Omen of the Phoenix [ 3 ]

Empress Li Hua nodded solemnly.

"I cannot say for certain what Minister Zheng intends regarding the succession. Before His Majesty passed, he knew I was with child. But he also knew he would not live to see whether the child would be a prince or princess. So he wrote a decree specifying the succession. If I bear a prince, the child shall become Emperor, with Minister Zheng serving as regent during his youth. But if the child is a princess, knowing others might seize the throne, His Majesty entrusted it to Zheng, believing he would protect me and our child."

"Then we can be sure of it! He means to crown himself Emperor so he can protect that wretched harlot!" Li Gaosun fumed, his face reddening with rage. "If we let him live, he will turn that sword against us. I'll kill him myself!"

"Father, wait—please! You mustn't do this," the Empress cried, stepping forward to restrain him.

"Don't stop me!" he shouted, shaking off her grasp. "You know full well how vile he is. Why protect him? Do you still long for him, Li Hua?"

His words struck her like a blade.

Her thoughts drifted back to her youth—when she and Zheng Shihwei had once shared innocent love. Had he not been crippled in that fateful fall from his horse, perhaps they would have ruled side by side on the Dragon Throne.

Zheng Shihwei was once but a common man. Li Gaosun had despised his low birth and opposed their union. But during the war against the tyrant Chang Zhou, Li Gaosun had seen potential in his would-be son-in-law. He believed Zheng was born to rule. At that time, it seemed inevitable that Zheng would become Emperor once the tyrant was overthrown—and Li Hua, his Empress.

But fate intervened. Zheng suffered a grave fall and was crippled. The throne instead passed to his friend, Sujuan.

Li Gaosun, already disapproving of Zheng, now saw only shame in having a cripple for a son-in-law. He forced his daughter to marry Sujuan, hoping she would rise as Empress. She had resisted—her heart still belonging to Zheng—but her father invoked duty and filial piety. In the end, she yielded.

"I still believe Minister Zheng would never harm me or my child," she said softly.

"You still think he has any love left for you?" Li Gaosun spat. "Time changes all. You saw the truth just now—his heart belongs to that harlot Mu Ying. Sooner or later, she will poison him against you. He'll come to loathe you… and you'll die a pitiful death at the hands of the man you once trusted to protect you."

Li Hua's eyes welled with tears.

But with servants still present, she forced herself to remain composed. She could not allow Ah-Zhi or Zhong Lin to see her falter, nor to suspect she still harbored feelings for Zheng.

"What happened between me and Minister Zheng is long over. Don't speak of it again," she said coldly, lifting her chin with regal pride. "The Dragon Throne now trembles. If we lose Zheng as well, we will be overrun. The enemies outside our gates will swarm like vultures. We cannot stand against them alone. We must allow Zheng to serve as regent—for now. When my son is born, I shall claim authority as Empress Dowager and take back the regency from him."

"And what if it's not a prince?" Li Gaosun challenged. **"What if you bear a daughter—what then?"

"I am certain," she said firmly, "the child in my womb is a prince."

Li Gaosun narrowed his eyes.

"What gives you such certainty, Li Hua?"