TV-Series
Description
Mei Mei is a prominent secondary character known as one of the Three Princesses of the Verdigris House, the most prestigious pleasure establishment in the capital's red-light district. As a top-ranking courtesan, her company commands an enormous price, rumored to cost a year's worth of silver for a single evening. She is in her late twenties to early thirties, an age when many courtesans approach retirement, yet her popularity remains exceptionally high due to her beauty, intellect, and refined talents.
Her appearance is that of a classic beauty with long, softly waved hair and a voluptuous, glamorous figure. Her expression is typically gentle and warm, radiating a relaxed and approachable charm rather than an icy perfection. This combination of elegance and friendliness makes her particularly popular with clients who seek both comfort and sophisticated conversation.
Mei Mei's personality is fundamentally kind-hearted and nurturing. She possesses a strong maternal or big-sister temperament, especially toward those she cares about. She is unusually tolerant and composed, capable of handling difficult or even despised individuals with grace. While most people fear or mock the eccentric military strategist Lakan, Mei Mei serves as his hostess without complaint, interacting with him in a matter-of-fact and friendly manner. She also shows remarkable compassion when dealing with others in distress, approaching them without flinching. Despite this emotional maturity, she has a short temper that occasionally flashes through, and like the other princesses, she has become somewhat more frugal with age. In matters of love, she is quiet and self-sacrificing, keeping her deepest feelings largely unspoken.
Mei Mei's background is deeply intertwined with the Verdigris House. She began as a child apprentice, or kamuro, attached to the legendary courtesan Fengxian. Through this connection, she met Lakan, who doted on Fengxian and frequently visited the house. As Fengxian's apprentice, Mei Mei spent considerable time around him, and he gave her basic instruction in the strategy board games Go and shogi, laying the foundation for her later mastery. She also played a significant role in raising Maomao during the girl's childhood in the pleasure district, serving as one of her surrogate older sisters. When Fengxian became bedridden due to advanced syphilis, Mei Mei took turns with Maomao caring for her. By the time Lakan was permitted to visit the Verdigris House again, Mei Mei was the only courtesan who would entertain him regularly, though their interactions focused on games and conversation rather than sexual services.
Within the story, Mei Mei serves as a figure of stability and hidden emotional depth. She is present during the pivotal scene where Lakan is brought to the house to choose a courtesan to buy out as part of a bet with Maomao. Although Lakan initially moves to choose Mei Mei, she instead opens a window to reveal the annex where Fengxian has been hidden, reuniting him with his long-lost love. This moment reveals Mei Mei's quiet heartbreak, as she had hoped to be chosen herself, but she ultimately prioritizes the happiness of her former mentor and the man she secretly loves. Later, Mei Mei is bought out of the Verdigris House not by a client seeking a concubine, but by the Emperor's Go Sage, the most powerful Go player in the country. Impressed by her skill, which she honed through years of playing with Lakan, he offers to take her on as his disciple. After some hesitation, she accepts, leaving the courtesan life behind to pursue a new path based on her intellect and strategic abilities.
Her key relationships define much of her character arc. With Maomao, she acts as a doting, sometimes overbearing older sister who fussed over her education, even teaching her how to dance. Maomao, in turn, is fond of Mei Mei but tends to hide her affection behind a prickly exterior. Her relationship with Lakan is complex and bittersweet. She serves as his Go and shogi student, values his intellectual companionship, and harbors a long-standing romantic affection for him that remains mostly unspoken. He holds a favorable impression of her as the only person at the Verdigris House who treated him kindly, but his face-blindness prevents him from distinguishing her as an individual beyond his fondness. With Fengxian, Mei Mei shares a deep bond as her former apprentice and devoted junior, caring for her even in her final, deteriorated state.
Mei Mei undergoes notable development from a high-ranking courtesan to a disciple of the Go Sage, shifting her identity from one based on beauty and entertainment to one based on intellectual skill and strategy. This transition represents a form of freedom and security rare for someone in her position. Her notable abilities include exceptional skill at Go and shogi, refined to a near-professional level through Lakan's training. She is also an accomplished singer, dancer, and poet, using these talents to entertain guests and demonstrate her refined education.
