The Jade Temptress Page 10

  Madame looked over Mingyu’s cloak with a wary eye. “Where are you going?”

  “To the temple.” Her voice dripped with sweetness. “If Mother would kindly allow it.”

  Madame snorted.

  Mingyu was in a rebellious mood, as well. Kissing someone entirely unacceptable could have something to do with that. Her stolen and precious hour with Wu Kaifeng emboldened her more than it should have.

  “You need to prepare for tonight,” Madame insisted.

  “You needn’t worry. Ziyi and I will return long before this evening,” Mingyu said with a sigh. “The inspector will have tea in my sitting room. I’ll be charming.”

  “Well, try not to be too charming.”

  Madame glanced away, but not before Mingyu caught her troubled look. She knew the headmistress’s mood swings too well to dismiss this one.

  “Was it not your plan that I catch Xi Lun’s eye? Why else did you invite him the other evening?”

  “The inspector came uninvited! He learned of the gathering on his own and would not be refused.”

  “Then you’re not encouraging Xi Lun’s advances?”

  Madame shook her head. “Maybe it’s a passing fancy. The allure will fade after a few meetings.”

  It was entirely unlike Madame to hope a patron would lose interest.

  “Why are you so worried about the inspector? He’s neither the wealthiest nor the most influential of our guests.”

  “You don’t understand, my dear. As a member of the Palace Bureau, he can make things difficult for many of our patrons. For us.”

  Mingyu’s stomach churned. Her skin prickled just as it had during her first meeting with Xi.

  “Did he mention that to you, Mother?”

  Madame Sun didn’t answer, which was alarming in and of itself.

  “Did the inspector threaten us?”

  “He didn’t need to.” Her mouth drew tight. “His presence alone is a threat.”

  Bureaucrats and scholars came to the Lotus Palace to discuss poetry, politics and anything that came to mind when the hour was late and the wine flowing. Such unguarded commentary could be mistaken as seditious in the wrong light.

  “Then maybe I shouldn’t see him. Better to stop this early,” Mingyu suggested, but she was only fooling herself. A man’s interest wasn’t hard to read and Xi Lun had all but marked her as his from the moment he’d walked into her parlor.

  “We’ll think of something,” Madame assured her, though her frown had deepened since the conversation began. “We kept General Deng dangling on a line for so many years, didn’t we, daughter?”

  “We did,” Mingyu murmured. Something about Madame’s behavior set her on edge. “What if Inspector Xi wants the same thing the general wanted?”

  Madame couldn’t meet her eyes. “It hasn’t come to that.”

  Her stomach clenched. “Mother?”

  “If Xi Lun does ask to redeem you, he may be too dangerous to refuse.”

  She stared at the woman who had bought her from the procurer, who had controlled her fate for most of her life. It had been years since she had feared being sold away against her will. No one had dared to ask for her while she was under General Deng’s patronage.

  “Are you ready to go, Elder Sister?” Ziyi arrived to interrupt them before she could ask Madame for more information about the inspector.

  The younger courtesan was dressed in a bright yellow robe embroidered with pink peach blossoms. In contrast, Mingyu had worn a simple robe of pale blue. A sensual whisper as opposed to a shout. It was better that Ziyi be noticed over her, anyway. Mingyu no longer needed to attract attention. It seemed as if she’d already attracted the wrong sort.

  “Be prepared for tonight,” Madame reminded her at the door.

  “What happens tonight?” Ziyi asked as they started down the lane.

  “A special guest.”

  Ziyi’s eyes brightened with interest. “Is he distinguished?”

  “Distinguished enough.”

  Mingyu kept her gaze focused on the street. Xi Lun wasn’t interested in Mingyu for her talents or even her beauty. He wanted her because powerful men like General Deng wanted her. He only wanted her to elevate his own status unlike Wu Kaifeng who wanted her simply because he desired her. Her and not some illusion.

  “Mingyu, are you not well?”

  Ziyi’s inquiry pulled her out of her reverie. She pressed a hand to her cheek. “It’s nothing.”

  Just the thought of Wu sent a flush to her face.

  If Xi Lun were any other guest, she might have feigned illness so Ziyi could entertain in her stead, but the inspector had been possessive. He would certainly take insult if she tried to deflect him. Better to meet the threat face-to-face.

  The temple was in the eastern part of the ward, close enough to travel on foot. As it wasn’t a full or new moon, the grounds were relatively empty aside from the disciples who maintained the shrines.

  Mingyu had come with the purpose of lighting incense for General Deng. Ten days had gone by since his passing. Today was a special prayer day and no matter how complicated their relationship had been, Deng had been her benefactor. She owed his spirit this small act of remembrance.

  Ziyi accompanied her to the main chamber where an altar had been set up with offerings of fruit and rice. Mingyu placed a few coins into the alms bowl, then slipped three joss sticks from the holder and held the ends to a candle on the altar until the incense smoldered and ignited. The warm and cloying scent of camphor filled the air.

  After bowing her head to perform the rites, Mingyu retreated back out into the open air of the courtyard. By then, Ziyi had become restless. “Let us explore the market stalls around the temple, Elder Sister.”

