Qwo left the hall, then returned a few moments later with a brush and paper.
Wu dictated a message to the emperor. In it, she apologized for disobeying his command, then explained what she had discovered. As she signed the letter, she hoped the Divine One would not be offended by the blood that smeared off her hand onto the paper.
Xeng arrived just as his mother sealed both Wu's letter and Ting's message into the ebony tube. Wu quickly explained what she wanted, telling him twice to ask the emperor to send a contingent of his troops to replace Ting's.
After Wu finished, Qwo handed the ebony tube to Xeng, then kissed him on the brow. "Take care, my son," she said. "If Ting's troops see you leave, I doubt you'll reach the emperor alive."
Xeng placed a hand over the jade pendant hanging beneath his robes. "There is no need to worry, Mother," he said. As he spoke, his body and clothes changed colors to match the hues of the chamber walls. "I won't fail Lady Wu."
By the time Xeng finished speaking, Wu could no longer see him. Qwo's son was not so much invisible, she knew, as perfectly camouflaged. As her father's steward slid aside a wall panel and left, the one weakness of his magic medallion became apparent. When he moved, Wu saw a watery, man-shaped blur against the backdrop of the wall.
After Xeng left, Qwo peeled Wu's cover back to reveal a thick swath of crimson bandages. "You need a doctor," she said, her tone almost chastising.
Wu nodded. "After Xeng returns with help, but no earlier. Ting may not know who stole her message. Until the emperor arrests her, it's too dangerous to reveal my injury. A doctor could lead her right to us."
"We must hope Xeng reaches the emperor soon," the old maidservant said. She unfastened the bandage and changed the dressing. As Qwo finished, two sets of small feet sounded in the stone courtyard outside.
"The children!" Wu gasped, pushing her maidservant away. "Don't let them see me like this!"
Qwo threw the cover over Wu, then stepped to intercept Ji and Yo.
She could not move quickly enough. A wall panel slid aside, then Ji burst into the room, his sister in tow. "Mother!" he cried, pointing a slender finger toward the front of the house. "The emperor's wife is coming!"
Wu and Qwo looked at each other, confused and alarmed. "The Shining Empress?" Wu asked. "Are you certain?"
Ji nodded. "She has a whole bunch of soldiers!"
"How do you know it's the empress and not a consort, child?" asked Qwo, fixing her eyes on the boy.
"Because I saw her before," Ji responded, scowling at being doubted. "In the emperor's house—"
"You've never been in the Forbidden Halls," Wu objected.
"Yes we have!" Yo interrupted, stamping a foot. "You remember. I went to sleep!"
"We weren't in the Forbidden Halls," Wu explained. "We were in the Hall of—" She stopped in midsentence, realizing Ji and Yo were mistaken about more than the building they had been in. Aside from Wu, the only woman in the Hall of Supreme Harmony that night had been Ting Mei Wan.
"Qwo," she gasped, "they're talking about Ting!"
The old woman's face blanched. "What are we going to do?"
Wu threw her covers aside and tried to rise, but the effort hurt too much. Fleeing was out of the question. It would be a marvel if she made it out of the room.
"Meet them at the gate and then stall," Wu instructed her servant.
"Stall," Qwo repeated, half dazed. "I'll try." She scurried toward the front of the house.
Wu turned to Ji and Yo. They were both staring at her bandage with big, frightened eyes. A lump formed in Wu's chest and she almost began to cry. She was more frightened than she had ever been, but only for her children.
"Come here, little ones," Wu said, holding out her arms.
They obeyed, their eyes still fixed on their mother's wound. Tears came to both their eyes, and they began to sob.
"Shhh," Wu urged, embracing them closely. She could barely restrain her own tears. "Mother has been hurt, but you must be brave. Some bad people are coming."
"What should we do?" asked Ji, choking back his sobs and wiping his eyes.
Wu wished that she had an answer. She might be able to move long enough to help Ji and Yo climb over the exterior wall. Even if they escaped, though, the little ones would be lost and alone in the immensity of the summer palace. Her only choice was to hide her children and hope Xeng returned with help soon.
Releasing her son and daughter, Wu said, "Do you know a good place to hide?"
"Under the floor!" Yo said, pointing a stubby finger toward the center of the room. "When I hid there, Ji couldn't find me."
"You were cheating!" Ji objected, furrowing his smooth brow.
"That doesn't matter now," Wu said, laying a gentle hand on her son's shoulder. "These people will search for you much harder than you look when you play games. Are you sure this is a good place to hide?"
They glanced at each other uncertainly. Finally, Ji said, "It's very dark and small."
"Good. You must go there quickly. Don't come out until Xeng, Qwo, or I tell you it's safe."
Wu kissed each of her children, then sent them away.
They had barely left the hall before Qwo's voice echoed across the courtyard. "I insist, Minister Ting. Lady Wu is ill. She is not receiving visitors."
"All the more reason I must see her," Ting replied tersely. "Now stand aside."
"I refuse," Qwo replied.
"Guards!" Ting roared.
The sound of a short scuffle followed, then twenty boots clattered across the stone courtyard. Wu adjusted her cover so that it concealed her bloody bandage, then prepared to receive Ting.
She did not wait long. Within moments, a soldier grabbed a wall panel and thrust it roughly aside. Two green-armored guards stepped into the sleeping room, their weapons held at the ready. Ting came next, followed by an angry Qwo.
"What is the meaning of this?" Wu demanded, scowling at the mandarin. "Can't you see that I'm ill?"
"Please forgive this intrusion," Ting said curtly, obviously unconcerned with whether Wu forgave it or not. The minister turned to a guard. "Uncover her."
The soldier frowned at being asked to invade a noblewoman's privacy. Nevertheless, he did as ordered.
Ting pointed at the freshly changed bandage, which was already spotted with new blood. "So you were the one," she said. "How disappointing."
"What do mean?" Wu demanded.
"Last night, a spy broke into my house and stole an important state document," Ting said, stepping toward the bed. "This spy killed a guard on the way out, but not before being wounded. As we can see, you are wounded."