The Concubine by Jade Lee

affliction, but Yi Zhen noticed immediately. The emperor had been coming down the stairs, seen his friend, then started laughing so hard he gripped his sides from the pain. Bo Tao called his emperor an ass and then stormed off to the room he used when politics kept him too late in the Forbidden City to return home. His emperor followed, though, laughing with every step. But by the time they reached Bo Tao’s bedroom, his eyes had gone deadly serious.
    “They are my virgins, you know,” the emperor said.
    “I know,” Bo Tao groused. “Why do you think I am like this?”
    “Because you are a true friend and a loyal bannerman.”
    “Go fuck a dog,” Bo Tao retorted, then he flopped down on his bed. Yi Zhen laughed again, but Bo Tao wasn’t fooled. Yi Zhen did not like sharing. Those virgins—Chen Ji Yue included—were his, and Bo Tao would be smart to remember it. Otherwise, his life would end much too young.
    Eventually the emperor grew tired of laughing at him and left him to sleep. Unfortunately, his affliction prevented that. So he lay in bed wondering what to do with a mouthy virgin who made him hornier than when he’d seen his first “harem show.” She didn’t understand, damn it! Did she really want the hideous life offered to a concubine? Of course not! No sane person would want to endure the constant backbiting, petty rivalries and outright danger of living in an imperial harem.
    But he had never found much logic among the female population. And though Ji Yue appeared more intelligent than most, she still hadn’t heard his message. And he didn’t know how he could make it more plain! So he thought and thought while at the same time remembering how she’d undulated over his hand. Passion made her throat flush and her breath short. And, oh, he ached for her.
    But it wasn’t until the earliest streaks of light touched the sky that he remembered something else. He recalled what she’d said to the emperor to begin this whole evening’s debacle: something interesting about rebels and servants and the underlying cause of the revolt.
    That intrigued him. He found it strangely perceptive, especially from a woman. Had she overheard someone say that? Maybe her father? Or had she thought of it on her own? He had to know, but he had to be subtle. It wouldn’t do to bring more attention to himself or her.
    He waited another hour until the sun rose, then went about his duties while surreptitiously searching for her. He found the women’s doctor instead. He only now remembered that he had forgotten to dismiss her last night. He had summoned her for Ji Yue, but had never brought the girl in. One look at the physician forestalled his words of apology.
    “You look exhausted,” he said with shock. Then dismay blossomed in his heart. “Was there some emergency last night? Something I wasn’t notified about?” Something that happened while I was in a tree making an imperial virgin spill cream over and over again?
    Xie Yan glared at him. “Emergency?” she snapped. “No. Just endless complaint after stupid complaint. Was there a riot last night?”
    He frowned. “They attacked Chen Ji Yue because the emperor complimented her hair pin.”
    The doctor rolled her eyes. “I did not see Chen Ji Yue. But I saw every other ridiculous scratch and bump these cosseted babies could think of. They miss their mothers!” she snapped. “Girls who wish to be empress should not miss their mothers!” She kept muttering as she stomped away from him. At the last moment she shot a glare over her shoulder. “I am going to bed. Do not call for me again unless someone is in childbirth.”
    He nodded. No chance of that, especially since the day would be spent discovering family histories and fortunate horoscopes. During the family history exam, the virgins would be questioned about their birth, their parentage, their parents’ births and beyond. The information was never officially recorded, but he wished to be sure that no