Empress *Part 15* (Patreon)

Xian bloomed with a merry explosion of laughter and mirth. The streets had ruptured with citizens and visitors alike attending the yearly harvest festival. Vendors traveled from neighboring empires and beyond to sell their wares. Stalls of colorful trinkets and clay antiquities lined the roads that splayed through the bustling village. Farmers brought out their best produce and livestock to sell for rates much higher than the months prior. Local and exotic winemakers offered samples and sold whole jars of the elixir that poured down the throats of patrons freely as they did to the Xian roads. Music from every corner of the village gave drunken patrons a means of expression through song and dance. Lanterns hung with decorative streamers that fluttered endlessly. Laughter and intimate exchange came as natural as the moonlit glow that cast down on them all. Most of which came bursting from the village square.

"Mmmmmhhhaaaaahahahahahahaha!!! Stahahahahappp!! It tickleeesss hahahahaa!!!!" Meiling cried out, sitting atop the stocks almost exclusively reserved for her. The wooden stocks cradled her ankles, tightly enough to hold her in but still allowed her feet to squirm slightly from side to side. Her wrists had been cuffed down by the side of the seat which had become her throne. Her bare feet stuck out of the stocks, perfectly framed to be the focus of any mischievous or sadistic tickler.

"Haha, awww, she's so ticklish!" said a young couple visiting Xian for the festival. Meiling had on a more elegantly fashioned hanfu than what would be her normal, preferred attire, but alongside offering to provide the performance of a tickle punishment demonstration, she elected to dress up for the occasion. It flowed beneath her and still managed to cover between her legs as her legs were splayed by the stocks. It was cherry red, the same shade of her cheeks while she squealed with ticklish laughter.

"Her toes are so soft," said the man, tall and middle-aged. The couple used their fingers to scribble across Meiling’s soles. Her feet had been lathered in cream and oil to enhance their plush texture. They were warm to the touch, even in the cool night air. The couple giggled and continued to tease Meiling. The man worked his fingers around her pearly, squirming toes while the woman, on the other foot, dashed her nails across Meiling’s arch.

"Stahahahahahahapp!! Pleeheheheheeese!!!" Meiling pleaded, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. All around her, spectators watched and shouted advice and encouragement. They laughed at her expressions, some watching more intently than others. Many waited their turn while those that had gone stayed behind to witness the slow deterioration of the 'Xian Thief'. Many of the faces were familiar while the rest were travelers, traders, and visitors there to enjoy the entertainment of the Xian Harvest Festival.

"Hmmmm… nope, I don't think I want to," said the woman. She was young and spritely, her nails scribbling madly over the stretched arch of Meiling’s hyper ticklish foot. Meiling gasped through her laugher, a tone of anguish beneath the squeaking, shrieking cries. Many people around came closer and moved to get a better view, commenting to one another through Meiling’s howling laughs. Beside the stockade was a sign that detailed who she was and why she was to be punished.

Thief!

This woman was caught stealing treasure from the royal family!

Tickle her feet to teach her a lesson!

The sign, along with many other factors in the torturous event, was presented as intentionally hyperbolic in many ways. It was, for the most part, a performance like any other. Tian stood to the other side of the stockade, filling in for her father who was indisposed and orchestrating the nightly watch. She kept an eye on Meiling, knowing well her limits and pension for being tickled. While the setting for the scene had been fabricated for the sake of endearing an audience, the tickling that she suffered was all too real.

"Alright, you two," Tian said, concluding their assault against Meiling’s blushing soles, "let someone else have a turn." Tian had donned a special armor that her father had made for her personally. It was light and practical, yet rested against her as more of a costume than for any means of legitimate defense. She posed as her father's role, captain of the guard and facilitator of Meiling’s ruthless, ticklish punishment.

"Thank you," the couple said, bowing deeply. They smiled and moved on. Meiling heaved through heavy breaths, sweat trickling down her face. Her hair had loosened. It clung to her skin. Her eyelids fluttered. Her feet tingled with rising sensitivity. Hours of the scene had toiled away. The sun dropped out of the sky since she had assumed her public throne. Still, Meiling managed to smirk.

"What do you have to say for yourself, thief? Tian asked loudly. Her delivery was comically unnatural, yet she made little effort to hide it. Meiling snickered.

