Appearances

Sunlight came through the tall lattice windows of the pavilion, catching the dust floating above my worktable. At the center of the room, King Shen Zhilan lay motionless on a silk-covered daybed, his fingers idly moving over a dizi.

He had barely stirred for the past hour, never once looking toward my easel. I didn’t mind. I had heard those melodies countless times before, yet there was still something soothing about the quiet music.

As for the posing, it was little more than a formality. I could paint the sharp lines of his jaw and every strand of his long black hair from memory, with nothing more than a little pine-soot ink.

The music stopped as he lowered the instrument to his knee.

“Are you done yet, Miss Bai Qinlian?”

“I’m afraid I need some more time, Your Majesty. I hope you can spare me a little more of your divine patience.”

“Go on, then. But I would like to discuss more important matters with you,” he replied, his focus shifting to me for the first time.

I knew what this was about. Still, I kept up the pretense.

I straightened on my stool, setting my palette and brush aside.

“Is that so, Your Majesty? You know I will leave no stone unturned to help you, provided the task lies within the abilities of a humble artist such as myself.”

“Don’t worry, Miss Bai. I’m more than certain you can help me, as this is hardly different from what you’ve been doing for me since you were appointed Court Painter,” the king explained.

He gently set the dizi down on the daybed, stepped off the platform, and began walking toward me, still naked.

“I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors. My entourage was never one I could call secretive. But now that it’s official, I wanted you to hear it from me.”

He came to a stop a few paces away, turned his head toward the window, and added,

“Despite my staunch opposition, my marriage with Lady Zhao Mingzhu, First Princess of Tianyu, has been confirmed by the Ministry. They claim it will quell the strife between our nations.

“I assume you understand what this means.”

And I knew the implications all too well.

In ten days’ time, the prospective queen was to join King Shen and the Seven Orchids in the Rite of Blossoming. In blunt terms, the king and his harem would host a day-long orgy in which each maiden would awaken the virtue she embodied within the chosen bride.

If only there were a harem…

“I certainly do, Your Majesty. Now, if I may—”

“I know, Miss Bai,” he interrupted, his cerulean eyes settling on my unfinished painting as he placed his right hand on my shoulder.

“Things would be far easier had I a real group of courtesans to indulge in debauchery, as my predecessors did. But my lack of interest in women—or intercourse, for that matter—is not something we can fake once a third party is involved.

“You’ve served me well over the years, convincing the realm and beyond of my carnal instincts through your art. Depicting every inch of my regal form in the utmost detail and, most importantly, fabricating the fine maidens everyone admires so much. And while they admire the Seven Orchids, it is your vivid, even scandalous, imagination that fascinates me,” the king noted.

I wasn’t sure whether to feel flattered by the comment or offended.

“Your Majesty, while I appreciate your compliments, I suspect you have more than flattery in mind. If you already have a proposal, I would be glad to hear it.”

The king took a moment to gather his thoughts, then slowly lowered himself to one knee beside my stool. His eyes were fixed on the wooden floorboards, unable to look at me as he spoke.

“Please recruit seven maidens from the pleasure houses for me. You likely have acquaintances there, and no one knows better than you how the Orchids should look. Would you say a bag of coins or a feast would be enough to keep their mouths shut?”

“I’m afraid that will hardly work. I understand your distress, with the kingdom’s reputation and destiny at stake. Yet, having turned away beautiful maidens from across the realm, allow me to question your sudden willingness to bed mere prostitutes.”

“I could never get close to those filthy bags of diseases!” the king snapped, raising his voice. Yet he didn’t shift a muscle.

I flinched, though.

“I only need them to populate the Shrine of Virtues, like horses neighing and whinnying in a stable—from a distance. For a warrior king, I am silver-tongued enough to persuade Lady Zhao that her virtue is already self-evident, allowing us to bypass the ritual.”

“No doubt she would consider it the highest honor, Your Majesty. Your people, though it may sound hypocritical coming from me, might take it as an insult to our traditions,” I pointed out.

The king rose to his feet and, with one impatient motion, knocked my easel aside, sending the unfinished painting crashing to the floor.

“If you dare question the king’s plans, Miss Bai Qinlian, surely you have a better one. Care to share it?”

I knew I was treading on dangerous ground, but I couldn’t resist the urge. If the ruse were to be discovered, it would be my head on the block, not the king’s.

“Your Majesty, if you were to receive Lady Zhao at the shrine and have the alchemists prepare enough sleeping elixir to last several nights, maybe on the pretense that you cannot sleep from nervousness, I am certain I could paint the princess beside you and the Seven Orchids.

"A few hours would be enough. I will be gone by the time she comes back to her senses. You would then only need to convince her that the Blossoming left her unconscious, as no one would question the painting or your formidable reputation.”

The words came out like I’d practiced them beforehand.

In truth, I had.

“You never fail to surprise me, Miss Bai. Though I suppose I shouldn’t expect anything less from you,” the king said with a faint snort.

He turned his back to me and crossed the room to retrieve his clothes. One by one, he dressed in garments befitting his station: layers of fine azure silk, richly embroidered with intricate orchid patterns, fastened with ornaments of jade and gold. Even in the simplest of movements, there was no mistaking the wealth and authority he embodied.

“I may be the monarch of the most powerful kingdom on the continent, blessed by the Southern Winds and descended from Haixuan, the First Kunpeng, but I certainly lack the cunning born of hardship.”

Even from across the room, the faint smile on his lips reassured me, but was my plan truly flawless? Was it really any better than what a renowned war strategist might have come up with himself?

Then again, those of us in royal service certainly enjoy far more leisure than a warrior king, especially one as young as Shen Zhilan. And the heavens know I’ve had plenty of time to play out thousands of possibilities in my mind.

“Would you have me finish the portrait, Your Majesty?” I mumbled to break the awkward silence.

“You need not finish it now; it is late already. If you wish to take your implements to your workshop and complete it there, however, you have my permission. I will ask a guard to escort you as I depart.”

With that, King Shen Zhilan made his way toward the doors, where his attendants were already waiting to accompany him to his chambers.

“And one last thing, Miss Bai Qinlian,” the king said, turning back to face me. “Not a single detail may go awry during the Rite of Blossoming. I expect you in ten days for the ceremony. See that you are prepared.”