The Prisoners of Fate: Sequel to The Emperor's Prey

by Jeremy Han

  He stood a little straighter as the entourage clattered to a halt. The nearest steed, a chestnut mare and its rider, towered over him. The man scrutinised Kong for any action that indicated hostile intentions and The grand eunuch took pains to ignore his gaze. A servant ran forward, opening the door to the grand carriage as the empress dowager stepped out. Kong kneeled on the cold, stone floor and proclaimed,

  “Ten thousand years! Long live your Majesty!”

  “Rise.”

  Kong stood and saw the little emperor disembark from the carriage behind his mother. Then behind him, the familiar face of Wang Zhen appeared, holding the hand of the boy. Kong pretended not to notice him, and Wang averted his gaze.

  The empress dowager was dressed in a rich, jade green dress, with a thick bear-skin coat over her shoulders to ward off the cold. His eyes, however, were drawn to the bright red finger nails, long as talons. They never failed to remind him that he was dealing with a shrewd woman, with eyes that saw danger as clearly as an eagle protecting its young.

  “Thank you for meeting us here, Grand Eunuch Kong,” she said. “This is the first time his Majesty will be offering sacrifices to Heaven, and due to his young age I must represent him. Please explain to us the elaborate rituals so that we will not offend Heaven.”

  Kong bowed. “Your sense of duty is admirable, Majesty,” he replied with false sincerity. “Yes, the rituals cannot go wrong. If they do the harvest next year will be affected and droughts and disasters will rock the land as the min ‘people’ suffer. It is my duty, as the Director of Ceremonies, to ensure all will go well.” Kong was inwardly pleased that mother and son would offer the sacrifices together at the secluded temple.

  Another piece falls into place.

  The boy emperor chattered on excitedly with his personal eunuch, totally ignorant of the significance of their visit to the temple. They were here to learn about the rituals so that the actual ceremony, to be held a month’s time during the winter solstice, would go smoothly. Traditionally only the emperor could enter the Hall of Great Harvest to offer the sacrifices to Heaven, but the mere eight year old could not do it alone. Thus, his mother had arranged for this visit to learn their roles and prepare for the ceremony. It would be the first time in the history of the Ming a queen mother would assist her son in the rituals.

  Of all the imperial rituals, this was the most important. It determined their mandate from heaven to rule. If the ceremony was not pleasing to Heaven it would remove its authorization to govern, and the emperor would lose his legitimacy.

  “This way, Majesties,” the grand eunuch said as he led the way.

  The empress dowager and her entourage followed. Tall, heavily armed bodyguards flanked them. The vast temple complex was empty.

  The eunuch explained as they walked. “The ceremony begins here, at the Zhaoheng Gate.” He indicated the point they had come from. “Two sichens before dawn.” He saw her Majesty frown at that. Each sichen equaled two hours, and two sichens before dawn was very early.

  “First, we will offer burnt sacrifices here,” he continued. “Pine wood will be burnt, as their fragrance pleases Heaven. Next a bull is sacrificed.” He led them to a pit, gesturing at it as he spoke. “This pit is known as the Pit of Blood and Hair. The sacrifices remind us of our ancestors’ humble beginnings, living off the meat of hunted animals provided by Heaven. The remains of the sacrificial items are discarded here. and after the ceremony cleaners will enter the pit and remove the remains.” They proceeded down the road, and Kong lifted a hand to indicate the direction. “We will march behind his Majesty, until he enters this building.” They stopped as Kong again explained, “This is the Hall of Abstinence, where his Majesty must purify himself for three days. During these three days he will pray and meditate, partake of no meat and wine.” He left out ‘woman’ since the eight year old boy had not even reached puberty yet.

  The empress dowager frowned, wondering how she was going to get a child to meditate and pray for three days while at the same time avoid all his favourite foods? Yet, the rules could not be violated. She would have to find a way.

  He sensed her hesitation, tilting his head slightly as he asked, “Majesty?”

