family name is Chang, personal name Fei Long,’ he began. ‘My father was an official within the Ministry of Works and our family lives in the capital city. Have you ever been to Changan?’
She looked over one shoulder, then the other, as if reassuring herself that they were indeed in a crowded public area and she was safe from his clutches. ‘No,’ she answered finally.
‘What’s your name, young miss?’ he asked.
If he could get past this polite exchange, then he had a chance of convincing her. Two strangers who exchanged names were, of course, no longer strangers. Even peasants would understand those rules of courtesy.
She took her time assessing him, taking in the height and breadth of him, and staring at the sword in his belt. The girl would duck and bow when necessary, but this was no shy and sheltered nightingale. She had a boldness within her that Pearl lacked. He waited anxiously for her reply. For the first time in weeks, hope burned inside him, embodied in this tiny reed of a girl.
‘I don’t know of my family name,’ she replied, still hesitant. ‘But I’m called Yan Ling.’
‘It’s called heqin,’ he explained.
The nobleman looked to her for acknowledgement and she had to shake her head. Fei Long led his horse down the street while she walked beside him, falling a few paces behind in deference.
‘An arranged peace marriage,’ he continued. ‘My sister was selected to go to the land of Khitan to be married to a foreign lord.’
So the young woman had been his sister. ‘Where is Khitan?’
‘North of the Taiyuan prefecture.’
She nodded. They continued for a few steps.
‘Where is Taiyuan?’
He paused and her face grew hot as he regarded her, but there was no need to be ashamed. Of course he knew more than she did about foreign lands. She’d only left town a few times to accompany her master to major festivals. The thought of leaving town now with Fei Long frightened her, but the thought of being left to the streets frightened her more.
‘I can show you a map some time,’ he said, in a tone that was not unkind.
She wasn’t entirely convinced of his mad tale. And if she did believe him, was it even possible for her to pose as his sister? Everything she said or did felt awkward next to Chang Fei Long. Anyone could see they weren’t from the same breed.
‘You said they were expecting a princess. I’m no princess.’
‘Neither was my sister, Pearl.’
He slowed his stride to match hers and Yan Ling felt especially small, more from the authority in his bearing than from his actual size.
‘A past emperor gave one of his favourite daughters away in an alliance marriage to a barbarian chieftain,’ he explained. ‘The story has since become quite famous. Have you heard of it?’
He paused to look at her and again she shook her head. They didn’t speak of the comings and goings of the imperial family in their little teahouse.
‘The princess wept and begged for her father to reconsider, composing verses of poetry lamenting what she considered her exile from her beloved empire,’ he recounted. ‘But the Son of Heaven couldn’t rescind the agreement to his ally. When the princess left for foreign lands, the Emperor was heartbroken. When another neighbouring kingdom petitioned for a Tang princess, the Emperor chose one of his concubines and bestowed the title of princess upon her. The newly appointed princess went to fulfil the alliance rather than the Emperor’s true blood.’
‘So now our Emperor wants to send an imposter instead?’ she asked.
‘It’s not uncommon. The alliance brides may be nieces or distant members of the imperial family. Occasionally even daughters of high-ranking court officials might be chosen. It was a great honour to our family when my sister, Pearl, was elevated to the rank of princess.’
Yan Ling stared at him, trying to sort out the strangeness of such whimsical decrees. ‘Wouldn’t that make you a prince?’
‘Not quite—however, the decree does bestow imperial favour and duties upon our family.’ He looked uncomfortable. ‘Duties that cannot be refused.’
She supposed the divine Emperor could do whatever he wished. ‘But what if the barbarians find out they don’t have a real princess?’
‘It doesn’t matter. The political arrangement itself is the important part. The marriage seals the agreement and the title is just a formality showing the Emperor’s commitment.’
She didn’t like the thought of being a peace offering, travelling to this faraway place along with bolts of silk and a fleet of horses. Hadn’t Fei Long practically looked her over as if she were a horse? Checking her teeth, checking her feet to see that they were small enough to belong to a high-born lady.
‘Tang princesses are highly valued in the barbarian lands,’ he insisted. ‘You’ll have every need taken care of.’
A ripple of pleasure ran through her, lazy and warm with promise. She would never need to worry about being cold or hungry again. Her back wouldn’t ache from serving customers from the first light of day to deep in the night.
‘I couldn’t even imagine this if it were a dream. You’re just telling stories,’ she accused.
‘It’s true.’
‘Then why did your precious sister run away? If I were Miss Pearl, I would never give up such an opportunity.’
He tensed. Only the twitch of a muscle along his jaw revealed any emotion. ‘She was young with … romantic notions. Not thinking of reason or duty.’ He met her eyes, his gaze scrutinising. ‘You seem much more practical.’
‘I am very practical,’ she agreed. The teahouse had always been about survival and keeping a roof over her head.
They stopped before the town’s civil office. Without a word, the nobleman handed her the reins and strode through the front gate, completely assured in her compliance. The horse paced a few restless steps while she clutched at the reins with a life-and-death grip.
‘Stop,’ she commanded in a fierce whisper. ‘Hear me? Stay still, you.’
She prayed the horse wouldn’t run off. If it decided to, she’d be dragged along with it. She didn’t know how to tame a horse. In truth, she didn’t know how to do much more than serve customers in a teahouse. So she stood with the reins wrapped twice around her hand and considered her situation.
To be a princess, even a false one, would be like being reborn into the next life. Perhaps the stars of her birth weren’t as dim as she’d always thought. She wanted very much to believe Fei Long, but there were plenty of stories about tricksters travelling the countryside, collecting young women in order to sell them off to brothels. Fei Long could very well be one of those scoundrels, though he struck her as honest. Maybe too much so. If anything, he seemed lost in this fancy scheme of his.
At times, he intimidated her with his proper manners and knowledge. At other times, she
