A Song to Drown Rivers

There are weeks of preparation for the birthday party, and Xishi spends her time embroidering a piece of silk for him. On the day, each concubine presents him with a gift. Fuchai seems bored by even the most interesting gift, a bird that recites poetry. As Xishi lifts her box of silk, she knows something is wrong, and when she opens it, she finds that her work has been cut to pieces. Thinking fast, she picks up a stone while Zhengdan diverts attention to a beautiful and auspicious bird. She presents the rock to the king while others snicker. She explains that while others wish him glory and success, these come at a personal expense. She wishes him life’s quiet pleasures like skipping rocks or taking walks in gardens. Some of the servants openly scoff until Fuchai smiles, takes the pebble, and holds it like a treasure, saying that he will remember her.

When the king requests her presence, Xishi says she is too tired. She continues to turn down his requests until he turns up at her room asking what game she is playing. He reaches for her, and she pulls away. He surprises her, saying there’s no point if she isn’t willing but asking to stay the night anyway and sleep next to her. Xishi agrees, knowing that people will make assumptions about their actions. While the king sleeps, Xishi dreams of her dying little sister. When she wakes and sees the peaceful Fuchai, she thinks how easy it would be to kill him but knows she must be patient. He continues to visit her chamber and sleep over every night. Meanwhile, Zhengdan is watching the soldiers and speaking to the other palace ladies to gather information.

A strange maid enters with a new drink for them. Zhengdan smacks it out of Xishi’s hand, realizing it is poison.

The maid, Xiaomin, is terrified and discloses that she was sent by Lady Yu. Xishi promises to let her go if Xiaomin promises loyalty to her instead of Lady Yu. The maid agrees. Xishi finds Lady Yu alone and calmly threatens to expose the murder attempt. Lady Yu is confused that Xishi doesn’t seem angry, and Xishi says she is furious, but her fury goes beyond Lady Yu. Lady Yu confides that if her position in the palace slips, her father, who is a general in the guard, will also suffer a loss. Xishi makes a deal with Lady Yu not to tell anyone about the poison. She will also persuade Fuchai to visit Lady Yu more often in return for a favor from her and her father when the time comes. This surprises Lady Yu, who agrees.

It is winter, and Fuchai is even more enchanted with Xishi. She brings him wine despite knowing he has an important meeting with his ministers. She asks to stay and observe, and when he vacillates, she kisses him for the first time. He kisses her back with passion and says he finally understands the poems that talk about love. He allows her to stay, though Zixu and General Ma speak out against her presence. Bo Pi, another spy for the Yue kingdom, argues that she is a trusted concubine and they should proceed. Zixu speaks of attacking Yue while they are still weak. Ma agrees that they should crush the Yue before they can gather the strength for war. Xishi speaks up, saying that there is no Yue war plan or committee and that the Yue are not preparing for war. She insists that Goujian looks at Fuchai as a friend. Zixu objects that Fanli is not a friend. Xishi’s heart hurts listening to them talk about the humiliation and punishment he received from them. Xishi vows to herself that she will succeed in her mission, thinking that she doesn’t understand why they are debating defeating a kingdom that has already been defeated. Zixu brings up Fuchai’s father and how the Yue caused his death, irritating Fuchai, who doesn’t enjoy living under his father’s shadow. He declares the meeting over and says they will not attack Yue. Later Zhengdan tells Xishi that people are saying she is a fox spirit or has put a spell on the king. Xiaomin says the ministers are concerned that Xishi is meddling and will destroy the kingdom, that all the king’s bad decisions can be traced to her, such as the palace Fuchai is building after he lost a pebble skipping contest to her. He is calling it the Palace of Beautiful Women, and it is costing a lot of money. Xishi asks Xiaomin if she has a sweetheart, and she admits she is going to marry one of the guards. Xishi sees her joy and wants to warn her of love’s danger but doesn’t. A year later, the palace is complete and Xishi has almost finished a map of the kingdom showing all the hidden paths and entrances to the palaces, summer retreats, and gardens. Fuchai enjoys showing her around the beautiful palace he has built for her. She dances for him, feeling powerful and knowing he would give everything up except her.