Chapter 2: Who Looks after Women in Childbirth?

Before the sun had even thought about rising, Lu Zhi yanked Liu Xun off her sleeping mat.

It wasn't a shout; it was a hand grabbing her shoulder and hauling her up. Liu Xun's blanket was still twisted, half her face exposed, hair frizzing out in every direction, eyes still firmly shut. No lamps were lit in the room, just the pale, grayish light from outside the window, casting the walls in a sickly green hue.

"Lift your arms."

Liu Xun raised her arms blindly. She slid her robe on, tied the sash tight, and Lu Zhi pinned her in front of the bronze mirror to comb her hair. The mirror was old bronze, a thin layer of fog coating the surface, making her reflection look blurry and indistinct. The wooden comb scraped against her scalp, stroke after stroke, the pressure sharp enough to make her scalp throb.

"It hurts."

"If it hurts, you'll remember." Lu Zhi didn't stop her hand. "Today you're seeing the Emperor. Don't look around randomly. Don't wander randomly. If His Majesty asks you something, you answer exactly that."

"Mm."

"If he asks about your mother, say you don't know. If he asks about your brother, say you don't know."

Liu Xun looked at her through the mirror. Lu Zhi’s face was blank, her hand steady. The comb teeth scraped from her roots to the tips, then she flipped over to work on the other side. The Lu Zhi in the mirror and the Lu Zhi outside of it seemed like two different people.

"Mother, what are you afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid." Lu Zhi gathered her hair up, securing it with a hairpin. "I'm afraid your mouth can't keep a lid on it."

By the time they stepped outside, the sky was just starting to pale. Dew clung to the blades of grass at the base of the palace walls, cold enough to sting the feet. Lu Zhi walked in front; Liu Xun trailed behind. Two eunuchs held lanterns, guiding the way. Grass grew in the cracks of the palace bricks; the dew soaked their shoes, the soles scuffing against the brick with a tiny, rasping sound. Old seals were pasted on the pillars on either side, the ink faded until you couldn't read what they said.

"Mother."

"Mm."

"What kind of person is the Emperor?"

Lu Zhi didn't slow her pace. Wind whistled through the gaps in the wall, making the hem of her outer robe flutter.

"You'll see when you meet him."

The hall was warm from the charcoal fire, a stark contrast to the chill outside. The charcoal in the brazier was burning hot, sparks jumping up and casting the walls in flickering light and shadow. Liu Bang sat behind the desk. A tripod cauldron sat on the desk, meat stewing inside, steam rising in thick, white plumes. He was holding a bone in his hand, gnawing on it. His fingers were slick with oil, meat juices glistening on his joints. Rough clay bowls sat by the desk, one of the rims chipped.

Liu Xun curtsied alongside Lu Zhi. Liu Bang waved a hand, still chewing, his cheekbones working as he masticated.

"Come here. Let me look at you."

Liu Xun took two steps forward. The floor was covered in straw mats, bits of straw sticking to her shoes. Liu Bang sized her up, then tossed the bone back into the cauldron. It hit the broth with a splash, spattering drops of oil. He wiped his hands with a cloth, but the cloth was already black with grime, making his hands look dirtier after the wipe.

"How old are you?"

"Seven."

"Seven." Liu Bang repeated it, throwing the cloth onto the desk. "What can a seven-year-old do?"

"I can remember things."

Liu Bang laughed, a sound so loud the sparks in the brazier jumped. "Remember things? What do you remember?"

Liu Xun watched him. The meat in the cauldron was still steaming, the smell drifting everywhere.

"I remember how much meat the Emperor ate today."

The hall went silent for a moment. The charcoal fire popped. Lu Zhi stayed quiet, her hands clasped in front of her, knuckles white. Liu Bang stared at her for two seconds, then burst into laughter, laughing so hard the bowls on the desk trembled.

"Good, good." He slapped the desk. "Then calculate for me. If we split this cauldron of meat among ten people, how much does each get?"

Liu Xun glanced at the cauldron. The broth had already dropped by a third; bones floated on the surface, broken into jagged pieces.

"Broth and meat included, one bowl per person. There’d be two bones left at the bottom of the bowl."

"Why leave the bones?"

"Because there isn't enough meat, so the bones are used to pad the number. The person distributing the goods doesn't want to lose out for himself, so he hands the bones to the others."

Liu Bang laughed even louder. He turned to look at Lu Zhi, the wrinkles around his eyes crinkling together. "You've raised a fine daughter."

Lu Zhi lowered her head, her voice flat. "Your Majesty flatters me."

