Tan Bowen dropped into Meili's courtyard a few days after the royal hunting trip. It was late in the afternoon.
She was properly dressed this time, having learnt the hard way not to treat her courtyard as a private space any longer.
Tricky opened a lazy eye at the young man and emitted a quiet growl of displeasure.
"Tan Bowen!" Meili cried with delight. "This time I have missed you. What took you so long to visit me?"
"It's only been three days. Absence does make the heart grow fonder apparently," he smiled.
"My parents have trapped me back in the house after the royal hunt. I'm sooo bored. I must get out of here! Help me?"
"Your wish is my command, my lady," Tan Bowen bowed with a flourish, producing a mysterious package from behind his back. He passed it to Meili.
"Oooh, a present. What could it be?" She tore the package open, and a set of male clothing fell out. She looked curiously at it, looking back into Tan Bowen's face.
"We're getting out of here," he smiled wickedly. "Quick, put it on. We have a town to paint red…"
"You want me to dress up as a man? How will we get out of the mansion? I don't think I can climb onto the roof."
"You'll walk out with me. No one will recognise you at a quick glance."
Her face lit with pleasure.
"You have no idea how much trouble we'll get into if we're caught," she said.
She'd already decided to go along with his harebrained plan, but she thought it only fair to warn him.
"I'll take the punishment if we get caught, don't worry. I'll tell them I made you do it."
"No. If we get caught, we take responsibility together," she said firmly.
"Okay. Although somehow, I don't think you'll get your bottom hit with a switch, so I think it's a risk worth taking," he winked.
"Definitely no caning for me. My punishment will involve writing lines or copying the Empress's 'Instructions for the Inner Quarters'. Much more painful," she assured him.
Meili rushed into her room, calling for Manni. Manni walked past, looking curiously at Tan Bowen right there in her mistress's courtyard. She almost ran into a post she was so fixed on staring at him.
He nodded and smiled at her, like he had every right to be there.
"Manni," she said, "I'm going out with Tan Bowen. Help me dress up like a man."
"Oh my god!" Manni cried. "What a terrible idea young miss. Do you know how much trouble we'll be in if you get caught?"
"That's why you have you help me, pleeease Manni! Say I'm unwell and will take dinner in my room. Then tell mother I'm sleeping peacefully."
Manni put her hand over her mouth and shook her head in dismay, but how could she refuse her mistress anything?
"Now you're making me accomplice number one," she said ruefully.
After a short while, Meili emerged looking like a beautiful woman dressed in men's clothing.
"Pfft!" Tan Bowen burst into laughter. "Oh, ho, ho," he laughed. "That won't do at all."
"What's wrong?" she asked cluelessly. "Have I done it wrong?"
"No, no. You just don't look anything like a man. Come back here with some of your make-up," he ordered.
She approached the man nervously, adjusting her strange outfit.
Manni had bound her chest as tightly as she could. It was not perfect as Tan Bowen's keen eye could still detect the swell of her curves. She wore her long hair piled into an over-sized version of a man's top-knot.
Tan Bowen took her eyeliner and mascara and proceed to dust a light shadow across her lower cheeks and chin, in the manner of a five o'clock shadow.
He was dangerously aware of their intimacy as he touched her face. He gulped noisily and wiped his brow.
"Are you hot?" she asked him? It was a cool spring day.
"No, no. I'm fine," he choked, clearing his throat.
"What's taking you so long?" she complained.
What more could he do? Did the woman have to be so damnably gorgeous?
"Still not there." He stood back and puzzled over what to do next.
He added some eyeliner to her eyes, changing their pretty shape, and used the pencil to thicken her eyebrows, drawing them closer to joining in the middle.
"Now we're getting there," he approved, pulling back to admire his handiwork.
"Don't make me look like a villain or a simpleton. I don't want to get attacked on the street."
"Look, I'm not a miracle maker okay. This is my first time transforming a woman into a man."
"It should be easy. My mother says I have lots of yang in my face."
He coughed noisily. "She was lying to you," he said flatly.
"My mother would never lie to me!" she said defensively, hurt in her voice.
"Sorry, sorry," he soothed. "I didn't mean to criticise your mother. We'll just agree to disagree. Alright, that's the best I can do," he dusted off his hands. "You're an extremely short man, perhaps even a midget, with a vast amount of hair. We'll say you're from the south."
"Are they short and hairy down there?"
"Not this short or this hairy, no. Perhaps their cavemen ancestors looked like this though," he said thoughtfully.
He patted the top of her tiny head.
"Let's go shortcake."
"Don't call me that!"
"Tiny Tim, then?"
"Not that either!"
"Pipsqueak?"
The two walked out of her courtyard, still arguing.
Manni peered fearfully after them. Tricky whimpered at being left behind.
As they passed a pile of empty jars near the kitchen, Tan Bowen passed her a large jar to carry, figuring it was better to hide her face. She staggered under its weight.
"Bear with it," he whispered as two guards marched past them.
"Master Tan," they greeted him respectfully.
"Hello, hello," he said gaily. "This is my young friend … Wei … Wei, as in 'small'. His parents knew he would be small at birth… It runs in the family you see."
"Hello Wei Wei," they greeted him kindly.
Meili nodded her head behind her jar and staggered on.
By the time they reached the front courtyard, her arms were shaking.
"I can't carry this much longer Tan Bowen," she gritted her teeth. "I'm going to drop it."
"Just a bit further. Hang in there Wei Wei."
She giggled hysterically. "Don't call me that. I'll definitely drop this jar!"
"We must only call you that from now on. You've been introduced as Wei Wei. There can't be any other men as small as you with such tall hair, so you'll be easily remembered."
At last, they reached the mansion's entrance, and the guards opened the double doors for them without hesitation.
Once they were out of sight around the corner from the mansion, Tan Bowen took the jar off Meili and placed it on the ground.
"My arms!" she cried rubbing them. "I think you've broken them."
"How can you expect to grow into a big strong man if you don't lift heavy things?"
"You're enjoying this aren't you?"
"Very much."