Ching Shih: The Pirate Queen

The door swung open to reveal an elegant lounge room. Velvet couches were arranged in a rectangle with an oversized oak coffee table in the middle.

Blackbeard shoved me into the room and sat me on a couch facing an elderly Asian woman. She wore an exquisite red embroidered kimono dress and her greying hair was coiled artfully atop her head. Even before Blackbeard approached her, I knew she was in charge.

I studied the others in the room as Blackbeard leaned in to whisper to the woman. Two men, one old and one middle aged, flanked the woman on the couch. Men, woman, and surprisingly some children, sat on the other couches and gathered in the corners of the room. The style of their clothes varied, but they all had a red rectangle sewn into their shoulder.

“So, Blackbeard tells me your name is Mari.” The woman’s voice was heavily accented. “Do you know who I am?”

“Ching Shih?” I had a hunch, but I still said her name like a question.

She nodded, a small smile played on her lips. “I don’t see any marks of your death. How is it you came to Davy Jones’ Locker?”

I opened my mouth to respond and then snapped it shut. I knew nothing about Ching Shih, I doubted that telling her everything about me would be to my advantage.

I was already in the Locker, what more did I have to lose? “I’ll tell you my story, if you tell me yours.”

I swear I heard Blackbeard draw in his breath. I waited for Ching Shih to explode, but it was the middle aged man to her left who’s face turned red.

“Do you know who you’re talking to?” He demanded. But fell silent as Ching Shih raised a thin hand.

“Quiet darling.” She said to him, then turned her dark eyes to me. “I’ll tell the little thief my story, and then we will hear hers.” I sunk farther into the velvet couch as she began. “As a child, I lived on the streets until a Madame found me and brought me to her brothel. I worked as a prostitute until my Darling Zheng Yi offered me his hand in marriage and a share in commanding his fleet.”

She smiled at the middle aged man before going on. “Together we expanded the fleet and ruled the Chinese coast. But it didn’t last. My husband died, leaving me and his second in command to salvage The Red Fleet.” Now the elderly man on her right who puffed his chest. “I knew the crew would have a harder time following a woman, so I put in place a code of pirates and demanded strict adherence.

“Under my rule we moved from attacking ships to attacking whole towns. But as you would imagine, the Chinese government did not take too kindly to that.” Ching Shih’s grin reminded me of Calico Jack. “Fortunately, we reached an agreement. I was allowed to keep the plunder and marry my second husband, Chang Pao, but I gave up piracy and started a gambling den.”

I had to admit I was impressed by her story, there was just one thing that bothered me. “You gave up piracy?”

Ching frowned. I had to admit I was impressed by her story, there was just one thing that bothered me. “You gave up piracy?”

Ching frowned. “For the good of my people, yes. Your turn Mari, entertain me.”

I didn’t let myself feel the nerves that bubbled in my stomach as I launched into the story of slipping on the cruise ship deck and waking up here. I told her about Calico Jack and his ring, as well as the fateful game of pirate dice that had landed me on her couch.

When I had finished my tale Ching Shih tilted her head back and laughed. The others in the room joined her.

“I like you Mari, you’ve got guts. Which makes this so much harder.” She motioned to someone behind me. “Seize her.”

I struggled against the hands that clamped around my arms. “What? Why?”

“You broke the code, Mari.” Ching Shih shrugged. “I can’t just let you go, it’s bad for business.”

Header Image: Ching Shih The Widowed Pirate LINK