"The smile on your face lets me know that you need me

There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me

The touch of your hand says you'll catch me whereever I fall

You say it best, when you say nothing at all"

--Ronan Keating "When You Say Nothing At All" (from album "Notting Hill")

====================================================

"Good morning, Miss Xia."

Yu Her gasped and nearly dropped the plates. She turned around to face Qian Long. "Oh….oh…good morning, Si…Si Ye."

Qian Long smiled. Good, this time she did not drop the plates and kow-tow to him. She also addressed him by his nickname.

It had been five days since Fu Heng and Long Do left for Qing Hai. In that five days, Qian Long had tried to make the Xias a little less edgy around him. Of the three, Yu Her made the most progress. Initially, whenever he greeted or approached her, she would drop whatever she was holding, prostrate herself, and greet "Your Majesty." Qian Long counted at least ten shattered crockery items by the efforts of Yu Her alone.

It now took him half a shi chen to beat her in Wei Qi, which was an improvement over three consecutive wins over her in that same period of time (only after he ordered her to play properly). However, she was still scared of him. The slight tremor in her voice and the trembling hands made it that obvious. There was still room for improvement but it was better than nothing.

"Si Ye…I…I…your breakfast, it’s ready. I’ll go get it." She looked at him shyly and hurried into the kitchen.

The girl definitely had a crush on him and it pleased him no end for it was concrete proof of his charisma. However, Qian Long found himself touched by Yu Her’s genuine feelings for him. Too often, his concubines and consorts had openly declared their undying love for him. In reality, they were only trying to gain his favour in the hopes of improving their status in the Hou Gong. They were wasting their breaths. His relationship with them was purely physical. None of them could ever hope to compete with Ah Lan who had stolen his heart when they had first met fourteen years ago.

Thinking of Ah Lan, Qian Long found himself missing her. How was she at the moment? What was she doing now? He only hoped that Fu Heng and Long Do would complete their Shan Dong tour as soon as possible. Then they would be out of this place and back to Beijing.

Yu Her re-entered the dining room with a tray of food. "Si Ye. Your breakfast is ready. I’ll take it to your room."

The last few days, Qian Long had his meals alone or with Ke Sun in the guestroom. The monotony of it was getting to him and he decided he would try something different today.

"Miss Xia, it would do me great pleasure if you joined me for breakfast. Here in the dining room."

"Oh, Si Ye…I…I would love to…but I can’t because I have to…"

"Please, Miss Xia, I insist." Qian Long said in a tone that left no room for discussion.

Not a word was spoken throughout the whole meal. Nevertheless, Qian Long found himself enjoying Yu Her’s presence. It was like being in the palace, breakfasting with the Empress. If they could do this all the time…

"Miss Xia, if you are free, will you join me for… lunch today?" He nearly said, "For every meal" but stopped himself in time. He didn’t want to frighten her.

Yu Her’s eyes widened. Then in a very small voice, "Yes."

"Yu Her, do you mind me calling you Yu Her?"

Wide eyes again. Then a very tentative shake of the head. "No."

"Good. Another game of Wei Qi afterwards? I’ll be in the study room." Qian Long strolled out of the room.

Yu Her was confused. Very confused. First inviting her to breakfast and lunch, then asking to address her by her personal name, then asking her to play Wei Qi... What did that mean? Could it be that…Si Ye actually…?

Her logical side scolded her for indulging in immature adolescent fantasies. Wake up, silly girl! Si Ye has loads of women, prettier and more talented than myself, awaiting him in Beijing. How could I, a mere Han commoner, ever hope to measure up to them? But the way he looked at her just now, the way he had gazed at her when they first met, spoke of something more.

She had been unable to stop thinking about him since his arrival. He’s so good at calligraphy, Wei Qi, painting and poetry. He knows so much about history and philosophy, and he’s even better than me at [Dui Zi]. Yu Her looked up at the ceiling dreamily. On top of that, he’s so handsome…

Am I actually falling in love with him? Is this what love is like? Then primly, she told herself that it was a crush, puppy love and nothing more. Yu Her began clearing up the table, in the hopes that it would stop her from daydreaming again.

**********

"Go practice your Qin."

Yu Her looked blankly at Si Ye.

"If I remember correctly, the rule in this house is that whoever wins at Wei Qi must play the Qin." Qian Long pointed to the Qin in the study room.

"Si Ye, my father is a better player."

"Please Yu Her. In the one month I’ve been here, I haven’t had the chance to hear you play yet." Qian Long wheedled.

"What would you like me to play then?" Yu Her gave in. Si Ye had proved himself very persistent and persuasive.

"Something…unique."

Yu Her thought a moment, then her eyes lit up, and she began to play a merry ditty.

