Licking the Lotus Stamen

I'm waiting for the Empress. From what Wan'er has told me, I believe that I will have another sexual encounter with her. My cock is hard. I wish to submit to her, to lose myself in her transcendent authority, the glory of the woman who rules the mightiest empire in the world. To be permitted to kiss her cunt again will satisfy my deepest cravings -- and who knows what else she may allow me to do this time?

I hear the latch turning in the door. I quickly kneel in anticipation. The door swings wide, and a group of six beautiful handmaidens dressed in emerald green enter the chamber, followed by the Empress. She is wearing robes of gleaming white, with scarlet trim and scarlet dragons embroidered into the silk. Her hair is done up simply with peonies (a flower I am told is special to Luoyang.) I do not dare to meet her eyes, not yet -- I slowly prostrate myself. She approaches me, so that her lovely feet are tantalizingly close to my mouth, and she bends to stroke my hair. She says something to me that I do not understand; there is no translator present. Then she takes my hand and directs me to rise.

We sit together on the bed. I am concerned because I am slightly taller than she, but in private chambers it seems that the protocol is not so strict. The handmaidens come to serve us some kind of fermented beverage. It seems quite potent. We drink, then the Empress brings her hand to my chin and lifts my face until I meet her eyes.

Her expression is one of confident authority. I look in her eyes for other things, for kindness, friendship, desire, but whatever else may be there is hidden beneath the surface. Her hand moves to the back of my neck and pulls me to kiss her.

Her kiss is sensual, demanding. I feel my cock throbbing. She is dominating me with her tongue, and as I become more and more aroused, I begin to feel reckless, like I did when I touched her in the court. I am confused. I don't know how assertive I dare to be. But now the Empress has reached into my robes, and her hand has closed around my rigid cock.

I groan joyfully. I will let her know the effect she is having on me. My hips rise to meet her hand. With her other hand, she is pushing my chest, directing me to lay flat upon the bed. She has opened my robe now, and my cock is in her mouth.

Her sucking is exquisite. A memory flits through my mind, a memory of the stories I had heard about how Wu Zetian maneuvered her way to the throne by taking lovers who were important in the court (including two emperors who preceded her), and astonishing them with her sexual prowess. My cock is deep in her throat. Her fingers are doing things to me that I do not understand, but I know that she will soon make me climax. I can tell that she knows this, too. She makes a hungry growling sound. I have never experienced such pleasure.

I have lost control of myself. It was not a conscious decision. Somehow I have twisted my body around and torn open the Empress' lovely white robes. We are lying side by side in opposite directions. I have buried my face in her cunt, and she has fiercely continued to suck my cock. Our naked bodies are pressed together, bathed in sweat. She is writhing against me, rubbing her nipples wantonly against my stomach. She is going to make me climax very soon. I am feasting on her clit, her lotus stamen, overwhelmed by love of her taste, her smell and texture, and I think that she will climax, too.

Her arms are strong. She tightens them around me and arches her back, and jets of liquid erupt from her cunt. I believe this must be paradise! I am ejaculating forcefully down the throat of the Empress, as she moans a wordless song of satisfaction.

Like a tigress, she whirls around and pins me on my back to the bed. She is speaking to me again, and the words mean nothing to me, but her tone of voice is very seductive and compelling. She is staring intensely into my eyes, and her breasts are dangling so one nipple is only inches from my mouth. Miraculously, I am hard again. She continues to speak to me, low and slow, and now...

...now I am inside her. She has mounted me and she is fucking me with maddening slowness and sensuality. She allows her nipples to brush my lips, one at a time, and I capture them and suck them with reverent desperation. As my lips consume them, her words to me become louder and more urgent. I believe that she is commanding me to gnaw more ardently at her nipples, and to intensify the way my hips rise to meet hers, thrusting my cock into her innermost depths. I am eager to obey. I tell her so, in my own language. She is quickening her pace and crying out. She is having climax after climax. This is the greatest moment of my life.

I met with the Empress again during each of the three days that followed. Without being able to communicate using language, she has introduced me to sexual practices that I had never dreamed existed. With just her fierce eyes and the tone of command in her words which I did not understand, she could cause me to climax, or inspire me to make her climax. I also discovered that her six lovely handmaidens can do more than just serve beverages.

