The Ant Woman Ch. 01

"Come, come child." One of Madam Lu's long sleeves flapped in the air as she waved her hand to lure her daughter closer. "I've had the cook prepare your favorites for breakfast."

The table Jiafahn sat down at, across from her mother, was empty, but two maids soon arrived with trays of food and drink. Each woman received small steamed buns, three for the Madam and two for the daughter. A bowl of congee topped with fermented tofu and pickled vegetables for each, the Madam received a slightly larger bowl. Savory pancakes topped with a fried egg each, two for the Madam and one for the daughter. And finally, each woman was given as much tea as they like.

"Your father has decided to find a new woman to be his concubine," the mother said after a few spoonfuls of congee. Ignoring the bitter tenseness in Jiafahn's eyes, Madam Lu continued. "Despite his earnest efforts, your pitiable father has no sons. He must find a young woman, otherwise this family will only have daughters." She sighed. "Aging parents crumble too easily without a son to care for them."

"What Mother has said is correct," Jiafahn said before taking a sip of her warm tea. "I know that as the madam of this family, Mother will guide the concubine well."

"Come shopping with me this morning," Madam Lu said. "We should have presents when she arrives." Father hadn't even picked a woman yet, and Mother was already thinking of this hypothetical concubine's comfort.

Humbly lowering her head, Jiafahn said, "Yes, Mother."

When the meal was finished, the women went out into the late summer air for gift shopping. Some bolts of cloth, a sewing kit, a comb carved from thick bone, those sorts of things. Every time Jiafahn looked at a female clerk's face, her heart felt pricked. A wife of a lower class man didn't have to worry about competing with a concubine. A lower class man couldn't afford a concubine. Polygamy was for the wealthy.

Oddly, those lower class women were lucky.

On the way back home, Jiafahn thought of the previous Madam. She'd never been very kind to Jiafahn's mother, resented her in fact. And that meant she'd resented Jiafahn too. After all, Father had often bit a little more affectionate with his concubine than his wife. When he found a new concubine, perhaps his affections would shift again.

Father came home just before dinner was meant to be served, and he asked to have his little family eat with him in his residence. Father was a short man, or short by elven standards. A human might think he was quite tall. His hair was black with streaks of gray. His droopy eyes were brown with gray flecks. His face and hands looked withered.

The food was lovely. Little bowls of steaming white rice topped with fish, vegetables, and slices of hard boiled eggs. Transparent dumplings filled with seasoned ground pork, and a small dish of dipping sauce. And fried snails. With tea, of course. Junshun people were practically addicted to tea.

The discussions at dinner were pleasant, or they seemed to be. Jiafahn didn't feel pleasant, however. Even though she'd wept over her sister long ago, she still felt her absence in the most painful way. Her family didn't even like to talk about her. She couldn't remember the last time she heard someone say her sister's name.

When the food was nearly gone, Father mentioned a tragedy that had happened in the mountains. There was an explosion in a mine, which had caused a nearby dam to break, and all that caused flooding in several mountain towns. "The Emperor sent men to distribute food," Father said, "but he promised a reward to any man that could invent not only a suitable assistance plan, but also a method of preventing this from happening again."

Jiafahn knew she wouldn't be allowed to make any suggestions. She was a woman. Her place was the domestic world.

But she craved a challenge. Her brain loved to work out problems.

On the next morning, Jiafahn sat at her new writing desk, paper, brush, and ink at the ready. She recollected the thoughts that had twisted and cranked in her brain before she'd fallen asleep. Then she started writing. She only did this for her own amusement. Whenever she'd finish, she'd keep the scroll in a drawer somewhere.

***

Junior Minister of the Imperial Treasury humbly prostrated himself before the Emperor. "To deceive the Emperor is to sin against the world! I deserve death!" That's what he barked into the floor.

Several other officials were standing in rows in the throne room, where the Emperor sat in his bejeweled glory. Yellow gown and encrusted, tall cap with an ornamental rod of gold impaled in the middle. From this rod, several golden chains dangled on each side of the Emperor's head with round beads of pale green jade on their ends. Those beads lightly clacked against each other as the Emperor's head tilted to one side. His face was calm.

