The Prince

The day after we arrive in Border Town, the Commander calls Wu Shun, Mo Jiang and me into his tent and says, “This evening I’m heading into town.  I’ll be going to the Lotus Garden, which as I expect you know, is a pleasure-house.  The three of you may accompany me if you wish.  You’ll also know that apart from the usual services, these places offer hot baths, food and less obvious pleasures such as listening to music and poetry or playing chess.  They’re also places where men in the business and political worlds gather and exchange gossip, therefore useful to anyone wishing to pursue a career.  You don’t have to decide now.  I’ll be leaving at dusk, so if you want to come, be here at that time.”

Unexpectedly Mo Jiang speaks up, “If you don’t mind, sir, I’d rather just explore the town, if I may.”

“Of course.  Nothing’s compulsory.  It’s entirely up to you how you spend your leave.  All right, you’re dismissed.”

Wu Shun and I look at one another as we leave the tent.  Predictably, he’s blushing.  “Are you going to go?” he asks.

“I don’t know.  I suppose he’s right, it would be useful experience.  And I’m a bit curious.  Aren’t you?”

“Well, yes.”  He blushes even more.  “But my father would have a fit.”

“He’ll never know.  And remember what Lin Chen said about a man needing to know what’s what before he gets married?  We mightn’t get another chance.”

As we go about our daily duties, I’m thinking that maybe this is a chance to work out the confusion in my mind.  Perhaps some actual experience might enlighten me about my feelings.  So as dusk falls, I rather nervously turn up at the Commander’s tent.  To my surprise, Wu Shun’s also waiting.  We feel a little reassured to see one another.

The Commander appears.  “Let’s go,” he says and we mount up and ride into town together.  The place is absolutely bursting with activity.  Everyone’s out and about, eating, drinking, laughing, shouting, doing deals or just strolling about.  Children are playing in the streets.  The noise is deafening, the streets are brilliant with coloured lanterns, the scent of food hangs in the air.  Wu Shun and I grin at one another.  After weeks in the wilderness, this is amazing.

We leave our horses at the command post and take to the streets on foot.  The Commander leads us to a more-than-usually busy street.  The houses are so brightly-lit that it’s almost like daytime.  Young, pretty women are floating about, dressed in flowing robes in all imaginable colours, their glossy hair piled into complicated styles decorated with flowers, feathers and jeweled hairpins.  There's the sound of light laughter and somewhere musical instruments are playing.

We follow the Commander up the steps of the most imposing house and are greeted at the door by an elaborately-dressed woman who bows almost to the ground as she welcomes us in.  Wu Shun and I stand awkwardly to one side while the Commander talks in a low voice to this lady.  Her face is so painted that it looks like a mask.  Money changes hands.  She smiles and bows again.  The Commander comes back to join us.

“The whole night’s paid for, so you can sleep over.  You don’t have to do anything you’re uncomfortable with.  It’s up to you to choose.  Be polite.”

Seeing us both at somewhat of a loss, he adds, “The bathing-room’s a good place to start.”

He speaks to a servant, who bows and leads us further into the house.  It turns out to be a series of courtyards of varying size and splendour, some with large reception rooms attached and others with smaller individual chambers.  The courtyards contain beautifully-planted gardens and ponds, artfully-lit.  It’s still early and the night’s business is just getting started, so the place isn’t crowded yet.  We follow the servant through to the bathing-pavilion and are confronted with four large bathing pools with steam rising from them.  Three of them are occupied.  Wu Shun’s face immediately goes scarlet because some of the bathers are unembarrassedly naked.  Others are more modestly clad in thin white robes.

“You get the choice,” the Commander says, amused.

The servant shows us where to retire in order to change.  I can see that Wu Shun’s regretting his decision to come and I’m feeling somewhat bashful myself.  But it’s too late now.

“Come on,” I say, “In for a penny, in for a pound.”

He gulps and nods and we emerge together.  I think, We must look like chicks just out of the egg.

The Commander’s already in the water, reclining against the edge of the pool.  He’s got a robe on, but like all white material, it’s perfectly transparent when wet, so his upper body's completely visible.  We stand hesitating on the edge of the pool but then I’m seized with a sudden wild urge.  Forgetting the Commander’s injunction to be polite, I grab Wu Shun’s hand and with a loud yell, jump into the water.  There’s a huge splash and we both surface gasping, to hear laughter all round.  Even the Commander’s laughing.  “Behave,” he says lazily.

This is the first time I’ve been able to have a hot bath since Eagle Rock, and for Wu Shun, it’s the first time since we left the capital, so we take our time and start to enjoy ourselves.  We splash about a bit before getting down to the serious business of washing.  As in Eagle Rock, the water in these pools flows continually, so all the soap and dirt are carried away.  I can’t keep myself from wondering where it goes.

Another servant comes in, kneels down and whispers something in the Commander’s ear.  He nods and then starts to climb up the steps at one end of the pool.  The thin material clings to his back and legs.  I look away quickly.  Another servant hastens over to him with a drying cloth.  Over his shoulder he says, “You’ll be looked after from here.  Remember what I said.”

Then he disappears into the steam.

Greatly daring, Wu Shun says, “I want a massage.”

We climb out and the servants rush over to dry us.  We’re each provided with a fresh set of robes, but no underclothes.  Our uniforms, it seems, have been taken off to be cleaned.  I decide to skip the massage and leave Wu Shun apparently being pummeled to death in an adjoining room. 

Leaving the bathing area, I wander down a corridor and find myself in an unexpectedly quiet courtyard.  There are no flowers or lanterns here.  I’m just about to retrace my steps when I hear a sound like someone in pain.  It’s coming from a nearby room.  The door’s ajar, so I go forward to investigate.  And then I stand transfixed as if by a sword.

The room’s small and brightly lit.  It contains a bed and not much else.  Two naked people are entwined on the bed.  They are young, beautiful and male.  One’s sitting on the edge of the bed facing me and the other is on his lap embracing him, legs around his partner’s waist.  They’re conjoined and moving together gently.  What I’m hearing are moans of passion.  I can’t tear my eyes away.  I'm hot all over, my legs feel weak.  A familiar sensation spreads up and down my spine and my body reacts under the robe.

A little voice behind me says, “Young Master?”  I spin round and see a pretty young girl looking at me with a sweet smile.  She’s small, barely up to my chin, slender as a willow-wand, dressed in a robe that looks as if it’s about to slide off at any moment.  Her hair's simply arranged, her make-up discreet. 

I’m in such a state of confusion that I can’t think of anything to say.  But she’s heard the increasingly passionate sounds coming from the nearby room.  She smiles again, leans past me and quietly closes the door.

“Two of my little brothers are having fun before their clients arrive.  Young Master, this humble one’s name is Shoushou.  This humble one is accompanying Young Master this evening.  Please come.”

She takes my hand and leads me away, back down the corridor to another courtyard, and into a large room.  The most obvious item in the room is the bed, but there’s also a low dining-table with comfortable-looking seats. 

Shoushou leads me in and closes the door.  Turning to face me, she says, “Young Master is so beautiful.  Shoushou's very lucky tonight.  Is Young Master hungry?”

Regaining a measure of self-control, I realize that Young Master's very hungry indeed.  Shoushou goes to the door and speaks to someone outside, then comes and pulls me down on one of the seats.  Leaning across me so that her hair brushes my arm, she pours a cup of wine and presents it to me.  The wine steadies me a little more.

“I got lost coming out of the bathing-room,” I say, “I didn’t mean to intrude.”

She has a laugh like water rippling.  “My little brothers won’t mind.”

“Little brothers?  You mean, they work here?"

She nods, smiling.

“How long have you worked here?” I ask, adding hastily, “Sorry, I don’t mean to pry.”

“This humble person has lived here since she was seven.”

“Seven!” I exclaim.

She laughs again.  “Too many girls at home, father too poor, this humble person sold to Lotus Garden as a servant.  Then when Shoushou’s fourteen, she has the opportunity to become a courtesan.  More money, pretty clothes, life as a courtesan’s better than life as a servant.”

I’m speechless in the face of this realism.  There’s a knock on the door and people come in with food, which is quickly arranged on the table.  It looks immensely tempting.  Over dinner, we become more familiar.  She’s uneducated, but quick-witted.  I find myself liking her, though a cynical corner of my mind tells me that it’s her job to make me like her.  She plays a couple of pieces on the zither and then I play a piece for her.  A look of awe creeps into her eyes.

“Young Master’s so beautiful and talented, he could make a fortune here in the Lotus Garden.  The clients would be beating down the door.”

As I digest this, she moves a little closer.  “Does Young Master like Shoushou?”

“Very much,” I reply, before I realize that this isn’t quite what she means.

She puts out a small hand and runs a finger down my chest.  It stops at my belt and she gazes into my face as if to gauge my reaction.  Involuntarily, I think of the two little brothers making love and something shows, because the finger then continues its downward run till it encounters what it’s looking for.  I can’t quite manage to suppress a gasp.  Shoushou moves even closer and whispers into my ear, “This is Young Master’s first time?”

I suppose it’s pretty obvious.  I shiver at the feel of her breath on my ear.

“Shoushou’s honoured, “ she whispers.  Then, hesitantly, she kisses me.

From then on, I’m drowned in sensations that I’ve never had before:  the taste of her soft lips and small hot tongue, the feel of her slender agile body, with a waist I can get my two hands round, the sound of her giggles as we roll onto the bed and struggle out of our clothes, her whispered instructions and encouragement as I fumblingly manage to make love for the first time.  And the strange feeling of being inside someone else’s body, before, eventually, the more familiar sensation of physical release.

“Young Master’s very able,” she says with a twinkle, as I collapse in a gasping heap beside her.  She jumps up and fetches water for us to wash, before pouring me another drink and settling down in the crook of my arm.

It was very agreeable, but not as overwhelming as I’d expected.  I look down at the body in my arms, so different to my own.  Putting down my cup, I start to explore.  She has almost no curves, everything’s small and perfect.  As my fingers stray downwards, she flinches and shivers.

“Did I hurt you?” I ask anxiously.

She catches her breath and laughs.  “No – no.  Please, do it again.”

I do it again and she starts to gasp.  I never thought before about whether women feel pleasure or not.  Certainly no-one’s ever mentioned it.  But clearly they do.  As she shudders in my arms, I realize, with a slight feeling of guilt, that my approach to this has more than a touch of the scientific in it.  Liang Zhou would no doubt approve.

We fall asleep, mutually satisfied.