by Robert Wang
“Forgive me, Lord Lee, I had no choice—I did it to save my family!” Chu Ting cried out.
Shao Lin turned sharply. “What are you saying, Brother Chu?”
“What he is saying, Lord Lee Shao Lin, is that you are under arrest for the crime against our Celestial Empire of distributing opium, a poison that is killing your own people!” Special Emissary spoke loudly so that Inspector Cheng could hear him clearly.
The door burst open, and Vice General Lo Ping and his twenty soldiers charged in and surrounded Shao Lin and his men. Inspector Cheng followed, holding the imperial plaque that bore Special Emissary Lin Tse-Hsu’s name.
“You are the special emissary?” Shao Lin gasped.
“No, I am,” Special Emissary Lin replied as two soldiers forced Shao Lin to his knees.
Shao Lin, dizzy with fear, collapsed into the arms of the men who held him.
Chapter Eleven
To The Most Noble and Honorable Guan Magistrate Lee Man Ho,
I am writing to you, dear colleague and friend, with extreme sadness and a heavy heart. Having been honored by His Majesty, our Celestial Emperor, with the duty of special emissary in charge of eradicating our kingdom of the opium epidemic, I have been here in Canton for the past few months conducting a thorough investigation of the situation. The results of my investigation have shocked and saddened me to the core because I have seen firsthand the evil ways in which this drug has poisoned our beloved homeland. This poison has penetrated deep into our society, afflicting not only the addicts but also the honor of many of our guans and merchants. The temptation of staggering profits has entrapped many in this vile business.
As special emissary representing our Celestial Emperor, it is my duty to root out and punish the most serious offenders behind the opium epidemic and make examples of them to strike fear into the hearts of anyone else who might be tempted to engage in this filthy trade.
It is with deep regret and my heartfelt sympathy that I give you notice that I have arrested your son, Lord Lee Shao Lin. You are our most loyal and dedicated level one guan, and I am certain that you were not aware of your son’s business. He is, without a doubt, the largest opium dealer in the city of Canton. The evidence I have is irrefutable. I have seen for myself his warehouse, containing over five hundred chests of opium, and your son, in person, attempted to sell this opium to me when I posed as a dealer from Fujian. I believe you know the consequences of his crime.
I have prepared my report to our Celestial Emperor, and as a courtesy to you, my dear friend and colleague, I am sending this letter at the same time so that you will be informed simultaneously and may have the opportunity to respond in your own way.
Your humble and regretful friend,
Lin Tse-Hsu
My dearest colleague and most loyal friend,
I cannot find the words to express my deep appreciation for your kind gesture. I bury my head in shame to learn the truth about my son. I decry his evil deeds, and I take full responsibility as the dishonorable father who failed to raise a respectable and law-abiding man. There is no excuse for my failure—I should have known about his criminal endeavors but chose to look the other way. I fully recognize and accept the consequences of my son’s evil crime and deeply appreciate your noble gift of an opportunity for me to choose my own response.
I am forever indebted to you for sparing me this public humiliation, and I bid you farewell with sincere gratitude.
Your most humble and shameful villain,
Lee Man Ho
An Imperial Court messenger arrived in Canton by way of a succession of swift horses thirteen days after the letters from the special emissary reached Peking. His orders from the Celestial Emperor were to make the following announcement in public:
The most honorable, loyal, and dedicated Imperial Court Officer, Level One Guan Magistrate Lee Man Ho, died of a broken heart upon the instant of hearing the news of his son’s arrest as Canton’s most prominent and evil drug dealer. Magistrate Lee was stationed in Peking for thirty years as our most loyal and dedicated imperial guan, and my imperial edict is that by fulfilling his duties to our Celestial Empire, he had no choice but to sacrifice his duties as a father. As such, Magistrate Lee Man Ho will be buried in Peking with full honors as a loyal guan, and his son will face the extreme consequences of an evil drug dealer. Let it be known to all that Special Emissary Lin Tse-Hsu is authorized to sweep Canton clean of opium by any actions that he deems fit.
