This story is part of a collaboration with Achast and several other authors, the first chronological post can be found here. 

Content Warnings: BDSM Fantasy, M/f, F/f, lesdom, dubious-consent, bondage, suspension, harem, historical, Tang Dynasty China.

Chang’an, 843 C.E.

When she woke up that morning, Li-mei had been anxious to be sold. Now that it had actually happened, she wasn’t so sure.

Li-mei thought she knew what to expect when she arrived in her new home. A thorough bath to clean away any grime or lingering peasant stench from her body. A fancy dress, to be a proper part of a rich household, no matter how low or high her rank might be. Then she would be bedded. After all, that was the purpose of a concubine.

The ropes, however, were unexpected.

There had been a bath, and Li-mei now wore a magnificent silk dress. It was a white, accented with bright red and a pink sash pulled tight across her waist. Intricate yellow flower patterns were embroidered across the silk. The dress must have been picked in advance for Li-mei in reference to her name. Plum Blossom. A flower that could be found growing white, red, or pink; and always had a yellow center.

After that came the unexpected part, when the nineteen-year-old woman was strictly bound and gagged. Ropes crisscrossed her chest, ruffing and wrinkling the dress while they kept her arms firmly in place at her back and her legs bound tightly together into one limb. More rope extended upwards, lashing Li-mei to the ceiling. She hung there, suspended, swaying gently in the air.

A clean cloth had been shoved into Li-mei’s mouth before another had been neatly folded across her face, covering everything from her nose to her chin. Then she had been left there to stay in place and await her new lord’s attentions.

Most humiliating of all, Li-mei felt heat between her legs. The shameful realization of the wetness steadily growing their made Li-mei flush and growl in rage. Not that there was anything she could do about it. Her new master would surely be delighted to discover the tractability of his new concubine. Understanding that eventually made Li-mei deflate. She simply didn’t have the energy to resist.

Perhaps she should have seen something like this coming after what happened that morning. But Li-mei had assumed her new lord’s wife had taken liberties. It never occurred to her that he would share in her… unique interests and desires.

“Where is your husband?” Father had demanded with some impertinence when the woman who came to inspect Li-mei introduced herself.

The woman, at least a decade younger Father and Mother but older than Li-mei, remained cool and impassive at his heated question. She did not look at him when she spoke. Her eyes remained firmly on Li-mei.

“My husband had to attend to an emergency with his business. One of his trading partners has been falsely accused of harboring fugitives of a temple. Buddhist monks who hoarded money that rightfully belonged to his Imperial Majesty. The matter demanded his swift attention. In his wisdom, he entrusted me to decide whether or not to go through with this transaction.”

Li-mei fought hard not to fidget. This formidable woman held her fate in her hands. That alone was gave Li-mei cause to be nervous, but the older woman was intimidating all on her own. She was of a higher social status and dressed immaculately in beautiful silken clothes of green and gold. Her appearance was flawless, her hair styled beautifully. What could Li-mei be next to this noble, sophisticated lady?

The lady’s eyes traveled up and down Li-mei’s body. Was she impressed? Disappointed? Annoyed? She spoke to Father and Mother—mostly Father—for a what seemed like one thousand years. They discussed many things. Li-mei’s health, her skills, qualities, history, and her price. Li-mei remained silent. She wished someone had bothered to tell her this woman’s name.

Father and Mother were not Li-mei’s birth parents. They were instead her husband’s parents. But Gao was dead now. Killed in the blaze that destroyed thousands of buildings and ended many lives when it consumed the eastern part of Chang’an months ago. No children had been produced in their year of marriage, and when it became clear that would not change after Gao’s death his parents decided they did not wish to support a widowed daughter-in-law.

Naturally, they decided to sell her. Li-mei had privately quaked when they matter-of-factly informed her of their decision. She knew her chances of being bought by some wealthy noble or imperial official were slim compared to the odds of ending up in a brothel. Li-mei was beautiful, yes. She was pleasingly slender, and attracted many sidelong glances every day. But this was the city. There were many beautiful women a rich man could buy. How could the proprietors of a mildly successful calligraphy shop hope to find a wealthy buyer?

There had been a stroke of luck. A wealthy merchant caught sight of Li-mei while at a nearby shop with his retinue. Mother had noticed his lingering gaze and took it upon herself to humbly approach him. Li-mei was relieved. Even if this man was terrible, having one master would be preferable to living in a brothel.

But sitting there, under the gaze of the merchant’s wife, was nerve-wracking. The woman's expression revealed none of her thoughts. Was she jealous at the thought of a concubine? Li-mei knew there were already others in the household she sought to join. Or was the lady happy at the thought of a having a younger woman to serve her? All concubines were subordinate to their lord’s wife.

“I wish to speak to her alone,” said the wife at length.  She raised a dismissive hand when Father made to protest. “Calm yourself. I will not do anything to harm her. There are simply certain things I would prefer to remain private. My final decision is contingent upon this.”

Li-mei blinked, surprised. A touch of fear shone across her face as her in-laws swallowed their protests and left the room without a word to her. They were followed by the lady’s guards a moment later. Just like that, Li-mei was alone with this formidable woman.

“Stand up,” she ordered. Li-mei stood up. The lady stood herself, then came up close to the younger woman and circled her, inspecting her from every angle.

“You are obedient,” she said when she was behind Li-mei. Out of her sight. “Give me your hands.”

Li-mei frowned in confusion. Her hands? That was… why? She did not understand, so she hesitated, but did unfold her hands and hold them behind her back.

Then she felt the rope. Soft and silken. The lady must have been hiding it in her dress. Li-mei started, nearly twisted around as her posture grew stiff and rigid. “What are you doing?” She asked before she could think better of it.

