Summary

In Chapter 12, Xishi attended King Fuchai’s birthday celebrations. She had spent many weeks embroidering a robe to give him as a gift but moments before presenting it to him she discovered it had been sabotaged and cut to shreds in the box. Zhengdan distracted the guests while Xishi thought of an alternative. She grabbed a pebble from the floor and presented it to Fuchai, telling him it represented her wish that he had more time to “indulge in life’s quiet pleasures” (147) like skimming a pebble over water. Fuchai was touched by the gesture and told Xishi he would remember her.

In Chapter 13, a servant appeared at Xishi’s chambers and told her that Fuchai had requested she accompany him that night. Xishi declined, telling the servant she was too tired. For several nights in a row, a servant arrived to request she...