by Aya Ling
Ping cast her a wary look, but Lynn was urging him to continue.
"Ko cooked up a lowly scheme with the co-manager Potbelly. Whirlwind Ko had wanted to see Yao go down in a fight and Potbelly suggested that they purchase some drugs and poison Yao's wine. Yao was a great drinker, you see."
"So they are the ones who poisoned Yao!" Lynn said excitedly.
"I was suspicious when that man called Little Tiger burst in soon after Fang found Yao dead," Ping said grimly. "Seems to me that they had planned it well in advance—Manager Liang definitely knew about the poisoning as well. Yao was bringing in business, but not as profitable as before. He was too powerful—there isn't much to be had for laying the odds against him. If Manager Liang had told a select few to bet against Yao—well, that's a pile of money to be made."
"Those scumbags. Too bad that Fang chose the same day to visit Yao! If only it had been a day earlier!"
"Still, there are a couple of things I'm not sure of," Ping said, frowning. "If the plan was to drug Yao only, why did Yao end up dead? Seems more reasonable to have him lose a battle on stage. With his death, the fight arena can't make any more profits."
"Maybe he was allergic to the drug or he had a latent disease?" Lynn said. "Well, this certainly looks better for brother Fang. Imagine Duel of Death poisoning their own fighter!"
"And where have you been?" Ping said.
"I was at Wen-Jun's—though she should be called Mrs. Guo now. I tried persuading her to talk to her father. She was reluctant in the beginning, but she's finally agreed to plead for Fang. She'll be attending the Cold Food Festival tomorrow, where the magistrate will definitely be present. Hopefully the magistrate will listen—even if Wen-Jun isn't his favourite daughter, she still has made a brilliant match."
"Good," Ping said. "Though by the sound of it, you seem awfully pleased that Miss Ho—I mean, Mrs. Guo—will be at the festival. Isn't this an annual event that most girls wouldn't miss?"
"It's different for her, now that she has married," Lynn retorted. "Especially since she is carryi—well, let's say her in-laws are pretty strict." She sighed. "Wen-Jun wasn't audacious when she was a maiden, but still, I'm surprised that she became even more timid—like a mouse. I feel if I touch her, she's going to shatter into pieces."
"Well, make sure you keep an eye on her," Ping said. "Don't want to risk the wrath of either the Guos or the magistrate."
Meanwhile, Shu-Mo was trying to convince Golden Lotus and Silver Peony not to visit Fang.
"It's a terribly filthy place," he said. "You don't want to be there, trust me. I had a friend who was in there for three days only—got caught for petty stealing—and he wasn't the same person when he emerged!"
"All the more reason we should show Master Fang our support," Golden Lotus said indignantly.
"I don't think they'd treat Master Fang that badly," Silver Peony mused. "As a governor's son, he would deserve a private cell at least."
"I still say you girls are being too naive…" Shu-Mo grumbled.
"Mr. Shu-Mo?" a voice came from behind him. "No letters to write today?"
It was Calligrapher Pai, who was smiling broadly, an ink brush in hand.
"No, not today," Shu-Mo hissed, trying to convey silently that he did not want to be talked to.
But Golden Lotus and Silver Peony were already watching him suspiciously.
"Why, Shu-Mo, I didn't know you couldn't write."
"What made you want to hire a professional calligrapher, huh?"
As Shu-Mo tried to fend off the maids' questioning, Hong allowed herself a small smile. Now that she knew the names of the people behind the murder, and that Mrs. Guo had promised to speak for Fang, things were definitely looking up.
But only temporarily.
Hong sat on the grass, idly picking at a daisy. A light breeze blew by and ruffled her hair. Spring had arrived.
The city park was full of people coming out to enjoy the Cold Food Festival. Some brought colourful kites, others had bamboo spinning toys. A group of children were playing with a shuttlecock made of feathers—whoever failed to catch the feathered toy with her knee or foot would be deemed the loser. Several girls were doing a popular "step-dance" along the river bank, a routine consisting of singing and dancing.
