Somehow, I had done it; I had won the talisman. Never again would I get a chance like this. I would not be a coward now, not after everything I had done to get here. A rush of emotion coursed through me as I found the words nestled deep in my heart, the ones I had whispered to myself each night before I slept, before I awakened each dawn.
“My mother is Chang’e. I am the daughter of the Moon Goddess.”
The whispers began, faint rustles gathering into gasps, fervent mutterings accompanied by the nervous shuffling of feet. Liwei’s eyes went wide, his jaw clenched tight, while Wenzhi’s lips were drawn into a thin line. Those who knew me best, those who trusted me most, those I had kept in the dark. How betrayed they must feel by my confession.
“The Moon Goddess?” The empress spat each word. “If Chang’e is your mother, who is your father?”
Fear clouded my heart, like ink billowing from a brush dipped into water. My father had killed the sunbirds, her beloved kin. But my anger at her crude insinuation prodded me into raising my chin to meet her gaze, to speak with less care and more pride than I should have.
“My father is my mother’s husband, the mortal archer Houyi.”
The moment those words were spoken aloud, the tension knotted deep inside me for all these years unraveled. A lightness swept through me, a rush of freedom in acknowledging my parents. I had not realized the weight of this burden until now. Yet beyond my fierce relief and pride, there was no glory in the unveiling of my identity. I had been pitied before for my lack of family and connections—but in the eyes of this court, it was worse by far to be tarnished by association with those who were disgraced.
Fury mottled the empress’s fair skin. Her knuckles were white, the gold sheaths on her fingers digging into the armrest of her throne.
The Celestial Emperor broke the stillness first. “Explain yourself.” His tone was grim and the way he looked at me . . . it reminded me of the moment when Liwei plunged his sword through my chest.
All knew the tale of the ten sunbirds. But none knew the truth behind the Moon Goddess’s ascension to immortality. To the hostile audience hanging on to my every word, I retold the story I had heard once before. The danger to my mother’s life and mine. Her heartbreaking choice. The terror that had led her to conceal my existence. I could not help the tears pricking my eyes, when I spoke of the sorrow which had haunted my mother every day of her immortal life.
When I finished, I pressed my brow to the jade tiles again, swallowing my pride and resentment for this chance to be heard. “For all these years, my mother has been a prisoner, living in loneliness and misery. She took the elixir to save our lives. She was unaware that she had broken any rule, how could a mortal know such a thing? I plead for Your Celestial Majesties’ mercy and understanding, to forgive my mother’s transgression and lift her punishment. This is the favor I ask for.”
I raised myself, placing my shaking palms upon my folded knees. My gaze collided with the Celestial Emperor’s, utterly unmoved by my heartfelt plea.
The empress pointed a finger at me, almost convulsing with rage. “Such deceit cannot be tolerated. This family line, from Chang’e and Houyi to this . . . this girl is a treacherous one, riddled with lies, duplicity, ingratitude. It should be ended at once.”
The glorious hope that had sprung up a moment ago, shriveled and died. Yet silence greeted the empress’s words. There were no enthusiastic cries of support, only a few nodded—and for that I was grateful.
Someone strode out from the side, sinking to the floor to perform his obeisance. A courtier, I could tell, from his ceremonial hat and black robe, and the yellow jade ornament dangling from his waist sash. A high-ranking one to be positioned so close to the thrones, though I could not see his face from where he knelt in front of me.
“Your Celestial Majesty, may I offer my opinion?”
Those silken tones, the back of his profile, jostled my memory then. Where had I met this immortal before?
The emperor leaned back against his throne. “Rise, Minister Wu, and speak your mind. Your counsel is valued.”
My heart plunged. Minister Wu? I should not have been surprised; he seemed ever entwined with my most challenging times here. This close, his aura pulsed around me, as dense and opaque as a bottomless lake.
The minister bowed again, before rising to his feet. When he swung around, I flinched from the hostility in his expression. “Your Celestial Majesty, neither Chang’e nor her daughter deserves your mercy. One stole your gift, the other deceived you in this contemptible manner. How brazenly the Moon Goddess lied to Her Celestial Majesty when we visited her before! Upon your command, I will return there and apprehend her, to be tried with her daughter for their offenses. If you allow them to go unpunished, this will set a dangerous precedent to others who will seek to take advantage of your kindness.”