Lee Huiyin

"Those who change the world always have at least a little madness in them."

―Madam Lee to Xiao Han, 1725.

Li Huiyin, commonly known as Madam Lee, was a Chinese merchant who owned a trading enterprise in Portuguese Macau in the early 18th century. Through her trading network, she became aware of the existence of both the Assassins and the Templars and was willing to work with either group in order to safeguard and benefit her business.

After acquiring the sea log of the Dutch navigator Hendrik, which contained information on the location of Angkor, she was targeted by both the Assassin Edward Kenway and the Templar Shimazu Saito, who sought to find the lost city. Though Lee allied herself with Edward in order to weaken her business rivals, who were backed by the Templars, she ultimately had a falling out with the Assassin when he destroyed an opium shipment she desired, dissolving their partnership.

Lee later established alliances with members of both the Japanese Shimazu clan led by Fuma Sukuna, who sought her protection during a civil war between their faction and the one led by Saito; and the Chinese Assassins led by Xiao Han, who proposed a partnership to find a set of three Pieces of Eden. While the Assassins sought to use these artifacts to overthrow the oppressive Qing dynasty, Lee was only interested in increasing her power and influence.

Racing against Edward and his organization, the Zhang Wei Union, Lee and her allies searched for the Pieces of Eden throughout Southeast Asia. While Sukuna and his men were eventually killed by the Union, the Chinese Assassins successfully retrieved one of the artifacts, a crescent amulet. Lee then secured an alliance with the Vietnamese Nguyễn clan, who helped her organize an expedition to Angkor, where another Piece of Eden was located.

Biography

Early life

"I know why you forsook your name, Huiyin Li. [...] I know those Qing barbarians have persecuted you as well for being Han Chinese. You suffered every humiliation and disgrace that a woman can possibly bear. But by casting off your own identity and working tirelessly... you've become Macau's most powerful merchant."

―Xiao Han talking about Lee's past, 1725.

Not much is known about Li Huiyin's early life, but according to Xiao Han, she was among the Han Chinese people that suffered persecution under the Manchu Qing dynasty. This caused her to forsake her original identity and become known only as "Madam Lee", with her true name a secret known only to few.

Eventually, Lee was able to build up a commercial enterprise in Macau, becoming one of the city's most powerful and influential merchants. Unlike other merchants at the time who preferred to deal with luxuries, she chose to monopolize Macau's salt and sugar trade, earning a fortune. Through her trade network, she also became aware of the existence of both the Assassins and the Templars and, while having little interest in their ongoing conflict, she was willing to work with either group as long as it benefited her business.

Sabotaged by the Templars

"He said he came on behalf of the other trading companies and asked for Hendrik's belongings. He also gave his word that all interference against my company would cease, if I gave him what he wanted. He never explicitly mentioned that he was a member of the Templars, but I already knew."

―Lee telling Edward Kenway about her experiences with the Templars, 1725.

In early 1725, Lee's company was framed for a number of ship attacks in the Strait of Malacca, causing her business to suffer. As a result, she began looking for new sources of profit and eventually took an interest in the largely unexplored region of Indochina. Around this time, she was approached by Hendrik, a navigator for the Dutch East India Company who had discovered the location of the lost Khmer city of Angkor, which he claimed held many riches. Hendrik wanted Lee's company to sponsor an expedition there, but she turned him down, believing his story to be absurd. However, she still decided to keep an eye on the man.

Lee acquiring Hendrik's sea log

After Hendrik was mysteriously murdered in February of that year, Lee used her wealth to purchase his sea log from the bank where he had been keeping it, intending to hold on to it as collateral. Not long after, she was approached by a man who claimed to speak on behalf of her business rivals and demanded the sea log in exchange for ceasing all interference against her company.

Lee, unsure how the man had managed to track her down so quickly, deduced that he was a Templar and was suspicious of his motives. As such, she rejected his offer, having realized that the log was more valuable than she had thought at first, and decided to wait for the Templars' next move.

