The Last Concubine
the household, although she had no doubt that Lan’xiu could do so if she chose.
Only the fact that Second Wife Ci’an had borne just one daughter, and a sickly one at that, had enabled Mei Ju to allow her children out of her sight for even a minute. If Ci’an had managed to produce a boy, all bets would have been off.
She poured a cup of tea and offered it to Lan’xiu. “Jasmine. I hope you like it.”
Lan’xiu reached for it, sniffing delicately. “The fragrance is lovely. Like a flower.”
Mei Ju looked down at her own plump, but shapely hands. Lan’xiu’s hands were a bit large for so delicate a girl, and she displayed unfortunate calluses at the base of her right thumb and fingers. Another of her flaws, and Mei Ju reproached herself for being glad to see it. “Do you like needlework?”
Lan’xiu immediately set down her cup and slid her hands within her sleeves. “Alas, I have no talent for it.”
“I only wondered because of your hand. You should use a pad to guard against the needle,” Mei Ju said.
A blush colored Lan’xiu’s face like a rose. “I do not sew well.”
“Third Wife Fen, although of noble lineage, was forced to work in the fields before she came here,” Mei Ju said, hoping it would lead to a confidence from the princess.
“She must enjoy her life here in contrast,” Lan’xiu said.
Mei Ju took pity upon her evident discomfort. “Forgive my curiosity. It was not to pry that I invited you here. Instead, I will tell you about the household and your position within it.”
“I know that I am the seventh and most humble concubine,” Lan’xiu said, her voice giving away nothing.
“I am first wife, as I told you. I lived here as Hüi Wei’s wife for ten years before he took another.”
“That would be Ci’an, second wife, if I recall,” Lan’xiu said, with an adorable tiny wrinkle between her arched brows.
“When Hüi Wei first achieved success on the field of battle, nobles of neighboring states who did not wish to take their chances meeting him in war sent concubines as a peace offering. Ci’an, Fen, and Huan all arrived at nearly the same time, and as a gesture of welcome and courtesy, I permitted them to be called wives. They are in reality only concubines. I am the only wife Hüi has married.”
With a deep sigh, Mei Ju added, “I will be frank with you and take my chances on your discretion. Ci’an was a mistake. Hüi Wei conquered a province to the northeast ruled by a barbarian. It was a hard battle and many lives were lost. Hüi Wei judged it to be better to come to terms and stem the flow of blood. Her father, the king Daji, was to stay within certain boundaries, and the emperor would allow him to rampage as he would there. But Daji’s terms were that the emperor, or failing that, Hüi Wei himself, must take his daughter to wed.”
“So Ci’an was foisted upon my Lord Qiang Hüi Wei,” Lan’xiu asked, properly using his entire title.
Mei Ju cleared her voice. “Hüi was a very young man then, with a fire in his loins. Ci’an is very pretty; make no mistake. It was not entirely a diplomatic decision that he accepted her. But he soon realized his mistake. She shares her father’s ambition and ruthless personality. In fact, it is entirely possible that her father was only too glad to rid himself of her combative and competitive nature. She might even have succeeded in deposing him if she’d lived there any longer. Hüi actually found it necessary to forcibly explain to her that he would not permit her to dispose of any who stood in the way of her becoming first wife.”
Shocked, Lan’xiu gasped, “She tried to harm you?”
Nodding, Mei Ju answered, “Yes, she did.”
After a short silence, Lan’xiu reached forward to touch Mei Ju’s sleeve for the first time. “I am glad she did not succeed.”
Pleased that Lan’xiu had come out of her shell enough to make even such a tenuous connection, Mei Ju said, “Hüi was very displeased with her. I do not think her lantern has been lit since then. In fact….” She drew a deep breath before continuing, ashamed that the thought of Ci’an’s punishment still caused her such pleasure. “He beat her. With a whip.”
Lan’xiu went pale again.
Taking pity upon her, Mei Ju said, “He will never treat you thusly. You are a lady. He said that if one acts like a mule, one must be treated like one. He is a very loyal and honorable man and cannot abide treachery.” She watched Lan’xiu
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