Qian Long found himself tapping to the fast-paced boisterous tune. It was a refreshing change from the slow-paced sombre compositions Mr.Xia and the court musicians seemed to favour. How she could really play! Her fingers danced across the Qin with impossible speed, and the music flowed smoothly from the Qin.

"Bravo! Bravo!" Qian Long applauded when she brought the ditty to a heart-thumping end. "What’s the theme?"

"Oh, nothing special, Si Ye. Just a Shan Dong folksong. About something very trivial."

"Don’t worry. Just tell me."

"It’s…it’s about Shan Dong dumplings." Yu Her looked contrite

Qian Long guffawed loudly. "Shan Dong dumplings! That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard this year. Hahahah! Yu Her, you are absolutely priceless." He patted her shoulder in a friendly manner.

Yu Her smiled benignly. By now, she had got used to the friendly touches from Si Ye. The first time he had patted her shoulder, she had nearly fainted. Then Yu Her was acutely aware that his hand was still on her shoulder.

"Yu Her…" He pulled her closer to him.

Qian Long’s voice was very low, very husky, sending shivers up her back. Yu Her stepped back looking at him, bewildered and terrified. Mumbling an apology, she ran out of the study room.

**********

"Husband?"

"Yes?" Mr.Xia was not really paying attention. He was thinking about their current situation. It had been one month since Si Ye’s arrival. The Xias still could not go to town. They couldn’t even have guests, the gall of it! However, Si Ye did let him continue his home teaching sessions, on the condition that either Si Ye or Ke Sun sit in with him during the lessons. Of course, he knew that they were watching him closely. If he tried to do "anything odd", well it could spell the end of his teaching career.

"Have you noticed anything strange lately?"

"We have an Emperor living in our house. Isn’t that strange enough for you?"

" I wasn’t talking about Wan Sui Ye. I’m talking about Yu Her."

"What about her?"

"You old fool! Haven’t you noticed a single thing? It’s all happening right before you!"

"What…what haven’t I notice?"

"That Yu Her is behaving strangely!"

"So what? You keep reminding me that she got it from my side of the family."

"Ai yah, you men are so blind!" Madam Xia scolded. "Lately, Yu Her’s been quite easily distracted. See, in the last five days, she burnt the rice three times. The other day, she poured salt instead of sugar into the sweet cakes. Then yesterday, she put vinegar instead of sesame oil in the chicken…" She ran through a list of culinary disasters made by Yu Her.

"We’ve got a Wan Sui Ye staying in our house. That’s enough to make anybody distracted." Mr.Xia came to Yu Her’s defense.

"There’ re other things too. I often see her blushing and smiling to herself. She’s got this dreamy, faraway look in her eyes. On top of that, she’s more quiet than usual."

"Meaning that…"

"She’s in love!"

"WHAT?"

**********

I’m in love, Qian Long convinced himself.

Proof? He found himself thinking about her often. She never was far from his thoughts. He loved the way she flushed prettily whenever he complimented her, the way she brushed away a fringe of hair that had come loose. Whenever she smiled at him, his heart raced. Whenever he saw her talking to a male student from her father’s class, he felt threatened. When he did not see her, he felt a strange emptiness and loneliness within him. More importantly, Yu Her had aroused strong feelings in him, feelings that he only reserved for Ah Lan.

"Si Ye, I’m ready." Yu Her interrupted his train of thoughts. She stood before him, looking nervous.

"Shall we…" Qian Long reached for her hand.

"Si Ye! Miss Xia!" Ke Sun bounced before them happily.

Ke Sun had the worst sense of timing. Qian Long thought evilly, I’m going to post him to sentry duty at the borders of Russia.

"Miss Xia, I…" Ke Sun blurted, puppy-eager.

Qian Long carefully trod on Ke Sun’s toes.

"Aaaaaaah!" he cried.

"Ke Sun, Mr.Xia is having students with him today," Qian Long said pointedly.

"Oh," Ke Sun said.

Much to Qian Long’s relief, Ke Sun bade them farewell and quickly departed. Good, his intelligence had improved. Turning towards Yu Her, "Shall we proceed?"

The heavy rains of the previous night had breathed new life into the Shan Dong summer. It was as if a blanket of oppressing heat had been swept away. The stale, stifling summer air was now cool and smelt fresh. Lavender petals of crepe myrtle carpeted the grounds. A cool breeze wafted over Da Ming Hu.

The couple walked along the banks of Da Ming Hu side by side, keeping a discreet distance between them. Neither said a word.

Out of the corner of her eye, Yu Her observed Qian Long. It had been about fourteen days since the "Shan Dong Dumplings" incident. Si Ye had not brought up the subject, nor had he appeared offended when she brought him his lunch later. Before he could invite her to join him, she had left. From that day, she began avoiding Si Ye as much as she could. She stayed in her room as much as could. Whenever she bumped into him, she quickly curtsied and practically ran away.

