chair. He began to pace, keeping a close eye on the boy as he obediently went to the chair and sat.
“I can kill you now or five minutes from now. I don’t suppose it will make much difference,” Hüi muttered. The battle raging within almost immobilized him. Clearly, Wu Min had sent a boy in the guise of a woman to make a fool of him, but that mattered little. What bothered him more was his reaction to the boy. Even more so than when he thought him a woman, he urgently desired to tear the boy’s clothing from his body and carry out his previous plan of ravishment, and he could not understand what dark forces drove him.
“Who—what are you?” he demanded finally.
“My name is Lan’xiu,” the boy said.
At last Hüi understood the intriguing timbre of the girl’s—boy’s voice. “Beautiful orchid,” he said scornfully. “A female’s name.”
“That is the name given to me by my mother,” Lan’xiu insisted. “My brother, Wu Min, was already seventeen when I was born. She knew if he found out I was male, he would have dashed my brains out with a rock and left my body on the mountain for wild beasts. He was intent upon my father’s throne and could brook no competition.”
“But you were the younger son. There was no danger to him,” Hüi said. “What woman would shame her son by forcing him into skirts, even to save his life? That is what puzzles me.”
“She did not force me,” Lan’xiu said quietly. He stroked the silk of his cheongsam with one finger. “I like dressing like this.”
“You are trying to fool me. You wish to be a woman,” Hüi spat.
“I do not wish to be a woman,” Lan’xiu exclaimed in a frustrated voice. “You do not understand. I like dressing this way. I feel pretty like this.”
“Well, you’re certainly pretty,” Hüi said sarcastically. “Pretty enough to fool anyone into thinking you a woman. So your brother believes that you are a girl and sends you to occupy my attention while he plans some assault against me.”
Lan’xiu started to shake again. “He found out that I am not a girl. He was enraged at being so deceived and killed my mother. He planned to kill me also, until he thought of this scheme.”
“I do not wonder that he was outraged,” Hüi shouted. “I share his sentiment and I do not take kindly to those who mistake me for a fool!”
The door opened, and the eunuch stood upon the threshold, looking worried.
“Ning! You may go! Shut the door behind you and go downstairs!”
Hüi started at Lan’xiu’s sharp tone of command. Although the eunuch hesitated for a moment, his eyes fixed upon the line of blood on Lan’xiu’s throat, he obeyed the order. “Yes, my Lady.” Still eyeing the general belligerently, he backed slowly from the room and shut the door.
“Born to command, eh?”
“Ning has been with me since I was a child and he would prefer that I didn’t die,” Lan’xiu said wryly. “And he prefers not to die either. But we have accepted our fate.” He folded his hands in his lap, the picture of resignation.
Hüi continued to pace. “I should kill you here and now to avenge this insult. I can have it put about that I found you had betrayed me before I claimed you.”
“That would play into my brother’s hands,” Lan’xiu said. In a calm voice, he explained, “I have had much time to consider this. If you slay me for betraying you, you hold yourself up to ridicule as a cuckold. If you cast me from your door in disgust, my brother will take care to spread the news that I am male and that he was able to fool you into taking me as a concubine. If you kill me, the stain of guilt is upon your hands rather than his and he is provided with all the excuse he needs to launch an attack to avenge my death. Once he disposes of you, he will carve a path to the sea. He believes that you are the only thing that stands in the way of his seizing all of China.”
“The emperor might take issue with his opinion on the point. I am
“I can kill you now or five minutes from now. I don’t suppose it will make much difference,” Hüi muttered. The battle raging within almost immobilized him. Clearly, Wu Min had sent a boy in the guise of a woman to make a fool of him, but that mattered little. What bothered him more was his reaction to the boy. Even more so than when he thought him a woman, he urgently desired to tear the boy’s clothing from his body and carry out his previous plan of ravishment, and he could not understand what dark forces drove him.
“Who—what are you?” he demanded finally.
“My name is Lan’xiu,” the boy said.
At last Hüi understood the intriguing timbre of the girl’s—boy’s voice. “Beautiful orchid,” he said scornfully. “A female’s name.”
“That is the name given to me by my mother,” Lan’xiu insisted. “My brother, Wu Min, was already seventeen when I was born. She knew if he found out I was male, he would have dashed my brains out with a rock and left my body on the mountain for wild beasts. He was intent upon my father’s throne and could brook no competition.”
“But you were the younger son. There was no danger to him,” Hüi said. “What woman would shame her son by forcing him into skirts, even to save his life? That is what puzzles me.”
“She did not force me,” Lan’xiu said quietly. He stroked the silk of his cheongsam with one finger. “I like dressing like this.”
“You are trying to fool me. You wish to be a woman,” Hüi spat.
“I do not wish to be a woman,” Lan’xiu exclaimed in a frustrated voice. “You do not understand. I like dressing this way. I feel pretty like this.”
“Well, you’re certainly pretty,” Hüi said sarcastically. “Pretty enough to fool anyone into thinking you a woman. So your brother believes that you are a girl and sends you to occupy my attention while he plans some assault against me.”
Lan’xiu started to shake again. “He found out that I am not a girl. He was enraged at being so deceived and killed my mother. He planned to kill me also, until he thought of this scheme.”
“I do not wonder that he was outraged,” Hüi shouted. “I share his sentiment and I do not take kindly to those who mistake me for a fool!”
The door opened, and the eunuch stood upon the threshold, looking worried.
“Ning! You may go! Shut the door behind you and go downstairs!”
Hüi started at Lan’xiu’s sharp tone of command. Although the eunuch hesitated for a moment, his eyes fixed upon the line of blood on Lan’xiu’s throat, he obeyed the order. “Yes, my Lady.” Still eyeing the general belligerently, he backed slowly from the room and shut the door.
“Born to command, eh?”
“Ning has been with me since I was a child and he would prefer that I didn’t die,” Lan’xiu said wryly. “And he prefers not to die either. But we have accepted our fate.” He folded his hands in his lap, the picture of resignation.
Hüi continued to pace. “I should kill you here and now to avenge this insult. I can have it put about that I found you had betrayed me before I claimed you.”
“That would play into my brother’s hands,” Lan’xiu said. In a calm voice, he explained, “I have had much time to consider this. If you slay me for betraying you, you hold yourself up to ridicule as a cuckold. If you cast me from your door in disgust, my brother will take care to spread the news that I am male and that he was able to fool you into taking me as a concubine. If you kill me, the stain of guilt is upon your hands rather than his and he is provided with all the excuse he needs to launch an attack to avenge my death. Once he disposes of you, he will carve a path to the sea. He believes that you are the only thing that stands in the way of his seizing all of China.”
“The emperor might take issue with his opinion on the point. I am
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