"Enough." Liu Bang leaned back against the desk, his spine pressing against the edge. "Tomorrow, go to the Crown Prince's place. Study with him. He's bored to death alone; he needs someone to talk to."

Liu Xun agreed. As they left the hall, she looked back. Liu Bang had already grabbed another bone and was gnawing on it, cracking audibly, oil dripping down his fingers. Outside, the daylight was bright, and the birds under the eaves were chirping happily.

The Crown Prince's study was in the east wing. Six desks were arranged inside, occupied by five young men studying as companions. The wooden desks were polished shiny from years of use. The teacher was a Confucian scholar in his fifties, surnamed Zhang. He spoke slowly, had a mild temper, and was constantly holding a scroll of bamboo slips, flipping through the same few pages.

When Liu Xun entered, the room was in chaos.

Two of the youths were fighting over a scroll of bamboo slips, scattering the bamboo pieces across the floor. The slips rolled under the desk legs with a rattle. One was asleep on his desk, drool soaking half a sheet of paper, the ink characters swelling from the moisture. Another was using a brush to draw a turtle on the back of a fourth boy, and he was still adding the tail when Liu Xun walked in.

Crown Prince Liu Ying sat in the front, holding his scroll, brows furrowed, saying nothing. A stack of un-read slips piled on his desk, the brush resting by the inkstone, the ink already dried.

Teacher Zhang slapped the desk twice. "Quiet! Be quiet—"

No one listened. The ones fighting over the slips kept arguing, the sleeper kept snoring, and the one drawing the turtle kept adding to the tail.

Liu Xun stood at the door and watched for a while. The door hinge creaked; no one turned around. She walked to the empty desk next to the Crown Prince and sat down. The desk was cold; the chill of the wood seeped through her sleeve into her wrist. She set her school bag down and surveyed the room.

"Master." She spoke. Her voice wasn't loud, but everyone in the room paused.

Teacher Zhang looked at her, his hand still suspended in the air. "What business does the young lady have?"

"I have a question. How many people are in this room, and how many tasks are there?"

Teacher Zhang blinked, pulling his hand back from the desk. "Six people... one task: studying."

"Wrong." Liu Xun said. "Six people, four tasks: studying, copying, serving the Master tea, and maintaining discipline. Right now, all six of you are cramming into one task, and nobody is watching the others. That’s why it’s chaotic."

The two fighting over the bamboo slips stopped and looked at her. No one on the floor was picking up the scattered pieces.

Liu Xun picked up the bamboo slips from the floor, arranging them one by one, stacking them neatly. Her fingers were cut by the sharp edges of the bamboo; she didn't notice.

"You six, split into three shifts. One shift copies, one shift recites, one shift refills the water and watches who's breaking the rules. Rotate shifts every half-hour."

"Why should we listen to you?" the one drawing the turtle said, his hand still stained with ink.

"You don't have to." Liu Xun pushed the neatly stacked scrolls onto the desk. "Then I'll keep the record myself. If you miss your shift, I note it. We tally every three days. If you have three marks against you, I'll go tell His Majesty that this person doesn't need to come anymore."

The room went quiet. Even the sleeper stopped snoring.

Crown Prince Liu Ying looked up and glanced at her. His eyes were very dark, looking at her with a slight, vacant stare.

Teacher Zhang coughed, tucking the bamboo scroll into his robe. "This method... actually works."

Liu Xun pushed the scrolls to the middle of the desk. "Then let's begin. First shift, you two copy." She pointed at the two who had been fighting. "Second shift, you two recite. Third shift, you—" She looked at the turtle-drawer. "Refill the water. Manage the discipline."

"I manage the rules?" The boy opened his mouth, then shut it.

"You like making a fuss the most. You know exactly who's making a fuss."

The boy opened his mouth, couldn't find a word, finally huffed, and grabbed the water pitcher and walked away. The pitcher was copper; as he walked, it clanged and chimed.

Half an hour later, the room was dead silent. The copiers had their heads down, pen tips scratching on the bamboo. The reciters mumbled quietly; one got stuck halfway and started over from the beginning. The water carrier walked back and forth, eyes wide, glaring at anyone who moved.

Teacher Zhang sat at the head, holding his tea, sipping it slowly. The tea was cold, but he didn't care.

When class ended, Crown Prince Liu Ying called Liu Xun over.

"The shift system you mentioned earlier—who taught you that?"

Liu Xun shouldered her bag, the strap leaving a red mark on her shoulder.

"Nobody taught me."

"So how did you think of it?"

