Liu Mingyan inclines her head in agreement. "Our alliance has quelled the constant rumblings of rebellion in the south for the first time in years," she says. "I worry, if Luo Binghe does return--perhaps even with a new lover, presumably to be venerated at court--this uneasy peace might shatter." She straightens, a little. "It does not matter, of course. He will do as he likes, and certainly I would not prefer him to stay here, and thus never see him again. It is only--on my mind."

The fact that her alliance with Sha Hualing has left her entirely adrift in their sexual relationship, since it had previously been defined by and forged in the fires of their mutual hatred, is also on her mind, but to speak that aloud she would need quite a lot more wine.