The Emperor's Prey

by Jeremy Han

  Ji had deduced that the first place Jian Wen could have gone to would be the monastery. However, he could not have stayed long, because this place was too obvious a sanctuary. But on that harried night, it was likely he came here to seek supplies, temporary refuge and safety until he could make his journey somewhere. After all, Jian Wen was known to the monks here, and they would not reject an innocent fugitive. The commander of the Eastern Depot was sure that his prey had gone to another temple after this one and remained there: temples were the only place that one could become anonymous. Villages, towns and farming communities were too closely knit; a stranger would stand out almost immediately. Questions would be asked, busy-bodies would talk and eventually, the authorities’ interest would be piqued. Temples and far flung monasteries were different. No one asked any questions because everyone was the same: they were there because they all had something to forget. How do you reach a faraway temple if you have lived all your life in the palace? Simple. Go through the channels. If you are the emperor, seek help from the royal temple. Back then, he was sure the compassionate monks would not have denied a kind, benevolent and well-loved emperor safe passage and the knowledge to another more obscure temple. No one had suspected it until now.

  The abbot entered the room accompanied by a novice supporting his arm, probably an orphan who was picked up by the monks and groomed to become one of them. What else could they teach him to do? It would have been better than becoming a beggar or a soldier, or worse, a eunuch. At least here, the boy would not face the sword or starvation. It was a good life until today, when the Eastern Depot came. Ji already knew how he would interrogate the old man. Dressed in the traditional gold robes of a senior monk, he had a regal bearing. His long, white beard flowed. His head glistened with perspiration; was that a sign of worry or physical strain from walking? Ji hoped it was fear. He had not seen enough of it here despite the fearsome reputation of the Eastern Depot. He hoped the man would have broken even before he began his interrogation. After all, didn’t Sun Tzu say that true victory is won without fighting? He had hoped to break the monks without using any violence, but it seemed unlikely. These holy men had a strange sense of destiny that included dying at the hands of others without resisting. The old man, with his seasoned spirituality, would not bend to pain or fear. His eyes then focused on the boy. He looked like he was between thirteen and fifteen. His face was smooth except for a few pimples; something teenagers could not escape from even while living in a worry-free environment. His skin was smooth and his fingers were slender. His eyes reflected intelligence and kindness. He would probably become a scribe for the monastery, someone who could change people with powerful but kind words. He obviously cared for the older monk, supporting his arm like a dutiful son. He helped the old man sit down, and poured him a cup of tea. Then he took his position beside the abbot and looked at the floor. The abbot thanked the boy with a fatherly look. Ji found the weak link in the old man’s spiritual armour. The abbot’s greatest strength would also be his biggest weakness.

  “I thought I told you no one is supposed to come in except you?” Ji snapped at him. He did not address the monk according to his rank. He did this purposely to rattle the man, show who was in charge. Yong Ju stood silently next to Ji, who was seated. Yong’s eyes glared fiercely at the old man to add weight to his master’s rebuke, but the abbot did not seem to notice.

  “Lord Ji, I beg your pardon. I am old, and can hardly walk. Please excuse the presence of Wuyi. I need his strong hands to care for me.”

  Ji Gang nodded his head slowly as though he was digesting a new fact. Indeed he was. The boy was what he needed.

  “Eighteen years ago, I believe you had an extremely important guest.”

  “Lord Ji, many people come and go, who are you referring to?”

  Ji sneered sarcastically, “Oh I’m sure you remember him. I am sure these last eighteen years you can’t forget that night.”

  “And why should I remember that night out of so many nights? And why that guest out of so many guests?”

  “Because.” Ji paused for effect. “Not every night an emperor, the patron of this temple, would come here begging you to save his life.”

  The monk jolted slightly as he remembered Jian Wen’s painful countenance as he took the emperor’s arm and led him onto a boat eighteen years ago. That was enough to tell Ji what he needed to know.

  “Where did he go after he left here?”

  A stone mask came over the abbot’s face. A hardening resolve settled on him. Even his shoulders seemed to stiffen. He did not seem afraid but resolute. A sense of serenity covered him like a cloak. The monk is not going to divulge unless threatened. He spoke gently, “Lord, the personhood of Emperor Jian Wen no longer exists.”

  “That I know. But that was not what I asked. Where is he?”

  “There is no point pursuing the dead. Let him be. Let him lie undisturbed.”

  “You know he is alive and not dead.” It was statement.

  “He is as good as dead, Lord.”

  The monk knew by intuition why Ji was looking for Jian Wen. After all, the Eastern Depot did not act on its own will. He bowed his head and said, “For mercy’s sake Lord Ji, Jian Wen is as good as dead as a threat to his uncle. Let him be.”

  Ji angrily smashed his fist against the table and threatened,

  “I will ask you once more, where is he!”

  The abbot bowed his head and refused to answer. Ji knew that the old monk was not afraid of his own demise, so he needed to torture the boy Wuyi.

  “Yong Ju.”

  “Yes Lord!”