After Zhang's village was hit by an outbreak of cholera, the Assassin Edward Kenway infiltrated Lee's main warehouse in Macau to steal some salt and sugar to create a remedy. While there, he was attacked by Shimazu clan ninja working for the Templars, who had come to burn down the warehouse on behalf of Lee's rivals. Although managing to set the warehouse on fire, the ninja were killed by Edward, who then fled the scene.

Discovering the aftermath of the battle, Lee was told that the attackers were pirates from Cipango and that they had been killed by a single hooded man. Intrigued, Lee ordered her workers to find out everything they could about the mysterious stranger.

Attack on the Mandarin's House

"Oh my, it's not often I see rats of your size. Although that's not to say your little visit is unexpected. Would you care to discuss our predicament over some tea? Or if you'd prefer lead over tea, I'm sure that can be arranged. What do you say, Mr. Assassin? Or should I say... Edward James Kenway."

―Lee catching Edward in the middle of his attempted theft, 1725.

Lee having Edward held at gunpoint

Later, Lee moved into the Mandarin's House along with a number of guards and her most valuable belongings, Hendrik's sea log among them. Edward infiltrated the residence to steal the log, but Lee had anticipated his arrival and surprised him with two guards, who held him at gunpoint.

Having discovered both Edward's identity and his affiliation with the Assassins, Lee invited him to sit down for tea and talk. However, their conversation was interrupted by an attack by the Templar Shimazu Saito and her ninja followers, who killed most of Lee's guards stationed outside.

Lee ordered her remaining guards to kill the intruders and had one of them continue to hold Edward at gunpoint to prevent him from running away. Upon spotting a ninja running towards Lee, Edward grabbed the guard's pistol and used it to shoot the attacker, saving Lee's life. Realizing they shared a common enemy, Lee reluctantly allowed Edward to help out, which he did, driving the ninja away, though not before Saito had managed to steal Hendrik's sea log.

As her workers cleaned up in the aftermath of the attack, Lee and Edward sat down and resumed their earlier conversation. After Edward pointed out that it was in their best interest to keep no secrets from each other, Lee agreed and told him about the Templars' interference in her business, her turning down Hendrik's offer to sponsor an expedition to Angkor, and the Templars approaching her to demand Hendrik's sea log.

Lee forming an alliance with Edward

After revealing that it was the Templars who had killed Hendrik and that they were likely working with Lee's business rivals, Edward proposed an alliance and asked Lee to sponsor his future expedition to Angkor in exchange for dealing with the Templars, thus weakening her rivals, and recovering the sea log. Lee agreed and, to celebrate their new partnership, she gifted Edward two chests of treasure and other goods.

Before he left, Edward asked Lee if she had read Hendrik's sea log, to which she revealed that its contents seemed ordinary, meaning the information on Angkor was most likely encrypted. She then watched as Edward departed with her gift, unaware that the Assassin had retrieved a document from the log which was actually the cipher needed to decode it.

Alliance with Edward Kenway

Lee: "This product could bring in a fortune for both of us. Lost cargo is legitimate salvage for whoever finds it first, wouldn't you agree?"

Edward: "I told you, this is not something you ought to trifle with!"

—Edward forbidding Lee from trading opium, 1725.

After spying on a meeting between three of Lee's business rivals—Alan Jacob, Jan van Aert, and Sun—Edward returned to Lee to inform her that they were behind the attack on the Mandarin's House and were planning their next move against her. Lee suspected that they were preparing to simultaneously attack the market and her fleet, and instructed Edward to defend the former, as that was where her most important workers were located.

Lee meeting with Edward to talk about her rivals

After Lee claimed that her company could recover from the loss of several ships and sailors, Edward angrily called her out for treating her workers as expendable. This surprised her, but she nonetheless proceeded to mock the Assassin and former pirate for having a moral code.

When one of Lee's men arrived to confirm that the market and fleet were both under attack as anticipated, she asked Edward to choose where he would lend his aid. Lee tried to entice the Assassin to head to the market by claiming there was a chance he would find a lead regarding the whereabouts of Hendrik's sea log, but Edward ultimately stuck with his convictions and went to defend the fleet, which was being raided by pirates.