Magistrate Ho, attired in an expensive-looking brocaded robe, was just stepping off his velvet sedan. Two of his concubines, also dressed in costly dresses and decked out in pearls and jade, hung on his arms. The magistrate's procession settled in a large pavilion near the lake. Servants carrying food baskets came up and soon a feast was laid out in the pavilion.
Normally, an outing in the park was a joyous event, especially for the maids at Governor Shue's. But today they were tense and even nervous. Although Ping had uncovered the dirt on Duel of Death, a lot still depended on the magistrate's attitude. For most districts, the local officer was like an emperor, and his word was law.
"All right," Lynn was saying. "We shall wait until the magistrate is drunk. When his senses are addled, Wen-Jun can go talk to him. By the way, has anyone seen Wen-Jun around? She should have arrived long ago."
The maids all craned their necks and looked around, but it was no easy task. There were so many people running around and playing in the park. Furthermore, plenty of trees and bushes and hedges in the park obstructed their view.
"I hope she's all right," Lynn said worriedly. "Do you think her pregnancy might have anything to do with it? Maybe her mother-in-law discovered she was going to the park and forbade her to come?"
"Could be," Silver Peony said. "I mean, look at all these people in the park. If I were her mother-in-law, I'd be a bit worried too."
"But she made a promise," Lynn said. "If she couldn't come, she would have at least sent Little Jade, or some other maid, to tell us that she couldn't make it."
Suddenly, a shout came from Golden Lotus.
"Something weird is happening on the lake!"
At her announcement, Lynn and Silver Peony sprang up.
"What happened?"
Hong squinted. A young woman had stepped in one of the boats by the lake and nearly lost her balance.
"That looks like the magistrate's new concubine," Lynn said. Her tone was of amusement, not worry.
"I bet she's never been on a boat before," Golden Lotus said contemptuously.
"Wait," Silver Peony said. "It doesn't seem to be just clumsiness. Look, her shoes are all wet."
The young woman had hopped back to the river bank, and a good two inches of her robes were soaked. She was gesturing to the boat and shouting furiously.
Many people had gathered around the river bank.
"There's a hole in the boat!" the woman shouted. "I nearly fell into the river and drowned! I want my money back!"
The boatman apologised quickly. "I am so sorry, madam. I had no idea of what happened to the boat. How about changing to another one?" He mentioned nothing of refunding her, however.
"Hey!" one of the people waiting to get on the boat shouted. "If you don't want to get on the boat, there're still plenty of us waiting!"
The woman looked around and sullenly decided to choose another boat that looked newer.
"Pull that one over here," she instructed. She squeezed water from her skirts and stepped into the new boat.
Splash! Another scream. This time the boat actually overturned, taking the unfortunate woman down with her.
"Aaaaaaah!"
"Quick, jump in! Get her out of the river!"
"The water's shallow enough by the bank. Let her come up herself."
The boatman quickly hauled the rest of the boats to the bank. He looked at each of them, then used his oar to prod the floor of one boat. The oar pierced the boat as easily as though it were made of saw dust.
"What's wrong with these boats?" Golden Lotus said. "Are they all sabotaged?"
"Look at the magistrate," Silver Peony said. "He seems mighty displeased."
Magistrate Ho was far away and had his back to
them, but it was still easy to see him waving at the boatman, who kept bowing and shaking his head.
"Hong, do you mind staying here and waiting for Wen-Jun? Give a shout if you see her, would you?"
"Certainly, Mistress."
Lynn and the other maids hurried towards the boats. A sense of foreboding came over Hong. She already had doubts about Magistrate Ho listening to his daughter. Now with Mrs. Guo absent and the magistrate in a bad mood, it looked like their mission would be futile.
A movement behind a tree caused her to turn around.
"… easy there, oh, won't you sit down?"
Mrs. Guo had finally appeared, escorted by Little Jade. Her face was as grey as a cloudy sky and she was vomiting into a lacquered bowl.
Alarmed, Hong rushed over to her.
"Milady! Should I call for a physician? Or your midwife?" she added, unsure which was more appropriate.
