Talon was startled at the ruthlessness displayed by Hsü’s enemies. It seemed somehow out of place in this extraordinary and sophisticated country. His enemies had displayed a willingness to destroy everything Hsü possessed in order to keep him out of this Governor’s race. He recalled the meeting with Hua Rong. “There are dark tunnels underneath this disarming culture of theirs. That Chief of Police? What about him?” he asked. “Is he the man behind all of this?”
There was silence at that. “What is it?” Talon asked, with a puzzled expression.
“He was found murdered in his office. He was stabbed to death with a chop stick,” Yosef croaked. He still couldn’t speak properly, but the stitches on this throat were gone, leaving behind red welts . Talon stared around him at the blank faces. “So his enemies had a falling out. That should please Hsü,” he said slowly with some satisfaction, but he gave Reza a long, speculative stare as he said it.
*****
In the main building the family of Lord Hsü Meng were gathered around the dining table.
The entire family had greeted his arrival with enormous relief. His wife Meilin had broken down and wept in his arms when he greeted her in her own sanctum. It was unusual to see her so upset, but hardly surprising under the circumstances, he reasoned, as he consoled her.
The meal was exceptional, but the only person eating with a good appetite was Lun. The rest of the family was heavily engaged in recounting the story from each of their perspectives to Hsü, who sat through the whole account, his expression stony with anger. He asked the occasional penetrating question and nodded approval to Fuling for having fought alongside Fang and the foreigner, Reza, for whom Fuling had only high praise, coupled with an element of fearful respect which intrigued Hsü.
Lihua came in for great praise from Lady Lanfen, his mother, who described the incident in her room in minute detail, relishing the retrospective excitement of the time and embellishing her story just a little. Lihua still had her forearm heavily bandaged but tried to keep it out of sight and looked mortified at the unwanted attention. Hsü sent a message of profound approval across the table with his eyes. He had not seen his mother so energized for some time.
Lady Meng Meilin maintained her customary aloof attitude, but even she had to concede that the praise was well deserved. Lun, who had witnessed the fight at the stables, gave a voluble account of that incident and labored the gory details to the point where Hsü raised his hand and indicated that they all understood. It was when Lady Lanfen mentioned that Lun had had another dream that Hsü sat up.
“What do you mean, Mother?” he asked.
“Lun, tell us all what you dreamed while your father was away,” his grandmother told him.
“I dreamed that you were in a river, Papa,” the boy said, almost in tears.
Hsü was speechless for a few long moments, and then he said slowly, “Yes, my son, Master Talon and I did spend time in a river, but all is well now.”
They told him of the funeral of Fang. Every one of the household had attended, along with all the members of the dojo, and the foreigners had also been invited. Reza and Rav’an and Jannat had attended. Fuling had been proud to organize the somber occasion.
“I hope it will please you, Father, but I had his corpse placed in a location as close as possible to our ancestral grave. He gave his life to save us all. I felt it to be appropriate.”
Hsü nodded his approval. “You did very well, my Son. I would have done the same. Most of us are not afraid of death itself, just the manner in which we have to die. Fang died well.”
Now Hsü would have to find another bodyguard. He would talk to Sensei Saiki about Qian. Saiki would be glad to rent out the services of his man, who was a better swordsman than even Fang had been, and certainly not as mad. All the same, he would miss Fang. He would visit his grave soon.
Later that evening, when the ladies had retired and Lun had been sent off to bed, he sat at a smaller table with his older son, listening with pleasure to the calming sound of the fountain outside while he teased out the finer details of the story. He had been very perturbed and angered to hear of the incident, but had been expecting something of the sort. The worries he had undergone while being away had been confirmed with horrifying consequences.
He made Fuling go over his version of the story one more time in detail, and when his son was finally done he sipped thoughtfully from a cup of warm rice wine.
“Tell me again how Rong died?” he asked.
“They found him dead in his own office with some chop sticks stabbed into his throat! The building was full of people! No one remembers anyone going in or out of the office, but when one of them went in later, there he was: dead. It was all over the city within hours!”
Who do you think might have done this?”
“I know so little, Father, but....” Fuling hesitated and looked uncomfortable.
“But what? Spit it out, my son.”
“Well, Reza came to see me and told me he wished to report the crime to the chief of police. I accompanied him across the river, and when we arrived at the bank side he asked me to wait in the boat, which I did, and he went away. He came back later on. When I asked him about it, he told me that not much had been said, but that ‘Fang would have been pleased.’ I remember that as being strange. There was also something odd about his face, but I can’t remember what it was. I was so preoccupied with the death of Fang and making all the arrangements that I didn’t pay him much attention.”
“What are you saying, that Reza might have had something to do with this?”
“Perhaps, Father, but I do not see how he could have. No one reported seeing anything unusual, and an Arab visiting the chief of police would have been noticed! But I am not sorry about Rong’s death. Whoever carried out the killing was doing us a favor; at least, I thought so when I heard about it. Of course, I have told no one about this.”
Hsü stared at his son for a very long moment. “You should never talk about it, my son. Not to anyone at all. Suspicion is a dangerous thing, it is like a spark in a field of dry grass that can turn into a wildfire without warning, burning even those who sow its seeds.”
Fuling nodded. “I would not want harm to come to that man. He has been a good friend and saved us from much harm.”
Hsü nodded agreement and lifted his cup to touch that of his son with a small clink. “To friends and secrets,” he said with an enigmatic smile.
“Please tell me of your journey with the Tribute, Father,” Fuling asked him. “Did the Mongols appreciate the ‘gifts’?” he finished with a trace of sarcasm.
Hsü smiled at his son. He was beginning to feel a sense of pride in his offspring that had not been there before.
“Firstly, I want to hear how you are doing with your exams,” he said. “Do you feel confident?”
Fuling sighed and sipped his wine. “Yes, I think so, Father. It is not easy, as I’m sure you remember.”
“Oh yes, I do remember; but you are persisting and I approve of that. Pass these exams and you can become an administrator of the seventh level. I can then send you to my old academy to further your rank. Perhaps you might even eventually gain a position in the Governor’s palace.”
“I’d sooner be a warrior poet, Father,” his son grinned.
“When I was your age I, too, had had enough of the academic stuff and only wanted to travel, and I did to some extent—after my exams, of course. But the responsibilities of family and business were ever clamoring for attention; so, alas, I could not wander for long,” Hsü told him.
Fuling smiled but then became serious. “How do you think it will change the race for you, now that Rong is gone, Father?” he asked.
“It’s not over by a long way. I suspect that Rong or that avaricious swine Buwei was behind the death of Prefect Yen.” He was referring to the news of the sudden death of the Prefect three days before Hsü had arrived. He had been on his way to his estates outside the city when he had been felled by unknown
persons. Some had said it was robbers, but Hsü was quite sure it had been an assassination; also, perhaps, a not so subtle warning to him?
“Who else in the palace is competing for the post?” Fuling asked.
“At present, now that Prefect Yen is gone, and Rong too, it leaves us with a Prefect called Wu po-ku. I want to go and pay him a visit very soon. You will come with me. It is time for you to meet people and see who they are. Tomorrow we are both going to see the Governor, even though we don’t have an appointment. It is too urgent to keep.”
*****
The next day Hsü and Fuling, accompanied by a watchful Qian, took a boat across the busy river and marched through the great gates of the city, up the crowded promenade to arrive at the entrance of the palace by mid morning.
Hsü asked for Li Shou-cheh, his friend and confidant within the palace. Not long after, Shou-cheh came shuffling along the polished floor of the audience chamber to greet them. They spoke in low voices.
“I am very glad that you are back with us and were able to come today, Lord Meng,” Shou-cheh murmured, after elaborate greetings had been observed.
“I wish to introduce my son, Meng Fuling, to you. It is time for him to meet important people,” Hsü said. Shou-cheh looked pleased with the compliment.
Shou-cheh gave Fuling a smile and said, “You are very welcome, Lord Meng. Your father is a most respected person in this city. I am much honored to know him, and now yourself. Come,” he waved them towards another room. “We should talk in more privacy.”
Tea was served, and then, in the manner of diplomatic people, the main subject was reached by roundabout means.
“General Hayan Zhuo received a letter from his colleague General Yang Hsün which extolled your organizational skills and briefly mentioned an incident that occurred in camp before you delivered the Tribute, Lord Meng,” Shou-cheh said.
“That ‘incident’ nearly cost my friend his life,” Hsü remarked dryly, concealing his surprise at the speed with which Shou-cheh had heard. “The snake was meant for me.”
Fuling stared at him with wide eyes. He had not been told of this the night before.
“Then you will be glad to know that General Hayan Zhou is moving as fast as he can to talk to the right people in the Emperor’s palace. He will certainly paint an excellent picture of you, Lord Hsü. He is very impressed. Did you beat him at Go that often?”
Hsü warmed to the man. Shou-cheh had just demonstrated that he possessed a sense of humor of sorts, nor was it lost on Fuling, who smiled into his bowl of tea.
“I am sure we became friends based upon mutual respect. He is a good officer,” Hsü intoned with the flicker of a smile.
Shou-cheh nodded agreement. “That is what I hear.”
They talked for a few more minutes. Hsü was interested in any gossip going on in the city. Shou-cheh didn’t disappoint him.
“The inexplicable deaths of Prefect Yen and Hua Rong have everyone talking. No one seems to know how these things could have happened. In the case of Rong, it was quite horrible, from what I have heard.” Shou-cheh gave a delicate shudder of revulsion.
“Do they know who it was? He had many enemies.”
“Indeed he did, but no one knows a thing.” Shou-cheh looked directly at Hsü. “It is well known that he and you were competing for the post of governor.” He smiled at their surprise. “Yes, indeed, Rong was actually contemplating the post for himself. You could have been implicated, but your absence upon the Emperor’s business is irrefutable, so there is no question of anyone pointing any fingers at you.”
“Would it be possible to see the Governor soon?” Hsü asked carefully. He had begun to feel they were avoiding the subject.
Shou-cheh looked awkward. “I’m afraid he is exceedingly ill and will see no one at this time, Lord Meng Hsü.”
Hsü gave him a sharp look. “Really? No one?”
Shou-cheh looked more uncomfortable. “Only the doctors, I’m afraid. That is the command of Prefect Wu po-ku. He is the senior Prefect in the palace and has the final say about who can visit the Governor, unless the Governor asks for someone directly, of course. This has not happened for some time now.”
“Of course, I understand,” Hsü said, but his mind was swirling. “Perhaps we can arrange something?” He slid across the tea table a tiny box, similar to those which he had taken to the palace in Hangzhou. It disappeared into the silk folds of Shou-cheh’s sleeve.
“I shall investigate all possibilities, My Lord.” He bowed, and then it was time to leave.
They collected Qian at the gates and walked slowly back down the hill towards river. Fuling remained silent as his father walked deep in thought along the busy promenade.
“Is this a blow, Father?” he finally asked.
“In a game of Go nothing is a ‘blow’ as such... not until the game is over, my son,” Hsü told him.
*****
No news came from the Governor’s palace, and Hsü still did not hear from the Palace in Hangzhou either. He was very worried. Prefect Wu po-ku was in the perfect position to bribe the palace Administrators who would recommend the next governor. Furthermore, he could restrict all visits to the Governor, and even the flow of information. Hsü conferred with Qian at length about security around the property.
Then word came that the Governor had died. His relatives put out a notice of his death, but palace officials ensured that the general populace knew by means of huge posters and couriers who shouted it to the rooftops. The Governor had been a highly respected man.