Due to Edward's choice to go and protect Lee's ships, the market was badly damaged in the attack, with many of Lee's workers being injured or killed. When Edward arrived at the market after having dealt with the pirates, Lee angrily confronted him, blaming him for the damage. However, the Assassin retorted that life rarely offered "fairytale endings" where no one was hurt and that he had made his share of poor choices in the past, but had learned to take responsibility for them.

As Lee was briefly taken aback by Edward's eloquent words, the Assassin informed her that it was Sun who had orchestrated the attacks on her ships. Before they could discuss more, a worker arrived to inform Lee that one of her vessels had been detained by the Dutch Navy.

Lee confronting the Dutch Navy for detaining her ships

Going to the harbor to meet with the Dutch navymen, Lee learned that her ship was allegedly under investigation for transporting illegal narcotics. Though she quickly saw through the soldiers' lie and pointed out that the Far East Company's ships remained untouched, she was forced to back down when the navymen claimed that any resistance would be met with deadly force.

Angry after her meeting with the navymen, Lee returned to Edward, who had been hiding nearby and had overheard the entire conversation. The Assassin then offered a solution to Lee's problem. After following one of Alan Jacob's convoys to a secret drug den, Edward returned to Lee with a package of opium, which the Far East Company had been secretly smuggling into Macau.

Believing that the drug would allow her to dominate the market, Lee asked Edward to deliver her more opium so that she could sell it herself. However, the Assassin explicitly forbade her from engaging in drug trading and Lee reluctantly complied, at least for the time being.

After Edward explained to Lee his plan to expose the Far East Company's drug trafficking, he left to carry it out. Once Lee received word of the plan's success, which had resulted in one of the company's ships being detained by the Dutch Navy, she decided to go back on her agreement with Edward and salvage any product she could from the ship.

Falling out with Kenway

Lee: "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm a merchant by nature. I cannot turn a blind eye to a fortune like this."

Edward: "Then you leave me with no other choice!"

—Lee and Edward, shortly before the latter destroyed the opium shipment, 1725.

Intent on taking the opium shipment for herself, Lee mobilized a large fighting force and went to the Macau harbor, where the Far East Company's detained ship was located. Arriving in the midst of a raid conducted by ninja hired by Sun, who was eyeing the same prize, Lee took advantage of the ninja's fighting amongst themselves to quickly overwhelm them.

Lee witnessing the opium shipment's destruction

After the ninja's leader, Shimazu Saito, ordered a retreat, Lee had her men begin to take several crates of opium, but they were stopped by Edward, who was also on the ship. Lee told the Assassin that she could not turn a blind eye to such an opportunity for profit and ordered him to step away or he would be branded an enemy. In response, Edward set off a nearby firework and then leapt off the ship before it was hit by cannon fire.

Lee watched in horror as the ship and its cargo were destroyed and cursed out Edward's name, bringing an end to their short-lived alliance. Later, she sought to exact revenge on Edward by using her influence to blacklist his recently-established organization, the Zhang Wei Union, making it near-impossible for its members to find any clients. Despite her efforts, however, Edward was ultimately offered a job opportunity by one of Lee's own merchants, who was grateful to the Assassin for having previously defended his ship from pirates.

Alliance with the Shimazu clan

"As they say, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Those possessed by revenge rarely endure for long. I mean to have them each believe that they have my favor and lead them down a path of mutual destruction."

―Lee explaining her reasoning for deciding to help the Shimazu ninja, 1725.

Shortly after the opium incident, Lee was visited at the Mandarin's House by a Shimazu clan ninja, which surprised her given the clan's previous attacks against her company. After telling the man that he had some nerve to come see her, she asked him to state the purpose of his visit. As Lee came to learn, the ninja had split into two rival groups, consisting of Japanese and mixed-blood ninja, respectively, and the man who had approached her was a member of the former faction. Seeing an opportunity to have her enemies destroy each other, Lee agreed to lend her aid to the Japanese ninja.