"You will never break me," said Meiling, similarly stagnant. "None of you will. Tickle me all night, I'll never give in!" The crowd snickered. It occurred to many that the display was more for entertainment purposes than a genuine punishment trial. The audience responded, gladened to have such a ticklish and willing participant as Meiling and the beautifully powerful Tian leading the charges.

“Very well, thief,” Tian projected toward the crowd. She was not a student of theatre, yet the disingenuine delivery made the spectacle all the more amusing, especially for those less sober festival visitors. Tian turned back to the crowd. Her voice was booming and regal. It was clear to Meiling that she was doing her best imitation of her father, adoration at its finest. “Then we shall continue the torment. Who else would like to tickle the thief until she’s repented for her crimes?” The audience seemed to explode with rowdy patrons shouting and throwing up hands. Some spilled from the bottles of baijiu and pushed to get a better chance. Tian paced in front of the stocks. She turned back to Meiling and gave her a quick wink before swiping her fingers across her exposed, blushing soles. Meiling squeaked and jerked. She shot Tian a grinning snarl before Tian’s attention fell back on the audience. “How about you?” Tian gestured to a woman standing beside her two teenage daughters. The hands fell with soft groans. The woman stepped forward, her daughters snickering excitedly behind her.

“Much appreciated,” the woman said with a bow. Her daughters bowed behind her.

“Of course,” Tian said. “You’re new here, I presume. What’s your name, fair maiden?”

“Li Jai,” the woman said. She was stunning in her festive gown. An older woman, yet still boasting attractive qualities of women half her age. Her two daughters behind her were equally as beautiful. “This is Li Lin and Li Liu.”

“Very pretty,” said Tian, doing her best to balance being a hospitable host along with being the sadistic force behind Meiling’s punishment, a role that did not come naturally. “Now then, teach this ticklish thief the respect she refuses to give the royal family.” Meiling groaned as she watched the women approach her in the stocks. Her feet felt even more sensitive after the breaks. Each new torturer approached her soles in their most exposed position, their hungry stares acting as their own ticklish teasing. Even when volunteering for such a performance, Meiling still had to endure her own ticklish sensitivity. Being presented as the public’s tickle toy was still a rush for the girl, yet it failed to live up to the excitement she got from Cao Lee’s devious fingers.

“Go on,” Li Jai said, waving her girls forward. The daughters giggled and approached the stocks, eager to play with the dastardly criminal. Meiling watched them come up closer, their eyes feasting on every inch of her vulnerable soles. Soon after, twenty scribbling fingers fell on the focused, delicate spots all at once. The surge of tickles forced wild laughter back out of Meiling. She squealed and snorted like she always had when caught in the tempest of her own ticklish hysteria. The girls, taken back by how responsive the thief was to their inexperienced scribbling, giggled with one another.

“Nnnnnnnaaaaaahhahahahahahahaaa!!! Gaaahhhhhahahahaha!!!” Meiling shouted with laughter. Her cries echoed out into the night air, caught in the currents of joyous song that left paper lanterns dancing in the breeze. Despite neither of the girls being as familiar with the art of tickling as many Xian villagers had gotten to be with Meiling’s feet over the years, any such swipe of a brush or feather or fingertip against her soft, sensitive soles was more than enough to get Meiling cackling her sweet, ticklish laugh, especially after having endured hours of tickle torture prior. Meiling, even in her hysteria, still managed to enjoy the sensation of being so ruthlessly tickled, though never as much as she preferred Lee’s personal touch. None of the others made her feel as alive as Lee did with her tickles and being as mercilessly feasted on as she was only made her miss the touch of Lee more. Tian kept a close eye on Meiling’s reactions, able to judge just how much she could suffer comfortably so that she could still take it farther to Meiling’s liking.

“Tickle, tickle, tickle,” Li Liu teased against Meiling’s left foot. Her nails danced and dug against the tender skin, scraping against every one of Meiling’s most delicate and ticklish nerves. Li Lin opted to grab a brush hanging off of her side of the stockade. It was a brush, large and sturdy, made to untangle horse manes. The bristles were strong enough to ravish any ticklish nerves they may come into contact with while still being light enough to refrain from being painful, a tickle tool that brought a brief glimmer of real fear to Meiling’s eyes.

“Good choice, Lady Lin,” Tian said. “Show our thief here just how a criminal as sensitive as she should be punished.”