Mrs. Guo wiped her mouth and chin with an expensive silk handkerchief. Hong winced; surely a plain cotton one would do. That silk handkerchief could feed a poor family of four for a week.
"No… I…" Mrs. Guo struggled to speak. "I shall be fine. I thought that I had got over the morning sickness, but it's still with me. No, don't call for anyone. I'll be returning home soon. We keep a physician at home."
Little Jade put a hand on her mistress's back.
"Sorry, but you see how my mistress's condition is. She shouldn't be going to her father now—actually, she shouldn't even be out! Please convey to the governor's daughter that we cannot help now."
"All right," Hong said. Clearly, today was a total failure. "Shall I call a sedan for Mistress Guo?"
By this time, the crowd at the river bank had dispersed. Another boatman was employed to bring a new fleet of boats. Lynn, Golden Lotus, and Silver Peony returned, wearing expressions of annoyance.
"Maybe the river spirit was making mischief overnight…" Silver Peony was saying.
"There's no such thing as a river god," Lynn chided her. "Wen-Jun! You've come! What happened to you?"
Mrs. Guo had stopped throwing up, but her face was still pale. Her hand shook as she held her handkerchief. Hong explained quickly.
"Oh that's too bad," Lynn said. "You have to go home right away! Is your sedan waiting at the edge of the park? Here, let me walk with you."
"So… sorry," Mrs. Guo whispered. "Another time… maybe."
"It's all right, and besides, your father is simply furious now. Someone had sabotaged the boats on the river. What a nasty prank, especially since it's the Cold Food Festival!"
If she weren't still keeping her identity a secret, Hong could have offered to carry Mrs. Guo on her back. The young woman indeed looked quite ill. Unlike Lynn, who was used to playing sports with her brothers and servant maids since she was a child, Mrs. Guo appeared to have been brought up as though she were a glass doll. With her pregnancy, her condition seemed even worse.
They hadn't accomplished what they came for. And the court hearing was tomorrow.
EIGHTEEN
Hong paced in her room restlessly. She told herself to calm down. The worst would not happen. Fang was the governor's son; the magistrate would not dare to sentence him to the executioner's axe. Besides, she had extracted from Mrs. Yao that the magistrate's son had offered a bribe. The old woman would not press charges.
Still, it didn't alter the fact that things looked bad for Fang. If any public flogging or scourging left permanent scars on him, he'd be humiliated for life. Besides… who knew what actual punishment the magistrate might give? There were torture mechanisms that were said to be worse than death.
Hong had originally wanted to do some more investigating, to find out who exactly was planning to poison Yao, but a second visit to Duel of Death the night before had been unsuccessful. Manager Liang had acquired several huge black wolfhounds; she had been shocked when she perched on the wall and found several pairs of green eyes glowing in the dark. One started to bark; she had to slip away and run as fast as she could. She could have silenced them with a drugged needle, but the people at the fight arena were already alerted. She was there to spy, not pick a fight.
She had questioned Mrs. Yao and paid two visits to Duel of Death. So far, all she knew was that the real murderer was someone else in the fight arena, but she didn't have enough time to find out.
"Hong!" Golden Lotus rapped on her door. "Hong, are you coming?"
"Of course!" Hong called. Hastily, she double-checked her reflection in the mirror, making sure her face powder was applied thickly enough to conceal the dark circles under her eyes. She had barely slept for more than two hours the night before.
Golden Lotus's eyes were red from crying. "Do you think Young Master will be all right? Do you think he'll be tortured?"
"Nonsense," Hong said, patting her arm. "Young Master is the governor's son. He will be treated with respect. Even if Magistrate Ho is the emperor's father-in-law, he will not risk the good will of Master Shue."
"But… but if they can't find the murderer, and Young Master is the most obvious suspect…"
"The gods above are not blind," Hong said steadily. "They will not let an innocent be subjected to unjust punishment."
Her words didn't sound convincing, though, however much she wanted to believe them. Her own father had been innocent, but a few words from a corrupted official had stripped him of everything. And her father had been a well-respected man of considerable wealth. If a rich man could be brought to ruin easily, then there must be countless other poor innocents who had insufficient means to carry them through trials. Hong had heard many stories of poor, ordinary folk who were wrongly accused, injured, or punished.
