Taishi Ci wrote:Su Lei
The servant placed a cup before her and filled it to the brim, before also pouring a cup for the Prefect as well. Li Peng took his seat and had a small sip before speaking.
"Lady Li, I see you are as impressive in person as I had heard. Your assistance would be a great asset to my rulership here in Hann, and I think you would accomplish much here. There are quite a few interesting people here, you know.
"Besides that, I wonder if you have any information regarding the other question I posed you, concerning your lineage? I could, if needed, send to the capital in Luoyang for records, but I wanted to hear your own knowledge and thoughts first."
Li Ruisheng sat down gently and proceeded to reach for the cup of tea in front of her. She nodded politely as the prefect spoke and took small sips from her tea. When lineage was mentioned, however, her hand shook a little, perhaps imperceptibly. She placed the cup back on the table, for a long explanation was to come.
"Prefect Li, I sincerely thank you for your compliments and kind words. When it comes to the issue of lineage, you will perhaps be surprised to know I have as little information on the subject as you might have."
She sighed, looking at the cup of tea, unable to face Prefect Li directly for a second. Then she spoke, and her voice seemed to take a mystical, singosong tone, a tone for storytelling.
"I was born almost eighteen years ago in the town of Qingcheng, in the province of Di. The man I called my father was a warlord in the town, of a very prominent family. Yet his name was not Li. His name was Yan."
Ruisheng took a brief pause to sip some tea before continuing. The words seemed to flow gracefully from her lips.
"Warlord Yan had a wife. A woman of great beauty and an even greater intelligence, as to make up for her deliberate lack of kindness. She dominated the affairs under our roof, setting rules to keep her world under control. She established that only her children entitled to learn her husband's complete name. As you can see, I do not know it. She was not my mother."
She closed her eyes for a second recollecting her memories, scattered all over her head. Then she spoke yet again, a dreamy, melancholic quality in her voice.
"Warlord Yan also had many concubines all with different ranks. The house was full of them and their many children, who played everywhere and whose increasing number used to worry Yan Taitai. Among the not so highly ranked there was a woman far more beautiful than any other, far more beautiful than Yan Taitai herself, who after losing two children to illness had a little daughter she adored. My nurse used to say when I was little that she belonged in a palace, that she should not have agreed to such a marriage, to the dishonor of being a mere concubine. For she was graceful and virtuous, and loyal to a fault. When a Xiongnu horde raided the town, she chose to stay with her husband, for it was her duty. The warlord, his wife, her entire household was executed. Except for me."
Ruisheng's voice shook a little, as emotion attempted to overcome her. She spoke for the last time.
"I was that concubine's daughter. When the town was invaded my mother urged me to go into hiding, for she could not bear the thought of having to lose her only surviving child. I obeyed, and promised to honor her memory. And s a way of keeping that promise I took my mother's family name."
Ruisheng pointed to a drawing in her robes. It was a richly embroidered plum tree.
"Do you see it? This belonged to my mother. Her name was Li Mei. I always meant to ask her about her past, her life before marrying warlord Yan. However, before I had the proper age to request those answers the invasion took place. This is all I know. As for the assistance I could give you, I'm no general, no officer, no fighter of any sort. If you could tell me exactly what it is that you want from me, I will consider it."