“Naaahhh waaaahahahahahaiiit!” Meiling tried to shout until her voice broke into a wave of shrieking laughter. Li Lin held Meiling’s foot steady as she began scrubbing her tender sole hard back and forth. Meiling jerked in her binds, Her seat rocketed off and on the chair beneath her. Her wrists slammed against the cuffs holding her. She shouted as tickles poured through her body in endless surges. The sensations were hardly bearable and came much harder than anything she had been left to endure for the evening. The Li sisters continued, Meiling’s rise in volume only urged them to tickle more, harder, and faster. The crowd around them cheered them on. Tian watched Meiling buck and pull and thrash in the stocks that she had watched the girl be subjected to many times before. She studied Meiling, taking notice of subtle changes even in the way she laughs when tickled. Meiling beamed, her smile wider and more honest. The giggling song that she sang for the crowd came more natural and full of a tone of carefree elation that Tian had never heard before. She smiled as she watched Meiling endure the torture, sensing a change in her that could have only come from one place, specifically one person.

Cao Lee kept her face hidden beneath the cloth that she wore over her mouth and under her hood when out in the village square. The small girl was sure that, between the massive crowds and how inebriated many people appeared to be, no one would even recognize her if she were to let her face be shown. She kept her disguise, however. It came to her as a source of comfort, a means of being out with Meiling without her, or anyone else, learning the true nature of her identity. Hong Yuanji, hiding behind the name Cao Lee, was gladdened to have the chance to return to the palace, to see Sima Yi and her mother again, but nowhere did she feel more at home, more true to herself, than with Meiling. She followed the crying sounds of her tortured laughter all the way to the square, cautiously weaving in and out of civilians and visitors alike to get there.

When she found the square, centered with the stockade where she had first found Meiling, she stopped. A smile came to her soft, peony lips. She watched the performance that Meiling put on. It was a dance unlike any other, a song that could never be sung as beautifully by anyone else. Her eyes fell lovingly onto Meiling. Even in such a hysteric state, Meiling’s beautiful enraptured Lee. It astounded her like an exotic bird or a spectral creature long since a myth to the world in which they lived. Yuanji had lived a life of royal ambiance and extravagance, yet nothing could compare to the heavenly elegance of Meiling smiling, laughing, being happy, and content with her life. Lee treasured that more than anything that the palace could ever offer her.

“Awww, her laugh is so cute for such a tough girl!” Li Liu said. Lee smiled. She knew it to be true. She watched Meiling endure and enjoy her ticklish punishment, much easier knowing just how enthusiastic she would have been for it. The two sisters delighted themselves, to their audience’s amusement, on Meiling’s tender soles. Li Liu continued to use her nails to ravish her delicate, ticklish foot while Li Lin scrubbed faster and faster, leaving Meiling gasping with laughter. The audience urged them on and argued as to who would be next to tickle the thief. Tears trickled down Meiling’s face. Her cheeks burned, strands of her cherrywood hair matted to her forehead.

“I bet mother could do even better,” Li Lin said. They looked back to Li Jai watching her daughters gleefully torture the young woman. “Mother, would you like to try?”

“I suppose I could,” Li Jai said calmly. Li Lin pulled off of Meiling’s foot and joined her sister on the other. Li Jai walked up to the newly vacant sole, burning and blushing deep. Jai’s nails were long and finely shaped. A chill ran through Tian as she watched her approach with them, briefly imagining what it would feel like. She looked back to Meiling cautiously.

“I… guess that that’s… warranted… for the thief,” Tian said. She swallowed and worried for Meiling, her voice shaking a little. Meiling was still catching her breath when the tickles started up again. Li Jai alone was able to restore the volume that Meiling had possessed not twenty seconds before with both girls devilishly tormenting her soles. Li Jai sent all ten of her nails against Meiling’s foot with calm precision, as if a veteran master of the art of tickling. Meiling’s voice erupted once again, shouting and crying out with ticklish laughter.

“NNNNAAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!” Meiling’s voice reached the heavens. Her bottom rocketed off of the seat beneath her. The passing visitor was far more proficient than any of the others. Meiling’s foot twisted and curled in the stocks, but no matter how she was able to still move in her bindings, Li Jai appeared to anticipate it and keep a constant flow of tickles pouring through her. The audience watched in awe of Meiling’s reactions. The two sisters stepped back to watch their mother work.

