The Last Concubine (23 page)

“That is evil! How dared she treat a child so!” Lan’xiu cried out. “But why?
Why
would she hide a son from Hüi Wei?”

“This boy was certainly born after Hüi no longer came to Ci’an. He would have known the boy was not his. Some think she meant to kill us all and Hüi Wei too, and put her son upon his throne,” Bai said.

“Ci’an did not hide her hostility toward Mei Ju, but she cannot have been demented enough to kill the children too!” Lan cried in distress.

“Do not be so sure. She was a monster.” Bai gulped and her face twisted in horror. “They found also skeletons of three infant girl babies, packed in the trunks in her attic.”

After a horrified silence, Lan said, “I can’t imagine what drove her to such madness.”

“She was always hungry for power,” Bai said. “Before you came, and before Alute gave birth to her son, Ci’an wanted only to supplant Mei Ju. One can move up in rank in the household through other means than death. You have.”

“I?” Lan asked in astonishment. “How can that be?”

“You are now concubine of the first rank, right after First Wife Mei Ju,” Bai said. “Did no one tell you?”

“I have been asleep,” Lan said, as if in a dream. “Ning?”

“I’ve been here with you. I heard nothing of this,” Ning answered.

“For our husband to do this, he has great feeling for you,” Bai said. “He has never changed a wife’s rank before.”

“I—don’t know what to say,” Lan said in a dazed voice. “But you! I thought you were one of his favorites.”

Bai blushed hotly. “You must promise never to divulge this.”

Lan’xiu nodded and Bai turned to Ning. “And you.”

“I will not speak of it. I could put my fingers in my ears,” Ning offered.

“If you were not a eunuch, I should probably ask you to, but I understand your need to protect Lan’xiu lest I suddenly go mad and attack her.”

“You would not get close enough to her to try,” Ning said fiercely, his hand on his sword.

“You needn’t tell us if you don’t truly wish to,” Lan said.

Teasing Ning seemed to have given Bai a chance to compose herself. “All is not as it appears in the household. Hüi Wei has not lain with any of us since you came. In fact, Alute was already with child when she came within these walls. Her son is not his. She cried for days before she mustered the courage to tell Hüi Wei, but he was very kind to her. She was allowed to live and bear her child in peace, although her child is not mentioned in the succession. Hüi Wei is a kind man.”

Lan’xiu’s head was spinning. “But… when your lanterns are lit… what do you—” She stopped, realizing that her inquisitiveness was rude.

“After you came, Hüi Wei never went upstairs with me again. We would play checkers,” Bai admitted. “He never did… what I said at the party when we first met. He is a kind man. Sometimes he would read to me. He is… very nice.”

“You do not love him?” Lan’xiu burst out.

“I do not. It is not to my credit to admit this when he is such a good man,” Bai said, hanging her head. “He is too old for me.”

“He is not old!” Lan’xiu exclaimed hotly and then stopped herself.

“You
do
love him,” Bai said with a pleased little nod. “I thought you did.” She held up a hand when Lan’xiu started to speak. “You hide it well, do not fear. I doubt that is what spurred Ci’an to her rash acts.”

“How did you know it then?”

“Your eyes glow like stars whenever someone speaks his name. One time, you did not lower your eyes quickly enough and I saw.” Bai leaned forward to touch Lan’xiu’s hand in her turn. “I am happy for you.”

“But you. How can you stay here unloved and… not fulfilling the role you came to—”

“I loved another before I came here,” Bai said softly. “I dream of being free to go back to him, although I know this cannot be.”

“Have you told this to Hüi Wei?”

“I could not! I could not offend him so,” Bai said. “My father is a highly placed official in my province. There are reasons I was chosen to come to here to be a concubine. I could not offend Hüi Wei or my father with my own personal desires.”

Briefly, Lan’xiu met Ning’s gaze. “Perhaps your dream will yet come true.”

“Perhaps,” Bai said sadly. “But whether it does or not, I had to come to see that you were still alive and well with my own eyes. Since we met, I felt that we were friends.”

