Jeannie Lin - The Jade Temptress

Welcome to the infamous Pingkang li—home of the celebrated Lotus Palace courtesans, and a place of beauty and treachery…

Charming and seductive, Mingyu is the most sought-after hostess in the pleasure quarter. She has all men wrapped around her finger—except Constable Wu Kaifeng, the one man she can’t resist, the only man to have placed her in chains.

Wu Kaifeng’s outwardly intimidating demeanor hides a reluctant, fierce attraction to beautiful Mingyu. But the passionate temptation she presents threatens to destroy them both when a powerful official is murdered and they find themselves on a deadly trail. Amid the chaos, a forbidden affair could change Mingyu’s fate forever, for following her heart is bound to have consequences.…

Praise for Jeannie Lin

“Wonderfully adventurous love stories set in ancient China, brimming with atmosphere, customs, language and history without missing a deeply emotional love story at the core… Lin proves that, quite simply, she is an exceptional storyteller.”

—RT Book Reviews on The Lotus Palace

“[Lin is] known for building plenty of historical verisimilitude into [her] romances, giving them intellectual as well as emotional depth.”

—Publishers Weekly, Top 10 pick, on The Lotus Palace

“The Lotus Palace by Jeannie Lin is a sensual romance and a gripping mystery story, but is also a moving portrayal of the women and men who socialize in the bordellos of Tang dynasty China.”

—Goodreads.com on The Lotus Palace

“Deliciously detailed and intricately plotted, The Lotus Palace proves Jeannie Lin is a master storyteller.”

—New York Times bestselling author Deanna Raybourn

“Lush history, heartbreaking romance, fascinating mystery, and a happy ending! What more can anyone ask?”

—Patricia Rice, New York Times bestselling author, on The Lotus Palace

“Jeannie Lin has done it again….The Lotus Palace is a poignant love story to treasure.”

—Elizabeth Essex, award-winning author of Scandal in the Night, on The Lotus Palace

“The Lotus Palace is pure entertainment.”

—Midwest Book Reviews on The Lotus Palace

The Jade Temptress

Jeannie Lin

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Dear Reader,

While writing the previous book, The Lotus Palace, Mingyu and Constable Wu Kaifeng played an important role. I already knew from their early interactions that something was brewing under the surface between them. It was also a pleasure to return to the entertainment district of the Pingkang li. The setting has provided me with endless inspiration.

For history buffs, the crime featured in The Jade Temptress was based on a popular tale of the Pingkang li. Mingyu’s conduct and her relationship with her patrons as well as her foster mother was also a composite of many different accounts of the courtesans who entertained within the quarter. The source for much of this was Sun Qi’s Records of the Northern Quarter, which was written in the later Tang Dynasty.

For mystery buffs, Wu Kaifeng’s forensic knowledge was based on case records of criminal investigations from as early as the Han Dynasty and through to the Tang Dynasty. The most prominent treatise on Chinese forensics in imperial China is physician Song Ci’s The Washing Away of Wrongs, which was written later in the thirteenth century. However, given that many of the earlier case records included detail about forensics investigations, I took some liberty and extrapolated that these processes of autopsy and crime scene recreation were likely, or at least believably, in place in some form during the Tang Dynasty.

In essence, Mingyu is an artist who specializes in invoking and manipulating emotion, while Kaifeng is a man of logic who is searching for discreet answers. Their romance, for me, was at times as unpredictable as the mystery they had to solve.

To contact me or to learn more about the background of the story or upcoming releases, you can find me online at www.jeannielin.com. I always love hearing from readers.

Sincerely,

Jeannie Lin

Acknowledgments

This book owes a huge debt of gratitude to my husband for his support and patience whenever there was a deadline looming. A huge thanks to my critique partner and partner in crime, Shawntelle Madison, for all the pep-talks and writing sprints to keep me going when I was running on empty. Also to Amanda Berry, Dawn Blankenship and Kristi Lea for the Skype chats and emotional support. A big thanks to Megan Kelly and CORE for allowing me to vet out the opening chapter and setting me on the right path.

As always, I must acknowledge Bria Quinlan, Inez Kelley and Kate Pearce for being ready and willing to read the ugly draft and tell me how to make it all better rather than letting me torch it like I want to.

To my editor Laurie Johnson, thank you for all your support and enthusiasm in this first venture together. Thank you to my agent and cheerleader Gail Fortune for making it so I can keep on writing.

And a special acknowledgment to Sunita for lending me the research book from Washington University. The information within it has been priceless. I STILL haven’t returned it yet. I promise I will.

To my wonderful husband and two little twinlets

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-One

Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter Thirty-Three

Epilogue

CHAPTER ONE

Tang Dynasty China, 848 A.D.

WU KAIFENG LOOKED over the property from the street. For years it had been abandoned, the remnants from a fire that had raged through the capital city of Changan. Parts of the damaged area had been rebuilt, but not this building. Apparently, the two-story structure had once been a teahouse, but now it was nothing more than a hollow shell located just beyond the edge of the bustling East Market. Undesirable.

Yet he had passed by that same location every day for the past week. Where others saw only a ruin, Kaifeng saw something else. He saw possibilities. With his position as head constable, he was earning a humble, yet steady wage. Maybe it was time to stop wandering. The dark corners and alleyways of Changan hid so many secrets; they could hide him, as well.

The market gong sounded the Hour of the Goat. The afternoon was upon him and it was time to return from his rounds. Kaifeng set a path through the East Market, but was stopped by a man charging through the crowd, his clothes stained with blood.

The stranger brandished a cleaver as he chased a lanky youth down the street. All of the surrounding market-goers stepped aside, but Kaifeng moved forward to block the street. The fellow at the front staggered to avoid crashing into him. His eyes grew wide as he stared up at Kaifeng’s considerable height, then the black cap and robe of his uniform, then at the sword in his belt.

This mixture of shock and fear wasn’t uncommon. Constable Wu needed no special effort to appear menacing. He supposed it was a gift, given his position.

“I didn’t do anything!” the youth protested.