She went to him without thought. She slipped beneath the covers and molded herself tightly to his side. She closed her eyes to savor his heat, and in time, she slept.
* * *
The bedroom door burst open, but Shi Po didn't flinch. Not because she had been expecting the noise; in truth, she'd been deeply asleep for maybe the first time in years.
The bang of the door against the wall yanked her out of oblivion into the harsh light of day, but her body was still tucked tightly against her husband, and his cocoon of warmth kept her calm despite the appearance of two large servants.
"Why do you disturb us in this rude manner?" Kui Yu asked, his voice a low rumble near her ear. Carefully hiding her face from view, Shi Po smiled at the power in his tone. Only Kui Yu could sound threatening while lying naked and injured beside a woman.
"Apologies, sir," the servant said, not apologizing at all. "General Kang invites you to morning meal with him."
Kui Yu nodded, and his beard stubble scratched her forehead. "Tell him we will be there in..." He glanced down at her, silently asking how much time she would need.
"An hour," she answered. That would be long enough to maintain the illusion that they were guests without pushing the bounds of propriety. "We will need water and soap to bathe," she added. "Fresh clothing as well."
Kui Yu understood, and he immediately commanded the servants, "Bring water, soap, and a razor. And see if our clothing has arrived." It wouldn't have, of course, because they had none. But perhaps General Kang would provide.
Then Kui Yu paused, and she knew his expression without looking. He was arching a single brow, looking imperial and very irritated. "Immediately!" he snapped.
It worked. The two intimidating brutes scrambled to obey.
Shi Po pushed upright before the door closed, but Kui Yu held her fast. She didn't struggle, but adjusted to look at him and tried not to reveal just how loath she was to leave his arms.
The morning light slanted across his angular face in an unflattering manner. In truth, her husband's body was not as young as it once was. The planes of his face had softened from good food, and knew the beginnings of wrinkles. His beard, haphazardly shaved yesterday, now dotted his skin like dirt, and his hair pushed every which way upon his head.
And yet, Shi Po stared at him like a lovestruck young girl. She remembered his body suffused with all that was heavenly, and she remembered every kind word, gentle caress and frustrated grunt he had ever made. They all added up to Kui Yu, the man she loved, and she would always see that when she looked at him. So she smiled when he drew her back down into his arms.
"Do not be so quick to abandon me, Shi Po," he murmured into her hair, and she wondered if he invested extra meaning into his words.
"Kui Yu," she began.
He waited, but she faltered and fell silent. He filled the silence. "I wish to exact a promise from you, my wife."
She tensed, wondering at his tone, but she did not argue.
"Promise me you will think on what we said last night."
She swallowed. She didn't want to remember. Do you love me? she had asked. No, he'd answered, clearly surprised to admit it.
"The Goddess Kwan Yin has offered you everything," Kui Yu continued.
Shi Po blinked and consciously shifted her thoughts. "I do not always understand what the Goddess means," she admitted. Then she paused as her mind returned to her husband. "But what of you, Kui Yu? Do you have an answer yet for the Goddess? What will you give up to have what you most want?"
He shook his head. "I no longer even know what I have left."
"You—"
She was interrupted by a knock on the door, and by the entrance of more servants. Water, simple clothing, and a large gentleman with a razor waited to shave to Kui Yu's face. Apparently no one was going to trust them with a sharp knife.
So their discussion ended, and dressing began—silent, efficient, and with a mounting tension regarding what was to come. When they were done, they were escorted into the family dining area.
Shi Po had been trained from birth to evaluate a person in a moment, a home in the most casual of glances. Although raised in Shanghai, far from imperial Peking, she still knew enough to evaluate a Manchurian home and a Manchurian wife. She could see from the moment they arrived that General Kang had great wealth and that his servants feared him. She saw his home was built to impress, not to welcome, and concluded that he was the type of man who required his wife to serve with total obedience.