“We are,” Lan’xiu said, her eyes filling with tears that she did not hide this time. She reached out to grasp Bai’s hand and squeeze it. “We are friends.”

“I am glad. I liked you the first time I met you,” Bai said and gave her usual infectious laugh. “Friends forever!”

L
AN
’
XIU
needed another nap after Bai left. Everything Bai had said had taken the newly built foundations of his world and wrenched them away.

When he awoke, it was to feel strong arms holding him safe. He snuggled his cheek against Hüi’s shoulder and gave a soft sigh.

“My Lan’xiu,” Hüi said in response.

Something in his voice made him open his eyes. “What is it, Hüi?”

“It is nothing. When I am away from you, I worry that something—” Hüi bit his lip. “I came to see that you were safe. I thank the gods that I can still hold you in my arms.”

“I, too,” Lan said, resting his head upon Hüi’s broad shoulder again.

W
HEN
Lan’xiu woke again, Hüi was gone and Ning was in the room. He stretched languorously in the bed and asked Ning, “What are you looking so ferociously pleased about?”

“When my lord came to see you, I went out and investigated. It is as I thought. Ci’an did not commit suicide.”

Lan’xiu sat up, holding his arms around his stomach, feeling suddenly nauseated as if the poison had come back. “What really happened?”

“The soldiers took her up to the tower and offered her the right due her rank to kill herself. She laughed and refused. Then they flung her from the tower onto the stones below,” Ning said with satisfaction.

Lan’xiu moaned. Ning came to him and put his arms around him.

“Don’t mourn her passing, Lan’xiu. The woman was evil. Ci’an preferred to force the soldiers to execute her, to cause them the guilt of her death.” Ning hugged Lan’xiu tightly. “She would have killed you if she could. She did kill Alute and perhaps the three girl infants in her house. If I had been there, I would have cracked her skull and hurled her into the gates of the underworld myself.”

“Oh, Ning. It seems tragedy and bad luck follow wherever I go. Perhaps I should leave here and Hüi’s life would return to balance.”

Ning gave him a shake. “Don’t be silly. You are not to blame for this. Your beauty may have excited her jealousy and hatred, but Ci’an would have done murder whether you came here or no. Besides, you did not come here of your own volition, nor did you set out to inspire envy.” He released Lan’xiu and laid him back against the pillows. “If you were to leave now, Hüi would follow you and bring you back, so it’s too late for you to do anything silly like that. He wants you well so he can hear the squeak of your bed frame once again.”

“Have you been listening at the door?” Lan demanded, frowning.

“Not at all, it was a figure of speech,” Ning said, looking out the window. “That stupid Dr. Mu is also dead.”

“Don’t tell me he fell from the tower as well,” Lan said with a hint of dread in his voice.

“No, he was beheaded. His crimes were too great for the general to overlook. He not only supplied Ci’an with the poison she used, they were having an affair,” Ning announced. “The rumor is that Ci’an’s son is his. The boy is certainly a weakling that a strong man like the general could not have bred.”

“Ci’an? With that funny little man?” Lan’xiu shook his head. “How did you find all this out?”

Ning blushed a tiny bit and got up to fiddle with the drapes. “I asked Captain Wen. He commands the household guard.”

“You have been hiding a romance from me?” Lan teased.

“He has been very useful,” Ning said haughtily. “He was the one who came to our aid when Ci’an attacked you.” Then he grinned and climbed off his high horse. “Perhaps it is a romance at that.”

Lan’xiu laughed and laughed. “Who would have thought? My brother betrays me and sends me to a certain death, and we both find love. It is a funny world.”

“It is fate,” Ning said solemnly. “Now you must sleep. And try not to worry. The general is worried enough for all three of us.”

“He worries over me?” Lan asked, his eyes veiled by his lashes but his face delicately pink.

“No, he’s addicted to playing checkers and he needs a new partner,” Ning growled. “Go to sleep.”