  He pointed at the boy-monk, and Yong stepped toward him. The boy’s eyes widened in fear and terror, but there was nothing he could do; he was not trained in martial arts. Moreover he had never encountered violence growing up in the sanctity of the monastery, so he did not know how to react. These men seemed so frightening and so disrespectful to the abbot! He had never seen anyone treat the abbot this way. And if they could be rude to the abbot, then what would they do to him?

  Yong punched hard. The boy screamed in pain and surprise. He had not anticipated a move so fast that his eyes could not see, and he had never experienced such excruciating pain. His gut seemed to be on fire. He bent over to grasp for air, but felt an iron vice-like clamp seize his right hand and then jerked backward at an angle. The pain in his stomach kept his body bent, but the crushing grip forced his hand backward and high, bending his body at an odd angle. He cried out in pain. The abbot begged,

  “Lord Ji, I implore you. Let him be. Do not use violence against the innocent. Wuyi is just a boy. He was not even born then. Don’t drag him into this sad episode.”

  “I will ask you again Abbot. If you do not reply, I will ask Yong to kill the boy here. His blood will be on your hands.”

  “Please. Spare him.”

  Ji nodded. Yong bent his hand backward until there was an audible snap. Wuyi’s wrist had broken. The boy cried out in anguish. Tears flowed from his face and he wetted his pants. “Abbot…please…save me. Don’t let me die.”

  Though monks were supposed to have accepted that life and death were merely the two sides of a same coin, the boy-monk was definitely still a novice. He still held on to his existence as something valuable.

  “I warn you Abbot. I will kill Wuyi. And then I would have all the monks executed before your very eyes, and the temple burnt with you in it.”

  “This is the Royal Monastery. You can’t do that.”

  Ji’s faced tightened and his voice froze.

  “I have orders from Emperor Yong Le himself to track down his nephew. Anyone found to harbour or give aid to him is considered an enemy of the court. I have the full authority of the emperor to destroy all enemies of the state. You have given him refuge eighteen years ago and now refuse to tell me his whereabouts. Don’t you think you and this monastery fall under the category of imperial enemies? Do not under-estimate my determination to serve the emperor.”

 
“If I tell you, would you spare the monastery and the monks?” The monk pleaded. He knew Ji would not make an empty threat. Even more so, he knew Yong Le was fully capable of ordering the destruction of the temple if he believed they went against him. The emperor’s reputation as a man who showed no mercy even to his own teacher weighed heavily in his heart like the curse of a thousand year karma. Nothing would stop the emperor from doing what he wanted, not even Buddha.

  “Not only would I spare your lives and the temple, I would forget your involvement in this seditious episode. There is no need for me to tell the emperor if you cooperate with me. I want the former emperor, not your miserable, pitiful lives.”

  For a while, the monk hesitated, Ji rushed him, “I am a powerful man, Abbot. I can decide the fate of everyone and everything within the empire.”

  Ji said calmly as though he was negotiating for a sack of rice instead of the countless lives in his hands. Yong applied pressure on the broken wrist and raised his other hand, poised over Wuyi’s throat, waiting for Ji’s order to smash the boy’s wind pipe. The boy wept. There was great fear and shock etched onto his face. No doubt he had never seen such senseless violence and brutality growing up in such a peaceful and sheltered environment. These men from the Eastern Depot must have looked like the demons that crept out of the fog of mythology, and today they had taken form to attack him despite the daylight. Ji pressed,

  “Abbot?”

  “Yes…He came eighteen years ago. He stayed for a few days before he left.”

  “He left?”

  “Yes. He rested for a few days because of the trauma he endured. Then when he was better, he went away.”

  “Where did he go?”

  The abbot hesitated. He was aware that he was betraying the trust placed on him so many years ago. The weight seemed to crush his shoulders. “He went to a monastery in Sichuan named the Temple of White Clouds.”

  “He went alone?”

  “No. I took him there.”

  “Yong, release the boy.”

  “Yes Lord.”

  The boy fell to the ground as the elderly abbot tried to support him, the frail supporting the broken. He spoke kindly to the boy to comfort him, and looked imploringly at Ji. Ji nodded and the monk called for help to take the boy to the infirmary. They left. After sometime, Ji quizzed Yong about the morning’s interrogation on what he had learnt. He listened as Yong repeated some of the things he observed. When Yong paused for awhile, Ji asked him,

  “What is it? Speak.”

  “Lord, would you really have carried out your threat to destroy the temple and execute everyone?”

  “Yes.” Ji said without emotion; as matter-of-fact as if he just told Yong what he wanted to eat for lunch.

  “But Lord, it is the Royal Monastery after all. Moreover, isn’t it bad luck to do so?”

  “Why are you superstitious suddenly?” Ji asked.

  “I thought it might be just too excessive, given that they are holy men.”

