Lady Yang had won the Emperor’s favor with both her beauty and talent, but she never forgot that she had been once been demoted by him as well. She worried that it could happen again and often sent one of her maids to keep track of the Emperor’s whereabouts.
There were many beautiful and talented women in the palace. Lady Mei was one of the prettiest, and had been the Emperor’s favorite concubine before Lady Yang had arrived. And, although he visited her much less than before, once in awhile he would still spend a night or two in Lady Mei’s palace. This made Lady Yang very jealous.
One evening the Emperor did not come to Lady Yang’s room. Night was approaching , lamps were being lighted and Yuhuan became anxious. In vain she waited by the window.
As a cry sounded: “Here comes His Majesty!” she rushed outside expecting to see the Emperor but nobody was coming. Only a parrot lingered outside, repeating the words it often overheard. Yuhuan stomped her feet angrily.
“Your ladyship,” Her maid was approaching her. “His Majesty is going to spend the night in the Western Pavilion. Your ladyship need not wait for him any longer.”
The news upset Yuhuan. She didn’t understand how Lady Mei had won the Emperor’s favor yet again. The Emperor had spent every night with her ever since she returned to the palace. She felt sick over his decision to spend the night with another woman. Fueled by her sadness and jealousy Yuhuan decided to go to Lady Mei’s rooms and see for herself.
“In my humble opinion,” the maid interjected. “His Majesty did not intend for you to know about his staying in the Western Pavilion tonight. It’s late and His Majesty may have already gone to bed. It will only make him angry if you go to him in this manner. May I suggest that your ladyship take a rest now and handle the matter tomorrow?”
But Yuhuan was too upset to be reasoned with. Disregarding the maids’ advice, she made her way to the Western Pavilion.
Gao Lishi, who was in front of the pavilion when she arrived, stopped the Lady at the door.
“His Majesty is resting in the pavilion. As your ladyship may know, he had a busy day and is feeling sick now.” Gao Lishi raised his voice to warn the Emperor of Yuhaun’s arrival. “Please, wait here and allow me to report your presence.”
The embarrassed Emperor reluctantly asked Lady Mei to hide, and then ordered Yuhuan to enter the room.
Lady Yang looked around but could not see any sign of Lady Mei. Though she was unsatisfied with her findings she maintained her composure.
“I heard that Your Majesty was not feeling well,” she said modestly. “So I came to check on you. But why are you alone here? You could have gotten Lady Mei to accompany you.”
“Rest assured, my lady,” replied the Emperor, who realized he had made a mistake. “Don’t be oversensitive. I just want to be alone here and get some rest.”
Yuhuan left the pavilion downhearted. She ran back to her palace in tears.
The next morning , the Emperor rushed to Lady Yang’s rooms. At the sight of him she began to cry again. The Emperor attempted to comfort her.
