Intrigue, romance and danger fill this lively, well-plotted
mystery by the author of The Lotus Palace and The Sword
Dancer. THE JADE TEMPTRESS is set in 848 AD in Tang
Dynasty China. In the capital city of Changan, Constable Wu
Kaifeng looks over a derelict spot, envisioning a teahouse.
He is then told by a superior that his job is at risk.
Later that evening he speaks to a courtesan, Mingyu, who
has been summoned from the Lotus Palace house to entertain
wealthy guests. Wu mainly arrests street thieves, but once
he had call to arrest Mingyu, and he suspects that she
spoke against him to a man of influence. She denies the
charge.
Mingyu was sold for a small handful of coins to Madam Sun
who runs the Lotus Palace and she works off her indentured
costs, wondering if a man will ever buy her or if she will
rely on her own resources. Music, dance and the tea
ceremony are important for a silken courtesan to learn, and
she must also please men who can afford her company. One
such, General Deng, is expected back in town soon. He is
bound to call for his favourite. When he does, Mingyu
regrets ever meeting the man - she finds him lying beheaded
in his home. Wu Kaifeng is summoned to investigate.
I enjoyed details such as ink and brush being used to
record a statement on paper, which bring the world of
medieval China to life. The hardened policeman and the
dainty courtesan work together to find who might have
killed the general, for the alternative - that Mingyu will
be tortured on suspicion of involvement - is too horrible.
Constable Kaifeng naturally has his own sword at hand to
test out beheading strokes on a pig carcass, while the girl
is more familiar with the qin, a stringed musical
instrument. The courtesan's life is much more luxurious
and respected than the ordinary wife's, doing backbreaking
farmwork on a basic diet. At the ghost market, the
unregulated night-time trading site, the scents of hot oil
and roasting nuts fill the air, as beggars, merchants and
pawnbrokers do business - and Mingyu steals down alleys to
warn Wu that both of them are now in danger from treasonous
conspirators.
While I preferred The Sword Dancer it's clear that
Jeannie Lin has again worked her magic and given us
believable characters at home in their world, a world she
invites us to explore along with THE JADE TEMPTRESS in this
adult romance.
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.…
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