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The Lotus Palace
Jeannie Lin
Maidservant Yue-ying is not one of those beauties. Street-smart and practical, she’s content to live in the shadow of her infamous mistress—until she meets the aristocratic playboy Bai Huang.Bai Huang lives in a privileged world Yue-ying can barely imagine, yet alone share, but as they are thrown together in an attempt to solve a deadly mystery, they both start to dream of a different life.Yet Bai Huang’s position means that all she could ever be to him is his concubine—will she sacrifice her pride to follow her heart?
It is a time of celebration in the Pingkang li, where imperial scholars and bureaucrats mingle with beautiful courtesans. At the center is the Lotus Palace, home of the most exquisite courtesans in China…
Maidservant Yue-ying is not one of those beauties.
Street-smart and practical, she’s content to live in the
shadow of her infamous mistress—until she meets the
aristocratic playboy Bai Huang.
Bai Huang lives in a privileged world Yue-ying can barely
imagine, let alone share, but as they are thrown together
in an attempt to solve a deadly mystery, they both start to
dream of a different life. Yet Bai Huang’s position means
that all she could ever be to him is his concubine—
will she sacrifice her pride to follow her heart?
Praise for Jeannie Lin
“Lin combines wit, seduction, skill and intelligence
in a tantalizing take on My Fair Lady.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review,
on My Fair Concubine
“Lin has a gift for bringing the wondrous and colorful world of ancient China to readers.…
Those yearning for new worlds and age-old adventures will savor Lin’s novel.”
—RT Book Reviews on My Fair Concubine
“Drawing on a lushly depicted, exotic backdrop, Lin creates an intriguing romance between well-drawn characters whose secrets lure readers deep into the story.”
—RT Book Reviews on The Dragon and the Pearl
“Beautifully written, deliciously sensual, and rich with Tang Dynasty historical and political detail…exquisitely crafted, danger-filled, and intriguing… Exceptional.”
—Library Journal, Romance Reviews
on The Dragon and the Pearl
“If Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon merged with A Knight’s Tale, you’d have the power and romance
of Lin’s dynamic debut.”
—RT Book Reviews on Butterfly Swords
“Exciting debut…especially vibrant writing…”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review, on Butterfly Swords
“If you are looking for a rich, radiant story slightly different than your standard fare, look no further.… A wonderful tale that leaves one
hungering for more by this author.”
—All About Romance “Desert Isle Keeper” review
on Butterfly Swords
“Lush history, heartbreaking romance, fascinating mystery, and a happy ending!
What more can anyone ask?”
—Patricia Rice, New York Times bestselling author
“Jeannie Lin has done it again. With The Lotus Palace, Lin has gifted us with a heartfelt tale of forbidden love between an unlikely heroine and a hidden hero. I loved every minute I spent immersed in the glistening world Lin creates for her star-crossed lovers in Tang Dynasty China. Her writing shimmers with the sights, sounds and rituals of medieval China, while her characters completely captured my heart. The Lotus Palace is a poignant love story to treasure.”
—Elizabeth Essex, award-winning author
of Scandal in the Night
The Lotus Palace
Jeannie Lin
www.mirabooks.co.uk (http://www.mirabooks.co.uk)
Dear Reader,
I first fell in love with the colorful culture of the infamous Pingkang li, also known as the North Hamlet, while writing the novella Capturing the Silken Thief. This entertainment district has a unique place in history, bringing about a literary culture that revolved around the specially trained women who served as companions, hostesses and fellow poets to the scholars and officials who frequented the quarter for business and pleasure. To simply call them “prostitutes” would be incorrect. To call them “courtesans” seems insufficient. The Western world occasionally refers to them as “Chinese geisha,” a term that ignores the fact that China developed a rich and distinctive courtesan culture that predated the geisha culture in Japan. Chinese scholars have written numerous lines of poetry attempting to capture the complicated and multilayered nature of these clever, talented, elegant and fiery women.
At the same time, the Pingkang li was a place of contradictions. While scholar-gentlemen professed to be enthralled by the courtesans, ultimately these women were slaves. Despite their elevated status and illusion of independence, they were bought and sold as commodities.
