and Lady Li realized he was right. He couldn’t enter the Inner Court. She would have to do it. She wasn’t going to offer to help him though. After the way he treated her so terribly, she wasn’t going to approach him for anything. But if he came to her again and asked her for her help, she wouldn’t say no.

  7

  The next day, Inspector Gong took his time leaving his house and heading back to see Lady Li. Even though the murder of Suyi was important, the fact that he would have to apologize and beg Lady Li for her help did not inspire him to move quickly.

  After he arrived at her home, he was met by Eunuch Bai, who only said “follow me” after opening the gate and “sit here” after leading him to a sitting room. The cook didn’t say anything when she brought him some tea. He waited for over an hour for Lady Li to make her appearance. She probably had not expected him to return so soon, if ever.

  Lady Li was worth the wait. She had taken her time in preparing to meet him this time, and she made sure her appearance met the highest standards for a Manchu lady. Her hair was pulled tight and smooth around a black batou headdress, which was decorated with fresh flowers and jade bu
tterfly pins. She wore a long, bright red chaopao embroidered with dragonflies, bats, and the symbols for double happiness. It was edged in a deep midnight blue. Her pot-bottom shoes were tall and narrow. She wore three necklaces and several rings. Inspector Gong did not hide the fact that he was taking in her appearance from top to bottom and liked what he saw. Even though she barely showed any skin, Inspector Gong thought the way she dressed and carried herself was even more seductive than any brothel girl. He ran his hand over his mouth to hide a smile and scratched his wispy beard.

  She was sending him a message. The fact that she took such great care in her appearance showed that she was going to forgive him. But the time he had to wait and the lack of hospitality by her servants clearly demonstrated her displeasure. She did not look directly at him, but averted her eyes. Her station did not require her to give him any of her time, even if he was there working under orders from the empress; he was not worthy of her gaze.

  He stood and approached her. “My lady,” he began. “I never expressed my sympathy for the loss of your kin. I am a worthless beast who should not even be in your lovely home. You are too kind to allow me within your gates again.”

  She inclined her head and bent her knees in the slightest bow, indicating her acceptance of his apology. She lifted her eyes and looked at him, causing his breath to catch in his throat. Her eyes, framed in the longest, darkest lashes he had ever seen, seemed to swim into his soul. But as quickly as she looked at him, she turned away. She took a couple of small, graceful steps back toward where he had been sitting. She motioned for him to return to his chair. After he was sitting, she slowly lowered herself into hers.

  “Have you made any progress in your investigation, inspector?” she asked as she poured them two cups of tea.

  “No, my lady,” he said. “Well, unfortunately, I did find out that there are ways into and out of the Forbidden City. Apparently it is common for the young women inside the palace to bribe the guards so they will allow their lovers in under the cover of night.”

  Lady Li paused for a moment at this. “Do you think Suyi was sneaking a lover into the Forbidden City?”

  He shook his head. “I have no way of knowing if she did. My point was simply that her killer might not be a resident in the Forbidden City. The killer could have slipped in, did the deed, and then slipped out again before morning.”

  Lady Li shook her head. “I had no idea the Forbidden City was so easily accessible,” she said. “Isn’t this a security concern for the empress?”

  “It should be,” he said. “Do you know how common it is, for women to sneak men into the palace? Is this something every lady-in-waiting is aware of?”

  “Not that I know of,” she said. “I didn’t know it when I served there, but I was very young and naïve.”

  “I wish I knew just how easy it was,” he said. “There are many things going on behind those walls I wish I knew.” He sipped at his tea. As he knew she would, Lady Li grasped his meaning.

  “I have given more thought to your proposal,” she said after a moment. “The one about me returning to the Forbidden City and looking for information myself.”

  “No,” he said. “That was a foolish idea. I should not have asked such a thing. This is my job. I will figure it out.”

  “It is your job,” she said. “But I think you would be able to find the killer much more quickly if you had access to the Inner Court, even if that information came from me, a lowly and untrained woman.”

  “I couldn’t ask it,” he said. “It could be dangerous.”

  “You didn’t ask,” she said. “I offered. And I know it could be dangerous. Whatever happened led to my sister-in-law’s death. What if something bad happens to another girl? I would never forgive myself if the killer is not caught and he is allowed to kill again.”

  He nodded. “I appreciate your assistance. I am sure that, together, we can find out what happened to Suyi.”

  At the mention of her name, Inspector Gong noticed Lady Li quickly sucked in a breath and her eyelashes fell on her cheeks. Her pain, her loss, was still very new and very sharp. He placed a hand on hers. Her hand was cold, as if there was no blood flowing to her fingertips. He had often noticed that grieving persons were cold. He wondered if the ghosts of the dead were sucking the qi from their loved ones, as if they were trying to hold on to this world and not pass on to the next.