END OF IMPERIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
Level One Guan Lee Man Ho took his own life with poison within two hours of reading Special Emissary Lin’s letter. By doing so, he avoided putting the emperor in the awkward position of having to consider sparing his life, which would have led to accusations of favoritism from other guans. He also wanted to avoid the shame of a public execution in case the emperor chose not to spare him. His wife, Shao Lin’s mother, had died two years earlier, and Lee Man Ho felt immense relief that she was spared the humiliation of a public execution after being the noble wife of a senior imperial magistrate for all those years. She would have taken her own life as well—it was the honorable thing.
Twelve days before the imperial announcement arrived in Canton, Special Emissary Lin summoned Chief Inspector Cheng to his quarters. “We make our sweep tomorrow, starting with the customs officers and owners of the opium parlors. Make preparations for public executions for all of them. The opium epidemic stops now.”
“Yes, Lord Guan, understood and will obey.” Chief Inspector Cheng paused. “What do we do with Chu Ting’s family, and when do we execute the family of Lee Shao Lin?”
“We will spare the lives of Chu Ting’s family, but his sons will be castrated in front of their father before he is executed. There shall be no descendants of these opium-selling scum. We will execute Lee Shao Lin’s family as soon as we locate his son and daughter.”
“Understood and will obey.”
Special Emissary Lin knew he had to take extreme measures to deal with the opium problem to send a clear message to everyone involved. It was his duty to terrify and shame the people of Canton, and he was prepared to do just that by imposing the most severe punishment to the worst offenders, as authorized by the emperor. He also knew he needed to deal with the smugglers to stop the supply. Perhaps, he thought, witnessing the cold-blooded actions authorized by the emperor against his own people will make the foreign devils reconsider their business dealings here.
Chapter Twelve
“Little Spring, where have you been?”
“Just getting some air, Hau Ma Ma!” Little Spring replied gaily as she entered the lounge behind the main hall. She glanced around. Other women were resting between customers on long benches around the room. On quiet nights during the rainy season, there was usually a lively game of mahjong happening, but this was not one of those nights.
“Well, get back to work. Your young customer, Lord Lee Da Ping, is waiting for you in his private barge! Mustn’t let him sit idle, or he might find another favorite!”
What is he doing here? Little Spring moved as quickly as she could while still maintaining the languorous, graceful gait of a Flower Lantern girl. Very few people knew of Da Ping’s private barge, and Hau Ma Ma’s livelihood depended on her discretion. She wanted to warn him, tell him to run far away from Canton as fast as he could, but she knew he would return home to warn his father—who was already doomed—and get himself arrested and executed. Never mind the trouble she would catch from that Inspector Cheng if he found out.
I can give him one fantastic night to remember, she decided. For the rest of his life, which will not be long.
“My Lord Da Ping, what a most pleasant surprise!” she said, sliding open the barge door. “You know, you have caught me in a most peculiar mood this evening.” She winked.
“Really?” Da Ping’s smile widened in anticipation. “I hope it is an amorous mood, Little Spring. What game shall we play tonight?”
“You shall see, my handsome lord
.” She thought for a few seconds. What would keep him there, safe from arrest, overnight so she could come up with a plan to get him out of danger? “I know—let’s play Three Hungry White Tigresses Feasting on Crouching Dragon.”
“Th—three? Tigresses?” Da Ping stuttered, the blood rushing to his groin.
“Yes, my lord. I’ll be right back with two beautiful tigresses, and you, my dear Lord Da Ping, will be treated to an evening of pure bliss that few men ever experience. We are going to drain your Jade Stalk of all its seeds tonight, young master—we are hungry and must be fed!” She gave a little growl and stepped daintily out of the barge again.
Within moments Little Spring returned with two of her more lively and beautiful colleagues. She had had to offer them a generous share of her fee, but it would all be worth it if she could keep Da Ping occupied—or passed out—for as long as possible.
Da Ping took a few long drags from his opium pipe and lay back, allowing the three beautiful naked women to caress his entire body with their eager lips and tongues. Little Spring gave Da Ping her best efforts that night, all while frantically thinking of ways that she could help him escape the death sentence that was about to fall on his entire family.