The Lotus Palace explores the juxtaposition of this intricate social dance and the art of love versus the challenges of finding true romantic fulfillment. There is a reason so many classic Chinese love stories end in tragedy!
The Pingkang li, with its dual persona of sensual decadence and refinement, became the perfect place for me to explore the many roles that women took on in society, to investigate a murder most foul and to find true love.
To find out more about the drama and romance of ancient China, you can find me online at www.jeannielin.com (http://www.jeannielin.com). I love hearing from readers!
Sincerely,
Jeannie Lin
Acknowledgments
The Lotus Palace would not have been possible without the help and guidance of Bria Quinlan, Inez Kelley and Kate Pearce, who are generous friends and talented authors.
As always, a special thanks to my editor, Anna Boatman, for always pushing me to make the romance deeper and more fulfilling. And to my agent, Gail Fortune.
I never thought we’d get this far, but she has always believed.
Contents
CHAPTER ONE (#u77a23eb8-0fdd-5667-8131-bd51bcd68669)
CHAPTER TWO (#u4f01a408-c043-5265-ab42-36170bb960df)
CHAPTER THREE (#u5f78cff2-0392-546e-b9a8-8614292f3e4f)
CHAPTER FOUR (#ufa944090-6812-55a4-b7a3-d4230313cb8b)
CHAPTER FIVE (#u0a4119b7-bcc8-5117-a231-dbf2893a0b93)
CHAPTER SIX (#u3f6f134b-7f11-5c7d-adf8-05382bdc6ece)
CHAPTER SEVEN (#uf88b1638-2c6d-5eef-829a-47851bb9f503)
CHAPTER EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER NINE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWELVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER THIRTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FOURTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FIFTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SIXTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER NINETEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ONE
Tang Dynasty China, 847 AD
AN UNSEEN FORCE threw Yue-ying from her pallet. The entire building shook around her and the rafters groaned until she was certain the Lotus Palace was going to be torn apart. Too startled to move, she crouched low with her hands over her head. They were all going to die.
Suddenly the shaking stopped. With her heart thudding against her ribs, Yue-ying gradually came back to herself. It was dark and she was on the floor in her sleeping area. The walls of the pavilion creaked around her as they settled.
Before she could catch her breath, the shaking started again. A cry of alarm came from outside the chamber.
It was Mingyu. Mingyu needed her.
Yue-ying struggled onto her hands and knees, while a sea of silk tangled around her. Mingyu’s entire wardrobe had been tossed onto the floor. Yue-ying shoved the material aside and stumbled to the doorway, clinging on to it for balance.
There was no door between the two compartments. A gray light filtered in through the windows of the sitting area and Mingyu was standing at the center of it, her long hair wild about her face. She was dressed in her sleeping garment and the pale cloth coupled with elegant lines made her appear otherworldly. She looked more like a ghost than a woman.
Yue-ying started to go to her, but the building lurched again and she was thrown to her knees. Mingyu fell to the ground as well and they scrambled toward one another. In an uncustomary display of emotion, Mingyu embraced her, clutching her close while the walls shuddered around them. At any moment, the roof would come crashing down to bury them.
It was an eternity before the shaking stopped. Afterward there was absolute quiet; a funereal silence as the inhabitants of the Lotus Palace held their collective breath, waiting. She and Mingyu remained on the floor, holding on to one another and too afraid to move. Then the hum of voices began.
Mingyu let go of her abruptly and straightened, smoothing her hands over her shift. Her chin lifted with a regal air and she was the elite courtesan again.
Yue-ying tried not to feel discarded. She should be accustomed to Mingyu’s changing moods after serving as her personal attendant for the past four years. Mingyu could be warm and engaging, affecting a smile that lit the room brighter than any lantern. When she was not surrounded by admirers, she would often become distant, lost in some inner world of her own making.
“Heaven must be displeased,” Mingyu declared.
She peered out the window with a thoughtful and disturbingly serene expression. Mingyu had perfected that look. Even Yue-ying found it difficult to read her thoughts through it.
