The throne was initially meant to go to Yinreng, his second son. But Yinreng was an extremely volatile and power-hungry young man, and the emperor soon realized he was not fit to rule. Kangxi removed him as crown prince and declared that he would place the name of his successor inside a box kept in the Palace of Heavenly Purity to be opened only after his death. Several of his sons began to vie for the throne, each plotting against the next.
Historians always believed that his first son, Yongzheng, was then made his successor. There had been some rumors and conspiracy theories of him passing the throne to a daughter, but they were always rejected as they had no sound foundation. These recently discovered documents, however, could confirm the rumors as truth. It appears Emperor Kangxi passed his throne to one of his daughters, Quejing, a princess of the second rank.
Matt paused on the name for several seconds. Quejing. Jia. An empress.
It is unclear why Emperor Kangxi chose Quejing to inherit over any of his other sons or even other daughters of higher rank. She was not the daughter of an empress but a concubine of low rank. However, from the few records that have been discovered, she seems to have been an extremely powerful, intelligent, and just ruler, beloved by her people. During the time of her rule, she brought peace and prosperity to a nation that had long been in turmoil, and especially brought more rights for women, outlawing the brutal practice of foot binding as well as the practice of rulers keeping many wives and concubines. There was also evidence of her possessing some savvy with mechanics and technology. Among the documents found were some designs for a rather sophisticated plumbing system. “Her designs were well beyond the technology of the time,” Professor Huang said. “It was almost as if she had visions of the future.”
Empress Quejing ruled closely with her brother Yongzheng. He often took charge in Quejing’s stead when she traveled, which she did often and extensively, another key part of her success as a ruler. The empress never married and bore no heirs, though there is some evidence of correspondence between her and some man who has remained unknown. Empress Quejing held many secrets, and not even those closest to her seemed to be privy to them.
Yongzheng succeeded Quejing as emperor when her rule ended around 1740. An exact date of her death is unknown. There is no burial site or tomb for her. There are conspiracy theories she was murdered by one of her brothers or their supporters for the throne. There is no evidence to support either theory. It remains a mystery that historians may never uncover.
“What is clear,” says Professor Huang, “is that Empress Quejing was highly influential and still is, even if people don’t really know who she is. It is a common theme in women’s studies. We don’t know the women who are changing and shaping the world. Their efforts are either undocumented or attributed to men. In this case, it was almost as if Empress Quejing wanted to remain anonymous, for whatever reason.”
Matt closed the article and studied the picture again. He noted the gold chain hanging around her neck, and the large, shiny black stone sitting at her chest, accented with bits of gold. In her hands she holds a piece of paper. A map, Matt realized. They never did find out who made their father’s map. Maybe it had been Jia. Or perhaps it had still yet to be created. There was still time for that. There was still time for a lot of things.
“Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?” Ruby said.
Matt just nodded, still unable to take his eyes off the picture.
“Anyway, you keep that. I have to get to my meeting.”
“I should go too,” Corey said. “Lana wants us to have family dinner, though I’m not sure why. They just throw food everywhere.”
“How about I come watch the twins sometime this week so you and Lana can go on a date?” Ruby asked.
“How about so we can just have a nap?”
“Whatever you want. Either way, please change your shirt.”
Corey looked down at his stained Superman T-shirt. “Yeah, this one could use a wash, I guess.”
“All right, see you guys later.” She held out a fist. Matt and Corey both put theirs in and they gave their three-way fist bump, as natural as anything.
After Ruby and Corey had gone, Matt walked alone through Central Park, the baseball diamonds, along the roads where horse-driven carriages pulled tourists cuddling beneath blankets. He came to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and watched people go in and out, step into self-driving taxis and flying cars. He watched children splashing in the fountains, laughing and shrieking, tossing coins in the water for luck and wishes. He reached in his pocket, found a coin, and tossed it in.
Matt heard some sniffling behind him. He turned to see a kid, maybe nine or ten, sitting next to his bike, crying. It was one of the latest models with hovering capabilities and glow-in-the-dark wheels.
“Hey there,” Matt said. “Can I help you with that?”
“I can’t get it to start,” he said. “I just got it, and my mom’ll ground me forever if I break it!”
“Let’s take a look. I’m pretty good at fixing things.” Matt knelt down and took off the cover to the operating system. “Looks like one of the circuits shorted. Hmmm . . . this would be easier with tools.”
Out of nowhere a wrench dropped down onto the sidewalk. “What the . . . ?” Matt picked up the wrench and looked around.
“Maybe you should try putting some peanut butter on that bike,” said a voice.
Matt whirled around, dropping the bike and nearly knocking over the kid. He could hardly