"When there are too many people, it gets messy. If it's messy, you divide it. Divide it, and it's not messy." Liu Xun said. "It's the same logic as splitting the meat."

Liu Ying smiled. When he smiled, his features looked soft, nothing like Liu Bang. The sun had already slanted, light cutting through the window lattice, casting a thin layer of gold on his face.

"Will you come tomorrow?"

"Yes."

By the time she returned to Lu Zhi, it was nearly dark. The lanterns under the eaves were lit, yellow light spilling onto the blue brick floor. Lu Zhi was mending clothes under the lamp. When she saw Liu Xun enter, she just jerked her chin. The flower of the lamp wick swayed in the wind, shadows flickering on the wall.

"How was it?"

"Not bad. The Crown Prince is nice."

"I asked about *you*."

Liu Xun sat on her mat. The mat had warmed up from body heat, but the chill was slowly rising from the floor. She picked up a lacquered cup with ear-handles and drank some water. There was a small chip in the rim, hurting her lip a bit.

"I divided them into shifts and set the rules. It won't be chaotic anymore."

Lu Zhi’s needle paused. "You're seven. Are you going to set rules for the Crown Prince?"

"The rules aren't ones I made; they were missing from them. I just pointed it out."

Lu Zhi looked at her for a while, then lowered her head and continued sewing. The needle went in and out of the cloth, the thread pulled long.

"What will the Emperor think when he finds out?"

"If the Emperor can't tolerate even that much, he won't stay seated on that throne long."

"Liu Xun."

"Mother, I'm telling the truth."

Lu Zhi didn't speak. The lamp wick popped, the flame jumped, and the shadows on the walls swayed with it.

After a while, Lu Zhi spoke, her voice lower. "Word came from the palace today. Consort Qi requested a doctor again."

Liu Xun held her cup in the air, not setting it down.

"Who is sick?"

"No one is sick. A palace maid of hers is pregnant. She’s vomiting badly, can't eat. The doctor has been called three times, but the maid is still wasting away."

Liu Xun set the cup down. The lacquered ear cup hit the mat with a dull thud.

"Which doctor did she call?"

"The palace doctor. He examined her, prescribed medicine, but it didn't work."

"How is the maid now?"

"She's lying in bed. I hear if this continues, she won't keep the baby."

Liu Xun was silent for a moment. Outside, someone walked past, footsteps receding from the front of the corridor.

"Mother, how many children have been born in the palace this year?"

Lu Zhi’s needle stopped again. "Why ask that?"

"Tell me the number."

Lu Zhi thought for a second, her fingers twitching under the light. "From the start of the year to now, inside and outside the palace, I know of five. Two survived."

"And the other three?"

"One didn't come. One died three days after birth. And the other one..." Lu Zhi bit the thread to cut it, her jaw tight. "Gone the night of the full moon."

Liu Xun didn't speak. The lamp wick popped again, shadows trembling on the wall.

"Why are you asking about this?" Lu Zhi asked again, her voice deeper this time.

"Mother." Liu Xun looked up. The lamp light hit her face, her eyes bright. "I want to take care of childbirth."

Lu Zhi put the clothes down and looked at her.

"You are seven."

"I am seven, but I can calculate." Liu Xun said, tapping her fingers on the mat. "Five children, three dead. That isn't fate. It's no one in charge. No one manages the pregnancy, no one manages the birth, no one manages the aftermath. The doctor comes, takes a glance, and leaves. The wet nurses feed what they feel like. Raising children like this, even with ten, you won't keep many."

Lu Zhi’s hand rested on her knee, motionless for a long time. The flame in the wick was quiet, no longer jumping.

"How do you intend to manage it?"

"I want to look first. See what that maid eats, drinks, if the room is cold, what medicine the doctor prescribed. Once I understand, I'll draft a proposal."

Lu Zhi stared at her for a long time. The lamp shadow flickered on her face, brightening and dimming.

"Tomorrow." She finally spoke, her voice a bit hoarse. "Someone will bring the maid's Medical Records tomorrow. You look at them first."

"Okay."

"We'll talk after you've seen them." Lu Zhi picked up her needle again, pulling the thread through the eye. "Any other words, wait until you've seen the records."

Liu Xun nodded and got up to walk to her room. At the doorway, she turned back.

"Mother."

"What now?"

"When you gave birth to me and my brother, was anyone in charge?"

Lu Zhi’s needle pricked her finger. A drop of blood welled up, sharper than the needle point. She put the finger in her mouth, sucked it, and tasted the metallic tang of blood.

"Go to sleep."