In hindsight, Yu Her wondered why she had behaved so erratically (and also why Si Ye hadn’t beheaded her yet for "lese majeste"). In the fourteen days that had passed, Yu Her found herself thinking about him all the time. She missed their Wei Qi sessions, missed debating poetry and history with him, missed his smile, missed the way he cocked his eyebrows…

Yu Her was snapped out of her reverie when Qian Long slipped his hand into hers. Her first instinct was to pull her hand away. Then she remembered that this was no ordinary young man trying to be fresh with her, it was a Wan Sui Ye. Yu Her had no choice but to let Qian Long hold her hand. Then without warning, he pulled her closer to him, causing her to blush furiously. Yu Her prayed no one would recognise her lest she became the "hot topic" of Ji Nan.

Qian Long led them to a little pavilion that was fairly secluded (thankfully). By now, Yu Her was fairly certain when Qian Long "asked" her to join him for a walk, it was not just to enjoy the scenery by Da Ming Hu. They sat next to each other, hand-in-hand and quietly "enjoying the scenery".

"The view here is calm and beautiful." Qian Long suddenly spoke.

Yu Her said nothing, uncertain how to respond.

"I enjoy the view, especially after the rains," he continued. "That’s when the lotus flowers are in full bloom."

"Yes, it is…" she murmured. Outwardly, she tried to appear serene but inside, her thoughts were in a jumble.

"I’ve always taken lotus flowers for granted. It wasn’t until I didn’t see one for a long time that I realized how much I missed lotus flowers. "

Yu Her’s eyes widened at this subtle reference.

"In the time, I’ve been here. I’ve come to enjoy your company. If it were not for you, I would have gone stark, raving mad with only Ke Sun and your father to talk to."

"Why is that?" Yu Her asked. She wondered why she asked him to elaborate on such an inane matter. Maybe it was to distract him (or her) from the real issue.

Qian Long snorted derisively. "Ke Sun can only talk about crickets and the techniques of dice throwing in mind-numbing detail. No offence meant to your father but he tends to agree with everything I say." Looking at her fondly, "and he can’t play my favorite tune, [Shan Dong Dumplings]."

"You…you’re not angry with me? The…the way I have behaved recently? "

"How could I ever be?" Qian Long said as he drew her closer. "Though sometimes you can be quite provocative." He remembered the various disagreements they had over poetry and philosophy. He had really missed those times.

Yu Her looked away, afraid that if she looked at him, she would faint. The strange, earthy masculine odour Qian Long gave off was making her dizzy. Her heart began to hammer painfully in her chest. She had never been near a man before…

Qian Long tipped her chin up gently, "Look at me, Yu Her."

Trembling, Yu Her looked into his eyes. Oh, how she could lose herself in the depths of his eyes.

"Yu Her…" He tenderly brushed away a rogue tendril of silky black hair that had fallen into her eyes. "Nobody has made me feel this way for a long, long time. I’ve missed our times together. I’ve missed you."

"I have too, Si Ye." Yu Her’s voice was barely audible. "I purposely avoided you. I…"

"Shhh, shh..." Qian Long gently put a finger to her lips. "Say no more. All is forgiven." He wrapped his arms around her slender frame that was trembling like a lotus petal in the wind.

Feeling warm and safe in his embrace, Yu Her leaned her head against his chest. Qian Long rested his chin on her head, inhaling in her perfume.

It seemed that everything around them had disappeared. Only the two of them existed, only the two of them mattered. Everything seemed have to gone silent around them; there was not even a rustle to be heard. To them it seemed only the sound of their breathing and their hearts beating as one were the only audible things.

**********

"For you." Qian Long presented a foldable fan to Yu Her.

"For me?" Yu Her unfolded the fan. There was a lotus flower painted on it and in Qian Long’s writing:

[After the rains, the lotus displays her splendour

The towns are filled with the colours of spring

The scenery by Great Ming Lake is awesome

Seen afar from the summits of Mount Tai ]

"Thank you, Si Ye" she said softly.

"My reward," Qian Long pointed to the Qin.

Yu Her began to play a gentle, flowing tune. Qian Long listened, mesmerized by the haunting melody. The tranquility and the purity of music soothed his soul.

"It’s beautiful," Qian Long said sincerely when the music came to a smooth stop.

"Thank you, Si Ye. I could write out the music for you." Yu Her offered.

"I received a letter from Long Do and Fu Heng. They’re in Qing Dao now."

"Oh, how are they?" Yu Her wondered why Si Ye was suddenly speaking out of context.

