19

"Your majesty," A eunuch kneeled low in front of the queen of Jungpi as her maids buzzed around her.  Her hair was done half up so that the hair hung down in cascades of shine so whoever stood behind her would be looking at a scenic waterfall.  The scene was punctuated with four phoenix hairpins which were arranged in the four cardinal directions.  In front, right abover her forehead was a small nest replete with a phoenix couple and a nest of eggs.  It was a haven reprieve from the business of the golden array of clouds and valleys.  Her eyes were winged with setting clouds made of shadows of purple, orange, and yellow.  The sun itself set red in a painted mark between her delicate eyebrows.  The scene was set so it would appeal to the court, but she was under no illusions about her looks.

She was by no means beautiful.  Her own mother, the former queen, had always referred to her as having the misfortune of her father's brutish face.&