Hong put her hands together and prayed that the worst would not happen.
Hong had never been to the magistrate's court hall before, but she disliked it on first sight. It was impressively large, yes, but also drab, grey, and austere. On the very end rose a dais, on which was the magistrate's desk. A placard with the phrase "Just and Judicious as the Blue Sky" written in huge characters was hung over the desk. The sergeants and lieutenants stood in two rows on either side, carrying iron poles, which would draw blood if used on criminals. However, iron poles weren't the only instruments available. To the right, a torture mechanism consisting of sharp bamboo sticks hung on the wall. Hong had heard stories that in order to torture a criminal into confession, the sticks would be driven into the criminal's nails. If Magistrate Ho dared to try that on Fang… to hell with reservations of being discovered. She had her glass needles concealed in her sleeves.
Golden Lotus stood near her, trembling. The girl was usually bright and vivacious, but confronted with the court, she was reduced to a timid thing. Lynn, however, had her fists clenched and her expression determined. Fang's two elder brothers, Gwang and Ping, were looking pale and grim. Hong gathered that they had not found any new clue that would exonerate Fang. Chow, dressed in dark robes with a pinned white flower for mourning, was ashen white and looked on the verge of collapsing.
On the other side of court stood Manager Liang and Potbelly. Liang darted a look at them and smirked. No doubt he was confident that Fang would be punished.
In the end of the court, behind a row of constables, were dozens of citizens curious to hear about the trial.
"His Honour has come!" a lieutenant called. Immediately, the sergeants began to rattle the iron poles, thumping them on the ground. The rattling was supposed to create an intimidating effect on the accused.
Magistrate Ho was dressed in full ceremonial robes, a black silk cap perched on his head. He ambled to his seat and sat down. He rapped the gavel on the table, and the thumping ceased.
"Let the first session of this tribunal be opened," he said. "Bring the accused forward."
Between two constables, Fang slowly emerged from a side entrance and stood before the magistrate, his back straight and his head held high. Chains jingled from his wrists, his face was dirty, and the stubble of a beard was visible. He looked thi
nner than usual—no trace of the confidence he usually carried—but he did not look frightened.
"Shue Fang, third son of Governor Shue Song. You have been accused of the murder of Yao Chian, also nicknamed Yao the Invincible, the star wrestler at Duel of Death. Do you admit to this crime?"
"I do not," Fang replied calmly. "I was merely at the wrong place at the wrong time, Your Honour."
"Oh?" Magistrate Ho leaned forward. "Bad timing, you say? Do you know the deceased?"
"Not personally."
"Then explain why you were found in the same room with the deceased."
"I…" Fang paused, apparently considering how to phrase his speech. "I only wanted to question Yao. He was suspected to be involved with my friend's wife—who died suddenly a while ago. So I asked Manager Liang for his address. When I arrived, I found him dead already. He was lying on the floor. I was going to call for help, but a man from Duel of Death burst in and called me a murderer."
"Interesting story," Ho said. "But anyone can claim what you just said. How are we to believe you did not intend to avenge on your friend's behalf? Or how can we be sure you are not avenging the woman you love?"
Snickers came from some of the onlookers.
Fang flushed. "Opal was my friend's wife! I have nothing, absolutely nothing to do with her."
"Are you sure? There have been witnesses who saw you two together in an alley. Alone."
This time, it was not the magistrate speaking. A young man dressed in expensive robes had appeared, and he was standing near Ho. It was Ho Jiang-Min, the magistrate's son. Fang's eyes narrowed at sight of him.
"That was because you were molesting her! Had I not passed by, she would have cuckolded her husband!"
Another murmur ran through the crowd.
"What nonsense!" Jiang-Min snapped. "Why'd I pick on a married woman when I have so many others at home?"
"Your Honour," Gwang spoke up. "Invincible Yao is known to be the star fighter of Duel of Death. My brother is competent, but he wouldn't go looking for trouble. He only wished to learn the truth."