Fuma Sukuna persuading Lee to withdraw during the standoff

Later, Lee and her new allies broke up a fight between Edward and Sun, the latter of whom had allied himself with the mixed-blood ninja. After furiously confronting Edward about his actions and ordering him to stay out of her way, Lee turned her attention to Sun, declaring that his influence in Macau was at an end. However, before Lee and Sun could clash, soldiers from the Dutch East India Company came to back up Edward, who had allied himself with the company after ending his partnership with Lee.

Eventually, the three-way standoff came to an end when Fuma Sukuna, the leader of the Japanese ninja, told Lee that they would gain nothing from it and that he already had a plan to deal with their enemies. Lee reluctantly conceded and retreated alongside the ninja, prompting Sun to do the same.

Not long after, Lee dispatched Sukuna and his ninja to Sun's floating gambling hall to assassinate him and recover Hendrik's sea log, which had ended up in Sun's possession. She also employed an admiral and mercenary named Zheng and sent her to wipe out Sun's fleet. While Sukuna and his ninja ultimately failed in their task, Zheng successfully destroyed the gambling den and later confirmed that Sun had perished in the conflict.

Partnership with the Chinese Assassins

"You intend to overthrow the Qing Empire, do you? If you do manage to succeed... I suppose wouldn't mind towering over the rubble as the most powerful merchant in the world. Very well. We'll look for the relics together."

―Lee agreeing to an alliance with Xiao Han, 1725.

With Sun dead, Lee quickly filled the power vacuum to become Macau's dominant merchant. This prompted the Chinese Brotherhood of Assassins, led by its Mentor Xiao Han, to seek an alliance with her in order to find Angkor and its treasure. Having acquired Hendrik's sea log from Sun, Xiao Han presented it to Lee while meeting with her at the Mandarin's House to discuss the possibility of a partnership.

Lee forming an alliance with Xiao Han

As Lee was reluctant to trust another Assassin after how her alliance with Edward had ended, Xiao Han explained that Edward did not understand the Chinese Brotherhood's mission, but he believed Lee would, revealing his knowledge of her past. This prompted Zheng to aim her pistol at the Assassin, but Lee stopped the admiral as she was interested to hear what Xiao Han had to say.

After the Mentor explained his plan to use Angkor's treasure to overthrow the Qing dynasty, Lee deemed his mission insane but nonetheless agreed to help him, believing she would benefit greatly if Xiao Han would somehow succeed in his quest.

Later, learning that Edward and his Zhang Wei Union were also after Angkor's treasure and had left for the Philippines to investigate a possible lead, Lee sent Zheng and her fleet to intercept them. Despite being accompanied by Xiao Han and his Chinese Assassins, Zheng was ultimately unable to eliminate Edward and his crew, who escaped by sailing into a storm.

Journey to Manila

Lee: "I was under the impression you Assassins were all as soft as Kenway... but I see there are exceptions."

Xiao Han: "Is that a problem?"

Lee: "No, quite the opposite, in fact. I knew what I'd bargained for the moment I hedged my bet."

—Lee praising Xiao Han for his cunningness, 1725.

Not long after, Lee personally traveled to Manila and met with the Lieutenant Governor-General of the Philippines to discuss a "business opportunity". After learning about a recent riot that had occurred in the city, which the Lieutenant Governor blamed on the Dutch East India Company, Lee made him an offer that would benefit both of them.

Lee meeting with the Lieutenant Governor

In exchange for her company trading goods with the Spanish, Lee asked that the Lieutenant Governor grant her ships free passage to the Southern Seas. While this was ostensibly to benefit her company, in reality it was so that Zheng and the Chinese Assassins could search for leads to Angkor's treasure undisturbed.

After the Lieutenant Governor accepted her offer, Lee was approached by Xiao Han, Liu Qing, and Xue Yan, who had investigated around the city to uncover details about the recent riot. The Chinese Assassins informed Lee of their findings, namely the fact that a monk had used a Piece of Eden—a crescent amulet—to incite the riot, and that Edward had fought him, but ultimately lost the amulet to members of a native resistance against the Spanish colonists.

