after he had left, “let’s not make the mistake that your brother did by refusing to show favor to his best servants. Let Mirza Salman know that you still value him and give him a reason for hope.”
Pari’s fury evaporated so quickly I realized that she had been playing a role. “Don’t worry, I will. Mirza Salman must not think, just because he is grand vizier, that he can take his position for granted or that he can tell me what to do. When he disobeys, he must be chastised, otherwise he will do it again. I am testing him right now to see whether he will be a faithful servant, and whether he has the ferocity of character to stand with us to the end.”
Shortly after the incident at the treasury, Mohammad Khodabandeh and his family arrived at the holy city of Qom. They lodged at the home of his mother, Sultanam, who had moved there because she could no longer bear court intrigue, and they paid their respects to God at the local mosques. The noblemen at court began to agitate to be allowed to visit him in Qom, hoping to begin the process of winning his favor, but Pari insisted that they remain at the palace to finish their duties. They chafed under her rules, but so great was her power that most obeyed.
Mirza Salman was an exception. He called on her and asked her permission to pay his respects to Mohammad, arguing that he thought it would be wise if he explained the incident at the treasury as well as her decision to send armed men to shore up the country against Ottoman invasion.
Pari and I heard him out on her side of the lattice.
“Princess, I wish to smooth the way for your first meeting with the Shah. I will ensure that there are no malicious tongues sowing seeds of conflict between you and your brother. You asked me to prove my loyalty to you. I will do so.”
“What is the hurry?”
“I am a cautious man. When the Shah arrives, he will be overwhelmed with visitors and it will be difficult to make an impression on him. I wish to tell him of all your successes, starting with how you helped Isma‘il to power and ending with your efforts to put the palace in good order before Mohammad’s own arrival. I believe I can convince him how much he needs you.”
“Is that the sum of what you plan to do?”
“No,” he said. “Naturally, I wish to be retained as grand vizier. If he agrees, I will continue to be of service to him and to you.”
Pari whispered to me, “At least he admits to his own desires.”
Shamkhal had been terrorizing Mirza Salman whenever he saw him around the palace. He would draw his dagger and slit the tip of his finger to show how sharp the weapon was or make gruesome comments about enemies left on the battlefield as fodder for vultures. He kept threatening Mirza Salman as if to make up for the fact that his own position at the palace was now inferior to the grand vizier’s. Mirza Salman wanted to leave, I suspected, because he felt threatened. I was of two minds about whether he should be let go.
“Mirza Salman, you have my permission to leave under two conditions. You won’t announce your departure, and you will write to me shortly after you meet with my brother to let me know his views of my actions. You are being granted an exception because of my faith in you.”
“Thank you, esteemed princess. I am honored by your confidence in me.”
“What are you planning to say about the treasury?”
“That you had the best interests of the country at heart.”
As I showed him out, a brief smile brightened his features. He looked like a man who had gotten something he wanted very badly.
Pari and her uncle Shamkhal had become close again and strategized together every day, although they often disagreed. Despite Shamkhal’s role in Mirza Salman’s departure, he thought Pari had made a grave mistake by letting the grand vizier go to Qom. During one of the times that they sat closeted together in her private rooms, Shamkhal argued that Mirza Salman would be free to say whatever he wished about her to Mohammad.
“Advancing his own position is his greatest skill. Look how he rid himself of Mirza Shokhrollah.”
“Uncle, do you have evidence of his disloyalty?”
Shamkhal equivocated, his eyes flicking around the room. “Why not wait