there are important matters we must discuss today.’
‘I understand. Will you sit and have some tea?’
They arranged themselves in the sitting area with Yan Ling upon the couch and the two of them seated across from her in wooden chairs. Dao entered again with the tea tray. They waited until she finished pouring.
‘This is a very important duty you’re to fulfil,’ Bai Shen declared with a suitable amount of pompousness. ‘We must be assured that you are completely prepared.’
‘I’ve been working very hard to get ready—’
‘No, no,’ Bai Shen cut in. ‘This is all supposed to be effortless. You must say, “I am humbled by the task and hope to bring honour to the empire”.’
Yan Ling repeated the actor’s words to herself, her expression thoughtful. Her mouth moved silently while Fei Long watched the curve of her lips: soft, rounded, pleasing to the eye. His breathing deepened unexpectedly.
‘Mention humility and honour and the greater good of the empire whenever you can. I learned that from listening to this fool.’ Bai Shen jabbed an elbow in his direction before taking a sip of his tea. Then he sat back, groaning. ‘I’m dying. Will someone be merciful and kill me?’
Yan Ling leaned towards him in concern. ‘I know of a brew that might help. Many of our customers ask for it after a night of heavy drinking.’
‘You’re a goddess, my lady. We had a show last night, so of course we had to celebrate afterwards.’
‘Oh, what story?’
‘“The Maiden of Yue.”’
Fei Long glared at the too-familiar exchange between them. ‘Can we concentrate on the problem at hand instead of this dog’s theatrics?’
‘Who’s the dog so worried about his masters?’ Bai Shen retorted.
‘Let’s not fight,’ Yan Ling soothed.
‘We have another show in three nights.’ Though Bai Shen dropped his voice to a whisper, there was no subtlety there. ‘You should come see it.’
Fei Long turned on her. ‘You need to convince Inspector Tong that you’re a well-bred lady prepared to go to Khitan. Humouring this drunkard won’t help your cause.’
‘Promoting harmony is one of the four virtues,’ she replied stiffly.
‘The infamous Four Virtues.’ Bai Shen chortled. ‘Stricken by your own poison!’
Fei Long wanted to strangle him.
‘All this proper sitting and standing is good practice, but shouldn’t I learn more about your family?’ Yan Ling interjected. ‘What if they ask me about your father? Such as, how did he get his government position?’
Her questions took him aback. ‘Minister Cao Wei took a liking to him and gave my father an appointment after he passed the imperial exams.’
‘I don’t even know the most basic things,’ she insisted. ‘How much older are you than Pearl? Were the two of you very close? And when did you leave home for your military appointment?’
‘There’s no need to know such details. It would be rude to ask anything so personal.’ These weren’t the most intimate of questions, but even so they raised his defences.
‘She’s right, you know,’ Bai Shen said. ‘The two of you don’t seem like brother and sister at all.’
Fei Long sensed a rebellion brewing in the ranks. ‘I’ll be there beside you in case Tong decides to ask anything of that nature. It’s best that you say as little as possible. Let’s practise that.’
Yan Ling blatantly ignored his suggestion. ‘According to Bai Shen, I should be over-prepared for the performance. I should know everything about Miss Pearl.’
Fei Long rubbed a hand over his temples. ‘You don’t have to become my sister. Inspector Tong has never met Pearl.’
‘But what about Minister Cao Wei?’ she asked. ‘If he’s your father’s benefactor, won’t he be there as well?’
Yan Ling and Dao stared at him expectantly. Even Bai Shen had straightened to raise a questioning eyebrow.
‘I’ve already been thinking about that,’ Fei Long said. ‘This will only work if Cao Wei doesn’t attend.’
More subterfuge. More deception.
‘Can’t we let the minister in on the secret?’ she asked nervously.
‘That is impossible,’ Fei Long explained. ‘Cao Wei is a senior official within the imperial court. He would never let such a transgression pass.’
Yan Ling wrung her sleeve, crinkling the silk beneath her fingers. Her poise was faltering under pressure. Ill-fated indeed.
‘All you need to do is concentrate on your part and I’ll take care of the rest,’ he assured.
She nodded blankly.
‘Yan Ling.’ He waited for her to meet his eyes. If they stayed focused, they could do this. Together. ‘Pearl and I are seven years apart. I left the city nearly five years ago after the military exams.’