When Lee questioned what their next move was, Xiao Han claimed that they would travel to Cebu to investigate a lead to Angkor's location, and that they would try to intercept the native warriors along the way to retrieve their stolen Piece of Eden. As Lee praised Xiao Han for his cunningness and placed her hand on his shoulder, she told him that he had free reign to do as he pleased.

Sometime later, Lee returned to China and used her influence to have the Qing Empire's Rattan Shield Company deployed to the Philippines, in order to aid Fuma Sukuna and his ninja in pursuing the Zhang Wei Union. However, despite their efforts, the Union members managed to escape once again, while Sukuna and his men, along with most of the Company soldiers sent to help them, were slain in an ambush.

Voyage to Đại Việt

"My place in this tale is as a merchant of death who exploits others for profit. That is the path I've always followed in life, and I'll not change tack now. But you... you're different, you and your kind. Unlike lowly scum such as myself, you live for a cause far nobler than I could ever imagine. You and Kenway are rather alike that way, you know."

―Lee to Xiao Han, 1725.

Lee explaining her plan to recover the remaining Pieces of Eden

After Xiao Han succeeded in retrieving the crescent amulet during an altercation with Edward in the Sultanate of Sulu, he met with Lee on her ship to show her the chest he had placed the artifact in. After Lee revealed that her spies had learned that the East India Company was also searching for the Pieces of Eden, turning their race for the artifacts into a three-way struggle, Xiao Han remarked that eliminating Edward's crew when they had the chance would have made their mission easier.

In response, Lee told Xiao Han that he failed to see the bigger picture and that, thanks to his deciphering of Hendrik's sea log, they knew the locations of the remaining two Pieces of Eden: Burma and Angkor. Suspecting that Edward and his companions were already on their way to Burma, Lee revealed her plan to wait for them to recover the artifact hidden there, and snatch it afterwards. Xiao Han then warned Lee that the Pieces were not mere trinkets to be toyed with, and the businesswoman promised to keep that in mind.

When the Assassin questioned what their next move was, Lee revealed that they would be heading to Indochina to find Angkor and recover the artifact housed there. With that, she ordered her fleet to sail to Đại Việt so they could commence their expedition.

During the voyage, Lee and Xiao Han, having grown fond of each other over the past months, began a romantic relationship, spending most of their time in the former's cabin. One day, after an intimate encounter, Lee decided to ask Xiao Han about his true reason for seeking the Pieces of Eden, pointing out the redundancy of trying to revive the long-collapsed Ming Empire.

Lee and Xiao Han sleeping together

After Xiao Han responded that some tasks must be fulfilled regardless of their futility, Lee revealed that she had been listening to him speak in his sleep and that she knew about his nightmares of his Brotherhood's purge. She then correctly deduced that Xiao Han was not driven by a sense of righteousness but by a desire to avenge his fallen comrades, even if it meant going against the Assassins' Creed.

When Xiao Han remained silent, Lee apologized for upsetting him and claimed that Assassins like him and Edward served a nobler purpose and did not pursue their own selfish ambitions, unlike herself. She then remarked that it was not too late for Xiao Han to turn back from his current path, only for the Assassin to suddenly pin Lee down and declare that he would not rest until the world was restored to its natural order.

Seeing that she could not change Xiao Han's mind, Lee told him about her intentions to use him and his Brotherhood for her own gain, but promised that, in return, Xiao Han would be able to take anything he desired from her "wretched existence". With that, the two closed in for a kiss and shared another romantic moment.

Eventually arriving in Phú Xuân, Lee went to meet with an official of the Nguyễn clan at the Imperial Palace. Well aware of the clan's ambitions to conquer the territory of the Khmer Kingdom, Lee told the official about the Piece of Eden in her possession and asserted that its powers could be used to rule over all of Indochina. She then revealed the existence of a similar artifact in Angkor and proposed an alliance to recover it.