Hsü and his entire family went into mourning, as did the entire city of Guangzhou. He explained the tradition briefly to Talon.
“He was a good man and worked hard in life, Talon. He showed proper respect for his ancestors and has a well-respected name. His ancestors will be pleased to welcome him.”
“Did you know him well?” Talon asked him.
“No, not well, but I respected him; however, while he was a good man, there were those who took advantage of his kindness. We have much crime in this city which he could have put a stop to if he had been more firm.”
“You mean, with the help of the man who was killed?”
“Ah yes, the man who was killed, Hua Rong.” Hsü shot Reza a penetrating glance.
“Do you have to go to the funeral?” Reza asked Hsü, ignoring the look.
“It would be unthinkable not to. The more people the better. We believe there are two parts to death: the po, which is to do with the grave, and the hun, which is to do with the family tree. From the po, which is buried, will come the soul, which has to undergo the judgements of the courts of hell, so the more people who show veneration, and in particular relatives, the less chance of a bad judgement for his soul.” Both Talon and Reza looked very thoughtful at this.
Hsü went on.
“There are ceremonies of food at the grave, which must be observed, and he will have a very large gravestone. There will also be a sculpture of some kind next to the grave. You should come to watch.”
They were left in no doubt as to the importance of the funeral. Talon and his friends observed the proceedings from the back of the crowd while the procession wound out of the governor’s palace down the wide promenade, which was lined with curious people, towards the cemetery on the West side of the city. All the members of the family were dressed entirely in coarse white hemp material, as were the priests. Musicians accompanied the procession, banging cymbals and beating drums as the body was carried to its last resting place, where it was interred in an elaborate coffin. Then the actual burial ceremony took place.
Talon went home in a thoughtful mood. He knew that Hsü would not be able to waste any time henceforth. His enemies would be gathering in the shadows to cut him down.
The compound seemed to reflect this attitude. as the guards were now doubled, and these new men from the dojo looked as though they could handle themselves. Qian was everywhere, patrolling the grounds ceaselessly with several of the men in tow,
indicating weak points in the gardens and buildings and assigning guards to patrol them. No one was allowed out without an escort.
Talon resolved to be prepared for the worst. He owed it to his family and crew to leave safely, with a full cargo, no matter what happened in Guangzhou. He and Reza went to see Hsü the following day to talk about cargos.
Hsü was glad to receive them. He looked careworn, but invited them to sit and ordered tea. “You have come to talk about leaving, I presume,” he said with a smile.
Talon nodded ruefully. Hsü was always ahead of him. “The monsoon winds are changing, Hsü. It is time for us to go, or we will not be able to leave till next year.”
“Do you not like it here in China, Talon?” Hsü teased him.
Talon grinned, as did Reza. “You know perfectly well that we are torn. Our wives are ready to stay indefinitely, but ....”
Hsü raised his hands and laughed. “We will miss you, more than you know; but now let’s get down to business. My consortium will offer you eight thousand taels of silver for the whole cargo, and I shall throw in five tons of silk material, which you or your wives can choose personally.”
Talon looked at Reza. “This would more than pay for the long journey.” The price being offered was very good indeed.
Talon looked back at Hsü and said, “I have to say, it is more than I expected, Hsü. You are being very generous, and I agree to these terms. The goods are already in your warehouse, so my ship is empty and ready to take on our new cargo.” Talon paused. What he had to say next was very serious. “With some of the silver, I would like to buy several items to take along,” he said carefully.
Hsü looked askance.
“I want to take four Erupters with me on my ship. Reza told me that there are pirates with something like an Erupter who infest the straits in the region of Kalah Bar. I want to be able to protect what is mine. Will you help me install them, and will you have someone teach me and Reza and my men how to use them?”
Hsü laughed and slapped his thigh. “It would not surprise me if those pirates belong to that man Sing. Those weapons impressed you, didn’t they?”
The Dragon's Breath Page 48
