Ballad of the Desert

Chapter 8: Shocking Encounter

Outside is thunder and pouring rain, inside we sit and I stare at Li Yan "I've already met with the Princess, so in the shortest time necessary, you will have to do everything I ask." She nods. I point to all the books and ask her to read and understand the tactical manuals. She will be in the Palace and engaging in political intrigue with the Emperor and all the other women. The Emperor ascended to the throne at the age of sixteen, and today is thirty six years old. A man at the pinnacle of his life must be well versed in battle and wits. He is sometimes cold, sometimes warm.

Li Yan looks at the books "Since the Emperor is my enemy, but also my one ally in the Palace, our battle is between a man and a woman. I've never been intimate with a man before. In this battle, if I lose my heart first, I will have lost, right?"

I point to the anatomy texts and she wrinkled her nose that it sounds like trying to probe the innards of the Emperor. Hong Gu pipes up that the books we needs are the ones about male-female intimate relations. Li Yan and my cheeks both heat up. She whispers to me "Xiao Yu, have you read it before?"

I haven't, and those kinds of book are very rare and almost impossible to acquire. Only the Palace with its vast repository might have a copy. Leaving me no choice but to go find Huo Qu Bing.

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"I need to bother you to find a book for me" I keep my head lowered staring at my shoes.

Huo Qu Bing is leaning on the cushion and casually drawls "What book? Not yet another military tactical manual?"

I lower my head even more and softly answer "No."

He asks with a hint of exasperation "What's wrong with you today? What is the matter that you can't just come out and say it. Hemming and hawing."

I take a deep breath and whisper "It's.......it's a man and a woman......man woman......concerning that."

"What?" He suddenly sits up straight and stares at me. I keep my head burrowed and stare at the ground, not making a sound. I can feel that even my neck is burning hot, my face must surely be on fire.

He started laughing "What? What is that? I don't understand what you are saying. You need to be more specific."

I suddenly stand up "Forget it!"

He grabbed my sleeve and smiled "Is it for you to read or for someone else?"

I don't dare to turn back and look at him "For someone else."

He laughed "That kind of book, even the Palace might only have one copy. I'll have someone hand copy and deliver it to you in a few days. You should read it as well. It'll come in handy, If there is anything you don't understand, I can......" Before he finished talking, I had already jerked my sleeve from his hand and quickly taken off.

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I sit with Li Yan in silence while Hong Gu teases us. She'll find some of Chang An's most experienced ladies of the night to come and educate Li Yan personally, She teases that I ought to sit in on the lesson, it'll sure come in handy someday. Both Li Yan and I are completely red-faced. After Hong Gu leaves, I tell Li Yan to work on her eyes. She doesn't have the eyes of a sixteen year old without a care in this world. Her eyes are filled with deep pain that even I could see through, she is clearly not going to be able to convince the Emperor. I want her to go out and observe normal girls and check out the look in their eyes.

I tell her to start crying from now on, despite her mother telling her never to cry, She needs to learn to cry on a dime, and cry prettily and sorrowfully. I proceed to tell her the story of Empress Wei.