They walked through gardens of orchid and magnolia trees in full bloom, ponds with lotus blossoms floating on top. The smells brought back memories. The wives having tea in the gardens, always strategizing for power and influence, the children playing games around them, having lessons with tutors. Jia always running, always hiding.
Her heart skipped a beat as they walked along the stream that ran through the city, and she saw a group of children, about seven or eight of them. Some of her siblings, she realized. She recognized some of them, even remembered their names. There was Prince Yinxiang, and Wenxian, her sister closest to her in age, though her mother never allowed them to play together. Wenxian was a princess of the first rank, a daughter of an empress, while Jia—or Quejing—had merely been the daughter of one of the emperor’s consorts.
“Who are they?” Matt asked quietly, nodding to the children.
“The emperor’s children, a few of them anyway.”
“A few? You mean he has more than that?”
“Yes. I can’t remember how many exactly. It was hard to keep track.”
“The Kangxi emperor had three dozen children,” Belamie interjected from behind them in a dry, matter-of-fact tone. “Twenty-four sons and twelve daughters.”
“Thirty-six kids?!” Matt exclaimed in a whisper though his voice squeaked a little. “How is that even possible?”
“Well, he had several wives,” Jia said. “My mother wasn’t his only wife, you know.”
“Oh,” Matt said, and seeing the discomfort on his face suddenly made her uncomfortable.
“It was a common practice among emperors in China,” Belamie added. “One of the emperor’s most important duties was to produce an heir in order to ensure that their lines continued to rule and the empire would thrive. Having many wives to bear him many children ensured this.”
Matt nodded. “Right. Makes sense.”
Jia had never given much thought to her family dynamic, how it would seem to someone outside her time and country. To her it was just the way things were. But now, after viewing it through Matt’s eyes, she was suddenly self-conscious of how strange her family must seem. Matt must have sensed her discomfort because he leaned in and said in a low voice so only she could hear, “It’s all good. I mean, it’s not like I have the most conventional family on the planet.” He glanced briefly at his mom, who didn’t know him, and his grandmother and uncle, who were roughly the same age.
Jia smiled a little. She had traveled enough to know that families came in all varieties and sizes. Family meant different things at different times and places. Sometimes it was about survival. Sometimes it was about power and names and bloodlines. And sometimes it’s just about love and wanting to be together. This was why she often thought the Hudsons were the most wonderful family in the whole world, because they chose each other. She had wished more than once that she could be a part of the Hudson family, a true member of their crew. But now the Hudsons were no more, and though it might mean nothing to the rest of the world, it seemed as great a tragedy as any she’d witnessed, and her heart ached for Matt. Oh, how she hoped her father could help them!
The guards led them to another set of gates, these ones extremely tall, painted red and gold. The door opened to a spacious courtyard. At the end stood a large square building with many red pillars and a sloped, double-tiered red-tile roof. Jia paused for a moment to take it all in.
“Is that your father’s palace?” Matt asked.
She nodded.
“The Hall of Supreme Harmony,” Belamie said, her own voice full of awe. “The most sacred building within the Forbidden City. This is the place where the emperor was crowned, where he held his wedding ceremonies, and where he meets with his most important guests.” Clearly, she’d researched this place a good deal. Jia had done a little bit of her own research in Wiley’s library, but to her this place was more than just a sacred building. The very pillars had memories inside of them, the walls full of stories of those who built them and those who had lived inside of them, including herself.
The Hall of Supreme Harmony was raised on three layers of marble platform. Stone dragons surrounded the curved red-tile roof. When it rained, the water would pour from their open mouths, spilling on the stone tiles below. Jia suddenly had an image of her standing beneath them in the rain, letting the water pour over her head. She made believe it was a magical potion that would transform her into a swan so she could fly away, beyond the walls of the Forbidden City.
The steps leading up to the palace took them alongside a great marble relief carved with nine dragons frolicking amidst waves and clouds, playing with pearls.
Albert reached down as though he would touch the marble relief. Jia gasped a little, but before
