The Last Concubine

desperately trying to restore decorum.
    “Please, call me Lan’xiu,” Lan said. “I am no princess here, only the humblest concubine.”
    “Well, at least one person mouths the truth at this celebration of prevarication and lies,” a harsh voice said.
    Lan’xiu jumped and turned to see who had spoken.
    “Oh gods, Ci’an has made a miraculous recovery and just in time to join us,” Bai groaned.
    A woman posed in the doorway, as dramatically beautiful as Lan’xiu, although in a completely different manner. Her hair was coal black and shiny as a panther, her skin was dead white, which made her crimson lips gleam like cherries against the snow. Her eyes were long and dark and glittered like black ice in winter. Her face had a hard look, as if there wasn’t an ounce of extra flesh on her body, none of the comforting roundness of Mei Ju or the softness of Alute. She was handsome rather than beautiful and almost masculine in her features. While still youthful and attractive, Ci’an looked as if she would not age well. She wore a black cheongsam embroidered in red with a patterned white sash and large gold earrings hanging nearly to her shoulders. There was no ring on any of her fingers.
    Lan’xiu stood up and found they were of equal height, which evidently did not please Ci’an. Lan’xiu bowed low, as befitted the last concubine giving respect to the second.
    “Yes, just in time to bring this party to life. I have heard much about your arrival, Princess of Nothing,” Ci’an said. Her voice simmered with rage, and she looked daggers at Lan’xiu. “A pretty enough bit of fluff, but you have no rank here and your lantern was lit only once. I know you spread your legs for my husband, but he has not returned to give you a second jab. He must have been disappointed with your performance. What a great pity for you. I fear you cannot be the new favorite.” She waved a hand at Alute. “The stupid little pigeon here currently bears that title. My husband greatly prefers an empty hole with nothing much to say.”
    Lan’xiu felt her face flush and wondered how this woman could know that it rankled so to see the other lanterns lit while hers remained dark. It would not do to reveal how she longed for her lord to visit her again, to be held once more in those strong arms, to feel the weight of his body bearing down upon hers. She had thought that perhaps Hüi Wei had truly been as captivated with her as she had been with him, but alas, it seemed not to be so. She wanted to look away from Ci’an’s cold, triumphant eyes, but Princess of Nothing or not, she was still a princess, and she was not going to let this woman stare her down. She bowed punctiliously before she sat down again. “Greetings, Second Wife Ci’an.”
    Mei Ju spoke up sharply. “Hüi Wei is my husband, Second Concubine ! You will refer to him as our husband as befits a mere third-rank concubine! It is by my forbearance alone that you bear the title of second wife at all!”
    Surprised to hear such an authoritative tone from so gentle a woman, Lan’xiu kept her eyes on Ci’an to watch her response.
    “Yes, Lady First Wife. I dared to forget my lowly, ignominious place here for a moment.” Ci’an bit her words off as if sinking her teeth into raw meat and spat them at Mei Ju.
    In the silent battle of stares that followed, it was Ci’an who dropped her eyes first and Lan’xiu had an inkling of how much it enraged the woman to submit. The needs of safety in her own home had honed Lan’xiu’s skills at lip reading, and she was able to discern the words that Ci’an muttered to herself. “If I had but borne a son….”
    A movement at the door drew Lan’xiu’s attention. Two soldiers came to stand inside the threshold, their watchful gaze fixed on Second Wife. Ci’an noticed them as well and went to a chair opposite Mei Ju’s and sat down, waving her hand at the soldiers as if to dismiss them.
    “Be at ease, my handsome young prison-keepers. I promise I have not brought my poison or dagger with me. I am not in the mood for murder today.” Ci’an’s teeth were sharp and pointed when she smiled. “I came only to get a glimpse of the new acquisition. I can hardly wait until Mei Ju invites us all to pat your swollen belly when you increase.” She leaned forward as if to speak confidentially, but her loud voice ensured that all could hear. “They tell me your sheets didn’t show much blood the morning after. Who knows how many