Licking the Lotus Stamen

By Andre LeMagne

Martial arts, Chinese classical poetry, and a diplomatic mission that leads from the tropical island of Sumatra north to the Chinese imperial capital of Luoyang. Meet the greatest domme of the seventh century: Chinese Empress Wu Zetian, who demanded that her cabinet members and foreign dignitaries demonstrate their obeisance by performing cunnilingus on her in in open court. In this work of historical fiction, a Sumatran diplomat yearns to do just that, but along the way to his heart's desire he also gets entangled in one of the many court intrigues of the Chinese Empire.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Andre LeMagne
• Release date: Oct 18, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370574346

Andre LeMagne

Andre LeMagne is a mysterious and reclusive dabbler in the arts, from writing erotica, to music and photography. As a writer, he struggles to navigate along the fine line between his devotion to classical form and refined use of language, on the one hand, and his overheated carnal impulses on the other. He lives in North America and plans to keep a low public profile until after the revolution.

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Licking the Lotus Stamen

Copyright 2016 Andre LeMagne

Published by Andre LeMagne at Smashwords

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Table of Contents

I. Journey to Luoyang

II. The Empress

III. Storm Clouds

IV. Shangguan Wan'er

Acknowledgment

About Andre LeMagne

Other books by Andre LeMagne

Connect with Andre LeMagne

I. Journey to Luoyang

I sense a soft gray -- is it the dawn? I remember now. I am not in danger. The men with me are strong and battle-seasoned. We will ride again today, and by tonight we will reach the land of the Empress, where we will be welcome.

The morning air is sweet in my nostrils as I slowly lift my head. I can just make out the sentries. They are upright and alert. It is best to travel well-protected, for the Chieftains of Dângrêk who control these lands along the coast are unpredictable. When we reach the land of the Empress, to the north, we will be given safe conduct. We will enjoy Chinese hospitality.

I believe that our journey will be a success. As the first light creeps in among the dense leaves of the bush around our camp, in my mind I praise Dapunta Hyang Sri Jayanasa, for he has honored me. He has given me the responsibility to negotiate with the Empress, to bring prosperity through trade to our land and to hers. The relationship of our two empires has been beneficial to both; now is the time to bind us more closely together. And Dapunta Hyang Sri Jayanasa has chosen me to meet the Empress -- I will learn if the tales are true.

Surely, stranger, you too have heard these stories. There has never been a woman like Wu Zetian. Before Wu, the Confucians taught that rule by a woman would be akin to a hen crowing like a rooster at daybreak, a violation of the natural order of the universe. But this time, the Confucians were wrong (and now the religion of Buddha is supported by the state in China, just as in Srivijaya. We have so much in common.) The Empress has made China happy and strong, and her fellow women have stepped forward into public life. The members of her court are wise; to gain a position there the applicant must take a scholarly examination, or so it is said. People say that she has improved the conditions of life for the commoners. But of course, these are not the stories of which I speak.

I do not know you, stranger. You are a person reading the words which I write when I am alone. Perhaps you will read them long after I am dead. Perhaps you live far from here; perhaps you are Tufan, living in cold mountains, or perhaps you live in the dry sands of the Umayyad Caliphate. But I do not doubt that you know the name of Wu Zetian. There has never been a woman as powerful as she. She rules with wisdom and invincible strength, and I hope to win her as friend of Srivijaya. That is the responsibility that was offered to me by Dapunta Hyang Sri Jayanasa, and I embrace it. But in my heart, there is something else that moves, because of the other stories about the Empress.

The sun is awake now. I can see the faces of the men who travel with me to ensure my safety on the road to Chang'an, the greatest city in the world, and from there to Luoyang to meet the Empress. They are all stirring, taking food and water, walking to the edge of camp to relieve their bladders. I rise to my feet and draw a deep breath. The stories. Yes, I am certain that every diplomat has heard them. Perhaps you have heard them as well.

No woman has ever possessed the kind of power that the Empress wields. Her power is glorious, and it is proper that she demand that her power be acknowledged. She can have anything that she wants. She is very beautiful, they say, and she has introduced something new