Thus, it was with great surprise that, when she and Kui Yu entered the Kang dining area, she found a wife serving her husband breakfast not in submissive obedience but love. Affection shone in the woman's eyes, and it lingered in her minute attention to his every comfort—even to the placement of his cushion and the exact number of tea leaves in his cup. Most especially it radiated through the room when he casually dismissed her and turned his attention to Kui Yu and the draping folds of Shi Po's gown—the gown that was, in fact, his Han mistress's cast-off.
Shi Po let her gaze linger on Mrs. Kang, and let herself soften in sympathy. How horrible to love a man, to be his first wife, and yet have him move his Chinese mistress into your household. Better to hate your husband than live daily in such shame, to moment by moment pray that your man would cast you some small scrap of attention. A hideous fate, and one that was all too common in China. So Shi Po sought to share a moment of understanding with the woman.
She was sent a look of such venom, Shi Po could only drop her gaze to the floor. Mrs. Kang wanted no sympathy. Certainly not from any Han woman wearing a mistress's gown. Mrs. Kang would give no aid. Shi Po would have to fend for herself. Or rather, she and Kui Yu would find a solution by themselves. Together.
The thought brought such warmth that Shi Po actually smiled, adjusting a cushion for her husband. And as a good wife should, she filled his plate and poured his tea, all the while searching for any taint of poison in the food.
"Greetings, greetings, Mr. Tan," General Kang boomed in false good cheer. "Are you feeling better?"
"Much better," Kui Yu answered. But he sent a silent question to Shi Po as she set his plate before him: Is the food dangerous?
She shook her head slightly. No, she didn't believe so; but then they both knew that she couldn't be sure. So Kui Yu did not eat, though he was probably starving now that his fever was gone. He did, however, take the tea she offered with a smile. Shi Po had seen Mrs. Kang pour from that exact teapot and seen the General drink. It, at least, was safe.
"General Kang," Kui Yu began, then sipped his tea in acknowledgment of his host. Except the Manchus had wretched teas, and Shi Po watched him smother a grimace. He set the cup down. "Why have you brought us here? Why did you imprison us? What have we ever done that is a threat to China or yourself?"
General Kang blinked, obviously startled that Kui Yu would ignore formalities. They were supposed to have a quiet, genial chat while they ate, not a sudden confrontation. But Kui Yu had never been trained in such niceties, and generally disliked the time they took. It was something Shi Po adored about him. She found herself hiding her smile.
Which, apparently, bothered the General. Obviously, he had thought many days trapped together would set her and Kui Yu at each other's throats. It would for many couples. But they had survived.
"You are not eating," said the General with more false cheer. "And you are my guests. I could not have—"
"A guest is invited," Kui Yu shot back. "A guest has clothing and time and freedom. General Kang, I ask you again, what do you want?"
The General grimaced then pushed away from the table in disgust. He began to pace, his manner angry, his movements abrupt. It was all Mrs. Kang could do to duck out of his way when he passed.
"Eat!" the man snapped. "The food is not poisoned. And perhaps it will improve your frame of mind."
Kui Yu did not move, but Shi Po did. She believed the General, so she reached out and tasted everything on her husband's plate. Let th
e poison affect her. Kui Yu made to stop her, but he was too late; she had already begun, and he would not argue in front of their audience. She whispered, "I will be able to taste it better than you."
He understood and reluctantly nodded. After all, she was the one who worked daily with herbs and poisons, not him. Fortunately, as the General had said, there was nothing untoward in the food, and in the end, they both ate heartily. After so long in prison, the fare was fit for an Emperor—or two humans freshly returned from Heaven.
While they ate, the General spoke, appearing completely in earnest. It began as Shi Po expected. He was desperately sorry for arresting them. He was a distraught father in search of a missing son, and they had unfortunately been caught in the middle. "You housed him with a white woman. This I know." He shot them an angry glare. Then he took a deep breath and resumed his pacing. "He and this Ly-dee-ah." He spat on the floor. A servant rushed forward to wipe it up.
He swung around and glared hard at Shi Po. "He says they are Immortals now. And the Empress Dowager has sent them to Hong Kong."
