The Last Concubine

pointed out. “That is unusual in a warrior accustomed to claiming all he possesses. Perhaps he already has a favorite and isn’t much interested in you. You heard him in the audience. He said he had enough wives. He may never come.”
    “The Lord Qiang Hüi Wei has an intelligent face,” Lan’xiu said. “He will show no unseemly haste in claiming his prize. But he is also too intelligent to ignore my brother’s overweening ambition. He may slay me out of hand without pausing to inquire whether I know the root of the plot. Between them both, I am not safe, and by virtue of being my servant, you are not safe either, my dear friend. I must get you out of here.”
    “Perhaps they will let me go out to buy you face powder or some such,” Ning suggested.
    “Perhaps. And perhaps one of the soldiers is by no means so content with his lot that he would turn down a fortune in jewels. If only I possessed a fortune in jewels, I would bribe every last man to get you free.”
    Ning came to her and sank to his knees, beginning to weep a little. He grabbed her hand and kissed it, unable to speak until he felt her other hand caressing his head. “If you are to die, I will die with you,” he declared.
    “What have I ever done to deserve a friend as true and loyal as you?” she wondered. “It would make me much happier to know at least that you survived rather than to have you share my fate.”
    “What would I do? Where would I go?” Ning wailed.
    “Who else would put up with you?” Lan said, her voice shaking a little with laughter, even though unshed tears glimmered in her eyes.
    Instantly, Ning retorted, “Who would put up with you ? If Hüi Wei has a brain in his head, he would soon find your beauty conceals the sting of a summer wasp.”
    Lan laughed. “Honors to both sides, then. We die together.”
    “Or perhaps we live together.” Ning wiped his eyes on his sleeve. “You were an oracle caster, or at least your mother taught you the art. Are you sure we are going to die?”
    “You know one cannot read one’s own omens,” Lan said regretfully. “And since my mother’s death, the gods have refused to speak with me, and the way is not clear. Clouds are before my eyes.”
    Ning sighed. “At least we are away from your brother’s minions and we can sleep tonight. We will take turns watching.”
    “Mind you wake me when you start to nod off,” Lan admonished.
    “It was only once that I was so tired I could not keep my eyes open,” Ning protested.
    Lan smiled. “I’ll take first watch.”
    “I cannot sleep in your bed,” Ning pointed out.
    “There is a lovely window seat with a cushion, just your size,” Lan said, pointing at the niche partially hidden behind the curtains. “There seems to be another quilt in your room. You may bring it here and wrap yourself up warmly.”
    Ning yawned widely like a cat, not bothering to cover his mouth. “I think I will if you’re sure.”
    “I’m sure,” Lan said. She watched her friend and servant hurry into the smaller anteroom and murmured, “I shall have plenty of time to sleep when I’m dead.”

Chapter 3

    L ADY M EI J U stood by the window, waiting. At times when the winter snows came or the delicate mists of spring obscured the square, she could pretend that instead of looking across at identical houses, she was still at home with her parents and sisters and brothers, with a view of open rice fields to the mountains beyond.
    It had been so long since she had been outside these walls that it made her feel old. Mei Ju sighed and then giggled silently. She was old; at least older than the other concubines. And she felt grateful to be. She alone of her family still lived, by virtue of being here when the hordes had overrun her village, razing it to the ground and killing all her family and friends. Those had been terrifying times of rebellion, but her Lord Qiang Hüi Wei had brought stability and peace to the region in the name of the Son of Heaven, emperor of China.
    She tried to avoid looking at her reflection in the window as she waited for this new concubine with a heavy heart. Even before she had been designated first wife, she had known that her lord would add concubines to his household, but each time it caused her a pang. For a time, he would be distracted or enthralled with his new possession, and the lantern would not be lit for her. Mei Ju knew her lord’s love of conquest, and knowing the other wives, she tortured herself by