  “When will I receive Lady Yun’s body?” Lady Li asked, not removing her hand from his warm touch, as she should have.

  “It is being examined by a doctor,” he said. “He will determine her exact cause of death and anything else of interest. When he is finished, I can have the body brought here if you wish.”

  “I do want her here,” she said. “But I cannot have her arriving while I am away. I have not yet told my daughters what happened. But she must be buried before the forty-ninth day of her death.”

  “I am sure we can solve this crime by then,” he said.

  “I have made no arrangements for her,” Lady Li said. “We have no burial plot planned. We never expected…”

  That Lady Li had not made any arrangements for her sister-in-law’s death was understandable. Not only did she not plan for the girl to die so young, she did not plan for her to die while living under her household. If Suyi had married, she would have joined her husband’s family, even in the afterlife. It would have been their responsibility to provide a burial plot for her.

  “After the doctor is done with his examination,” Inspector Gong said, “I will have him keep her until you tell me what to do. I’ll not bring her here or have her sent anywhere else until you tell me to.”

  “I need to tell Concubine Swan what happened. She will need to run the household in my absence.” Lady Li stood, removing her hand from under Inspector Gong’s. He stood as well. “I will go to the empress and offer to serve her this afternoon. How will I contact you with the information I learn?”

  “I will figure that out,” he said. “Please, set your house in order. I will return in a few hours.”

  She gave a small nod of her head and bent her knees slightly before exiting the room. Eunuch Bai entered and motioned for the door. Inspector Gong assumed that the eunuch had been listening to and watching their entire conversation.

  “Tell me, Eunuch Bai,” Inspector Gong began, “do you have any contacts at the Forbidden City that might be useful to our investigation?”

  “I would not reveal them to you if I did,” Eunuch Bai replied without hesitation.

  “I did not think you would,” Inspector Gong replied. “But your contacts could be of use to Lady Li. Would you be allowed to accompany her into the Forbidden City?”

  The eunuch breathed out in frustration. “Most likely not,” he said. “Eunuch selection at the Forbidden City is a very rigorous process. We cannot simply come and go. If the empress accepts Lady Li back, she will be assigned eunuchs and maids that have been approved for service in the Forbidden City.”

  “Did you serve in the Forbidden City before?” he asked. “Is that how you met Lady Li?” Eunuch Bai’s silence was all the confirmation Inspector Gong needed. “Is it a common practice for ladies to take their eunuchs with them when they leave?”

  “It happens, but I would not say it is common. Most people view us with derision. It is hard to form attachments with people who see you as less than human.”

  “But Lady Li was different?” he asked. “The two of you became close?”

  “I will not discuss my lady with you,” Eunuch Bai replied.

  Eunuch Bai’s protection of his lady was admirable and understandable, but her reliance on him, and that she would go to such lengths to keep him with her, was curious. It told the inspector something about Lady Li, he just wasn’t sure what yet.

  “Anyway, your contacts? Would they be willing to help your lady?” he asked. “Is there anyone on the inside that she can trust?”

  Eunuch Bai opened the front gate. He gave a very small nod of ascent to t
he inspector’s question. “I will give her, and only her, that information just before she leaves,” he said.

  The inspector nodded as he left. He headed for Prince Kung’s mansion, which was not far from Lady Li’s estate. Prince Kung’s mansion was one of the most opulent private homes in Peking. The mansion had been an imperial residence for centuries, once belonging to a brother of the Jiaqing Emperor. Made up of countless living quarters and gardens, the mansion was practically a miniature Forbidden City.

  The inspector was greeted by a eunuch at the gate who showed him into a sitting room near the front of the mansion to wait. He did not have to wait long for Prince Kung to appear. Prince Kung and Inspector Gong went back many years, though they had not always been close. For a long time, Inspector Gong was nothing more than the hundreds of other army men who were under Prince Kung’s purview. But after the inspector proved himself to the price by helping him solve several high-profile crimes around the city, the two men became friends.

  “What brings you here?” Prince Kung asked, gripping his arm in greeting. “Tell me you have found out who murdered Lady Yun. The empress is beside herself with terror.”

  The inspector shook his head. “No such luck. I’m such a worthless dog, you won’t believe what I have had to do.”

  “What is that?”

  “I have had to enlist the help of a woman.”

  The prince laughed out loud and nearly fell into a nearby chair. “What? Who? Why?”

  “The dead girl’s sister-in-law, the Lady Li. I cannot gain access to the Inner Court. I need to know what is going on behind those doors.”

  The prince nodded and stroked his smooth chin. “The Lady Li, you say? She is no laughing matter. Smart, beautiful…”

  “You know the lady?” the inspector asked.

  “Of course. She served the empress during our flight to Jehol. The empress wanted her to marry me so she could keep her close. We were both amiable to the match, but I was already married and her family would not settle for her being a second wife.”

  “She is free now. Have you asked for her again?”