“Wow, I never knew mother could be so good,” Li Lin said.

“Don’t disobey girls, or you might find yourself in the stocks as well,” Li Jai said with a smirk. The girls noted their mother’s threat with giddy enthusiasm. Li Jai’s eyes seemed entranced in studying the single foot. Five of her nails attacked the slender arch of Meiling’s foot while the other five kept up with the base of her toes. Tian stood back and watched Meiling’s reactions closely, ready to stop the session. Meiling’s laughter had reverted to sharp gasps and cries. The tickles left her body shaking and jerking in their binds, nearly melting her from the inside. Lee kept her eyes on Meiling as well. She watched with worry, prepared to rush up to stop them if Tian would not. Still, seeing Meiling in such a state of ticklish turmoil was its own devious amusement. In a strangely morbid way, it ignited her. She wanted to protect Meiling, but in as much as she was enamored by watching such a ticklish beauty squirm.

“Let’s see how loud she can get,” Li Liu said. She returned to scribble her nails over the other foot, followed shortly by her sister. Meiling seized once again, her laughter losing its volume and falling into a silent, panicked gasping. She bounced and bucked against the stocks. The fury of thirty tickling nails against her feet was far more intense than anything she had endured as the actual thief of Xian. The two sisters skittered their fingers all across her sole and toes while Li Jai worked the other foot with deathly expertise. Meiling could only laugh her delighted, yet tortured, laugh. The longer that Lee stood by to witness it, hearing all of the commotion around her shouting how much she deserved it, the more eager she became to stop it for Meiling’s sake. Lee stepped forward to approach but was stopped by Tian’s commanding voice.

“Alright, enough!” Tian said. Her tone took a higher charge over the visitors than the supposed criminal. With it, Li Jai and her daughters stepped back, leaving Meiling a sweating, gasping husk. “That’s enough. You all did very well, but… we best not… uh..” Li Jai smirked and bowed.

“I understand,” she said, wearing a slight grin. “Thank you for your time.”

“Yes, thank you!” Li Lin said.

“Thank you too, thief,” Li Liu added. Tian smiled back cordially. Li Jai placed her hand softly on the side of Meiling’s foot, causing her to jerk slightly.

"The new emperor will certainly like this one," Li Jai said in a smug whisper. Her daughters giggled playfully behind her. The girls and their mother took their leave. Tian needed not to look back to Meiling to know how she must continue.

“And with that, the thief has had enough,” Tian said. Several audience members groaned their displeasure. Tian swallowed and tried to maintain her stern disposition. “The thief has shown remorse for her crimes. And so concludes the demonstration. Thank you all for attending to participate and spectate. Please enjoy all that our wonderful village has to offer.” Tian dismissed the crowd around the stocks. A low murmur came over the audience as it broke away in small clusters. Tian turned back to Meiling. “Hey, you okay?” Meiling's body sat limp in the chair, hung over slightly. She seemed to only be held up by the cuffs attached to her wrists. Tian worked to free her feet from the stocks while Meiling slowly caught her breath.

“I… I think…” Meiling panted.

“Just rest,” said Tian. “And try to stay awake. Honestly, I don’t know how you do this.”

“Meiling!” Lee said, running up to the stockade. Meiling tilted her head toward her, her eyes fluttering with exhaustion.

“L-Lee…” Meiling muttered. Lee looked around while Tian tenderly let Meiling out of her binds.

“I… I’ll go find you some water,” said Lee. “Hang on.” Tian watched Lee dash away into the festival, colorful lights of the lanterns twinkling spectral magic against the starry night sky. She smiled back at Meiling.

“She really cares for you,” said Tian. “Have you told her how you feel?” Tian held Meiling back and uncuffed one hand.

“Not yet…” said Meiling. “I’ve been with you all day.” Tian brushed the sweaty hair out of Meiling’s face.

“You need to,” said Tian. “I meant what I said, Mei.”

“I know.”

“I just want you to be happy,” said Tian, working off the other cuff. “And I’ve never seen you happier than when you’re with her.” Meiling smiled. Tian knew by her expression that her mind was on Lee. The pair looked up to see Lee hurrying back carrying a small lacquer pot. Tian patted Meilling’s shoulder. “It’s love, Mei. And the longer you wait, the harder it’ll be.”