"Nobody else had known of this crime, is that so?" Emperor Shungjahe Shunlin asked very quietly. He didn't need to shout. The officials knew it was a grave offense to speak over him in this room.

His spine quivering with a pathetic sob, Lu Sahng said, "Yes, Your Majesty! But the weight of the crime was too thick on your servant's heart! I'm not the one who invented this plan! I don't deserve any reward for this! I only deserve death!"

Autumn had only just begun, but the refreshing air wasn't in this throne room. The air was dense. It didn't matter that the place was huge. The air felt like someone had forced it inside and tightly packed it.

The Emperor wanted this meeting to end. The luxury wasn't important. Yes, his seat was on tall platform. Yes, it was plated with gold, with white jade carvings of tree branches and dragons settled on the edge of the back. Yes, the cushion was yellow with golden leaf embroidery. But the Emperor wanted to get up and march out of the room.

Sadly, an important matter was here, and it needed to be dealt with. He should've been angry about it. They'd already implemented a few parts of the plan Lu Sahng had suggested. But, he couldn't be angry. The truth was, everything seemed to be going along well. The plan wasn't backfiring at all. So far, everything appeared to be harmless.

One the officials' set of hands rose. He was holding his badge in his hands, as the other men were. "Majesty, oh Majesty, may I please speak?!"

"Fine." The Emperor pointed his hand towards that man. "Speak, Hanji Foh."

"To deceive the Great Emperor is indeed a sin worthy of death, but the Great Emperor is merciful. Certainly, he could be lenient towards Lu Sahng if the true author of the plan is revealed."

With a sigh, the Emperor said, "I certainly could." Hanji Foh's hands lowered, implying he knew his turn to speak was finished. "Lu Sahng, tell me, who did you steal this plan from?"

Still prostrated on the ground, the Junior Minister of the Imperial Treasury gave a startling admission. "The plan was written down in a work of fiction. It seemed to have been a story written for pleasure. Hoping for a reward, I stole it without the writer's permission. I'm afraid to tell the name of writer, because," here, he shuddered with fear, "it's a woman."

The other officials were so horrified that they dared to look at each other and whisper their opinions. They weren't positive opinions.

Emperor Shungjahe Shunlin banged a tight fist on his throne's armrest and let his voice rise. "Silence!"

Those men immediately bowed their heads again and shut their mouths.

The inhale in the Emperor's chest was slow and pensive. The exhale was similar. His icy blue eyes were hidden under his eyelids as he considered all the options.

This mysterious woman ... if all this information was true, then she'd never wanted to publish this plan. She'd only wanted to write a story.

But out of all the paths, which one would be the safest? Which one would keep the people happy? Which one would be the most just, regardless of what the people thought? Which one ... which one?

The Emperor opened his eyes. His stern voice called out, "Min!"

His personal eunuch attendant came into view. Surname, Min. Given name, Ji. "Yes, my Emperor?" he said with a nod of his head. His strawberry blond hair had been cropped. He was wearing a plain, but high quality, sky blue gown and red slippers. His cap was short and also red.

"Here's my decree," the Emperor said. "This woman, whoever she is, she will be brought before me. If she confirms that she's the one who dared to comment on governmental affairs, even indirectly, then I will give an official pardon for her crime." The best way to save this woman, after all, was to treat her actions as a crime. One couldn't pardon an action if it wasn't a crime.

"As for Lu Sahng," at this statement from the Emperor, that prostrating man trembled again, "after I've pardoned the woman, he'll have his punishment. He'll be denied three months of salary. If this woman doesn't admit that she's the one who wrote the plan, then Lu Sahng will be denied a whole year's worth of salary."

"I'm showing leniency because this plan, no matter who wrote it, has been successful." The Emperor even nodded as he said this. "Not only is the dam being rebuilt, but improved reinforcements are being installed. New safety regulations have been issued for miners and mine construction. New neighborhoods are being built for the civilians that lost their homes. Specialized officials are managing the distribution of food and shelter, and these officials are being carefully watched so they don't steal any funding. These are all good things."

The Emperor rose from his throne. "I'm done." Then he simply walked out of the room.

The officials all said in unison, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

***

Author's Note: I'm definitely not finished with this story yet, so I'll appreciate any suggestions or criticisms you have. Thanks for reading!