Lee meeting with the Nguyễn clan official

The official expressed skepticism towards Lee's claims, prompting the businesswoman to question if the Nguyễn clan's might was as great as she had been led to believe. Feeling insulted, the official led Lee outside and showed her the might of the clan's military, before asking to see the artifact she had spoken of.

Lee stated that she could not simply parade the Piece of Eden around, but assured the official that she had the means to uphold her promise, at which point Xiao Han and his fellow Assassins revealed themselves by leaping down from the palace and landing behind her. This intimidated the official and ultimately led him to accept Lee's offer.

Personality and traits

"If there's one thing in this world that I've grown sick and tired of... it's people like you who weigh lives on a scale as though they're coins."

―Edward Kenway to Lee, 1725.

Madam Lee was an ambitious and conniving businesswoman who put her company's interests and her own financial gain above all else. Despite being aware of the Assassins and Templars' ongoing war, she had little interest in either side's cause and was only willing to work with them as long as it benefited her business. Because she always prioritized profits, she did not value the lives of others very much, treating many of her workers as expendable, and being willing to engage in drug trading even if it meant ruining countless lives in the process.

Lee intentionally kept her past shrouded in mystery and any mention of her true name was enough to catch her by surprise. Having faced heavy persecution under the Qing dynasty like many other Han Chinese people, Lee was forced to forsake her identity and start a new life, working hard to build a reputation as one of Macau's most powerful merchants.

Lee asking Edward to deliver her opium

An intelligent woman, Lee established her empire by monopolizing Macau's salt and sugar trade and was willing to go to extreme lengths to protect it. Not one to be easily fooled, she always tried to anticipate her enemies' next move, and could see through most attempts to deceive or manipulate her. This was because Lee was herself a master manipulator who knew how to persuade others to follow her wishes by appealing to their own ambitions.

Because of her wealth and status, Lee was quite arrogant and believed herself to be above the common people of Macau or Westerners like Edward Kenway, though she was still willing to work with the Assassin towards a common goal. In turn, Edward did not hesitate to voice his disagreements with Lee's views or otherwise confront her, which both infuriated and intrigued her. As a result, Lee came to begrudgingly respect the Assassin and would occasionally show him a nicer side of herself. Despite this, she still prioritized profits over their partnership, which ultimately led to the end of their alliance.

By contrast, Lee admired Xiao Han for his cunningness and not being as "soft" as Edward, and the pair soon entered a romantic relationship. While Lee primarily used this as a pretext to manipulate Xiao Han into helping her further her goals, she did appear to care about the Assassin to an extent, as she recognized his strong desire for vengeance against the Qing dynasty and tried to persuade him to abandon this destructive path.

Aware of her own self-serving nature, Lee found the Assassins' ideology fascinating, if a bit naive and ignorant of the true nature of the world. Nonetheless, she respected both Xiao Han and Edward for serving a noble cause instead of pursuing their own selfish interests, and admitted that "merchants of death" like herself, who exploited others for profit, were undeserving of admiration or pity. Yet, she refused to renounce her ways, having lived her entire life looking only after her own needs and believing it would be redundant to try and redeem herself.

Behind the scenes

Lee Huiyin is a character introduced in Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple.

Etymology

Li (李), or Lee, is a Chinese surname meaning 'plum'. The name Huiyin can have various meanings depending on the Chinese characters used to write it. One possible spelling is 慧音, with 慧 (huì) meaning "bright, intelligent" and 音 (yīn) meaning "sound, tone". The name can also be spelled as 徽因, where 徽 (huī) means "emblem, badge, crest" and 因 (yīn) means "follow, reason, cause".

Gallery

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  Madam Lee
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  Lee meeting with a Templar
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  Lee questioning a worker about the attack on her warehouse
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  Lee saved by Edward from an attacking ninja
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  Lee lying in bed
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  Lee meeting with a Shimazu ninja
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  Lee getting angry at Edward
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  A confrontation between Lee and Sun
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  Lee meeting with the Chinese Assassins
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  Lee meeting with Xiao Han in Manila
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  Lee and Xiao Han sharing an intimate moment

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple