Empress Orchid

by Anchee Min

  An-te-hai suggested that we first stop at the Pavilion of Streams to return the gourds. As we passed the gate and entered the garden, I was struck by the grand temples covering the hills. Statues of Buddha were everywhere. The small ones were egg-sized; I could sit on the feet of the big ones. The names of the temples were carved on golden boards: Palace of Excellent Health, Palace of Eternal Peace, Hall of Mercy, Mansion of Lucky Cloud, Mansion of Eternal Calm. Some were built from existing pavilions, others from existing rooms and gardens. Every space was crowded with pagodas and altars.

  “The elderly concubines have turned their living quarters into temples,” An-te-hai whispered. “They spend their lives doing nothing but chanting. Each has a small bed behind the statue of a Buddha.”

  I wanted to know what the concubines looked like, so I followed the sound of their chanting. I descended a path leading to the Hall of Abundant Youth. An-te-hai told me that it was the largest of these temples. As I entered, I saw that the floor was covered with praying figures. The incense smoke was thick. The worshipers rose and fell on their knees like an ocean wave. They chanted tonelessly, their hands busy moving beads strung on waxed threads.

  I realized that An-te-hai was not with me. I had forgotten that eunuchs were not allowed in certain religious areas.

  The sound of chanting became louder. The huge Buddha in the middle of the hall smiled ambiguously. For a moment reality escaped me. I became one of the concubines on the floor. I could see myself carving gourds. I could see my skin wrinkle and then crease into folds. My hair was turning white and I could feel my teeth falling out.

  “No!” I screamed.

  The yoo-hoo-loos I carried fell from my hands.

  The chanting stopped. Hundreds of heads turned in my direction.

  I was unable to move.

  The concubines stared at me. Their toothless jaws cracked open. Their hair was so thin that they looked bald.

  I had never seen such grave-looking ladies. Their backs were hunched and their limbs reminded me of gnarled trees on the tops of mountains. There was no trace of past beauty on these faces. I couldn’t imagine any of them being the subject of an emperor’s passion.

  The women raised their stick-thin arms toward the sky. Claw-like hands made scratching motions.

  I felt an overwhelming sense of pity for them. “I’m Orchid,” I heard myself say. “How do you do?”

  They rose, narrowing their eyes. Their expressions were predatory.

  “We have an intruder!” came an ancient, trembling voice. “What do we do with her?”

  “Pinch her to death!” was the crowd’s shrill response.

  I threw myself on the floor and kowtowed repeatedly. I explained that it was wrong for me to intrude. I apologized and promised that they would never see me again.

  But the women were determined to reach me and tear me apart. One woman pulled my hair, another punched my chin. I begged to be forgiven as I tried to back up toward the gate.

  The women laughed hysterically, kicking, pushing and tossing me back and forth.

  I was pinned to a wall. Several strong hands grabbed my throat. I could feel the long-nailed fingers pressing and cutting off my breath. The old faces crowded in on me like black clouds rolling over a sky. “Slut!” they cursed. “Now pray to Buddha before you die.”

  Suddenly the crowd was distracted. An-te-hai had climbed on top of the gate and was now throwing down gourds loaded with rocks. “Toothless ghosts!” he yelled. “Go back! Back to your coffins!”

  Nine

  I SENT An-te-hai for Chief Eunuch Shim. When Shim arrived, I received him in my official court robe with full makeup and headdress. He was surprised.

  “Lady Yehonala.” Shim got down on his knees and kept his eyes on the floor. “You needn’t be so formal. As your slave, Shim doesn’t deserve such respect.” He paused and raised his eyes to my knees. The half-revealed pupils made him look like a lizard. “I don’t mean to criticize, but Lady Yehonala, you should be careful. You can get both of us in trouble.”

  “I am desperate, Chief Shim,” I said. “Please rise and have a seat.”

  As I spoke, I signaled to An-te-hai, who brought out a carved golden box.

  “Chief Shim, I have a humble gift for you.” I opened the box and took out the ruyi that Emperor Hsien Feng had given me.

  Upon seeing the ruyi Shim nearly jumped. His eyes were so wide I thought his eyeballs would fall out of their sockets. “It is … it is His Majesty’s engagement gift to you, Lady Yehonala! It is an authenticated piece, a pledge. If you don’t know its value, allow me to—”

  “I’m glad that you recognize the value.” I smiled. “However, I still would like you to have it.”

  “Why, Lady Yehonala? Why?”

  “I’d like to exchange it for a favor, Chief Shim.” I made him look me in the eye. “To tell you the truth, this ruyi is the last thing I own. I want to give it to you because I understand the value of your help.”

  “Lady Yehonala, please. I … can’t accept it.” He got up, only to crash down on his knees again.

  “Rise, Chief Shim.”

  “I dare not!”

  “I insist.”

  “But Lady Yehonala!”

  I waited until he was on his feet. “The ruyi”—I uttered each word with deliberation—“will be more valuable when I become the mother of Emperor Hsien Feng’s child.”

  The expression on Chief Eunuch Shim’s face froze. He seemed to be transfixed by the possibility.

  “Yes, Lady Yehonala.” He knocked his forehead on the floor.

  I let him go on for a while and then said, “Thank you for helping me.”

  Slowly Chief Eunuch Shim got up. He shook his sleeves and breathed deeply. A moment later, he was himself again. He seemed to be pleased and frightened at the same time. He took the ruyi from my hand and held it to his chest.

  “Which date, my lady, would you like me to schedule you with His Majesty?” he asked, putting the ruyi in the inner pocket of his robe.

  “Does the date make a difference?” I had not been prepared for such a quick response.

  “A big difference, my lady. You want to see His Majesty on your most fertile days, don’t you?”

  “That’s right.” I quickly calculated the dates.

  “And the date is?”

  “The fourteenth day of the next full moon.”

  “Perfect, my lady. I’ll mark the date in my book right away. If you don’t hear from me, we are set. If everything goes right with His Majesty, you will be summoned on the fourteenth day of the next full moon. Until then, my lady.” He took a step back and then motioned toward the door.

  “Wait.” I didn’t trust him. How could a date with Emperor Hsien Feng be so easily arranged? “Chief Shim, please bear with my questions. What if His Majesty wants to see other ladies on that day? How can you be sure to make him want me instead?”

  “Don’t worry, my lady.” He smiled. “I have a way to bend the wind in the Forbidden City.”

  “And that is to say …”

  “That is to say if Emperor Hsien Feng expresses a desire to see any other lady—for example, Lady Li—I’ll say to him, ‘Your Majesty, Lady Li is unclean.’”

  “Well, what about Lady Mei?”

  “‘I’m sorry, your Majesty, Lady Mei is unclean too.’”

  “So, everyone will have their cycle except the one you want to sleep with the Emperor?”

  “Yes. I have succeeded many times.”

  “I am counting on you to make it work for me, Chief Shim.”

  “You needn’t worry, my lady. I’ll whet His Majesty’s appetite by telling him how delicious you are.”

  But I did worry, and now I had only twelve days to prepare myself. I had no idea how to please a man in bed. I needed to be instructed immediately. I thought of Big Sister Fann and wished that I could speak with her, but there was no way I could get out of the Forbidden City. To ask for permission to leave, I had to lie. I sent An-te-hai to
the Imperial household to report that my mother was ill and I needed to go home. Two days later, permission was granted for a ten-day leave. An-te-hai told me that I was lucky. Just a few weeks ago Lady Li had made the same request—her mother was truly ill—and been refused. Emperor Hsien Feng was taking his pleasure, and he would not release her. Lady Li’s mother had died.

  “That shows how unimportant I am to His Majesty,” I said bitterly.

  I arrived home at noon and immediately sent An-te-hai to fetch Big Sister Fann. My mother, Rong and Kuei Hsiang were thrilled to see me. Mother planned to take me shopping, but I begged her to stay home and not to leave the bed until my visit was over. I explained that I had lied to the Emperor, and that I could be beheaded if found out.

  Mother was shocked and thought my behavior unforgivable. But after I described my situation, she had no trouble staying in bed. She said she felt sick and asked Rong to place some towels by her bedside. Rong put a pot of strong-scented herb medicine on the stove in case the Forbidden City sent its spies.

