As he ran through a few introductory points, I studied the minister with quiet approval. So Fanli had not bribed him for nothing.
“We should launch another attack,” Zixu spoke up first, his expression hard. “Strike while they’re still weak. Their economy has yet to recover from the last war, and their soldiers are eitherinjured or dead; last I heard, there were only a few thousand left in their command. It’s the perfect opportunity to eradicate one of the biggest threats to our borders.”
My heart struck my throat.Another attack.Faces and places flashed through my mind: my mother’s, my father’s, the frustrating but defenseless aunties down the road from our house, the morning market and riverbanks, all burned to rubble. The Yue Kingdom would not be able to withstand it.
Fuchai sipped his wine in silence, then jerked his goblet in General Ma’s direction. “You,” he said. “What do you think of this strategy?”
General Ma bowed. “I believe it wise, Your Majesty. The Yue may not have bothered us much in recent times, but they are like cockroaches, draining resources and scuttling about everywhere.” He wrinkled his nose. “We should crush them under the heel of our boot when we can, lest they duplicate and infest our kingdom.”
Remain calm, I willed myself, fighting against my rising rage.Don’t give them reason to suspect you have the Yue’s interests at heart.So instead of breaking General Ma’s face with my fist, I ran my fingers down Fuchai’s arm and angled my chin up at him. I felt him shiver under my touch.
“That… seems slightly exaggerated, don’t you think?” Fuchai said, his eyes on me. “And Goujian promised he would not harm our kingdom.”
The ministers exchanged another dark look among themselves.
“Can we really trust him to keep his promise?” Zixu asked. “He could be speaking with their war committee right now, readying their forces for invasion.”
Before Fuchai could reply, I leaned forward. “War committee?” I repeated, frowning like a puzzled student in class. “But I thought the Yue’s war committee had been disbanded after they lost, andmost of the ministers were either killed or dismissed. Is there a new one I don’t know about?”
Wu Zixu glowered at me. “Your Majesty, again, I must ask whether it’s appropriate for Lady Xishi to be present—”
“She’s only curious,” Fuchai said, while I made a show of looking chastened, my gaze turned down. “And didn’t you hear her? The Yue have already gotten rid of their war committee. How can they be preparing for war?”
Wu Zixu did not falter. “You don’t think it possible that Goujian holds a grudge?”
“I’m so sorry to ask,” I said, blinking with feigned confusion, “but… I don’t understand. Why would he hold a grudge? Everyone knows how much Goujian looks up to His Majesty. They’re friends, aren’t they?”
“Yes, yes indeed,” Bo Pi put in. “And he’s sent many offerings of friendship: the one hundred thousand bolts of hemp cloth, the nine wooden containers of honey, the ten boats and fox pelts…”
Fuchai nodded, drunk and content. “He has been good to me, hasn’t he? He’s a humble man. Harmless.”
I’d barely breathed a sigh of relief when, below us, I saw a shadow move over Wu Zixu’s face. “Even if Goujian is harmless,” he said, in a tone that suggested he highly doubted it, “one cannot underestimate his military advisor, Fanli.”
The sound of Fanli’s name—spoken out loud, in these cold halls—sent a piercing pain through my chest. I almost gasped, a tangle of emotions surfacing inside me. Nostalgia and loss and a kind of… possessiveness. It felt wrong, to have the enemy discuss him so casually right in front of me.
“Ah, yes, Fanli,” Fuchai said. “He was the one who insisted on accompanying Goujian to our kingdom, wasn’t he? That statue of ice and jade? I do remember him clearly; even in rags, he had a fine face. Lovelier than a woman’s, they say.”
Wu Zixu clenched his jaw. Likely, he had not expected his king’s first key impression of the military advisor to be how pretty he looked. “I’m afraid you are forgetting the complete saying, Your Majesty: a face lovelier than a woman’s, witha mind deadlier than a snake’s. If he retaliates—”
“But wouldn’t he have retaliated already?” Bo Pi cut in quickly. “After all the humiliation he endured at our hands?”
My heart spasmed.
“That’s right,” Fuchai said, as if reminiscing a distant but fond memory. I felt a frisson of panic. Whatever came next, I did not want to hear it. I could not bear to. “I remember it too. He had some pride. Even when I made him kneel on all fours, he refused to bend his spine. Not when we used the bamboos, nor when I used my boot. So much blood spilled—yet he wouldn’t even beg for mercy.”
I was suddenly sick. My imagination ran free with those terrible words, and I saw a vivid image of Fanli, the esteemed military and political advisor of Yue, the young prodigy, forced onto his knees before a jeering crowd of Wu noblemen and soldiers. His head would still be raised at that cool, arrogant angle, his eyes intensely black, even as the bamboo sticks whipped his back open into bloodied cuts. Soon his pristine white robes were stained red, his breaths coming out short and fast. And Fuchai loomed over him. Cruel, haughty, careless Fuchai, his leather boot coming to rest first under Fanli’s chin, forcing him to meet his gloating smirk. The crowd roared in anticipation, their faces dripping with glee…
Wave after wave of nausea rolled through my stomach. The place where my skin still grazed against Fuchai’s robes prickled.
Yet he drank on, completely oblivious. It was the easy arrogance of one who had emerged the victor of a long battle, who had seen the best men from another kingdom brought down before him.This is why I must succeed.My resolve curled around that one crucial line like a tightening fist.
“I still don’t understand,” I said timidly, my eyes wide. “Why are we spending so much time debating whether or not to defeat a kingdom that’s already been defeated?”
“You make a good point,” Fuchai murmured, leaning into the palm of my hand.
“Your Majesty.” Wu Zixu stalked forward until he was standing right under the throne, then spoke with barely controlled fierceness. “Your Majesty, please. Don’t lower your guard against the Yue. Have you already forgotten your father’s dying wish?”
At this, Fuchai’s eyes, which were close to falling shut, opened again. “Of course I haven’t,” he said brusquely. “I am reminded of it every day.” He squinted around the court. “Reminder! Where are you?”
