“You understand how it is done, yes? I know I taught you that much.”
“Yes!” And now she knew a great deal more. “I am still a virgin. I swear it.”
Her mother exhaled, her expression pensive. “You did this because I would not give you the pillow book.”
She didn’t argue. Let her mother believe that was her only motive. “I need to attract the emperor as a man—”
“Hsss! Speak no more of this. Your father will not understand.”
Or he would understand. And that was worse.
Her mother continued, her voice tight with frustration. “You walk a fine line, Ling Xin. An empress must be clever, she must be able to deceive, and she must attract her husband as no other. I never wanted you to be empress, but it is the path your father decided on before you were born.”
Ling Xin’s eyes widened in shock. Her mother had never said this to her before, never suggested that her path was anything but pre-ordained.
“I will tell your father that you are pure. As long as there is hope for you to become empress, he will not kill you.” Her mother’s eyes were tortured. “I can lose you to the emperor,” she said. “But I will not lose you to idiocy. Yours or your father’s!”
“Yes, Mama.”
Her mother sighed. “You are very lucky that Ko Zhi Hao is honorable. You took a big risk.”
She knew. “He is a good man.”
“And he is meant for Li Fei.”
Those words struck straight into Ling Xin’s heart. The pain of it made her gasp, and her mother—no fool—saw the truth.
“Aie-yah, you are smarter than that,” her mother moaned. “How much time have you spent with him? You cannot be in love so quickly.”
Yes, she could. She was. And now what was she to do?
“Ling Xin! How much time have you spent with him?”
“Enough, Mama,” she finally said. “Enough to know he will be a good husband. An honorable husband. A—”
The slap across her face was not as powerful as her father’s, but it was hard and it stung. Ling Xin didn’t stumble. Her mother didn’t have that much force in her. But Ling Xin did cower and as she pressed her hand to her hot cheek, her mother glared down at her.
“You will not speak his name ever again. You will not think of him. And if you do, you will say these words. ‘Ko Zhi Hao will marry Li Fei.’ Do you understand?”
Of course, she understood. It was the only possible ending to this tale.
“Ling Xin!” her mother snapped.
“Ko Zhi Hao will marry Li Fei.” She swallowed. “He will make her an excellent husband.”
Chapter Eighteen
Under any othercircumstances, Zhi Hao would be intrigued by Earl Song’s library. He was fascinated by the maps and tallies everywhere. He had no idea if the earl oversaw all of China’s money or just part of it, but the network of information here was stunning. And Zhi Hao wanted to learn everything about it. But not now.
Now, he waited in terror to find out if he or Ling Xin would be killed.
He leaped to his feet when she and her mother walked in. Her face was blanched white, and he flinched to see it. Checking one’s virginity had to be a painful and humiliating process, even when done by one’s mother. Perhaps even more so then.
He took a step toward her, wanted to say something to ease the pain or even to reassure her. He wouldn’t let her father kill her. He wouldn’t let any disaster befall her. And privately, he hoped that this ended her chances to become empress. That gave him time and a sliver of a chance to claim her for himself.
But before he could do more than speak her name, her father stomped into the room. He dismissed the retainer with a curt nod, and then he turned to Ling Xin’s mother.
“Well?”