She swallowed, wondering what he could possibly mean. “I believe that you are a man who leads China and so gains the love of the people you rule.”
The Emperor huffed. “So, not a god, then? But I am the Son of Heaven!”
She dipped her head. “You live in our hearts, nonetheless.”
“Your friend Li Fei said I was a god. She said she worshiped me.”
Ji Yue grimaced. That sounded exactly like something Li Fei would say.
“You are right,” the Emperor finally said. “I like her better. Which means,” he said with a flourish, “that I have no use for you.”
He turned to Bo Tao who stood as still as a statue beside the bed.
“I suppose,” the Emperor drawled, “if I have no use for her, I can give her to someone else as a gift.”
Bo Tao’s head jerked up, and his eyes abruptly widened. “Emperor,” he breathed, but he had no more words.
“Now who deserves such a gift? Who has served me with such devotion and no thanks? Who could that be?”
Bo Tao did not speak, but his eyes said everything. In them, Ji Yue saw hope and fear, desperation and wonder. No doubt her own looked the same.
“Well,” continued the Emperor, “by my hand and this silly trinket...” He dropped the linked combs on the bed. “I declare you two wed.”
Ji Yue gasped in shock, but it was no less than what Bo Tao did. He thunked his hand to his chest as if he could containhis emotions with in.
See this, the Emperor’s gaze softened. “Enjoy her, my friend. As for me, I prefer to be a god to the women I bed.”
“Yi Zhen–” Bo Tao began, his voice choked.
“Yes, yes, I know. You worship me. You think I am a god. You forget that you are supposed to call me Emperor Xian Feng.”
“Emper–”
“Hss! Come to me in the morning and we will discuss your exact appointment.”
“B–but–” Bo Tao stammered again.
“Fine, fine. The afternoon then.”
“Yi Zhen–”
“Oh and you!” The Emperor spun around and pinned her with a cold stare. “If he ever falters in his devotion to me, then I will send for you. I will recall you to my harem, and it will not go well for you.”
Ji Yue nodded, her mind reeling. Could it be possible? Could she now be wed to Bo Tao?
“So take her!” the Emperor ordered as he clapped his friend on the back.
Bo Tao crumpled before his friend, dropping to the floor in a kow tow. Ji Yue scrambled to do the same, her shock and her gratitude overwhelming her. They both pressed their foreheads to the ground four times. Five times. But by the sixth, they raised themselves up and discovered they were alone. Together.
Ji Yue looked into Bo Tao’s eyes. She saw so many emotions there, so many conflicting thoughts. She understood because she felt the same.
“The Emperor is very odd,” she whispered, though that was not at all what she wanted to say.
“It is hard to rule a country. He takes his pleasures however he can.”
“I did not give him the comb. I held them linked together but he broke them apart. He took it from me.”
Bo Tao’s eyes lighted in surprise and hope. “You chose me? Over being an Empress?”
She nodded. “I love you. I could not–” She didn’t get any more words out. He kissed her. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her as she had dreamed. He kissed her and he did not stop for a long, long incredible time.
It wasn’t until she welcomed him joyfully and gloriously into her body that he spoke again.
“I love you,” he said. “I will not be separated from you ever again.”
“Never,” she echoed as she wrapped her legs around him and another dance began.
Hours later, they watched the dawn together. They lay intertwined and whispered secrets to one another. They made plans and spoke of love.
And so began a most glorious union in the bed of the Emperor of China.
