The three of them crowded into the room, which was cluttered with costumes and props. Bai Shen and Yan Ling chattered away like excited children. Yan Ling took the elaborate warrior headdress from him and tried it on. Fei Long laughed at the sight of her, his entire being lifting and lightening in the intimate refuge of the chamber. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the door frame, content to watch while she asked question after question about the performance as Bai Shen washed away his make-up.
‘What about your little performance, pretty lady?’ Bai Shen asked, once he had cleaned away the white paint and dark kohl around his eyes.
‘I was so nervous. I think I said too much.’ She looked to Fei Long for a final report.
‘She was exceptional. Inspector Tong has no reason to doubt.’
Yan Ling smiled happily.
Maybe he’d been wrong to keep her so isolated within the house. There was always the risk of being discovered, but she seemed so vibrant tonight when no longer trapped within the confines of the inner chambers. Yan Ling hungered for new sights and sounds. Perhaps if they were careful, she could go out into the marketplace and explore the gardens and temples of the city. He could take her himself. The thought sent unexpected warmth to his chest.
‘We should celebrate, then.’ Bai Shen peeled away the outer layers of his robe and hung them on to a hook on the wall. Bit by bit, the man re-emerged. ‘Besides, Fei Long here owes my friends for detaining the honorable Minister Cao.’
‘Another time,’ Fei Long said.
Yan Ling looked mournful. ‘But it’s still so early.’
‘It’s the nearly the end of the twelfth hour.’
‘Quite early,’ Bai Shen scoffed. ‘Don’t worry. None of your courtly folk will be at this drinking house.’
It wasn’t so much he feared discovery. Maybe he just wanted to have Yan Ling alone for a moment away from the crowds. Away even from Bai Shen.
‘An hour,’ she negotiated, fixing a shrewd look on him as if she were haggling in the morning market.
He was being selfish. If she wanted adventure, he supposed this was an innocent way of giving it to her.
‘An hour,’ he conceded.
‘There,’ Bai Shen declared. ‘I should have told you the men of the Chang family could never resist a charming lady.’ He pinched her cheek. ‘I have to teach you a prettier face than that one you used.’
‘Hurry up and get dressed,’ Fei Long said with a scowl. He ushered Yan Ling out into the courtyard. ‘Bai Shen flirts with everyone.’
She blinked innocently. ‘He was flirting with me?’
Lately, he found himself growing impatient with the
actor’s antics. Bai Shen seemed to think that he had complete freedom to exhibit whatever outrageous behaviour required to get attention. He scattered compliments to the breeze without thought or care.
‘Bai Shen and his friends are shameless. Things can get rowdy,’ he warned.
‘You wound me, Fei Long.’ Bai Shen emerged, looking more himself. He’d thrown on an embroidered robe with blue-and-crimson accents, just a touch less ostentatious than his stage costume. ‘Have you forgotten your adventurous student days?’
‘I was recalling them quite clearly.’
‘Fei Long could outdrink the best of us.’
‘Or the worst of you,’ he countered.
She smiled at their exchange. ‘All I’ve ever seen him drink is tea.’
‘I could tell you some stories…’
Bai Shen took Yan Ling under his wing conspiratorially, but Fei Long stopped them before they got too far.
‘Appearances,’ he reminded, looking pointedly to the arm draped over Yan Ling’s shoulder.
The actor removed his hold with a smirk. ‘Of course. One must always keep up appearances, Lord Chang.’
The scoundrel was looking for mischief. Fei Long positioned himself securely beside Yan Ling as they continued towards Bai Shen’s favourite establishment.
The place was close. Just a stagger away, if it came to that. The drinking house was much as he remembered it. Unassuming, with none of the banners and embellishments of the businesses along the main avenue. A scroll of two golden carp circled on the wall just inside the door.
The first floor was divided into two parlours, left and right. The décor was also simple. Low wooden tables upon bamboo mats. Patrons would crowd into the room, find a comfortable spot on the floor among the pillows and rugs, and spirits would be passed around.
It was common, almost required, for scholars to engage in nights of drinking and poetry. When he’d been a candidate for the imperial exams, Fei Long had found himself