  “Proceed, Kong Wei.”

  “Yes, Majesty.” He led them to the main building next. The Hall of Great Harvest was an architectural wonder, and the empress dowager paused for a moment to admire it. Even the boy emperor gaped, then he burst out of Wang Zhen’s grip and dashed toward the grand building.

  “MAJESTY!” his mother barked. Her sharp voice was like a clap of thunder and immediately the boy returned to Wang Zhen with his head lowered. She took his hand and spoke harshly to him. “Behave yourself! Not everywhere is a playground!”

  “But I am the emperor!” he pouted.

  “Heaven is greater than you!” she rebuked him. “You will learn to respect Heaven or your people will suffer.”

  He looked blankly at her, not comprehending the seriousness of the rituals. Kong interjected, “Majesty, perhaps we could all enter the great hall. There are things I must explain there.” Kong then turned to Wang Zhen and said sternly, “Not you. Only their Majesties.” The marbled steps up to the great hall was for the emperor’s exclusive use. Kong Wei had access due to his of his official position, but even he could not enter during the ceremony.

  Wang bowed and retreated but the emperor, recently chided by his mother, did not let go of the eunuch’s hand.

  “He goes with me,” the child said.

  Kong opened his mouth but no words came out. He swallowed hard and bowed. “Yes, your Majesty.”

  Little bastard, he thought venoumously. You’ll be the ruin of this empire. You and your pretentious bitch of a mother.

  They entered the building with three eaves. The highest eave was painted blue, which represented heaven’s status above all, then gold which symbolised the emperor’s role between heaven and mankind, and the last eave was green, which signified the earth. But today the highest eave was covered by a layer of white snow like icing on a cake.

  Kong continued his narrative. “This hall was built without a single nail to symbolise unbroken harmony. Each pillar here represents the stages of time that govern life. The four seasons, the twelve months in a year, and the twelve sichens in a day.” Even the grand eunuch’s voice was filled with awe. No matter how many times Kong Wei had entered the hall it had never failed to move him. The intricate carvings, painted by hand with blue, gold and green, was an architectural wonder. Floral patterns painted in gold contrasted against bright red pillars that stretched upwards, while the blue horizontal beams were criss-crossed with golden dragons. In the middle of the round chamber stood a huge altar with a plaque that soared heavenward.

  “That, Majesties, represents Shangdi ‘the Emperor of Heaven’,” he continued, “where the prayers for the harvest, very the fate of our empire, will be determined.” Enjoying the awe he had inspired he added, “And on that day, only your Majesties will be here, alone in this great hall representing our people.”

  “There will be no one else in the Hall? No guards?” the empress dowager asked in alarm. She was still spooked from the attack, and the thought did not appeal to her at all.

  Kong bowed from the waist. “Majesty, the entire compound will be closed off,” he said. “ It will be guarded by the Xi Chang. Neither man nor spirit will be able to harm you.”

  “No Jinyi Wei?” Clearly she preferred her own bodyguard.

  “They will form the outer perimeter, but they are not priests so they could not be near the great hall. That’s why we have selected a special guard for you, men who could deal with spirits and humans as you perform the rituals. They will ring the Hall of Great Harvest as your Majesties perform the rites.”

  She took a deep breath and the air was cold, almost cutting as she did. She then turned and glared at him. “Do not fail me, Kong. If you do, the Western Depot will go into disgrace like its predecessor.”

  Like an evil witc
h casting a curse, she pointed a bright red, long finger nail at the eunuch.

  “And I will remember who initiated the Xi Chang.”

  69

  Ji Gang frowned as he read the letter that had been sent to him by courier pigeon. When he had finished he torched it and watched the flames consume the paper, reducing it to ash and tendrils of gray smoke that trailed upward lazily before it disappeared. The paper, the flames, the smoke, they all made Ji Gang think about his career. His illustrious position could be as temporal as the trail of smoke. He shook away the worry though, quickly digested the news from Meng as he realised that the Eastern Depot had been again thwarted.