"Here," Lee said. Meiling swung her legs over the edge, still holding her head.

"Th-thank you," Meiling said. She took the pot and began chugging back the water. It trickled down the edges of her lips. When she finished, she sucked in a deep breath and wiped her face dry.

"How are you feeling?" Lee asked. Meiling chuckled and hopped off of the stockade.

"Never better," Meiling said, flipping aside her damp hair. Sweat had glossed her body and soaked into her clothes though the smile she presented to Lee was unhindered by that state of her exhaustion. She slipped on a pair of thin whites stockings before slipping her feet into cloth shoes. Lee made sure to steal one last glance.

“That looked like more than you’d usually handle,” Lee said. Meiling chuckled and looked away.

“Yeah, well, I handled it, didn’t I?” Meiling said. Lee’s eyes averted for a moment. “None of it’s ever as much fun as when you do it though.” A wide smile came to Lee’s lips. Meiling watched her eyes twinkle, her stare intensely elegant. A pause came over them both. Lee came closer. She rubbed Meiling’s leg tenderly.

“Well, I should get going,” said Tian, breaking the silence. Meiling looked back at her. “Have to help out more around the festival, probably my father so he can come home. Thanks for your help today, Meiling.” Tian tossed Meiling a small coin purse. Meiling caught and pocketed the purse, showing no interest in the amount it contained.

“Of course,” Meiling said. “Nothing the Xian thief doesn’t deserve, right?” Tian ignored the comment.

“Talk,” she said abruptly. “Tonight. Please.” Meiling nodded.

“I… okay,” she said.

“Talk?” Lee asked. Tian turned to her.

“You two have a good time tonight,” said Tian. “Try not to push yourself, Meiling. Sit for as long as you need to.”

“I’m fine,” Meiling said, Tian’s words pushing her to jump off the stockade and stand on her own. Lee kept a hold on Meiling’s hand. She wobbled a little before finding balance. “I vault these streets regularly, I think I know how to stand.”

“Uh-huh,” said Tian, dryly. “Goodnight!”

“Goodnight,” Lee called back. Meiling parted Tian’s leave with a wave before turning back to Lee. Lee lifted up on her toes suddenly to push a hard kiss against Meiling’s lips. Her small frame pushed Meiling against the stockade for a deep, unexpected kiss. Meiling returned the kiss happily, smiling and wrapping her arms around Lee. After a while, Lee pulled back, slumping back down on her feet. “S-sorry.”

“No, that’s fine,” said Meiling, still smiling. Her eyes drifted over Lee in the moonlight. She became gifted with seeing Lee more clearly than ever. The silky shine of her hair. the slender jawline and pale, reddened cheeks. The way her fragile hands gripped her clothes in a needful embrace unbound by convention or shame. It all flooded into her as if seeing it all for the first time. Meiling’s heart pounded. She shivered a little as she breathed heavier. Tian’s words echoed through her head. Meiling sighed and looked down. “Just caught me off guard. But don’t be sorry.” Lee giggled. She turned toward the humming streets of the festival. Candles and torches and lanterns flickered in the cool, night air. People were out buying goods and wares, enjoying each other’s company, even those still distraught by the devastation of Beling came out to pray and lift their spirits. Lee stared into it deeply, her smile fading.

“It’s so… pretty,” she said. Meiling glanced at the people passing by, ornated with clean, silk robes.

“Xian puts on the festival every year,” Meiling said.

“I know,” Lee added. Meiling looked back at her. “I’ve just… never seen it. I don’t know why.”

“Well, you just came here a few weeks ago,” said Meiling. Lee swallowed. “Not surprising.”

“Y-yeah,” Lee said. “It looks so happy. The people. Even given what many of them just went through, we still manage to make them smile… and I’m only just now seeing it.” Meiling stroked her hair.

“Don’t beat yourself up,” she said. “You’re seeing it now. Come on.”

