The doctor put her hands on Ji Yue’s knees. “You must open for the measurements,” she said. “It is a requirement for every empress.” Then she pressed firmly down and gradually spread Ji Yue’s legs. The movement was stuttering, the resistance obvious, and a single tear slipped down the side of her face.

Something broke inside Bo Tao. “Enough!” he bellowed, stepping forward. He grabbed Ji Yue’s clothing as he moved and quickly pushed it at her. “No more examination today.”

The doctor looked up, her eyes hard. “You know this must be done. Are you afraid to see the consequences of your own debauchery?”

“I have done nothing!” he snapped. “You can see that she is moist and supple. There is good color and size.” He did not know that for sure, but it didn’t matter. If he said it, it would be so recorded.

“And her virginity?”

He swallowed. Even he could not forge that. If a false woman passed through to meet the emperor, it would be his head.

“Very well-check it quickly.” he snapped, his anger not at the doctor, but at himself. Why did this virgin’s tears upset him so? He glanced down at Ji Yue, emotion churning in his gut. “Be gentle!” he ordered.

“Now he worries about gentleness!” the physician muttered. Then her attention shifted to Ji Yue. “I have to touch you very intimately. I will go slowly, and it should not hurt. Are you ready?”

Ji Yue nodded, then firmly shut her eyes. Bo Tao knew the exact moment the doctor touched her intimate folds. Ji Yue jerked, gasping in surprise.

“You are doing very well,” the doctor said.

Ji Yue released a soft murmur of distress. Unable to stay apart from her, Bo Tao moved quickly to the top of the table. He pressed his hands to her shoulders. “It is nearly done,” he said. He had hoped that she would open her eyes and see that he was looking at her face, not her groin. But she kept her eyes shut tight.

Then, finally, the doctor straightened and stepped away. “Virginity intact.”

Bo Tao barely heard the words. His attention was centered on Ji Yue as she rolled onto her side. There were no blankets in the room, but her clothing was there. He used it to gently cover her most private area.

“You have done your duty, physician Xie Yan,” he said. “You may go now.”

The doctor looked up from her notations. “You wish to be alone with her?” Shock colored her tone.

“She has nothing to fear from me,” he growled. “She never did.”

Silence reigned for a moment, and then he heard the doctor’s “Humph.” He had won. She would leave and say nothing about it to anyone. Meanwhile, he knelt down beside the table. Ji Yue’s face was very pale, and her eyes were still shut tight. He brushed a lock of hair behind her cheek. “Her report will read excellence in every way,” he instructed.

“Of course,” the doctor answered. “She is excellent in every way. And with her fire, she will make a fine empress.”

Bo Tao jolted at the thought. He had forgotten that she was destined to be Yi Zhen’s wife. The emperor could not fail to see how perfect she was. And while that thought soured in his gut, the physician collected her things and left.

“She is gone now. You are safe.”

Ji Yue opened her eyes, fixing him with a hard stare. She didn’t speak, but Bo Tao didn’t care. Her eyes told him that she was recovering. Her voice would return soon enough.

“I am sorry you had to endure that.” He swallowed. He was on the verge of promising that she would never have to undergo the ordeal again, but that would be a lie. All brides would be rechecked before the wedding. Up until the final selection, virginity must be assured. So he held back his promise even as he tried to help her in other ways. “You can get dressed now, if you like. Are you hungry? I can send for some food.”

She still didn’t speak, and her glare hadn’t softened, but she did shake her head as she pushed up from the table. He cupped her elbow, helping her to rise, but she shrugged him off. Realizing she didn’t want him to touch her, he stepped back, though he felt the separation keenly.

She kept her skirt lying over her private area as she quickly tied on her undershift. He mourned the covering of her beautiful breasts, but he didn’t say a word. She pulled on her blouse next, buttoning it with deft moments. Then she paused, lifting her head to fix him with a dark glare.

She needed to stand to pull on her skirt, but that would expose her again. Though it gave him a physical pain, he nodded his understanding and turned around. He would not watch her woman’s glory glisten as she dressed. But oh, how his loins ached. He was undressing her again in his imagination when she finally spoke.

“Do I go now to luncheon with the dowager consort?” Her voice was thick and low, but there was strength in her tone. She would not be deterred from her task.

He shook his head as he turned around. “It has already begun, and it would not be wise to show up late.”

Her lips compressed in a tight frown.

“It is better if you don’t appear. She is looking for girls to reject. If she does not see you, she cannot dismiss you.”

Ji Yue nodded, but still didn’t look at him. Given how direct her stare had been earlier, this sudden uneasiness bothered him. “Why are you nervous?” he asked.

At that she lifted her chin and met his gaze. He could tell she had to force herself, and he trembled inside at the anxiety he saw in her eyes. “What do you want of me?” she asked. “Why have you singled me out?”

He had no answer for her. In truth, he had been wondering the same thing. Before he’d met her, the idea of seducing a virgin-much less a potential imperial concubine-held no appeal whatsoever. But this was different. Chen Ji Yue was very different indeed.

Without a way to answer her, he dodged the question. “Many girls have asked for baths after their examination,” he said. “I can take you to the bathing chambers now so that you can wash in private. I must see to the removal of the girls dismissed at lunch. You will have as much privacy as can be found in the Forbidden City.”

She nodded her acceptance. “That would be fine.”

So he escorted her to the bathing area. He ordered fine linens for her use and special foods for her lunch. And then in an act of supreme self-sacrifice, he left her alone. For now…

6

JI YUE FELT LIKE DANCING! She had passed the physical exam with excellent marks, and now she was going to meet the emperor!

This was not the usual course of events. Normally, no virgin would see the emperor until the final selection day, but something marvelous had happened. The vicious Taiping rebels had been defeated and one of their leaders was dead! The emperor had declared everyone in the Forbidden City would feast in celebration. There was to be a banquet, and he would be there!

Ji Yue decided that she would do whatever it took to shine before the emperor. Unfortunately, all fifty of the remaining virgins had the exact same thought as they dressed for this important event.

Hair always took the bulk of time as it was wrapped around boards then glued into place. Jewels made to look like butterflies or flowers were intertwined with the strands and cemented in. Finally, heavy white paint would be stroked onto each girl’s skin and accented with delicate red or black. An empress would have no less than five servants to assist her. The virgins, on the other hand, were given one eunuch per five girls. Though they had the whole day to prepare, no servant could possibly fill the demands of so many girls intent upon impressing an emperor.

The first arguments began in the bathing chamber around noon. One girl claimed another had passed gas and should be removed from the festivity for fouling the water. By two, someone accused another of stealing her cosmetics. The argument became so heated that Bo Tao was summoned. Upon searching the accused trunks, he found dozens of stolen items. The thief was immediately expelled, but such swift action only increased the problem.