"They’re well. Just asking if Ke Sun is taking good care of me. I ought to tell them I’ve dismissed Ke Sun from that position as I’ve found someone more suited to the job." He looked at her lovingly.

"Thank you, Si Ye. You’re too kind."

Then Qian Long looked serious. "They say they’ll be in Qing Dao for some days before heading back to Ji Nan. At the most they’ll be in Ji Nan within the next two months."

"Oh." Yu Her had been dreading this. She knew that Si Ye would eventually have to return to Beijing but she never expected it to be so quick.

"I’m going to miss a lot of things here, especially [Shan Dong Dumplings]."

"You…you could always hire Shan Dong chefs." Yu Her mentally kicked herself for her slip of tongue.

"I’m going to miss a particular lotus flower that blooms after a rain," Qian Long said softly.

Yu Her held her tongue lest she said something unforgivable along the lines of "planting lotus in the palace." She always did that when she was nervous.

"As for writing the music score, never mind. None of the palace musicians could bring your music to life. " Qian Long paused then continued, "Yu Her, it will be good if I could hear you play [Shan Dong Dumplings], even when I’m in Beijing…"

Qian Long’s meaning hit Yu Her with the force of a boulder rolling from Mount Tai.

***********

Mr.Xia’s initial reaction was disbelief then rage. First the emperor imprisoning him in his own home and now this…this barefaced robbery.

"Daddy?" Yu Her looked a little scared. Dad had turned deathly white when she told him about Si Ye’s proposal.

Mr.Xia finally calmed down and sighed deeply. He should have foreseen this happening. Since Si Ye’s arrival and the family’s enforced incarceration, he had tried to cope as best as he could. He had shut himself in his books and his work, shutting his wife out. Worst of all, he had shut Yu Her out, somehow driving her into the arms of Si Ye. He suddenly felt so old, so tired, so jealous of Si Ye, so worried about Yu Her being alone in Beijing.

Yu Her’s birth had a surprise and the blessing for the Xias who after five miscarriages were resigned to being childless. They had not held out much hope for the sixth pregnancy. To their relief and delight, the pregnancy progressed to term. On a hot rainy summer’s day, Madam Xia gave birth to a healthy, squalling baby girl.

As he cradled the wailing child in his arms, Mr. Xia had been hard pressed for a girl’s name until he saw the lotus flowers in their glory along the banks of Da Ming Hu near his home. The doctors said that Madam Xia would never be able to conceive again, making Yu Her an only child. Hence Mr.Xia poured all his energies and investment into Yu Her, as if she were a boy. To his delight, Yu Her, a dead ringer for Madam Xia, was his exact replica in talents and personalities.

He had always hoped that Yu Her would marry a Ji Nan lad so that she could always be within gossiping distance of dear old dad. Now a dragon, a Son of Heaven was about to pluck the lotus that he had carefully tended to for the last eighteen years. He would never ever see Yu Her again once she was in Beijing. Nor did he hold much hope for seeing his grandchildren.

"Daddy, are you alright?" Yu Her looked concerned. Daddy looked so old, so frail. She wondered if she should leave Ji Nan.

"I…I’m alright, Yu Her." Mr.Xia finally said. He settled himself in his favourite easy chair. His heart ached as he remembered how little Yu Her used to fall asleep on his chest as he sat in this chair.

"Daddy, maybe I…I shouldn’t go." She knelt beside him.

"Silly girl, you’re nearly eighteen. It’s time for you to settle down. And I…we know how you feel about him." But do you know how he feels for you? Mr.Xia wondered but did not say it out. Besides, this was the Emperor who was asking for his daughter, not any mere male. It would be very unwise to refuse him.

"Daddy, do you think he’s a little bit too old for me?" Yu Her said, looking a little uncertain.

"Dear girl, I’m nearly 20 years older than your Mama," Mr. Xia had married late. He was well into his forties when he finally tied the knot with the future Madam Xia, who was barely seventeen. "And it’s an established fact that women marry their fathers."

"But Dad, Si Ye doesn’t have anything in common with you!"

"Oh, really?" Mr.Xia cocked an eyebrow in a way eerily similar to Si Ye.

Yu Her lowered her head. For the first time in her life, she had no smart retort.

"But Daddy…I’ll be so far away from you and Mama…"

Images of Yu Her growing up flashed before his eyes-the baby quietly sleeping in his arms, the toddler taking her first step, the small girl begging to hold a calligraphy brush, the mischievous teenager playing a ditty on the qin…His vision became blurry with tears.

"Whatever your decision, you have our blessing. We…I want you to be happy." Mr.Xia gently wiped the tears from Yu Her’s eyes. She did the same for him.

Father and daughter sat in silence, savouring whatever moments they had together.