Her appearance is that of a classic beauty with long, softly waved hair and a voluptuous, glamorous figure. Her expression is typically gentle and warm, radiating a relaxed and approachable charm rather than an icy perfection. This combination of elegance and friendliness makes her particularly popular with clients who seek both comfort and sophisticated conversation.
Mei Mei's personality is fundamentally kind-hearted and nurturing. She possesses a strong maternal or big-sister temperament, especially toward those she cares about. She is unusually tolerant and composed, capable of handling difficult or even despised individuals with grace. While most people fear or mock the eccentric military strategist Lakan, Mei Mei serves as his hostess without complaint, interacting with him in a matter-of-fact and friendly manner. She also shows remarkable compassion when dealing with others in distress, approaching them without flinching. Despite this emotional maturity, she has a short temper that occasionally flashes through, and like the other princesses, she has become somewhat more frugal with age. In matters of love, she is quiet and self-sacrificing, keeping her deepest feelings largely unspoken.
Mei Mei's background is deeply intertwined with the Verdigris House. She began as a child apprentice, or kamuro, attached to the legendary courtesan Fengxian. Through this connection, she met Lakan, who doted on Fengxian and frequently visited the house. As Fengxian's apprentice, Mei Mei spent considerable time around him, and he gave her basic instruction in the strategy board games Go and shogi, laying the foundation for her later mastery. She also played a significant role in raising Maomao during the girl's childhood in the pleasure district, serving as one of her surrogate older sisters. When Fengxian became bedridden due to advanced syphilis, Mei Mei took turns with Maomao caring for her. By the time Lakan was permitted to visit the Verdigris House again, Mei Mei was the only courtesan who would entertain him regularly, though their interactions focused on games and conversation rather than sexual services.
Within the story, Mei Mei serves as a figure of stability and hidden emotional depth. She is present during the pivotal scene where Lakan is brought to the house to choose a courtesan to buy out as part of a bet with Maomao. Although Lakan initially moves to choose Mei Mei, she instead opens a window to reveal the annex where Fengxian has been hidden, reuniting him with his long-lost love. This moment reveals Mei Mei's quiet heartbreak, as she had hoped to be chosen herself, but she ultimately prioritizes the happiness of her former mentor and the man she secretly loves. Later, Mei Mei is bought out of the Verdigris House not by a client seeking a concubine, but by the Emperor's Go Sage, the most powerful Go player in the country. Impressed by her skill, which she honed through years of playing with Lakan, he offers to take her on as his disciple. After some hesitation, she accepts, leaving the courtesan life behind to pursue a new path based on her intellect and strategic abilities.
Her key relationships define much of her character arc. With Maomao, she acts as a doting, sometimes overbearing older sister who fussed over her education, even teaching her how to dance. Maomao, in turn, is fond of Mei Mei but tends to hide her affection behind a prickly exterior. Her relationship with Lakan is complex and bittersweet. She serves as his Go and shogi student, values his intellectual companionship, and harbors a long-standing romantic affection for him that remains mostly unspoken. He holds a favorable impression of her as the only person at the Verdigris House who treated him kindly, but his face-blindness prevents him from distinguishing her as an individual beyond his fondness. With Fengxian, Mei Mei shares a deep bond as her former apprentice and devoted junior, caring for her even in her final, deteriorated state.
Mei Mei undergoes notable development from a high-ranking courtesan to a disciple of the Go Sage, shifting her identity from one based on beauty and entertainment to one based on intellectual skill and strategy. This transition represents a form of freedom and security rare for someone in her position. Her notable abilities include exceptional skill at Go and shogi, refined to a near-professional level through Lakan's training. She is also an accomplished singer, dancer, and poet, using these talents to entertain guests and demonstrate her refined education.