He pulled the quilts up and tucked them about Lan’xiu’s shoulders and put out the lantern.

T
HE
next day Lan’xiu left his bed. Shakily, but he made it to the bathing room without aid, where he looked in the mirror and yelped in dismay.

“Ning, I do believe Hüi must love me a little bit if he has been looking upon
this
face with affection! Why didn’t you let me bathe?”

“You will not bathe now. I will help you wash. You mustn’t get the stitches wet,” Ning scolded.

“I beg you to wash my hair. And comb it dry. I think it has blood in it,” Lan said distastefully, feeling the stiff braid where his curls were escaping.

“We’ll see,” Ning said grimly.

The fires under the bath had been lit earlier, and embers glowed nicely there. A delicate curl of steam arose over the waters as he supported Lan’xiu to get into the tub, which was only half-full.

Lan gave a sigh of relief as he sank into the shallow waters.

An hour later, dressed in a becoming dressing gown of deep blue, his hair braided and put up with hair sticks, his eyes ringed with black liner and his lips reddened, Lan’xiu sat in a chair by the window, looking out at the blue sky. A bird in flight made him sigh with gladness and regret that he could only see bare branches and the tiled roofs of the household.

He looked up and smiled when Hüi Wei came into the room, accompanied by Jiang.

“Princess,” Jiang said. “I came to look at your wound and change the dressings. You haven’t been getting it wet, have you?”

“Ning was very careful,” Lan’xiu answered. His eyes were on Hüi’s face, and his heart soared when he read the love and concern written there, but he only said, “You look tired, my Lord.”

Hüi smiled reassuringly and sat beside him, taking Lan’s hand as if he could not bear to be near him and not touch him. “I have had much to do.”

Lan’xiu winced slightly when Jiang eased the bandages off the wound.

“You are healing nicely,” Jiang said. “I shall just dress this again with some healing herbs.” He busied himself with his task, pretending not to notice the soulful glances and gentle touches between the two.

“
W
HY
can’t you settle down?” Ning demanded. “Read a book. You should not be tramping about in your room.”

“I am completely well,” Lan exclaimed, continuing to stalk around the room restlessly. “You treat me as if I were some delicate porcelain vase, and you have not let me set foot out of this room in a week!”

Ning came closer and grabbed the edges of her gown, bringing her closer so he could speak quietly. “You are not completely well, I know your arm still pains you, and you don’t eat enough to keep a bird alive.”

“I am well enough to walk about the square,” Lan said.

“And you would have if I hadn’t hidden all your shoes.”

“Stolen, you mean. I want them back,” Lan threatened.

“Everyone believes you to be too weak to even be out of bed. Moreover, perhaps you might recall you are recovering from a miscarriage, hmm? In mourning. Now act the part, and you shall have a reward.”

“My shoes?”

“Better than that. Sit.” Ning pointed at the chair by the window. “Or I shall make you go back to bed.”

“All right, you tyrant!” Lan wrenched free and sulkily asked, “What are you keeping from me now?”

“The general plans to take you to consult with a doctor.” Observing the look of panic on the princess’s face, Ning hastened to soothe her. “He will take you to a specialist, outside the city walls, because your health is so uncertain. We will be away for three days.”

Lan realized what Ning was trying to discreetly convey, and her face glowed with excitement. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It has only just been decided.” Ning fell silent and looked at her speculatively. “We must be accompanied by a special guard. Lord Jiang will stay behind to govern in Hüi Wei’s place.”

“And you wish me to request a certain captain to accompany us?”

Ning nodded.

“Naturally, you can put any such nonsense right out of your head—”

“Lan’xiu!” Ning protested.

“Hush, Ning, you silly goblin.” Lan smiled at him. “I’m only teasing. I’m sure your Captain Wen will be pleased to come along with us.”

“Hüi Wei comes to inform you of our journey tonight, so act surprised,” Ning instructed. “Then ask for Captain Wen.”

“Who is servant and who is mistress here?” Lan demanded.