The next day, Wu Zixu came to the palace to meet the king. And he was upset to find out that Fuchai was still in Xi Shi's room. It's almost noontime, and the king had not even gotten up.
Fuchai, who was still in Xi Shi's room, was informed that Wu Zixu wanted to see him.
Fuchai sighed. He knew that Wu Zixu was a senior minister, and he could not refuse to see him.
"Your Majesty, please don't leave me alone!" Xi Shi pulled Fuchai's hand. "I'm a stranger in this place. I'm scared!"
Fuchai caressed her cheek and said, "There's nothing to be afraid of! You're safe in the palace. Hmm, I will leave you for a while. I will be right back as soon as I finish my audience with him!"
Xi Shi put a sad face. Fuchai kissed her cheek lightly. He then called his attendants to help him to dress up.
One of the attendants went to Xi Shi's bed and pulled out the bedsheet. He smiled happily and spread the bedsheet with a stain of blood in front of Fuchai and said, "May Your Majesty is blessed with many sons and daughters from the new consort!"
Fuchai laughed happily and said, "Give Consort Shi ten bolts of silk and two jade hairpins. Also, give her five attendants to serve her day and night!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Xi Shi said.
Fuchai left her room and went to the audience hall, where Wu Zixu had waited for him.
When Fuchai entered the room, a group of bodyguards shouted out loud and said, "Fuchai, have you forgotten the grudge you bear toward the Yue king for having killed your father?"
Fuchai was a bit surprised. He had not heard that word again for a long time. "I dare not to forget!" Fuchai said and entered the room to meet Wu Zixu, who stood solemnly.
"Minister Wu, anything important?" Fuchai asked.
"Did you hear what those guards shouted just now?" Wu Zixu asked.
"Yes!"
"And you, not only you released Goujian back to his country. You even gave him lands, and now you accepted his gifts! Those two beauties will destroy you!" Wu Zixu sighed. "Wine and beauty frequently ruin a state. From ancient times, beauties have been the undoing of the loyal and the true."
"Minister Wu, you're worrying too much! What can those girls do to me?"
"Not only those girls. But all of Goujian's gifts will bring trouble to you!" Wu Zixu sighed.
Wu Zixu continued:
"Do not become enamored of glossy raven hair
dark curved eyebrows and beautiful complexions.
Cease to hanker after a jade body and her crimson lips,
which ravages a man's body and shortens his life!
Beauties capable of toppling kingdoms and cities
Be not enchanted, husbands!
Those who are able to diminish their desires live longer
From this time on, abandon all thought of amorous desire!"
"Minister Wu, you're exaggerating!" Fuchai said.
"Those girls are sent here by Goujian. And Goujian is a man who, day and night, thought of nothing other than his desire to destroy the state of Wu!"
"Goujian was even willing to taste my stool to show his loyalty to me. That man has no longer any guts to against Wu!"
"My king, you're wrong!" Wu Zixu shook his head. He had never expected that Fuchai was so blind. "Goujian has started by drinking my king's urine, but he will end up eating my king's heart; he has started by tasting my king's stool, but he will end up devouring my king's liver."
"What kind of hero is willing to degrade himself like that? Goujian has lost all of his fighting spirits!" Fuchai said. "He even build his new capitals with no walls facing our land. It show's his loyalty to us!"
"Goujian is a man who paid heed to good advice. And he was surrounded with men of virtue and ability. He has Fan Li and Wen Zhong! When Fan Li was here, for three years, I tried to persuade him to leave Goujian and work for us to no avail. He's a man of virtue. Goujian and his men are really can not be underestimated!"
"Minister Wu, I also have capable men like you and the other officials!" Fuchai laughed. "You only praise our enemies. It's true; the grass is always greener on the other side!"
"In the heat of summer, Goujian donned garments made of fur, and in winter, he fended off the cold with nothing more than light cotton clothing. That man has such resilience and determination! And what about you, my king? Wu has been prospering in the past few years. And now you're enjoying yourself with wine and beauty. Men of virtue are a state's treasure, but beautiful women are the source of a state's ruin. My king should take warning from the fact that beautiful women had brought about the downfall of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties."
Fuchai was not happy, and he raised his tone said, "Are you saying that Goujian is a better man than me?"
"I dare not say so, my king!"
"Then what are you trying to say?"
"Get rid of those Yue women!"
"I am a king! Should I be afraid of harmless creatures like them?" Fuchai sighed, "You could leave now!" Fuchai angrily left the audience hall to return to Xi Shi's place.
Fuchai, ignoring Wu Zixu's cautionary advice, accepted the gift of Xi Shi and Zheng Dan. When this was reported back to Goujian, the Yue ruler exclaimed, "Fuchai is determined to fall in this beauty trap!"
===========
A few days later, Xi Shi visited Zheng Dan.
Zheng Dan happily welcomed her and said, "Xi Shi, I'm happy for you! I heard the whole women in the palace said that the king likes is very fond of you!"
Xi Shi looked around, and when she saw that there's no one around, she took Zheng Dan's hand and said, "Should I be happy?"
Zheng Dan clutched her hand and curiously asked, "How is it? Does the king treat you well?"
Xi Shi sighed and said, "Fuchai is nice to me. He's very gentle to me!"
"Then, why do you sigh?" Zheng Dan didn't understand.
"Zheng Dan, you know…serving someone that you don't love is disgusting," Xi Shi said in a very low voice. "Someday, when the king summons you to serve him, then you will know!"
Zheng Dan laughed and said, "Even if we're not sent to Fuchai, it doesn't mean that we can have a choice to marry someone that we like!"
"When I'm with Fuchai, then I know why Ying was very upset that day when she knew what's our role," Xi Shi sighed.
"Zheng Dan," Xi Shi started to cry. "That day Ying came to Minister Fan and asked: what if we have Fuchai's children? Confucius said that a woman should obey her father when she's under their care, and obey her husband after she got married. Then how can we betray someone who is our husband? Tell me…when the time comes when our king conquers Wu, then what should we do?"
"How did Minister Fan answer her?"
Xi Shi shook her head, "He couldn't answer her." Xi Shi sighed and continue, "Tell me, even if the king put favor on us, but sooner or later we have to betray him. Then, truly what kind of woman are we?"
Zheng Dan's face changed a bit, but she smiled and tried to be happy, "We love our country more than anything! That's why we are here. Don't overthink! . Come, why don't we just live day by day. Perhaps we will be happier!"
Xi Shi nodded, "That's all we can do!"
Zheng Dan started to recall Ying. For three years, the three of them were always together, and they were like sisters.
"I wonder if our soldiers could find Ying!" Zheng Dan sighed.
"If she's caught by the bandits than probably she would…" Xi Shi didn't continue her word and started to cry. "Woman's life is not easy. I dare not to hope that she would be alive. Probably, for a woman like her, dying is better than living! I know that she would prefer to die rather than to give herself to someone she dislikes!"
"Aye, a woman's life is really not easy!" Zheng Dan repeated what Xi Shi just said.
"I just could wish her all the best!"
"Come, let's drink and be merry! Let's hope that Ying -that naughty brat will be happy wherever she is!"
===