“Ah, not totally obedient then,” the older woman whispered, her smirk evident in the words. “I sense a spark of defiance. Good. Yu will appreciate that nearly as much as I will.”

Li-mei’s hands twitched away, out of instinct rather than an effort to get away. It wouldn’t have mattered if she was. Li-mei’s wrists were snared in the rapidly tightening ropes. But her thoughts were consumed by the lady’s words. What was she talking about.

“We’ve never played with a widow before. Yu’s first concubine was a gift, a captive of war given to him by a general in exchange for a fine horse. She was very defiant at first. Far too defiant, really. Breaking her was tedious.”

The ropes were firm around Li-mei’s wrists now. She tested them, and there was no escape. It was an odd sensation, and somehow… familiar.

“Turn,” she heard the lady order. The command took a moment to penetrate Li-mei’s thoughts before she did so, and faced the older woman with wide eyes. The lady seemed amused by Li-mei’s hesitation. There was no hiding her emotions now. Her fear and confusion were obvious.

Li-mei noticed then, for the first time, that she was a hairsbreadth shorter than this formidable woman. She bowed her head, averting her eyes from the lady’s face until she felt a hand grip her by the chin. The lady lifted Li-mei, turned her head this way and that as she looked it over.

“His second concubine was a virgin. Ridiculously expensive and even more ridiculously eager to please. Boring, really. Then the third was a brothel whore who knew what she was doing. But you… tell me, did you enjoy your husband?”

Li-mei had no idea how what that question had to do with her hands being bound, but she gave her tentative answer. “Yes.”

That pleased the older woman. She seemed excited at the very thought, and almost purred as she smiled. Then her hand left Li-mei’s face and traveled downwards, fingers trailing all across the younger woman’s simple colored dress until.

Li-mei took a step back, drawing away from the lady’s wandering hand. A thousand emotions she did not expect whirled around inside her. The fear was the only one she thought appropriate. The other ones… the senses of… exhaustion, and excitement, and understanding, annoyance, the sudden instinctive understanding of just what this woman wanted to do with her… Li-mei did not understand where it all came from.

The sight of the younger woman’s wide eyes made the lady laugh, long and loud. She did not move to take Li-mei back in hand. Instead, she called out to one of her bodyguards, who came in at once.

“Give them their money,” she tossed him a bag clinking with coins. “We shall leave immediately.”

And that was that.

Li-mei did not see Father and Mother again. They had no qualms about leaving her behind once they had their money, and even it was too late even if they did. Li-mei was taken in hand by the guards—who did not seem at all surprised by the sight of the ropes around her wrists—and then bundled up and taken off to her new home on the other side of the city.

People stared and whispered at the tied up young woman being taken through the streets. The Lady, whose name Li-mei still didn’t know but would eventually learn was Feiyan, did not spare her so much as a glance as they made their way to their lord’s home.

Then came the expected parts. The bath. The fancy dress. And then more ropes. The gag. The unexpected heat between Li-mei’s legs.

Sweat glistened across Lin-mei’s brow as she struggled in the air. It was pointless, of course. Even if she were to loosen her ropes, she hardly wanted to fall to the ground. She struggled because it was all she could do. The only action available to her, no matter how futile.

She eventually met her new lord and master—his name was Yu, and he didn’t bother to introduce himself—when he came to enjoy the sight of his new concubine bound before him. He spent even more time playing with her and toying with her before finally ordering her unbound so she could spend the night with him. Li-mei expected his wife to arrive at some point, but she never did.

That came in the morning, when the lady Feiyan awoke her husband and his concubine with a smile, nearly naked, and they introduced themselves to Li-mei together. This introduction consisted of more bondage, at both of their hands. More being toyed with. Li-mei learned how to take a woman in her mouth as well as a man that morning, and night.

At some point, Li-mei gave up on meekly accepting it all and began to glare. To squirm and struggle. That greatly amused them both, and they redoubled their efforts once they finished smiling at her over it.

It wasn’t until the second morning that Li-mei was introduced to the other concubines, and her new life in Yu’s household began in earnest. She learned much in those early days. Which of the three consorts senior to her were her friends and which were enemies. Li-mei learned how to please her lord, how to sit still for hours on end, and how to entertain guests. She learned to navigate the household.

More than anything else, Li-mei learned how to be in bondage. Her master and mistress liked his concubines tied up. They all had to suffer it. They were creative in how the ropes should be applied. Li-mei quickly lost count of all the different ways she was bound and gagged, either on her own or in some combination with the others. Often, he would take them while they were bound, and he seemed all the more enthusiastic at those times.

To her surprise, Li-mei found herself suited to the life of a concubine. Navigating the waters of a lord's harem came easily to her, and it did not take her long to achieve a position of influence and respect within the household. At times it almost felt… familiar... to be in this position, though Li-mei had no idea why.

Years passed. Things changed. There was a new emperor. The persecution of the Buddhists came to an end. And one day, Li-mei's lord Yu came to her and gave her an order she did not expect.

"I was going to buy a new concubine today. The madame of a brothel owes me a favor and is offering me a discount. But a serious matter requires my attention," he informed her. "And Feiyan is sick. She cannot go in my place. You will go instead. You know what we like."

He smiled and handed Li-mei a bag of coins, the price he and the madame had agreed on in advance, and left without another word.

Li-mei was surprised. Her lord had never given her so much responsibility before. In fact he had rarely allowed her to leave his estate!

Four guards led Li-mei to her destination. It wasn't until they were on their way back, an invitingly plump new concubine in tow with bound hands and hobbled legs, that she saw what she was doing.

Li-mei wasn't sure what to think about how far she had come to occupy the same position Lady Feiyan had, those years ago. But the moment passed, and she shrugged. It was simply her lot in life.