The Second Prince's mother had passed away when he was young, and he had only hazy memories of her.
She was his Emperor Father's great love. He had never installed another empress and maintained a comparatively small harem.
The Emperor had four sons and five daughters. The Second Prince's oldest brother the Crown Prince and his younger brother, the Third Prince, as well as his sister Princess Lingling, were all the children of his mother, the former Empress Xu. The Fourth Prince and the other four princesses were all the children of concubines.
This meant that he now had no one he could seek advice from, as he tried to strategise how to secure Mei Meili, either as his wife or as a concubine. God forbid he should speak to his father; he was just as likely to take her into the harem.
Thus, he found himself outside his sister's room.
"Let her know I've come to see her," he commanded a lady-in-waiting.
"Yes, your highness," she curtsied.
"Brother!" came the happy cry from Lingling. "I wasn't expecting you today, what brings you here?"
She took his arm happily, and he steered her down the steps for a stroll in her extensive gardens.
"I need your help with something Lingling."
"Really?" she said with delight. "This is new. Whatever it is, I'll do it!"
"Wait and hear what I'm asking you first."
"You'll never ask me something lightly gege," she said confidently.
She didn't know how true that was, he thought.
"I know that the first spring flowers have bloomed in the Empress's garden," he said.
His sister shot him a surprised look. Here was a topic he had never once spoken about before...
"Yes?" she tried not to make too much of a big deal out of what clearly was a very big deal.
"I want you to arrange a flower-viewing for some of the young noble women who have recently come of age."
Well, here was something she would love to do, so this would be no hardship for her at all!
"Of course, brother, I would love to do that for you. It would be an honour to our Empress Mother, and the young noble ladies in the capital will be thrilled. Is there someone in particular you'd like me to include in the invitation list?" she asked lightly, spoiling the effect by giggling nervously.
"Yes," he said gruffly, "the youngest Mei sister, Mei Meili".
The princess's eyes bugged out of her head. "Mei Meili," she squealed, "but she's never left the Mei mansion. She's confined to the inner courtyards. Even her brothers say she's ugly. There must be something wrong with her, or they would have introduced her to society by now."
"There's nothing wrong with her," he assured her, "except that she has five over-protective brothers."
"How do you know? Have you seen her?" she asked curiously.
"Don't ask how... I just know," he said, closing down that line of enquiry.
"Really!" she was intrigued. "What a great mystery. I can't wait to meet her. Leave it to me brother," she spoke confidently.
"It won't be straightforward," he warned her. "The Mei's won't just agree to let her attend. You'll need to force their hands."
"Of course I know that," she said earnestly. "I'll speak to Emperor Father about it when I ask for his permission."
"Perfect," he said with satisfaction; that was exactly what he'd hoped she would agree to.
"Leave it with me," she chirped with excitement. "I'll go and see Emperor Father as soon as possible. Wait for my good news."
"Thank you meimei," he said, looking pensive.
"I'm excited for you ge. You've never shown any interest in a young lady before. This Mei Meili must be very special. She'd be very lucky to have you."
"I hope she feels that way," he said with an uncharacteristic lack of confidence.
"How could any young woman not love my brother? You're handsome, kind, brave, and after all, you are the second prince of the realm."
"That's the part I'm worried about," he told her. "She'll have to move with me to Gu. And there's every chance Emperor Father won't agree to her being my wife, only a concubine."
Lingling hadn't considered that any young noblewoman wouldn't find her brother to be the catch-of-the-century, especially one whose reputation didn't make her a particularly attractive marriage partner.
"I'm sure she'll be head over heels after she meets you gege. And I'll be there to make sure it all goes smoothly."
"Thank you, meimei; I'll wait for your good news."
He strode off without looking back, feeling more reassured than when he'd arrived.
The Princess sought an audience with her father that same day, and was already in his study with him. As the only daughter of Empress Xu, she was greatly favoured by the Emperor.
"Father," she requested prettily, "may I arrange a first spring flower viewing in Empress Mother's garden for the young noble ladies?"
"Of course, Lingling," he said indulgently. "That would be a lovely way to honour your Empress Mother's memory. I was there myself just yesterday and the flowers are very beautiful. The plum blossoms and camellias she chose are all blooming."
"Thank you, Emperor Father," she clapped her hands with excitement. "Also, if I prepare the invitations, would you mind sealing them for me?"
He narrowed his eyes now. What was this daughter of his up to? No flower viewing invitation required the Emperor's seal.
"Why would you need my seal on a young ladies' invitation, Xiao Lingling?" he asked her. "What are you up to?" he shook his head at her.
"Well, I thought it would be a nice touch given it's in the Empress's Garden," that was the best reason she'd been able to come up with.
"And?" he prompted her. "Come on Lingling, tell me why you need it and I might agree to do it."
She gulped. "I...I... There's someone I want to come along who probably won't join us without your command. Don't make me say who it is, please Emperor Father," she begged him.
Interesting, he thought. His mind immediately jumped to the youngest Mei child, who had caused Mei Renlong to stumble when he'd asked after her at the polo match.
"Alright," he agreed.
"Really?" Lingling danced with excitement and gave her father a kiss on the cheek.
"Make sure you include the Prime Minister's daughter, Li Fengfeng," he said.
The acrimony between them hadn't escaped his notice the other day.
Lingling furrowed her brow but nodded.
Chief Eunuch Feng, who had watched the entire exchange, smiled knowingly. For sure his Master knew who the girl in question was. You underestimated this Emperor's intelligence at your peril. He was the puppet-master, and they were all dancing marionettes on his stage.
"I've already written them, so I'll bring them back this evening for you," she called as she backed out of the study.
She turned and practically ran down the corridor in her excitement.
Her plans were all falling into place. She couldn't wait to tell her second brother!