The Last Concubine

steals beauty from youth, and one day that may be gone. There is another beauty and innocence within her that makes my soul long for her. When you meet her, you must look into her eyes and tell me what you think.”
    Satisfied, Jiang nodded. “As to her future, have either of you considered that if you keep her as your seventh concubine, you have stolen the ammunition from Wu Min’s cannons. He will be nonplussed with your lack of reaction if she continues to abide within the household without any comment.”
    “That is very clever of you, Jiang.”
    “And that is why you keep me as court jester.”
    “You won’t let the water flow over that dam either, I see,” Hüi said, then exclaimed, “If I do that, he will know that I—I bedded a man!”
    “Or that you accepted her into your household but are ignoring her, a studied insult to him if you resist that beauty,” Jiang pointed out. “You may allow her or any other concubine to live within the harem without using her.”
    “You know as well as I do that spies are everywhere. Even in innocent conversation, the maid tells the laundress, who tells the butcher, who tells the peddler, and the news comes to Wu Min’s court whenever I have the lantern lit at Lan’xiu’s house.”
    “Perhaps you could mention to me in public how you enjoy playing games of chance with her,” Jiang suggested. “Give the impression she does not attract you, although that might be beyond your powers of dissimulation, as besotted as you are. You don’t want the entire court laughing behind their sleeves at your lies. How often do you plan to light her lantern?”
    A slow, lustful smile spread over Hüi Wei’s face. “How high can you count?”
    Jiang laughed. “Not as high as you, my friend. Now, tell me about all this jewelry you ordered. Is it all for Lan’xiu?”

Chapter 13

    “ L AN ’ XIU !”
    “What is it, Ning?” Lan asked, looking up from his book.
    “The general has sent his servant. Your lantern has been lit.”
    Setting the book down, Lan rushed to his window to peer down toward the door, but the tiled roof blocked his view. “Really?”
    Ning stood in his path but grinned at him. “Do not betray your eagerness by rushing downstairs to check. I would not tease you about such a thing. And Jia already makes me suffer enough with her ribald jests about Hüi’s first visit; if you run down like a child about to get her first horse ride, I will need to gag her.”
    “What should I wear? My hair! It’s so untidy! And Hüi Wei said—” Lan stopped himself, realizing the infelicitous nature of the admission he had almost made.
    “Ahem, considering the recent wear and tear upon your clothing, I would suggest the pale blue damask hanfu with cranes embroidered in turquoise and green on the full skirts. At least it is in one piece,” Ning said, crossing to the wardrobe and opening the door. “It is to be hoped that the general remembers to send you some new dresses.”
    “Be quiet, Ning,” Lan said, pressing his hands to his hot cheeks. No doubt the eunuch was right and he would not want to give the housekeeper any more to remark upon. “I still have many pretty dresses.”
    He went to the drawer and selected the pale pink corselet and panties embroidered with apple blossoms and a deeper blue inner robe to match the lining of the cerulean robe.
    Ning wound the sash about Lan’s slender waist and tied it, giggling madly.
    “What’s so funny, you imp?” Lan asked although he feared he might be making a mistake.
    “I’m wondering how tightly to tie this. You may not be wearing it long enough to make the effort worthwhile.”
    “Jia is not alone in her taste for making fun at my expense,” Lan said crossly. “You two are well matched. The silver and turquoise earrings, and the silver hair sticks with the phoenixes.”
    “I wish you had more jewelry,” Ning said, opening the sparsely furnished case. “Our lord has already seen all you have, although I venture to guess he doesn’t come to inventory your jewels.”
    “These were all I could save from my mother’s trunk when she died,” Lan said sadly. “They mean more to me than the most precious of jewels.”
    “But you have nothing new to show off when you meet with the other wives, and soon enough they will recognize the same earrings over and over,” Ning complained. “How will they know you are the new favorite?”
    Lan did not remark that Second Wife Ci’an had already done so as he