The Last Concubine

Mei Ju knew she would not get to the bottom of it upon a first meeting, but perhaps she could allay at least some of the fear.
    “How old are you, Princess?”
    “I am almost eighteen,” Lan’xiu responded. “Please, call me Lan’xiu. I am no princess outside my own province, and I miss hearing my name.”
    “You are pure and chaste,” Mei Ju said shrewdly, “but you must not fear my Lord Qiang Hüi Wei. He is a skilled and gentle lover. When he takes you, he will cause as little pain as possible.”
    Lan’xiu went white to the lips, turning so pale Mei Ju feared she might faint and wondered if she had been too forthright. But the girl was a concubine; this was her fate and it would come to pass, like it or not. Men were weak, and Mei Ju could not imagine any man would have the fortitude to resist the temptation of being the first to pluck such a perfect blossom, no matter what his head or heart had to say about the matter.
    “He is my lord and master,” Lan’xiu said miserably and bowed her head. “It will be as he wills.”
    “You must forgive me for being so personal, but you are the most exquisite creature I have ever seen,” Mei Ju burst forth. “Such perfection has never rejoiced my eyes before. You are flawless, like the summer sky.” She was relieved to see a tiny smile hover over Lan’xiu’s curved lips. She had begun to fear the girl could not smile, and yet with regret she noticed the smile only rendered her even more beautiful. Her teeth were like a set of perfectly matched pearls.
    “I am far from flawless. I have learned to hide my faults.”
    “I cannot discern a single blemish,” Mei Ju said in wonderment.
    Lan’xiu sighed. “I have always regretted my hair.”
    Mei Ju examined the tightly smoothed hair, piled high and secured with a silver and turquoise enameled slide. “Your hair is perfectly lovely.”
    “Unless my servant irons it straight, it is rather wavy, especially when the weather is damp,” Lan’xiu admitted. “Some women of the north are afflicted with this condition.”
    “Your maid must slave to disguise it,” Mei Ju said flatly. “Take it down, please, that I may see it.”
    Lan’xiu turned her head and called out, “Shu Ning!”
    A short, clever-looking eunuch bustled into the room and came to her side before prostrating himself to Mei Ju. Then he sat back on his heels. “Princess.”
    “Lady First Wife wishes to see my hair down,” Lan’xiu said in a resigned tone.
    Against protocol, Shu Ning shot a sharp glance at Mei Ju. She was amused to see he seemed to be assessing her intent toward his mistress. Apparently, he was able to discern that she harbored no ill will, because with nimble hands he took down Lan’xiu’s hair and coaxed it into curl.
    Mei Ju cocked her head to one side. She found the curls ugly but endlessly fascinating, so different from her own smooth locks. Without being pulled back, Lan’xiu’s dark hair rippled wildly, taking on a glint of reddish chestnut, but perhaps it was just the warmth from the dancing flames of the fire. Then Mei Ju sighed. Nothing, nothing , seemed to mar this girl’s perfection, not even the ugliness of curls. The masses of wavy hair served only to accentuate the delicacy of her features. “Thank you for indulging my curiosity. Shu Ning, you may restore her highness’s hair to the usual dress.”
    Shu Ning yanked at the princess’s hair with an ivory comb. Lan’xiu showed no pain on her face; she merely endured until her hair was neatly piled up again.
    “Thank you, Ning. You may go,” Lan’xiu said. Then she put a hand over her mouth and glanced at Mei Ju in dismay for the insolence of having given an order within the first wife’s home.
    Mei Ju laughed as Ning fled the room, no doubt in fear that his mistress would be punished for this presumption. “Allowances will be made for you. Hüi Wei will not resent your giving your servant an order, even in his presence. You have been used to being a princess.”
    “I humbly apologize for this transgression.”
    When it seemed that Lan’xiu meant to prostrate herself on the floor again, Mei Ju stopped her. “I mean you no harm, child. We are sister wives. You are one of us now, and it is my responsibility as first wife to make you welcome and educate you to our customs.”
    “I thank you,” Lan’xiu said, her voice shaking and her eyes downcast.
    “Do not be so humble when you meet the other wives. Second Wife Ci’an should have been