  Big Sister Fann came. “Impressive, Orchid! Impressive! You are like a pepper in autumn—turning redder and hotter each day!” She had no time to tell me how much she missed me. “I have a place for you to learn what is required, but you must disguise yourself.” I exchanged clothes with Rong. Big Sister Fann handed a set of women’s clothes to An-te-hai.

  “I am taking Orchid to visit a friend,” Big Sister Fann told my mother.

  We were out in the street when Fann told me that we were heading for the House of Lotus.

  “Big Sister Fann!” I knew the nature of the house and hesitated.

  “I wish we had a choice, Orchid,” she said apologetically.

  I stood in the middle of the road, unable to make a decision.

  “What are you thinking, Orchid?”

  “To win His Majesty’s heart” were the words that jumped out of my mouth.

  “Then come, Orchid. We will use the house only for what it can teach us—the ways of pleasing men.”

  We hired a donkey cart. After half an hour we arrived in the west corner of Peking. The streets narrowed and the air smelled sour. We dismounted in the back of a busy street where shopkeepers stacked their rotten fruit and vegetable baskets. I hid my face behind a scarf and walked quickly with Big Sister Fann and An-te-hai. We stopped in front of an old building. A lantern sign hung down from the second floor that read House of Lotus.

  The three of us entered a dimly lit hallway. The interior was covered with murals depicting elaborate bedrooms where lavishly dressed people indulged themselves in every way imaginable. The characters were stylishly drawn. After my eyes adjusted to the light I began to see the shabbiness—chipped paint and falling plaster everywhere. The place had an odd odor, a mixture of perfume and stale tobacco.

  A frog-faced woman appeared behind a counter. She had a smoking pipe sticking out of her mouth. She greeted Big Sister Fann with a broad smile. “What wind has brought you here, my friend?”

  “The southern wind, Mistress,” answered Fann. “I am here to ask you a favor.”

  “Don’t be modest about your intention.” The Mistress patted Big Sister Fann’s shoulder with one hand. “I know you are with the spirit of the god of money or you wouldn’t be here. My temple is too small for a big worshiper like you.”

  “Don’t be modest yourself, Mistress,” Big Sister Fann said. “Your small temple happens to have the god I need to talk to. Come.” She pulled me over and introduced me as her niece from the countryside, and An-te-hai as my sister.

  The Mistress looked me up and down. She turned to Big Sister Fann. “I am afraid I can’t offer much. This girl is too skinny. How can you expect a spider to spin when it has no butt? It’ll take me too much money just to fatten her up.”

  “Oh, don’t worry.” Big Sister Fann leaned toward the Mistress. She pulled her ear and whispered, “My niece is here for a consultation only.”

  “I don’t do small business anymore, sorry.” The Mistress took a toothpick from a shelf behind the counter and started to run it over her teeth. “The market has been bad, you know.”

  Big Sister Fann winked at me.

  I cleared my throat.

  An-te-hai stepped up and passed me a bag.

  I went to the counter and removed what was in the bottom of the bag.

  My dragonfly hairpin, inlaid with jewels and pearls, glistened in the light. I put it on the counter.

  “Oh, my heavens!” The Mistress drew a breath and tried not to show surprise. Covering her mouth with both hands, she studied the hairpin. Raising her chin, she looked at me suspiciously. “You stole this.”

  “No, I didn’t,” I said calmly. “It was an inheritance.”

  “That’s right,” Big Sister Fann echoed. “Her family have been jewelry makers for … centuries.”

  “I am not doubting whether it is real,” the Mistress said as her eyes continued to search me. “I only wonder why such a rare treasure is outside of the Forbidden City.”

  To avoid the Mistress’s stare, I turned to look at the murals.

  “Is that enough for your consultation?” Big Sister Fann asked.

  “You are too kind.” The Mistress picked up her pipe and stuffed dry leaves in it. “My only hesitation is that I am not sure it is safe for me to keep. If it is a stolen piece …” She paused. Her hand drew a hanging rope in the air.