  “Listen well. We are imperial agents. We will do whatever it takes to fulfil his majesty’s orders. There is really no other reason for our existence. If I were to destroy the monastery and kill the monks for pleasure then it is excessive. It is also plain evil to do so against innocent people. But if I had to do it out of duty to the emperor, then it is not considered extreme. I do not feel happy at the pain we had to cause just now, but I do not feel sad either. I have my orders, and I will do whatever it takes to fulfil it. Our lives and theirs do not matter. Do you understand?” Ji said it with a finger in the air again; the scholar lecturing the pupil.

  “Yes Lord.” Yong dipped his head at the rebuke.

  “Now don’t ever speak to me about karma again. There is only the emperor’s will and nothing else. If we live, we exist for him, and if we die, we perish in his service. If we succeed, he rewards us, but if we fail, we pay the price. That will be our karma, if you so like the word.”

  “Yes Lord. Please forgive my ignorance. I have much to learn from your Excellency.”

  Ji nodded and continued to look ahead. After a moment of silence, he gave instructions. “Assemble the men. We will brief them about what we found out and hear from the others. After that, we will head to Sichuan to locate the Temple of White Clouds. Hopefully, we will end our mission there.”

  SEVENTEEN

  Dust balls churned and rolled as the wind blew, sounding like ghosts crying for their long lost, loved ones. The light tan walls of the building reflected whatever moonlight there was in the dark night. Two men approached the pale structure, passing the violently swaying lanterns fixed to the ceiling at the entrance and turned, passed the wall before entering through an inconspicuous side-gate. They walked silently and with purposeful strides to their familiar destination.

  Ji Gang waited as his men reported in. Yong Ju and he met the rest at an inn where privacy was guaranteed. They did not go to the local garrison, because their mission was top secret. This isolated inn at the outskirt of town was a safe house for the Eastern Depot to conduct clandestine meetings and discussions that cannot see the light of the day. All states have official laws and secret directives. The yamen or ‘court’ was the place where the bureaucratic face of the government showed itself, but it was at the many inconspicuous and isolated inns and buildings where the dark wishes of the emperor were discussed and carried out. The men had entered through a wooden door by the side that could not be seen from the main entrance to the inn. Framed by large earthen pillars, the doorway looked like any other with the big, faded red posters proclaiming good fortune stuck on it. The red faded away like all stained colour posters of the era; the red paint was made from an extract of pig’s blood. Unlike the main entrance to the inn, there were no lanterns marking the door to this secret room.

  After the entered, they circumvented the main building to ensure nobody saw them before they went into the storage building. The storage building had an adjourning room that was not visible or accessible from the side and that was the place where Ji Gang held court. When the last pair settled in, he signalled Yong Ju to start by updating the rest about their visit to the Royal Monastery. The rest listened intently before they gave their reports.

  An Deli told his junior Ma Hun to start, and he was only too glad to grab the limelight, hoping to impress Ji Gang. “Lord, in our investigations, the Chamberlain of the imperial household then was a eunuch named Wen Xuan. He entered service during the reign of the first emperor as a junior eunuch. Subsequently, he tutored the Emperor Jian Wen when he was a boy.” He stopped to allow his colleagues to absorb this before continuing, “After the fall of Nanjing, Wen Xuan was taken to the Forbidden City and continued to organise the affairs of the imperial household. Due to his status as a eunuch, the Emperor Yong Le did not dismiss him as he did those prominent civil servants under Jian Wen. Wen Xuan had been an efficient worker. There were no complaints against him, and he is still in the service of the imperial household. Recently, his health had deteriorated and he went south to recuperate.”

  Ji spoke, “So, if anyone could know what happened that night, and after that, he would be our man.”

  The opportunistic Ma Hun quickly added, “Lord, during his leave to the south, he visited someone we have been keeping an eye on.”

  Ji raised an eyebrow, indicating he should go on.

  “Our spies at the Grand Admiral’s naval base reported that he spent a substantial amount of time meeting the admiral privately.”

  Ji nodded his head; digesting the bits of detail, joining the dots. Then he spoke, “What possible reason is there for him to meet the Grand Admiral? Running a household and foreign policy are two different matters.”

  Ma continued, “Apparently, the Grand Admiral was tutored by Wen Xuan, so it looks like a teacher and student reunion except that….”

  “What?” Ji demanded impatiently.

  “Wen Xuan tutored the admiral together with the young prince before the young eunuch joined Zhu Di’s army, where he was b
estowed the name Zheng He. The admiral was formerly known as Sanbao, and he was Jian Wen’s page.”

  “So this eunuch taught both Jian Wen and Zheng He together.” Ji said excitedly as the realisation hit him. “This man is the thread!”

  An finally spoke. “Lord, if there was someone who would know what happened that night, it would be Wen. Only he would know the movements of the royal family because he coordinates everything. And he has motive to keep the emperor alive because he is close to him.”

  “Good job, both of you. There would be another group that would know about any escape.” Turning to Li and Lu, he commanded them to report.

  Li reported his findings leading to the dead end they met. He told them that they found records of the men who were on duty that night, but it did not tell them anything because the death records of those who died on imperial duty that night were lost.…