No sex

"I want you to balance my energy,"

"Very well. Do you want to start here or on the bed?"

That doesn't sound like sexual invitation, since it's pretty difficult to get into a suitable position on a chair. "Why do you offer two options?"

"The best way is for you to lie face down while I work on your back." But you probably don't trust her enough to let her in such a position, goes the rest of the unstated sentence.

"Very well, we'll do it on the bed." You say as you adopt the said position. Real king will appear fearless even if he is scared in the inside.

Meiyue helps to remove your shirt and you lay down on the bed. "I will start."

You feel a powerful finger stab at your left shoulder. The stab is a bit painful, but nothing you can't handle. Then another stab followed, this time on the right. Meiyue stabs all over your body. "You have great health and vitality, Your Majesty."

"Thank you." Maybe by stabbing her fingers all over your body is some sort of diagnosis. Whether it's true or not, you're sure of one thing: Meiyue is trained in close combat. Developing the finger strength needed to stab someone in one thing but her arms quick arms movement is another. You have heard about rumors some women being trained to serve their lords in bed as well be their bodyguards. "How did you get married to your husband?"

"He served under my father for quite some time, and my father suggested that he takes me as his wife."

Xiangqi's wife comes from a family with military background. Not exactly a bodyguard. It would have been nice if that's the case, just like how nice the feeling of her massaging your soles.

"Not many people take care of their feet, even though most of their energy end up there," Meiyue says cryptically. "The head, the heart, they hold the life, but feet and legs, they hold the burden, but yet they're being ignored to ones' detriment."

While you understand what she means literally, you feel that she's talking about something else. Is she reminding you about your duty as a king, or is she complaining about Xiangqi ignoring her? Or both? You couldn't be sure.

What you do know is that the three hours massage she performs on your body is the best massage you ever have.