  As they started toward the gate, an older man in a brown house robe approached them.

  “Lady Mingyu,” he greeted with a bow.

  “Yuan Lo.” She recognized Deng’s steward as he straightened to face her. “What are you doing here?”

  The family would still be in mourning and Mingyu would have expected them to observe the prayer day at home or at one of the grander temples closer to the Deng residence.

  “Deng Furen wishes to speak with you,” Yuan said.

  Instead of leading her out to the street, he gestured toward an area at the back of the temple.

  Ziyi started to protest. “Mingyu, who is this?”

  “I will be only a moment. Go and explore without me.”

  With a huff, Ziyi turned and did as she was told. She was accustomed to Mingyu getting her way.

  Mingyu followed Yuan Lo to the living quarters for the temple disciples. Deng’s widow was seated in one of the compartments, as still as an idol on an altar. The only luxury inside the cell, and a meager one at that, was a bamboo mat laid over the bare floor.

  Madame Deng’s countenance was austere, making her appear older than her true age, as did her hair. It was streaked with silver now, much more than Mingyu remembered.

  “Sit,” the widow said. “I wish to speak to you about my husband.”

  There was only one stool in the room and it was occupied by the widow. Mingyu was forced to kneel upon the mat. Deng Zhi’s death had changed nothing between them. The woman still ordered Mingyu about as if she were a peasant farmer.

  Madame Deng looked down her nose at her. “You have always been respectful, to my husband and our family. For that, I commend you.”

  “As you have always been generous to me.”

  The widow nodded, approving of Mingyu’s humility. “I must ask this question and you will answer me truthfully. Are you carrying my husband’s child?”

  Mingyu was far from shy, but even she was taken aback by the force behind Madame Deng’s question.

  “The truth,” th
e widow warned.

  “No, Furen, I am not with child.”

  The older woman’s gaze hovered over Mingyu’s slender waist. “My husband made no secret that he wanted a son.”

  “Enlai is his son.”

  At the mention of Deng Enlai’s name, the widow’s eyes flashed in a way that Mingyu could only describe as feral.

  “What man doesn’t want more offspring as a testament to his own virility? My husband knew I was willing to bear him more children. I am not so old, you know. But he seemed to have other plans.”

  Mingyu shifted on the mat as the weight of Madame Deng’s stare bore down on her.

  “I was a young bride of sixteen when I went to Deng Zhi’s bed,” the widow continued, oblivious to her discomfort. “A week after our wedding night, I already knew that I was pregnant. Something had changed inside me. Then, only a week after that, I was already certain it was a boy. But I’ve heard this is unusual to know so soon. It occurs to me you may not yet be aware if you are carrying his child.”

  “I assure you, I’m not pregnant, Furen. The last time I met with the general was well over a year ago.”

  “You did not lie with him more recently?” Madame Deng felt no shame being so forward. She was speaking to an underling.

  “Not for over a year. It would be impossible for me to be carrying his child.”

  Whenever she went to Deng’s bed, Madame had always provided her with an herbal remedy used among the pleasure houses to prevent conception. Though there were certain circumstances when a courtesan wanted to bear her patron’s child, for the most part it meant ruin.

  Madame Deng pressed her lips together thoughtfully. “If you had been with child, our family would have honored you. We would have seen to his upbringing and education.”

  “You are too kind,” Mingyu said through her teeth. She didn’t need to ask what would have happened if the child was a girl.

  “There is no kindness to it. Blood is blood. I would have recognized you and the child as one of our own.”

  “But there is no child,” Mingyu repeated so there was no uncertainty. “Deng Zhi is fortunate to have a dutiful son like Enlai to perform his rites.”

  Finally, the widow’s shoulders relaxed. “I had to be certain. Is it not awful how women are pushed to secure ourselves in this way, with our flesh and blood?”

  “Yes, Furen.”

  “I think of the stories of Empress Wu and Concubine Xiao, clawing at one another, sacrificing their own children for the attention of the Emperor.”

  “That was another time,” Mingyu said demurely. “And we are not those women.”

  Madame Deng nodded slowly from her throne. “Despite our differences in the past, I’ve always admired you.”

  Mingyu swallowed her retort. “And I you.”

  Her remark was at least partly true. Madame Deng was of noble and privileged birth, but she also knew what it meant to fight for her place in this world.

  “I wish you good fortune and all my blessings, Lady Mingyu.” With that, Madame Deng rose to go. “I do wish that you had come to me when you found my husband. We could have handled matters with more discretion, for the sake of my family.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  KAIFENG EXITED THE gate of the yamen to find Mingyu waiting for him. Her blue robe inevitably drew his eye amid the brown and gray of the city street.

  She had been in his mind constantly, ever since that damned kiss that he wasn’t supposed to think too much about. There was a bit of sorcery in how she appeared before him now.

  As always, Mingyu let him come to her.

  “My lady,” he greeted.

  “Constable, can we speak in private?”

  Dispensing with formalities, she fell into step alongside him. “I know this may sound implausible.”

  “Nothing is implausible.”

