Matt’s servant’s name was Tong. He was a small, cheerful old man who was delighted to find that Matt could speak some Chinese and instantly started chattering away. Matt only understood about half of what he said, but he gathered their presence in the Forbidden City was a very exciting thing.
Tong prepared Matt a bath, for which Matt was grateful, as he was starting to feel quite itchy from all the dirt and grime on him. As he removed his clothes, he was careful to take out the scraps of time tapestry from Corey and Ruby and set them under a washbasin where he could retrieve them later.
While Matt soaked in the soapy bath, Tong started to brush and style his hair. He first tried to style it in a bun on top of his head, but it wasn’t long enough for that. Next he brought out a razor and told Matt he would shave the front of his head.
“It is a good style,” he said. “Very Chinese. Just like Crown Prince Yinreng.” Aside from the fact that Matt really did not want his head shaved, he also did not think it would go over well with Jia if he came out looking like her brother whom she clearly despised and feared. He declined as politely as he could and told Tong he would rather keep his hair the way it was. The servant sighed, disappointed. Matt got a sudden flash of the first time he’d been to see Brocco on the Vermillion to get some new clothes. Corey and Ruby had gone as well, and Brocco had been so disappointed when he couldn’t get Ruby to wear a dress. And just as soon as he thought it, the memory slipped from him, faded, and Matt was simply left with a feeling of familiarity with the situation, but without reference as to why. It was just a moment of déjà vu, he thought.
Tong brought Matt a set of blue silk robes. As much as he would rather wear his regular clothes, Matt didn’t think he could decline this offering as he had the hairstyle, so he thanked Tong and put them on. Tong helped him tie the sash properly and noted with pleasure that he looked almost Chinese.
When Matt came out of his room he found Gaga, Haha, Uncle Chuck, Albert, and Belamie also clean and changed into silk robes in the Chinese fashion. His mother looked quite beautiful in purple silk with wide, draping sleeves and her hair swept up in a bun, held by two crossing sticks. Her face was powdered and her lips painted red. The rest of the group looked a little odd and quite uncomfortable. Uncle Chuck’s hair had been slicked back into a ponytail, and his gray beard had been trimmed and braided. He kept jutting out his chin to see the braid. Gaga’s short silver hair had been wrapped around an ornate headpiece. Her face was powdered white and her lips painted red. She wore a blue dress that matched Haha’s robes. Haha kept tugging at it self-consciously. Albert’s robes were a little too long at the hem and sleeves, so he had to keep holding it up as he walked, which his servant kept telling him not to do. Of course, Albert didn’t understand so he kept doing it, and round and round they went.
But when Jia came out, the whole room went still and quiet. Matt felt he could have been knocked over by a feather. He almost didn’t recognize her, and for a split second he thought it was someone else. She was wearing white silk robes embroidered with silver and blue flowers. Her hair was swept up and adorned with white lotus blossoms. Dainty pearls dangled from her ears. She glided out of the room, holding herself tall and proud. She looked every bit the part of a princess, and Matt suddenly felt he should have known all along who she really was, that she was no orphan or ordinary girl.
Jia stopped in front of him and smiled. “Nĭ hăo, Mateo.”
“Nĭ hăo, Gōngzhŭ.”
Jia blushed and looked down at her dress. “It’s not really me, is it?”
Matt cocked his head, studying her. “It is if you want it to be,” Matt said. “I think it suits you very well.”
Jia smiled. “Thank you. You look very handsome. So smart. My father will like you.”
They stood there just staring at each other for a moment, until Gaga cleared her throat and they both jumped, remembering that there were other people in the room. Matt looked around and saw everyone staring at them. Gaga was smirking a little, and his mom was looking quizzically between him and Jia.
“Are there rules we should know before we attend dinner with the emperor?” Gaga asked. “I shouldn’t like to get my head chopped off for not eating the proper way.”
“Yes,” Jia said. “It is fairly straightforward, and your servants will assist you, but the basic rule is that you do nothing before the emperor. You do not sit until the emperor sits, you do not eat until he eats, you do not speak until he speaks and only if he speaks directly to you.”
“What do we do if he speaks to us and we don’t know a lick of Chinese?” Uncle Chuck said, clearly agitated by the thought of not being able to communicate.
“Matt or I will translate for you,” Jia said. “Don’t worry. It’s going to be fine.”
Somewhere from inside the house a gong sounded.
“That’s the signal,” Jia said. “It’s time.”
Matt felt a small fluttering in his stomach as Jia took him by the arm and they walked out together.
It was evening now. The sun was setting, casting a pink glow over the city. The air was cool with a slight breeze. They had to walk to another building within the city, and this time they had many more eyes on them. News must