Where? Shi Po blinked. Immortal? She actually mouthed the words, repeating to herself what General Kang had said: They are Immortals now.
Immortals, plural.
"No," she whispered. Her revulsion grew in strength until she screamed silently in her mind. Another white woman could not possibly be an Immortal! Not when Shi Po still had not passed the antechamber. It wasn't possible. And yet, Kang's fury was all too obvious.
The General pretended to be happy. "My son is to begin a temple there. On an ugly rock of an island. A temple to your religion." His voice lost all warmth. And yet, for all that he stood glaring at her, his muscular body quivering with rage, Shi Po caught a sheen of tears in his eyes, and she heard the catch in his voice. He clearly loved his son.
Kui Yu reached under the table and enfolded her hand in his. Shi Po felt the callouses on his palm, the rough caress of his fingers over her clenched knuckles. And she felt his warmth flow into her. She was reassured by that.
And... love. Whether he said it or not, she felt love in his touch. She was able to breathe, to see past her failure, to find some place beyond the bitterness.
"That is excellent news, your honor," she said. "Two new Immortals. China is richly blessed." And part of her—the part that held on to her husband—meant what she said.
General Kang hovered over her, hands on his hips, his eyes boring into hers. She dipped her head as was appropriate for a female when confronted by a male, but he reached down and roughly jerked her face up.
Beside her, Kui Yu stiffened and half rose out of his seat. She flipped her hand over and quickly pushed him down. General Kang did not intend to harm her; he merely wished to read her expression. As she wished to read his.
She was not in any danger yet, so she kept Kui Yu still. In the periphery of her vision, Shi Po saw Mrs. Kang smirk. Apparently, the woman enjoyed seeing her husband threaten others.
Words came impulsively, without thought or common sense, but sometimes Heaven's messages were sent in just that way. "You are vulnerable through your wife," Shi Po said. "A woman who lives in loneliness and is served bitterness will find a way to fight back. You teach her treachery, General Kang. Do not be surprised when you feel the prick of her knife in your back."
He did not slap her. Shi Po tensed, expecting a blow, but it did not come. Instead, she felt the slow slide of the General's fingers from where they gripped her chin to her cheek, then they found and lingered on her mouth. Beside her, Kui Yu stiffened. He wanted to fight the General, despite the large army of servants just outside the door. So Shi Po tightened her fingers and prayed her husband would remain prudent.
The General spoke, his voice low and apparently pitched for seduction. Or a threat. With this man, she couldn't tell. "Interesting suggestion," he said. "It might even be worth investigating." His gaze dropped to where Shi Po's leg was exposed by the slit of her dress. In this way, he let her know exactly what he wanted to investigate.
Shi Po's stomach roiled at the thought.
Abruptly, he released her. He stepped back and folded his arms across his chest. "Tell me about your religion," he said. She blinked at the sudden change in topic.
He shifted his gaze to Kui Yu. "You wish to know why you are here? I want to know what exactly has seduced my son." He grimaced. "Other than the obvious."
There was a moment's silence before Kui Yu's laughter broke like a distant boom of thunder across the room. It was loud, rolled, and filled the air with a disconcerting good humor. Everyone—including Shi Po—stared at him. All wondered if his mind had broken.
"Love seduced your son, General Kang," Kui Yu said between bursts of laughter. "Love. Not some religion or nefarious plot. Only a deep and true love could take a son from his father, a man from an empire, or a monk from his temple. Love, General. And if you cannot see that he loves this Lydia, then you will not understand any religion of my wife's or even the—"
"She is a white devil!" General Kang exploded. Spittle flew from his lips.
Staring at the man, Shi Po felt the pressure of true despair. General Kang had no interest in learning anything about what she taught, or even comprehending the tiniest part of his son's actions. He wanted a scapegoat, and he'd found one in her.