  He took a deep breath, and as he exhaled slowly he thought. An was due to return soon with news, and he needed to discuss this over with his ex-second-in-command.

  The empress dowager had ordered him south in what was effectively a demotion. With that the investigative powers he had in the capital were severely curtailed. How could he shake the tree when he was not even supposed to be there? He had disobeyed the order because his gut instincts had told him that the final play would be at the capital, and now his deputy’s report seemed to confirm it. He needed to be very sure about it though. He didn’t think that the empress dowager was a forgiving person, and if not he would lose his head.

  He heard footsteps, resounding clearly from a person who had nothing to hide, but he took no chances. He quietly rose and hid behind a corner. The footsteps grew louder, and then the wooden doors opened with a familiar creak.

  “Commander?”

  “Here,” Ji Gang said as the familiar voice of An prompted him to emerge from hiding. “Sit.”

  “You have news?” An enquired.

  “I need to discuss something with you,” he replied tersely.

  “What do you have?” An asked, looking intently at Ji Gang as he put his stump on the table.

  “Meng Da has sent his report. They destroyed ‘Zhu Wenkui’s’ band of rebels, but failed to find the leader.”

  “So?”

  “Listen to this. ‘We defeated the rebels only because the supposed leader betrayed his band to us.’”

  “Really? How?” An said with a slight frown.

  Ji Gang recounted the details in Meng’s letter.

  “So…this ‘leader’ actually wanted us to find his men and destroy them,” An said thoughtfully. “This suggests a bigger aim. It looks like he discarded them after they had fulfilled their purpose, which means there is a larger plot.”

  “Exactly. It ties in with what we discussed, that the greater scheme could only be executed by eunuchs and thus far everything points to them,” Ji Gang replied as he clenched his fist in frustration.

  An rubbed his moustache with his good hand. “They do indeed have the means, and with the means they created the opportunities, but what is their motive?”

  Ji Gang got up to pace the room like a hungry tiger. An followed him with his eyes as he began speaking again. “When this much blood has been shed, from the murder of General Wang to the deliberately failed rebellion, the final play could not be anything trivial.”

  An tensed. “Lord Ji, you think…?”

  Ji Gang finished the sentence for him. “Yes,” he said as he looked at An gravely. “I believe the emperor and his mother will be assassinated.”

  “Damn!” An swore. He felt useless with his stump. If only he could still wield a sword. “Our foe is extremely cunning. He is always one step ahead of us, keeps us reacting to him instead.”

  “We need a break,” he said as he glared at An. “Just one lucky break. If not, how can we prove something as grave as an assassination attempt?”

  “Do you have any inkling when it would happen?”

  “Not exactly, but it will be soon.”

  An completed the thought. “Because they are burying their tracks in the south. It means the climax to this situation is near.”

  “Dig deeper, An,” Ji Gang commanded.

  “Yes, Lord Ji.”

  70

  After the emperor had finally fallen asleep Wang returned to his quarters. He sat by the window and gazed absent-mindedly at the falling snow as it drifted slowly, lazily, without a care, from heaven to earth. His eyes followed a flake of snow’s journey to nothingness as it fell onto the ground to became one with the never ending white.

  “Just like me…” he muttered sadly, depressed at the thought. “I will drift into nothingness. Discarded by heaven, dropped onto earth to be stepped upon.”

  It had been a month since he had returned to the palace, and to his surprise the grand eunuch had not summoned him. He was sure word of his return would have reached Kong. Although he hated the old eunuch, he could not help but feel disappointed at his indifference. No matter what Kong Wei was his mentor, and some part of him craved his teacher’s approval or even his mere acknowledgement. His senior’s apathy toward him hurt, but at the same time he continued to wonder why he was still alive. He knew that Kong had seen him at the Temple of Heaven, yet he had ignored him. The grand eunuch did not summon him even for a progress report on the routine of the imperial family.