I don't know how to describe the summits of joy I have attained during my meetings with the Empress. I think perhaps I will learn to compose poetry, to try to capture the beauty of these encounters.

But today will be different. Today the Empress has decreed a state dinner, to celebrate the new fraternal closeness between the Chinese Empire and the Srivijayan. My men and I are once again attired in our finest clothing, and I believe that I hear the familiar knock of Hao upon our door.

The streets are full of people who are loitering and talking to one another as we make our way to the palace. I ask Hao whether this is a holiday. He seems reticent. After walking for a few minutes in silence, he tells me that the people are uneasy, that rumors of dangerous developments are flying. That seems to be all he is willing to say.

As we continue to walk, I notice something else. Sang is with us. Somehow he has joined our formation as we march through the streets. His clothing does not match that of my contingent, but it is close enough that it will not raise questions. The Srivijayan style of dress is quite different than the Chinese, and small discrepancies will probably go unnoticed. I want to talk to him and ask him where he has been, but that would call attention to him.

The weather has cooled somewhat, and fluffy white clouds glide across the sky. There is a shadow on the gates of the palace as we enter. We are escorted to the dining hall, and attendants begin to bring food. Their service is interrupted by the entrance of the Empress, which is heralded by drums and assorted wind instruments. She is seated at the head of the principal table, and the service continues. The food is unlike anything I have ever seen: elephant steaks, unborn mice stuffed with honey, and many varieties of turnip, taro, yam, lotus, water chestnut, and ginger.

After most of the guests have finished, Wan'er rises and makes an announcement in Chinese. She then follows it with these words in our language:

"The past days have seen the emergence of a new and fruitful friendship among two empires, the Empire of China and the Empire of Srivijaya. Her Majesty wishes all of her subjects to join her in celebrating this new relationship." Suddenly Wan'er is being interrupted by shouting.

I look around. The shouting is coming from Sang! He is loudly saying something in Chinese. The room erupts in commotion. Others are shouting in response. A man who appears to be a senior official, stout and lavishly attired in silks of green and silver, has grown red-faced and is shouting back at Sang, and seems to be attempting with some difficulty to make his way across the room to confront him.

I look wildly around until I see Hao at the next table. I rush to him to ask him what is going on. He is reluctant to answer me because he is struggling to hear what is being said over the hubbub, but eventually he turns to me and says, "Your man has charged that there is a conspiracy against the Empress. He has named Minister of Defense Ouyang Tong as one of the ringleaders, and..." Hao is interrupted by a fresh outbreak of shouting from every corner of the room. He strains his ears to make out what is being said.

Hao turns to me once again, his face pale. "Your man is saying that Minister Ouyang has falsely accused Commander Li, because Commander Li was prepared to rally his men in defense of the Empress."

The din is steadily rising in loudness and chaos, when suddenly there is a clear, piercing cry. Everyone turns to seek the source of the sound, and it is the Empress. Her voice rings out with authority, and suddenly everyone is silent. She stands resolutely and sweeps the room with her gaze. She speaks for a minute or so, with an edge of anger in her voice, then abruptly she stops. It is clear that the event has been concluded. The guests are silently rising from the tables and departing. Hao softly but urgently advises me to assemble my men so that we may return to our quarters.

We have been sitting restlessly in our quarters. Finally the sun departed and darkness arrived in its place, but I have remained awake. Sang did not return with the rest of us to our quarters. I worry that he has been detained. I am waiting up for news.

I hear footsteps outside. A few of my sleepy men reach for their weapons. But when the door opens, it is Sang. He looks tired. I give him food and water, and now he begins to speak:

"I am sorry, chief. I hope I haven't caused you embarrassment. They held me at the palace and asked me questions. Finally they let me go.

"You know how it is, chief. I used to live here. I love this place. I think that the Empress is a great ruler. The Buddha said in the Kutadanta Sutta that a ruler should use economic development instead of force to reduce crime. The government should use the country's resources to improve the economic conditions. It should embark on agricultural and rural development. Well, that's what the Empress is doing.

"The first chance I got, I went to see all my old pals. They're all still in the army. People will talk. I try to keep my ears open. When I was here before, there was always someone playing a game to get power. It's the same now, chief.