She sighed and decided to trust her husband and the Goddess and bluntly confront the truth. "What do you wish from us, General Kang? Do you seek to expose me as depraved? How will that return your son to you? Do you want a weapon to wield against him? To force him to renounce his white love and return to your control? You raised a son in your image: strong and independent. Could anything swerve you from your choices? No. So you likely will not sway your son, but only entrench his bitterness against you." She lifted her chin. "I ask you again: What do you want?"
His eyes went dead; from the moment she mentioned his son, his gaze flattened to an expression of absolute disgust. She knew as she spoke that he would not be convinced, so she was surprised when he stepped back and pulled open the door. She did not catch what he said to the servants outside, but the response was immediate.
Movement sounded outside the door: the shuffle of feet, the muted outcry of a child, and the harsh grating tones of an angry woman. Shi Po swallowed, and fear chilled her bones. She glanced at her husband and saw the same horror seep into his features for all that they both would wish to remain impassive. Then their worst fears were realized: soldiers escorted their two sons inside.
Shi Po exclaimed in horror and rushed forward as fast as she could, Kui Yu at her side. But they were stopped by the soldiers, who barred their way with swords. Those weapons were pointed not at their own throats, but at their children's.
"What is the meaning of this!" Kui Yu bellowed. "Why would you bring them here? They have done nothing! They know nothing!"
Shi Po found her eyes burning hot as she studied her children for injuries. She saw bruises and dirt, but nothing uncommon for boys. Nothing except the stark terror in their eyes.
"How do you fare, my children?" she asked, struggling to keep her voice even.
Her eldest son—Jiao Long—nodded in reassurance, even as he gripped his younger brother's hand. "We are hungry," he said, his chin lifted in a stubborn gesture reminiscent of his father.
"Well," boomed the General, "then by all means eat!" He gestured to the table, and the guards miraculously stepped back to allow the boys an open path to breakfast. But it was a path that took the pair away from their parents and closer to the General.
The boys did not move. They looked to their father.
Kui Yu nodded, his voice gentle. "Go ahead. If you are hungry, eat. And know that your mother and I deeply regret what is happening. We will do everything we can to keep you safe."
"Of course you will," returned the General, his voice all good cheer. It had happened just like He Yun predicted. Kang meant to keep her sons until he had whatever he wanted. Even if what he wanted was impossible. Even if he wanted his own so
n, Zou Tun, returned to him.
"Will your son forgive you this?" she asked, her heart beating painfully in her throat. "Will Zou Tun forgive you for using innocents to trap him?"
The General sneered, actually sneered, as he looked on her sons. "There are no innocents in a family of depravity. The father traffics with white devils and the wife trains whores."
"What do you intend?" This came from Kui Yu, his voice a low threat that made the soldiers shift nervously. It also brought the General's focus completely—exclusively—to Kui Yu. Which gave Shi Po a chance to slip quietly to her children's sides. The soldiers could have stopped her, but she knew men never thought to watch a woman when there was a dangerous man in the room. Not that she could do anything but touch her boys. She reassured herself that Jiao Long was without injury, that Shen Zhan breathed without restriction. And then she enfolded them in her arms.
The General spoke, outlining his plans with a cold, empty heart. "I plan to go to the Emperor. I plan to tell him of your crime, to expose your lewd and bestial acts. You are part of the disease that infects China, a filth that must be destroyed."
"That's ridiculous," Kui Yu countered. "Shi Po is the granddaughter of the great Tseng family. Her brother daily visits the Forbidden City. I, myself, have—"
"The great Tseng name has lately been tarnished—one brother killed as a revolutionary, the other opium-addicted and diseased." His eyes narrowed. "I am afraid he never received your request for aid."
Shi Po winced. So much for hope of rescue from her brother.
"The Emperor will listen," gloated Kang. "Especially as..." His voice trailed away and he nodded to a soldier.
Again the door opened, and this time a small woman with narrowed red eyes shuffled into the room. If she intended to walk confidently, she failed. For though her chin was lifted with a kind of pride, her shoulders were stooped and her tiny feet shuffled. She was obviously terribly afraid.
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