The garden was quiet when Liu Lanzhi arrived. The Old Woman sat on the bench with her hands folded in her lap and her eyes on the hedge where Zichen would appear. She did not turn when Liu Lanzhi sat down beside her.
Zichen came through the hedge a moment later. He climbed onto the bench and wedged himself between them, the way he always did. His hair was combed. His robes were straight. Yulan had taken extra care this morning.
The Old Woman looked at Liu Lanzhi's face. "Are you ready?"
Liu Lanzhi thought about the invitation. The gathering. The room full of women who would watch her the way guards watched a prisoner. She thought about Su Yue, sitting somewhere in the palace, waiting.
"Yes."
They sat in silence. The cold pressure rested at its new depth. Present. Patient. Zichen leaned against her side and did not ask questions.
The servant arrived at midday.
