Chapter 4
Ji Yue scanned the room for a way to escape. He blocked the door, and there was no where else to run. “Why are you doing this?” she demanded. She didn’t think he would answer. She asked only because she was stalling as she figured out a strategy. But to her surprise, he seemed to think deeply about her question.
“I don’t know,” he finally said. “You are different.”
She looked away. She knew she was different. And in China, different was very bad. “I’m smart,” she countered. “And strong. I will make a good Empress.”
He touched her cheek, lifting her pointy chin with a firm stroke. “I begin to think you are right. Yi Zhen could do worse than marry you.” Then he smiled. “Don’t be afraid; I will not hurt you.”
“Of course, you will!” she shot back. “Why else would you maneuver this way? Why else would we be alone together!”
“I did not hurt you in the palanquin,” he said.
“You did not have time! I kicked you out.”
He grimaced. “Yes, I know. My ribs still hurt.”
She stared at him in confusion. He blocked the door, but he made no move to rape her. Up until now, he had merely been a man who tortured her, a man who blocked her path to the Emperor’s bed. But for the first time, she looked closely athis face. She expected that his features would be soft and lax with the indolence of a courtier, but what she saw instead was a hardened jaw and clear eyes in an unsmiling face. This man might be many things, but he was not soft. And that thought surprised her almost as much as it excited her.
“What do you want of me?” she asked.
He smiled, and this time there was no mockery in his expression. “To test you, Chen Ji Yue. To find out what kind of woman you are. Do you wish to become Empress?”
She nodded. “You know I do.”
“Then what will you do? As the doctor said, you will not pass this test today. You are hot tempered, your fertility is already dried up.”
“You don’t know that!”
He stepped forward. “I do. But if you like, you can check for yourself. Think of the place between your thighs. Is it wet and supple?”
Ji Yue gasped, her thoughts going straight to that part of her body. And from there she remembered what she had done to keep her private area sweet and supple. She swallowed, trying to act casual, but fear ate at her reason. “Why–why would you ask about that place?”
His eyes narrowed. She wanted to look away, but she could not when he stared at her so intently. “You have done something,” he said. “Something that no one else knows about.” His brows drew together in anger. “Chen Ji Yue! Are you a virgin?”
“Of course!” she cried. “Of course, I am! I have done nothing but– ” She swallowed, cursing her errant tongue. What was it about this man that made her stupid with her words?
“But what?” he demanded.
“It is nothing,” she whispered. “Just a cream to keep the skin moist and the petals blossoming.”
His eyebrows shot up. “And did you apply this cream today?” he asked. “Despite my express warning against wearing cosmetics?”
“It is not a cosmetic! It is fruit and herbs. It’s not a paint. More like food for...for women.” She looked at him in misery. Her face burned with shame. “Please help me,” she whispered. “The doctor is sure to notice.”
“My, my,” he drawled. “You do have a problem.” He did not sound angry, merely pensive. She did not dare hope that he would help her for free, but she was desperate.
“Bring me a bucket with water. I...I have jewelry. I can pay.”
He reared back in anger. “Do not seek to bribe me, girl!”
“Then what do you want?”
He smiled slowly, but his eyes remained grave. “I cannot bring you water. It would be noticed and even I cannot break the rules.”
She took a step forward. “You are breaking the rules now by being alone with me. Say that someone grew ill, that you wish to clean up the mess.”
“I would send a eunuch for that.”