"I like Commander Li. He's an honest guy. Some of these ministers came to him, and said let's overthrow the Empress. Who needs a woman ruling the empire. We'll put Ouyang in charge. He told them to forget it. So the next thing that happens is that someone denounces Li as a traitor, saying he betrayed the Empress. What a dirty trick! And Ouyang pretends to be outraged.

"So the people in this town all play the game, trying to figure out who is on what side. They try to guess in advance who's going to win, in order to be on the winning side. It makes me angry. Anger is one of the three poisons, you know. The Buddha said that. I know I've got to observe and fully acknowledge it. But these jackasses -- they are really too much, chief.

"Maybe I should have reported this to someone. But I didn't know whom to trust. So I decided I needed to speak in public. I thought that maybe no one would listen, or I'd get killed or something. So what, I've been a warrior all my life. The Buddha said that he who struggles for peace and truth will have great reward; even his defeat will be deemed a victory.

"I don't know what happen next. I hope I didn't bungle your mission and cause it to fail."

I am waiting for him to go on, but then I realize he has fallen asleep. I really have no idea what this will mean for the agreement I have worked so hard to forge. There is no one whom I may consult now, so I trudge to my room to lie down and fall quickly asleep myself.

The sun is up already. So is Sang, and the men are badgering him with questions about where he has been and what happened last night at the palace. But there is nothing for me to do but wait.

Behind our quarters there is a beautiful courtyard. There are tiny sculpted trees of the pig-bristle type, planted in ceramic pots, placed in a semi-circle. I am sitting on a carved stone bench, facing them. There are many singing birds, smaller and more nervous than those of Srivijaya, but lovely nonetheless. The breeze is refreshing. The sun has not yet heated the land to the intensity that will come later in the day -- I can feel it coming.

I feel like I have passed a milestone in my life. I will never forget what it was like to spend those afternoons with the Empress. It was not love; I know she will soon forget me. It was more like a sort of worship. I felt purified in the act of surrender to her. To you, the stranger who reads my words, this must seem mysterious, perhaps impossible to understand. I think that I am not like other men.

I must also think of my duty. When the sun rose yesterday, it seemed that my trade mission was a glorious success. Now it seems uncertain. Did Sang foil a plot to overthrow the Empress, or did he make false and disruptive accusations? I don't know. Before this day is over, I hope there will be more clarity.

In the late morning, Hao came to summon me, and now we are making our way to the Palace with a token grouping of our men. Sang is not among them. I extracted from Sang a promise to remain in our quarters until I am certain of our standing with the court of the Empress.

Hao informs me that I will be dining with Shangguan Wan'er. Once we arrive at the palace, I part company with my men, and Hao takes me to a room to which I have not yet been. It has no windows, but is hung with beautiful tapestries that depict scenes of a mountainous region. A table sits in the middle, surrounded abundantly with cushions. I wait alone for a few minutes, and Wan'er enters, also alone. She is dressed in radiant tangerine-colored silks, and her hair is done up in an elaborate topknot, interwoven with filaments of gold.

We bow formally to each other, and then seat ourselves across from one another at the table. Wan'er begins:

"Esteemed Ambassador Buana: at the request of the Empress, I have directed an investigation into the charges made by your man. Her Majesty has very efficient secret police, and they worked through the night, questioning all parties.

"Ouyang Tong has been arrested, and Commander Li has been released and reinstated."

I involuntarily exhale -- I am very relieved. But I keep my face impassive. I must be professional. Wan'er courteously ignores my brief lapse, and continues.

"Nevertheless, her Majesty was displeased by the conduct of your man. Although she acknowledges that he has performed a valuable service to her court, he also embarrassed her on an important occasion. Because of his poor etiquette, the Empress requires that you depart for your homeland tomorrow, one day ahead of schedule. The trade agreement will be honored in every detail." I nod gravely. Inwardly I am overjoyed that my mission has not failed.

Wan'er pushes a small teak box across the table. I lift the lid, and inside there sits an exquisite white jade finger ring which bears an image of a phoenix. "Her Majesty requests that you convey this gift to your man, as a token of her gratitude for the courage he displayed." Wan'er permits herself a hint of a smile now, and we both relax. It seems that the diplomatic exchange has been concluded.

