But in the end, her eyes dropped away. “My heart goes one way, and if it were only me, I would gladly follow it. But the moment I stepped inside the Forbidden City, I chose family over my happiness. I will not dishonor my family now.” Her voice was dull, but he heard the steel beneath it. She would not hurt her family, which made her more honorable than him.
“Do you know what you risk?” His voice broke on the last word. Even if she escaped this disaster, even if she was allowed to remain without committing suicide, she had clearly made an enemy of the Dowager Consort and the Head Eunuch. Her life would be endless years of misery. And his life would be a misery watching it. Heedless of the doctor beside him, he dropped to his knees before Ji Yue.
“You would do this all for your family’s honor?”
“I do not blame you,” she said. “I chose...” Then she stiffened her spine. “If something happens to me, will you see that my family has work?” she said. He understood the unspoken message. If they were to run away together, there would be no one here to see that her family did not suffer any consequences.
“Of course, but–”
She looked at the doctor. “There are ways, are there not? To prevent pregnancy? And to fake virginity?”
The Doctor grimaced. “It will be hard to fool the Emperor. You will not be his first virgin.”
She shrugged. “If it comes to that, I will already be hiswife. It would shame him as much as me.”
Bo Tao almost snorted. “Do not count that Yi Zhen will think that way.”
Her eyes met his. “But you will still be here to assure–”
“Yes, yes,” he snapped. “I will look after your father. But you, Ji Yue...” He bit his lip. “Does your life mean nothing?”
She reached out and touched his cheek, the stroke was so tender, so exquisite that he shuddered at the beauty of it. “A woman’s life is to bring honor to her family and her husband. We have no purpose beyond that. You know this as well as I do.”
He knew. All love stories in China ended with death. It was the only way to preserve honor. “You are smart, Ji Yue, surely you can think of another way.”
She shook her head. “I am an imperial virgin. Even in the lowest harem, I will bring honor and prosperity to my family. That was why I came to the Forbidden City in the first place.” Her gaze sharpened on the doctor. “I am an Imperial Virgin, am I not?”
The doctor sighed and glanced at Bo Tao. He gave a barely perceptible nod in confirmation. He would give the physician an excellent bribe for her part in faking Ji Yue’s virginity.
“Yes,” the doctor said with a crisp assurance. “But you should rest all day tomorrow to recover. As I have already examined you, you will not need to do so again with the other virgins.” Then she glanced sharply at Bo Tao. “Provided, of course, that the Emperor does not demand–”
“He will not. The only dishonor has been on the traitors who created the party in the first place.”
He pushed to his feet. He had to do what he could to mitigate the disaster and to be sure that the blame fell where it belonged.
“I must go,” he said. Then he looked down with great regret at Ji Yue. “I will make sure that your family’s status is notharmed.” He said it as a vow and silently prayed that he could keep his promise.
Ji Yue nodded in gratitude.
“Stay and care for her please,” he said to the physician. Then he looked one last time into Ji Yue’s eyes. She had made her choice, and he could not fault her for it. She had chosen honor over love, her family over herself. With a bow of greatest respect, he turned and left.
It was time to face the Emperor’s wrath.