  He could not help but feel empty, but his despair slowly turned to anger. Why do I allow everyone to treat me like this? To be used and discarded! Fury flooded him as he shook, and hot tears rolled down his cheeks. He did not realised his fists were shaking from tension.

  “I am going to kill him!” he said aloud to himself through clenched teeth.

  Then, slowly, the rage subsided again. He took a deep breath and forced himself to think. Something was still bothering him, like a puzzle that was half-solved.

  Why didn’t Kong Wei kill me after I returned?

  Why doesn’t the grand eunuch ask me for information anymore?

  Why did the director of ceremonies ignore me completely when we met?

  He was convinced that Kong was up to no good but just what was he planning to do? Worry for the emperor gripped him. The boy was the only one who had cared when the eunuch returned. Too young to care about protocol the child-emperor had run to his servant and took his hand affectionately, much to his mother’s displeasure.

  He had to protect the emperor and grow the boy’s favour towards him, and in this he now found a reason to go against Kong. If the emperor grew up listening to him than nobody would ever discard him like rubbish again. Concern for the child mixed with his own sense of self-preservation was a powerful concoction. He sat down to think.

  If Kong no longer calls me, then it means he no longer needs me. This means he has already gotten all of the information that I could give him. And if he no longer requires my help, then it also means his plans are almost complete. Whether I live or die or spy for him, it has become immaterial. That is why he does not even bother to kill me. I am like a piece of trash to him. It did not even matter if I died during the raid, or if I lived. My usefulness to him ceased after the incident at Suzhou and now I am a mere servant, not worthy of his attention. I am not a threat. I am but an ant to him, harmless against his great power. He doubts I can do anything!

  I will show him! he vowed as he gripped the window seal tightly, grappling with the puzzle in his mind. If that is so then I need to know what he is planning to do, when will he do it, and where.

  Suddenly a scene flashed across his eyes, a memory sparking.

  Majesty, the entire compound will be closed off. It will be guarded by the Xi Chang. Neither man nor spirit will be able to harm you.”

  “No Jinyi Wei?”

  “They will form the outer perimeter. But they are not priests, so they could not be near the great hall. That’s why we have selected a special guard for you as you perform the rituals. They will ring the Hall of Great Harvest as your Majesties perform the rites.”

  “No guards,” he muttered to himself. His subconscious mind had completed the puzzle already. The emperor and the empress dowager never went anywhere without their guards, it was simply not allowed. On pain of death, the Jinyi Wei never let the
royal family out of their sight, but on this one occasion, because of her majesty’s superstition, she had dropped her guard and played right into Kong’s hands.

  “Tian! Oh heavens!” he exclaimed. It was a fluke of luck that he was dragged by the emperor into the Hall of Great Harvest where no mere mortal, much less a half-man like himself, could set foot in. He had seen its interior and now realized that the place was big enough for an incident to happen without the guards outside hearing anything. Moreover, if the closest men were Xi Chang agents they would obey the grand eunuch’s orders, and by the time the Imperial Bodyguard reacted it would already be too late.

  That must be it! The winter solstice rituals at the Temple of Heaven! He felt a jolt of energy, and he jumped off his bed, pacing his room frantically.

  I must find a way to spoil the grand eunuch’s plan!

  71

  “Wang Zhen, how are the preparations for the emperor’s ceremony?” the queen mother asked. She spoke to him as she sipped delicately from a cup, pressing the lid down as she drank to prevent tea leaves from entering her mouth. The red finger nails stood out against the fine, white porcelain with blue hand-painted pictures of flowers. Until now she did not deign it necessary to even look at him. As the emperor’s body slave, he had looked into the child’s every need, but as the rituals would extended over a period of time there was much now to do. Everything from the emperor’s diet to his clothing was Wang’s responsibility, and naturally the son of heaven’s earthly mother was concerned.

  “Majesty,” Wang spoke with his head lowered, so he did not look into her eyes. “Almost everything is ready, but….”