After Da Ping’s Jade Stalk had been repeatedly drained of its dragon seed and his opium pipe emptied and refilled, he lapsed into blissful unconsciousness. Little Spring locked the barge to keep him safe and headed to the kitchen to order some food for the little fugitive to enjoy when he awoke. Her two colleagues left with her, totally exhausted.
“There you are, Little Spring!” It was Hau Ma Ma again. “Vice General Lo Ping is here and asking for you.”
“I’m not working any more tonight, Hau Ma Ma,” said Little Spring. “I need to rest!”
“Vice General Lo is in a particularly good mood tonight, my dear, and he simply won’t hear of taking another girl. He was involved in a very important arrest, he tells me.”
Little Spring sighed. “Yes, Hau Ma Ma. Please bring Vice General Lo to his preferred barge—the one without the opium bed. I must bathe and dress. I’ll be there in a moment.” He was one of her favorite customers, always kind and generous—and very loyal—and it wouldn’t be wise to refuse him.
Vice General Lo Ping, fresh from the arrest of the biggest opium dealer in the city, wanted a fitting end for this triumphant day, and that meant spending a few hours with the delightful Little Spring before returning to Fu-Moon the next morning. Every leave Vice General Lo Ping earned he spent in Canton visiting his mother, and he always made time to see Little Spring. But Special Emissary Lin had ordered him back to Fu-Moon the next day to inform General Kwan, personally and confidentially, about his plan to embargo all foreign ships attempting to enter Canton by way of the Pearl River. The defenses at the mouth of the river would need to be put on alert just in case the foreign captains started any trouble. Emissary Lin had also instructed Lo Ping to bring back more troops to help him mop up the rest of the opium dealers in Canton.
“Little Spring!” Lo Ping stood to greet her when she slid open the barge door. “I was a happy man before, but you’re about to make me the happiest man in Canton.”
“Lord Vice General, I am honored by your company,” said Little Spring. “I did not expect you back in Canton so soon!”
“My dear Little Spring, I was called here on an important police matter. My troops and I just helped arrest the biggest opium dealer in Canton! We will finally get rid of this poison that’s killing our people, by arresting and killing all these evil men who sell it. I only wish we could kill the foreign devils who bring it into our Celestial Empire.” He cleared his throat. “But enough about business. I’m here to celebrate!”
“Well, let’s celebrate together, Lord Vice General,” Little Spring purred. “I am sure you were masterful in leading your men to take down these criminals. But you strong military men only want to talk about killing—what about loving? Are you sure you’re ready for some serious loving?” She moved closer to him, discreetly loosening her gown. “Now, please tell me, my lord, how long may I enjoy your company before you return to Fu-Moon?”
“I leave tomorrow, but I’ll be back within the week,” he replied, “and I’ll be staying in Canton for as long as I’m needed by the senior magistrate.” He hesitated for a second, but his pride got the better of his judgment. “I think you will be surprised by some major developments very soon. The streets of Canton will shortly be free of opium!”
Little Spring hid her momentary panic. I’d better stock up in case this actually comes to pass.
An idea came to her suddenly as she was reaching for the vice general’s clothing. “Lord Vice General Lo,” she said with a warm smile. “I had planned to tell you that I was regrettably unavailable this evening, and I was going to introduce one of my lovely sisters for your enjoyment—”
“But I only want you!” Lo interrupted.
“I know, I know! And I changed my mind as soon as I saw you because I remembered how well you can satisfy me—like no other! And now that I see how happy you are and how much you want to celebrate,” she licked her lips, “I can’t wait another moment to savor your Jade Stalk.” She smiled again, seeing his arousal. “Oh, Lord Lo, I am so excited thinking about what we can do this evening to make your celebration very special.”
Lo Ping’s face grew hot with desire.
“Are you familiar with Three Hungry White Tigresses Feasting on Crouching Dragon?” She couldn’t believe she was uttering these words, offering the same session she had just finished with Da Ping, but she knew it would work to accomplish her goal.
“Three?” Lo Ping raised three fingers, grinning like a schoolboy who’d just been told he could eat all the sweets he wanted.
“Yes, three, Lord Vice General—two of my ravenous sister tigresses, who have heard me speak of your prowess many times, and me!” Little Spring raised three of her own fingers and licked each one slowly. She ran her hand over her breasts and then down toward her Golden Gate. “I guarantee, Lord Lo, that you will never be the same after tonight.”
Lo Ping chuckled. “Then let’s get started!” He rubbed his hands together and thanked the stars that this already fortuitous day was going to have such a happy ending.
“But I need you to promise me one thing, Lord Vice General, before I unleash the Three White Tigresses.” Little Spring glanced up at him through her lashes as she helped him out of his tunic.
“Anything, my beautiful tigress!”
“I have a recruit for you to bring back to Fu-Moon. He is a young man who really wants to serve under the famous General Kwan Tien Pui, but he doesn’t have the family connections. You, my Lord Vice General with the magnificent Jade Stalk,” she paused to stroke it gently, “could take him with you to join your troops, couldn’t you?” She giggled.
“I am the vice general—I can do anything I want.” He pulled himself free of his remaining clothes and reached for her. “Can we talk about this later?”
“This young man is very special to me, Vice General, and I want you to train him up to be a good soldier. He is all alone in this world and needs your help, so please say yes. The three tigresses will show you how very grateful we are.”
Vice General Lo Ping had recruited many soldiers, and he knew it was a tremendous honor for a poor family to have a son serve in the military, especially under an important general, rather than starve at home on the farm. Who is this boy to her? he wondered idly, but his mind was on the evening’s activities and not on Little Spring’s possible motives.
“All right, if you send him to me first thing tomorrow, I’ll bring him with me to Fu-Moon and get him into training. We’ll need more men to deal with these foreign devils anyway, in case they make trouble. Do you know his family?”
“He has no family, my lord. He’s an orphan.” That will be the truth soon enough. “He has no other prospects for his future, and I would like to do him this favor. And you are such a good and honorable man, I thought of you righ
t away as the perfect person to ask.”
Vice General Lo Ping had been a customer of the Flower Lantern for several years, and Little Spring had become something of a friend to him, a welcome respite from the harshness of military life.
“Very well, Little Spring. You know I can’t refuse you anything! Now, where are these hungry tigresses you keep speaking of?”
Little Spring’s assistant tigresses were very happy with their bonuses at the end of the night, and Vice General Lo Ping had a permanent grin on his face.
“I won’t be able to walk for a week now—how am I going to ride to Fu-Moon in the morning?” he asked when her sisters had departed and she lay next to him on the bed.
“Oh, Lord Vice General, it is I who will be unable to walk for a week after your Jade Stalk attacked my Golden Gate with a thousand thrusts. My poor sisters could hardly stagger out of here, and I’m sure they’ll be instantly asleep after so much vigorous lovemaking, my strong and virile lord! Why don’t you spend the night here as my guest? I will have breakfast prepared for you before you leave on your journey, and your newest recruit will be ready to accompany you to Fu-Moon.”
“Oh yes, the recruit. Bring him to me in the morning, and I’ll make a man out of him!” Lo Ping yawned.
“I’m sure you will, Lord Vice General, but can you also teach him to be strong with a woman, as you are? I’ll be counting the days until I have you in my bed again.” Little Spring knew all the right lines and the right times to use them.
Lo Ping nodded off to the sweet sound of her voice. His dreams were filled with sinuous tigresses rolling around with him on a field of silken grass.
Little Spring entered Da Ping’s barge before dawn, carrying a bundle of clothes she’d bought from one of the cooks. It wouldn’t do for Da Ping to appear before the vice general dressed as a lord’s son. So, Da Ping, I’ve found a way to save your life, but the man who will be your new boss just arrested your father. By the way, your entire family—including you, if you’re caught—are about to be beheaded. She shook her head. It wouldn’t be easy to convince him, but then again, Da Ping’s choice was a simple one: death or the army.