The Last Concubine

time to look her over, I think you will be pleased. She is an exquisite jewel.”
    “I am far more interested in what dark reason Wu Min had for sending her here. Most men would care a bit more for their sister’s happiness than their own ambition.”
    “From what you have told me of Wu Min, I would wager that he does indeed have some plan, but Lan’xiu is not party to it. And if what my maid has gleaned from her eunuch is true, Wu Min hates Lan’xiu and would prefer to see her dead. Perhaps this is his way of heaping dishonor upon her.”
    Hüi thought about that for a minute. “What is she like?”
    Mei Ju stared at him while she thought it over. “Clever. Polite. She likes children. She is… very sweet.”
    “Sweet?” Hüi exclaimed. “Not much like her brother, then. What makes you say she is sweet?”
    “She thanked me for my kindness and compassion,” Mei Ju said slowly.
    “I see,” Hüi said with quick comprehension. “We always compliment in others what we value in ourselves, whether we are aware of it or not. You see? It would be difficult for anyone to speak with you and reveal nothing of themselves.”
    Mei Ju smiled, remembering their discussion of Lan’xiu’s flaws, but that was not something she would share with Hüi. She would never want him to find her petty in pointing out the faults of another wife. “She has no false pride in her rank. Lan’xiu will fit into the household without creating any trouble.”
    “Mei Ju, I apologize to you once again for foisting Ci’an upon you. Your life should be comfortable and luxurious, and instead you live beside a poisonous viper,” Hüi said with regret.
    “Hush. It is not your fault, my love.” Mei Ju held her finger to his lips, pleased when he kissed the tip. “In your position, you had to make that marriage of convenience. And your prominence is owed the status of many wives. I have made my peace with it.”
    “You are indeed kind and generous. What would I do without you?” Hüi asked. He tightened his arms around her.
    Hours later when he took his leave of her, Mei Ju waited by the window to watch him walk away. Hüi’s heart was not yet engaged by Lan’xiu, but Mei Ju knew his tastes. She had been pretty enough to hold his attention when they first married, but she knew she had not captured his heart. The only comfort was that she knew he did not love any of his other wives, either. And then she had been brought to the birthing bed so often, she could not deny his right to pleasure when she could not provide it.
    From the news her maid had brought her after Ci’an was added to the harem, Mei Ju knew that Hüi’s relationship with her had been stormy but passionate. It was not until Ci’an showed her true colors in an abortive attack upon Mei Ju that Hüi had come to his senses. He never shared a bed with Ci’an again, but by then she was already pregnant with his daughter. If not for Mei Ju, that sickly daughter would have died immediately of a neglectful death for want of a mother’s care, but Mei Ju had taken the baby into her own home and nursed her lovingly until she passed away.
    For political reasons, Hüi had accepted as concubines the daughters of highly placed nobles ruling provinces that bordered upon his. Even with the acquisition of these other wives, Hüi had always come back to her, but Mei Ju knew he loved her only as a valued and trusted friend. He might have deceived himself into thinking it was a warmer emotion, but he could not fool her. She sighed with the torment of her fate to love a man who did not love her in return although truly, her marriage was luckier than most.
    And now at last, Hüi had met the woman he would love so deeply and truly that their passion would become legend. At least Mei Ju would still retain a small corner of his soul to call her own. No matter how powerful the bonds of attraction, Hüi would never banish her from his life.
    She shivered and came back to herself. She had no psychic gifts, but her love made her acutely sensitive to any subject concerning her husband, and she knew him well. Lan’xiu could not know and Hüi Wei could deny it, but in that moment, Mei Ju saw the future with clear eyes and she knew it in the depths of her bones. “I would put money on it if I had anyone to bet with,” she muttered. Her smile was mischievous as she wondered if Jiang would be up for a little wager.

Chapter 5

    I N THE week that followed, Hüi Wei deliberately had the lanterns