Meiling took Lee’s hand and pulled her closer to the main streets, where vendors and farmers and traders gratefully mingled with people passing by. Lee held on tightly to Meiling as the pair approached a more crowded area of the village. She looked around at everything that the festival had to offer. Freshly cooked food steamed pleasant and enticing fragrances into the air. Wind chimes jiggled playfully, singing aloud the joy of life. Laughter and banter were alive in everyone they passed. Music played on exotic instruments sang out into the night. Lee’s eyes fell on it all in a wild dreamscape of wonder. She thought of all the nights she only heard of the festival, examining it from afar, unaware of the pure vivacity in it all. Even amidst the joyous, controlled chaos, her mind and eyes kept coming back to Meiling. The one leading her through the life she never knew she wanted while protecting her from doubt and uncertainty. Lee, the royal Empress Dowager to-be Yuanji, had found everything that she ever wanted in Meiling.

Meiling pulled Lee to the side of the street by a series of traveling merchants. She held Lee close to her through the bustling streets of visitors and villagers alike. Meiling smiled down at her, brushing aside hair that had fallen into Lee’s face.

"Got to make sure I don't lose you again," Meiling said. "Wouldn't want anyone to steal you away."

"Heehee, hey, I'm…" Lee said before a brief pause. She looked down and thought back to what Sima Yi had said to her. His words soured her face. She shook her head and forced up a smile. "I'm… not going anywhere." Meiling’s face beamed.

"That's good," she said. "I've been hoping that you wouldn't."

"Yeah?" Lee asked, grinning widely. Meiling nodded and looked to the merchant standing by their side. It was an older man, far too preoccupied with engaging in a sale to pay attention to them. Meiling glanced down at a small wooden tray he had sitting out. In it, several fine pieces of jewelry sparkled in the torchlight. Rings, necklaces, charms, all in different styles and colors and boasting exotic gems. She kept Lee close and went in for a better look. Lee quickly found the tray and looked inside as well. “Ohh, these are pretty.”

“Yeah,” said Meiling. “Never been one for jewelry, but…” Meiling paused and looked back at Lee. She pushed back a strand of her black hair that had fallen out of place. Lee smiled and giggled, adoring Meiling’s caring touch. “You like any of them?” Lee looked back down. She tilted her head and pointed to a silver hairpin bearing an abstract azure gem across the end. It stood out among the rest, even over all the pieces she had remembered having back at the palace.

“That one is pretty,” Lee said. Meiling grinned and looked back. She nodded.

“It is, isn’t it?” Meiling asked in awe. Lee’s eyes shifted back up to Meiling. Her voice lowered, her head hung below her hood. She tugged on Meiling’s robe.

"You… you don't need to get it, and please don't steal-” Lee began before Meiling spoke up to get the vendor’s attention.

“Hello,” Meiling said to the man. His tired eyes looked up to her, his expression withered yet inviting.

“Why, hello dear,” he said, slowly. “Is there something here you may have had your eye on?” Lee watched as Meiling fished out the coin purse. She pointed to the hairpiece.

“This one here,” Meiling said. “It’s very lovely. Do you make them yourself?”

“I do, I do, and you’ve chosen well,” the man said. His wrinkled hands shook as they carefully wrapped around the shimmering silver ornament. “The Kingfisher Feather. Certainly one of the finer pieces I’ve made.” The edge shined with waving blues and greens. A silver trim lined the edges of the shapes decorated to look like blooming flower petals. It was clean, glowed in the lantern light, and near-perfect in every way. Lee examined it closer in the man’s hands. Meiling opened the coin pouch and held it up to him.

“Would you accept this for it?” Meiling asked. The man set the hairpin down and looked through the purse.

“I… I haven’t even priced…” the man started. “My dear, this is too generous. Half of this would be sufficient.” Meiling smiled and set the coin bag down.

“You do very fine work,” Meiling said. “Take it all. And thank you for coming to our village.” The man managed a weary smile and bowed.

“My dear…” he said. Lee stood next to Meiling, quietly watching the exchange. “I am… very grateful, my dear. This will help so much. Thank you.”

“Thank you, sir,” Meiling said. The old man handed Meiling the pin, which she handled carefully. She parted with the man as more patrons approached to examine his selection. Meiling held onto the pin and took Lee’s hand. She pulled her away from the busier section of the festival to a more intimate area.

Where Meiling had brought them, the festival flowed into a different atmosphere. Soft music played over a delicate sprinkle of wind chimes. The lights in the lanterns had dimmed. The rush of people had subsided into a low trickle of faces, both familiar and not. Meiling brought Lee beside a small shrine among several beds of flowers. She turned to her paramour with a smile.

