Mistress of the Throne (The Mughal intrigues) Read Online Free PDF Page A

make Prince Shahriar the heir apparent. My father’s rebellion against her and his puppet father had failed, and he’d been forced to live in exile in the Deccan, while my two brothers were held as virtual hostages by Nur Jahan as insurance against any future rebellion. Prince Shahriar had become the heir apparent, just as Nur Jahan had envisioned.
    Nur Jahan added in a low voice while staring at the ground: “My daughter is now a widow, as am I. She has a small daughter who will never know her father. Do what you will to me, but please look after my children. They are your own flesh and blood.”
    I’d learned from Sati what became of Prince Shahriar. Upon reaching Agra and seizing the throne, Aba ordered the execution of all of his rivals. Prince Shahriar, Prince Dawar Baksh, along with two nephews of my father, were blindfolded and brought to an open field and shot to death by an executioner.
    Living with the knowledge that my father was a murderer had proved difficult for me, so I’d tried to forget about this horrific aspect of him. But at moments like these the horror would resurface again, and I’d be reminded of how much blood my Aba had on his hands.
    Now he said: “Begum Nur Jahan, it would be untrue for me to say that I am happy with the way you have treated me and my family. You took my children from me and forced us to live like refugees in our own home. You even turned my father against me so he spent his final years cursing me and offering none of his blessings to me or his grandchildren.Yet I do not wish to tarnish my father’s memory by having you harmed. You are after all, the
former
Empress of India.”
    I knew Aba had emphasised the word
former
to make it clear that Nur Jahan should understand her place. I’d like to think I was at least partially successful in telepathically communicating with my father, for what he would do next shocked all in the hall.
    “I would like you to remain in a private home, right here in Agra,” he went on. “You will be given an annual allowance of twolakh rupees, but you must remain in the home. You are not to meet with any dignitaries, nor attend any court events. You will not be given command of any cavalry or ships, and you cannot leave your house without the expressed written consent of myself or the Empress, Mumtaz Mahal.”
    “May people visit me, Your Majesty?”
    “Yes, you may have anyone common visit you as you like, but you will refrain from any involvement in state affairs. I suggest you devote your remaining days to prayer and good works.”
    “You are too kind, my King,” said Nur Jahan, as she performed the royal salutation.
    I suspected that Nur Jahan had received a much weaker sentence than she’d thought she would. Even Ami, who was a calming hand on the bellicose Mughal throne, looked surprised that a stricter sentence hadn’t been levelled against the former Empress. Perhaps Aba didn’t want to be seen as an executioner of an old lady, a mother, grandmother and stepmother. Perhaps he wanted to save face with his children now, since we knew our father was a murderer.

3
    THE POISONING
    5 th June, 1628

    O ur elephant was right behind Ami’s golden-canopied one. As she was the royal Empress, hers had to be the grandest. Behind us rode over 100 Uzbek bodyguards with silver-tipped spears, along with dozens of eunuchs on horses. Our elephant was among the countless beasts that rode as the official royal zenana.
    When summer arrived, our entire royal family decided to retreat to the summer capital in the northern hills of Kashmir to escape the oppressive heat. The pleasure gardens there were supposedly paradise on earth; we kids had only heard of them, but were now anxious to actually experience their glory ourselves.
    Gardens held a special meaning to my people. Paradise after death was considered to look like a pleasure garden. By creating beautiful pleasure gardens all over our kingdom, we Mughals tried to attain the closest thing to a