A knock comes at the door. Wan'er speaks a word in Chinese, and two attendants enter, bearing platters of exotic foods, including deer tail and duck tongue, along with crab apples in honey. They are serving us a variety of kinds of water, among them rain water, spring water, mineral water, and brook water. Now comes kumiss, fermented mare's milk.

As we eat these delicacies, Wan'er is charming me with a description of life in Luoyang, and a detailed account of climbing nearby Mount Song, with its remarkable spires of rock. Then she pushes her plate aside, and begins to slowly release her hair from its braided topknot.

"Esteemed ambassador," she says, "once before I mentioned that I write my own poetry. I have translated one of my poems into your language. May I recite it for you?"

"By all means," I reply. I sit up straight on my cushions. I am curious and eager to hear her recitation.

Wan'er pulls the golden cord free, and lets her hair cascade down her back and shoulders, then rises to her knees on her cushions. "I call it 'Visiting Princess Changning's Pool-for-Setting-Winecups-Afloat':

Propped on my staff, I looked over wispy peaks,
Then with hazardous pace descended frosty trails.
My goals grew serene the deeper I went in the hills.
I strayed on the path that bent with the mountain stream.
Slowly I sensed detachment in my soul,
And noticed at once how fogs were sinking low.
Be not dismayed I wrote upon that tree--
It was because I cherished this hidden rest."

I bow to her, and say, "Your poem transports my spirit to that place you describe."

Wan'er smiles graciously and replies, "I am most gratified that my poem had such an effect." She looks me directly in the eyes and begins to unfasten her robes at the top near her neck, continuing, "I was a very young girl when I became secretary to Madame Wu. At that time she was empress of Emperor Gaozong. I have known her for many years now, and I have become her confidante. She has taken many lovers, and sometimes she likes to describe them to me, what they are like, what she does with them in her bedchamber."

Wan'er parts her robes above the waist, revealing her lovely breasts. I am moved by their beauty, and I feel the blood rush to my loins. She rises and comes around the table to me, standing before me and placing one foot upon the table as she continues to speak.

"She has confided in me that she loves the way you lick her lotus stamen." Wan'er's fingers are on her nipples now, squeezing and pinching. I cannot resist the way her leg looks, raised up upon the table, causing her thighs to part. I slip my hand inside her robes and I find that her cunt is extremely wet. The feel of it against my fingers is very arousing -- I keep my fingers there, caressing and penetrating her.

"The Empress told me that you are one of her favorites," she is saying. "She told me that since you must leave tomorrow" -- Wan'er pulls loose the last fastening on her robe now, and lets it fall open -- "that I would be wise not to let an opportunity pass me by."

I am rising now to stand before her. She steps down from the table and comes forward to meet me. Wan'er is a tall woman. Her face is at the same level as mine, and our mouths come together in a long kiss. Then she opens my robe and looks at my hard cock. It is plain to see from her face that she yearns for it. I take it in my hand and stroke it, showing it to her. She in turn slides her fingers deep into her cunt, then withdraws them and holds them up so that I may see the abundant sticky juices that coat them now.

I nod and smile in approval, and stroke my cock some more. Wan'er's eyes light up, she smiles back, and she plunges her fingers deep inside her cunt once again. When she brings them back out, they are wetter still, and I open my mouth so that she knows where to put them.

She puts her leg back up on the table, opening her thighs wide so that I may see her. She is hairy, with black curls that creep down her thighs. Her lips are swollen and fat, and her clit is big. I reach down and capture it between my fingers, teasing it. Wan'er closes her eyes and smiles, biting her lower lip.

I seize her leg under the knee and lift it down from the table. Then I turn her to face the table, standing behind to slide the robe from her shoulders, and push her down until her hands rest upon the table surface. Seizing her hips, I begin to push the head of my cock into her cunt, just a little, tantalizing both of us. I feel its slippery grip, as if it seeks to claim my cock. Then I push my cock in a little farther. I know that Wan'er is thinking about how it will feel when I bury it inside her. She is speaking now in Chinese, a sort of chant, where her voice began at a low pitch and is rising slowly but steadily higher. The sound arouses me, and as the minutes pass it begins to make me lose control -- I can wait no longer, I push my cock in all the way.