"Sorry, wanted to get us out of that," Meiling said.

"It's okay," Lee said. She looked down at the hairpin in her other hand. "You… didn't have to do that." Meiling smirked and sighed.

"But I wanted to," Meiling said. She held up the pin, still glimmering blue beneath the twinkling twilight. "You liked it. And you're worth it." Lee felt a warm surge rising in her cheeks. Meiling fixed the pin into Lee’s hair. It continued to flaunt its beauty but could do little to match hers. "There. Is it okay?" Lee lifted one hand up to touch it.

"It feels good," Lee said, wearing an impenetrable smile. "How does it look?" Meiling held Lee close. Her eyes soaked it all in. The pin glimmered in the night, yet could never come nearly as radiant as Lee’s smile when she put it in. Her eyes fell from the hairpin and rested on Lee’s face. She watched her eyes lost in her own, her lips revealing bliss in the moment and the undeniable beauty that graced Lee each and every day. Meiling’s heart began to race.

"It's beautiful," she said. "You're beautiful." Lee let out a soft giggle. So many times she had heard the words from her parents and servants and even Sima Yi when he was feeling especially generous. But never did they speak to her the way they did when Meiling said them. It was genuine and never out of some societal obligation. Lee sniffled and came closer. She wrapped her arms around Meiling, who did the same in return.

“You’re… so incredible, Meiling,” Lee said. Meiling kissed the top of her head. Her breathing came heavier, her heart racing. She swallowed.

“Lee,” Meiling said, steadily. Her voice shook a little. “I… I wanted to talk to you about something.” Lee looked up.

"Yes?" Lee asked. Meiling’s throat quivered. Lee felt her heart beating against her chest.

"Lee… I don't really know how to say this," Meiling started slowly. "I've… I've never felt this way before. And I'd like… I'd love it if-"

“Meiling,” a voice behind Meiling shouted jovially. Meiling groaned and rolled her eyes, her expression dropping.  She turned to see Dong Shen, a smug grin stretched across his face. He was dressed for the festivities, to enjoy the night with a much more casual approach. “Ay, I thought I heard you. I know I definitely heard you down at the square.”

“You couldn’t have stopped by then, instead of now?” Meiling asked dryly. Shen let out a loud laugh.

“That’s why I like you,” Shen said. “Not the only reason, I assure you. But no, I had to stay behind to run the jing stalls for the festival.” Meiling and Lee looked behind the man. They noticed several visitors walking by in groups of two to four, all chatting in hushed tones with one another. Red lanterns swung in the air outside of small stalls and huts where both men and women stood idly by. Many seemed to wear relaxed smiles and not much else. Other sections of the paths hosted dancers, moving to the music in exotic and enticing ways. Lee blushed and stayed close to Meiling.

“Of course, you would,” Meiling said. Shen shrugged.

“Hey, trade is trade,” Shen said. “ And talent is talent. Come, let me show you two.” Lee peeked out behind Meiling curiously. Meiling glanced down at her.

“You okay?” Meiling said.

“Y-yeah,” said Lee, catching mysteriously erotic exchanges between passersby and the entertainers prepared to supply. “Looks… interesting.” Meiling chuckled.

“Alright,” said Meiling, “but stay close. I’m beating Shen’s ass if you go missing here.”

“Meiling, I’m hurt,” said Shen with joking condescension.

“You will be if anything happens to her,” said Meiling. Shen turned.

“The merchants and traders that stop by here are regulars, Meiling, they’re not savages,” Shen said. “Come.”

Shen led the pair without looking back, trusting that they would be close on his heels. Meiling followed with Lee right behind her. The music being played in the area was softer than it was in the more crowded sections of the village. Streams of smoke from burning incense drifted like serpents flying toward the sky. Demonstrations of products and services were being provided openly as the girls passed. Phallic-looking objects made of jade laid out in front of vendors like any other good or trinket. Bondage devices, both small and large such as chains with short shackles, stockades, and ropes tied up in peculiar designs meant to resemble a harness for a person, all sat out in display as items for trade. Many patrons looked over the stalls with more strange objects with genuine interest. Banners inscribed with the Fu Dynasty crest fluttered across several of the stalls, many accommodating many women on display. Lee walked slowly to get a lingering view of it all, often interrupting the walk with questions involving the usage of certain items.