  “This is regarding Deng Furen.”

  Kaifeng slowed his pace to match her shorter stride. “The general’s widow?”

  “She came to see me today.” Mingyu fidgeted with her shawl, rearranging it over her shoulders. “I know this may sound ridiculous, but she mentioned something unusual. That woman has never been particularly charming or pleasant, especially to me, but the way she was acting today would have made anyone wonder.”

  “Mingyu.” He had to say her name twice before she stopped babbling. “Tell me what Deng’s wife said to you.”

  The command seemed to focus her. “She mentioned Concubine Xiao.”

  His blank stare prompted her to continue.

  “Xiao was one of Empress Wu’s rivals in the imperial court. The Empress cut off her feet and drowned her in a vat of wine.”

  “Deng Furen threatened you?”

  “Well, that story isn’t very subtle, is it?”

  Mingyu pulled her shawl tighter around herself even though the day was warm. She seemed more shaken now than she had when she’d found the General’s body. Her speech was rapid, with no sense to it.

  There was a food stand at the corner. Kaifeng started toward it, moving his hand to the small of Mingyu’s back to guide her. She jumped at the contact at first, but didn’t protest as he led her to a bench.

  “Why did Deng’s wife wish to speak to you? Remember you came to me for help,” Kaifeng prompted when she hesitated. “I need to know everything.”

  Mingyu took a breath. “She wanted to inquire about her husband. About whether I could be carrying his child.”

  His gut wrenched at the thought, but he forced himself to continue calmly. “But you aren’t.”

  “Of course not. At one time, he did want me to have his son, but I refused.”

  “One must wonder why. Giving birth to Deng Zhi’s son would have secured your future.”

  “Is that what you really believe? That such things can be so readily accomplished?” she asked, agitated.

  One kiss certainly didn’t give Kaifeng any claim over Mingyu, but her past relationship with the general vexed him even though it was over. Even though the man was dead. It made no logical sense.

  The middle-aged man who owned the food cart came up to them to see if they wanted anything. Kaifeng ordered one of whatever he served to get rid of the man.

  “Isn’t it every courtesan’s desire to be free?” Kaifeng pressed.

  “Becoming a concubine under the rule of a tyrant of a first wife isn’t freedom. Bearing a warlord’s son isn’t freedom. And there’s emotion involved, Constable. Something you do not seem to understand.”

  “The situation appears simple enough for even me to grasp. Deng Furen was jealous of her husband’s mistress.”

  The vendor came back with a bowl of dumplings in a clear syrup. “Sweet dumplings,” he explained when Kaifeng frowned at the bowl as if the dumplings themselves were intruding.

  Kaifeng accepted them and handed the bowl over to Mingyu who seemed somewhat amused by the exchange. She lifted the spoon, her movements as refined and elegant at a roadside stand as they were in a banquet hall. He watched her as she sampled the dish, his chest warming from nothing more than her nearness.

  Her presence had a soothing effect. Kaifeng was entrenched in the much harsher realities of life in the city whereas courtesans by profession created an illusion of a cultured world, filled with beauty and grace.

  “The magistrate and I visited the Deng mansion just yesterday,” he confided. “Your account is of interest in light of that visit. Are you familiar with the members of his household?”

  “I have some knowledge of them after all these years,” she replied carefully.

  “What do you know of Deng Enlai?”

  “The general spoke little of his son.”

  Her expression clouded over as she looked down into the bowl, concentrating much more than needed on t
he next bite.

  “I cannot help you if you keep hiding from me.”

  “You must have visions of General Deng spilling all sorts of dark secrets on the pillow, but we rarely discussed personal things,” she said with a sigh.

  “And a courtesan must always be discreet.”

  Her eyes shuttered at his cynical retort and Kaifeng willed himself to relax. He was letting emotion cloud his judgment.

  “Was there any hint of animosity between father and son?” he asked.

  “I wouldn’t know of it.”

  “A potential dispute over inheritance might serve as motive for Deng Enlai to kill his father. Or Deng Furen her husband.”

  Mingyu shot him a cross look. “At least lower your voice when you say such unspeakable things. Deng as a general was both respected and feared. He was a warlord. He had many enemies, more than I could ever know of.”

  “Which ones do you know of? Who in this city had a quarrel with the general?”

  She thought about his question. “Lord Bai Huang. He asked me about Deng immediately before the general returned to Changan.”

  The elder Lord Bai was a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Defense. His son, Bai Huang, was a noted do-nothing who had finally managed to secure a passing mark in the palace exams, most likely through bribery.

  “You realize this would implicate your sister’s husband,” he pointed out.

  Her eyes flashed at him. “I’m not implicating anyone. I’m merely letting you know that Lord Bai has had a longtime interest in Deng. He’s probably not alone. He probably also knows more than I do. I am, after all, just a woman.”

  Kaifeng considered all he’d learned over the past few days. “There were rumors that Deng Zhi had been plotting against the Emperor. This would have made coming to the capital very dangerous.”

  “Unless he wanted to respond to the accusations.” Mingyu didn’t appear surprised by the mention of treason.