  “Let’s go to another house, Aunt.” I reached for the hairpin.

  “Wait!” The Mistress put her hand on top of mine. Gently but firmly she picked up the hairpin. Her face turned into a smiling rose. “Oh, my dear child, don’t dare make a fool of your aunt. I didn’t say I didn’t want it, did I? It is good that you were brought to me, because I am the only lady in town who can offer what you want. My child, I am going to give you the lesson of a lifetime. I am going to be worthy of your priceless hairpin.”

  We sat in the master chamber. It had a large bed with decorative posts up to the ceiling. Made of redwood, the bed had been carved with pe-onies, eggplants, tomatoes, bananas and cherries, which suggested male and female sexual organs. The curtains were washed white and perfumed. The side walls had built-in shelves displaying miniature sculptures. Most were Buddhist gods in the middle of coupling. The actions were cleverly depicted, the poses elegant. Females mounted males in positions of meditation. The lovers’ eyes were either half open or closed. Between each couple were displayed plates painted with individual pink peonies and eggplants. The peonies had dark, hair-like pistils and the eggplants had cap-like tops painted in light purple.

  “It is all about arousing the mind,” the Mistress commented as she served tea. “When girls first come to my house, I teach them a skill called the fan dance. “The Mistress opened a chest and pulled out a set of props: a small round pillow, a stack of paper money, and a dozen eggs on a bamboo tray.

  “I lay these objects on top of one another, with the money on the bottom, the pillow in the middle and the eggs on top. The girl sits on the arrangement. She is given one minute to turn the stack of money into the shape of a fan. The rule is that the eggs cannot be broken.”

  How was this possible?

  The Mistress snapped her fingers.

  Two girls entered from a side door. They were in their late teens and were dressed in thin brocaded robes. Although they had pleasant features, they showed no hospitality. They spit out sunflower seeds, kicked off their slippers and climbed onto the bed. Opening their legs, they squatted over the eggs like two hens.

  The Mistress snapped her fingers again, and the girls started to rock their bottoms.

  The view was unbearably comic and I failed to suppress a giggle.

  Big Sister Fann jabbed me with her elbow.

  I apologized but could hardly control myself.

  “You won’t be laughing when you start practicing yourself, believe me,” the Mistress said. “It takes a great deal of effort to master the trick.”

  I asked what this movement was for.
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  “It is to help you gain power and control of your body,” the Mistress replied. “It is to add sensitivity to your bottom lips.”

  Bottom lips?

  “Follow my advice and practice, and you will understand what it is for. When the skill is mastered, you will drown the man beneath you in pleasure and he will remember your name.”

  The words got me. Yes, I would like to have Emperor Hsien Feng re-member my name. I would like His Majesty to remember the pleasure along with its deliverer.

  I looked at the ivory-colored rocking behinds and tried to picture the girls in bed with men. My cheeks started to burn. It was not out of shame but from the knowledge that I was going to try this myself.

  “We have been in business a long time,” the Mistress said, trying to brush away my doubts. “Men come at all costs. We bring life back to them. We release the beast out of younger men and make older men know their youth once again.”

  My eyes were on the girls, who were now balanced on their limbs.

  “This is a time-tested position.” The Mistress gave a mysterious smile. “You see, the girls from good families are taught to despise my house. Such girls don’t know that it is because of them I am in business. The good girls never know what my girls know; therefore they end up keeping their house, and my girls their husbands and their money!”

  “How long does it take to master the … dance?” I asked, wanting to get out of here as soon as I could.

  “Three months.” The Mistress pulled over a chair and sat down.

  I had only ten days!

  “Every day you squat on top of the eggs and rock your behind.” The Mistress lit her pipe and inhaled. “After three months, your bottom lips will grow a little thicker and fatter than a normal woman’s. When a man wears those lips, you will drive him wild. He will want to die for you, and you will be able to empty his pockets.”

  I tried to forget where I was, but it was hard.

  Big Sister Fann gave me an I-didn’t-hear-it look.

  An-te-hai stared boldly. He was spellbound by what he was watching.

  The girls lifted themselves off the eggs. Their bodies glistened with sweat.