“Seems like you’ve been busy,” Meiling said. Shen, still leading them through, chuckled.

“Not as much as the ones paying,” Shen said. “You know, you could make a good amount of silver if you were to-”

“Not in a thousand years, Shen.”

“You offer your feet up to the public,” Shen said. Meiling coughed and looked away.

“That’s different,” said Meiling. Shen shrugged.

“We all have our own gardens, I suppose,” said Shen. Lee glanced over to a small crowd surrounding something obscured by her position. She pointed toward it.

“What’s that?” Lee asked. Shen looked over.

“Ní ào dài lín,” Shen said. “A woman is giving a demonstration. Here, I’ll show you.”

Shen walked Meiling and Lee up to the crowd. They pushed through slightly to witness a peculiar sight. The crowd was predominately middle-aged to elderly men. They circled another group of men sitting around a woman lying on her back. She laid motionless across a short platform ornate with an elegant cloth of shimmering silk. The woman was beautiful, young, and fully nude. She laid motionless, her eyes fixed on the starry sky above, while across her body were carefully placed selections of food lying out atop dried mallow leaves. Tofu lined her thighs with a small bowl of soy sauce tucked against her hairless mound. Cooked fish was presented in small portions along her midsection. Sweet rice balls with cream covered her chest. Her body with decorated further with various herbs scattered across her skin. She paid no mind to the few men who sat around her, picking off and consuming the food she presented with chopsticks, nor the others watching the scene unfold. Lee’s eyes widened, examining every inch of the woman being used as little more than a dinner table.

“I see,” Meiling said. Shin crossed his arms and smirked.

“Quite the market, I must say,” he said. His eyes drifted over to Meiling. “I wouldn’t mind seeing you all cleaned up and serving like this.” Lee’s face darted toward them, her cheeks glowing and eyes still wide. Meiling chuckled. She paused in thought.

“Hm, that’s certainly preferable than the other services you’ve been providing,” Meiling said.

“Like I said, we all have our own gardens,” Shen said. “Would you be interested? I can set up another table and cloth for you. You’d make quite the coin. I know she is.” Meiling smirked and shook her head.

“I’ve done my service for the night,” said Meiling. “So, no thank you.” Shen sighed and shrugged.

“You’re as beautiful as you are intimidating, Meiling, so I can’t argue with you,” said Shen. “Just know the offer stands. For tonight. Or, you know, whenever.”

“Noted, Shen,” said Meiling. “But I’ve got someone who gets my time now. Just make sure you’ve got the coin for when I make my rounds or the next thing I steal might just come from you.”

“You’ve already stolen my heart, Meiling, and broken it quite thoroughly,” said Shen. He chuckled. He turned toward Lee, still watching the men eat off of the woman. “I hope you both enjoy the rest of the festivities. I’ve got matters to attend to.”

“Don’t let me stop you,” said Meiling. “See you around.” Meiling watched Shen shoot her a smug grin before turning away, fading into the other clusters of men funneling in and out of the tented brothels. She looked back toward Lee. Her eyes were fixed on the woman acting less like a person and more like an object to be used like any other. She turned away when she felt Meiling grab her hand. “Hey, you good?” Lee blinked and looked up.

“Y-yeah,” Lee said, softly. “It’s just… interesting. It’s so intimate, but also not.” Her voice trailed into an unfocused quiet. Her cheeks still glowed their delicate rouge. Meiling looked to the woman, then back at Lee. She tilted her head and smirked.

“You like this?” Meiling said. Lee swallowed.

“It’s different,” said Lee. “I’ve never seen anything like it before.” Meiling’s smile widened as she studied Lee’s expression.

“Yeah?” Meiling said. “Hm…” She chewed the side of her lip. “You want to try that with me?” Lee’s face darkened with color, her eyes darting back to Meiling.

“Oh, I… I couldn’t…” Lee began.

“You do, don’t you?” Meiling asked. “Remember, be open. I want you to explore yourself.” Lee breathed deeply. The new hairpin she wore shined against the lights of the red lanterns.

“I… I don’t know…” Lee stuttered. Meiling nodded.

“Come on, let’s go,” said Meiling, eagerly pulling Lee away.

“Wha-where are we going?” Lee asked. Meiling looked back, a beaming grin on her face.

“To get food, cutie!"