by Aya Ling
Today, she simply plucked a tiny stone from the ground and flicked it. The stone whizzed through the air and landed on the table, inches from the statue.
Meng-Chou turned around. A soft smile lightened up his face.
"Hong." Slowly, he put down his statue. "A pleasant surprise."
"Sifu sent me."
"Is there news about my brother?"
Hong quickly related what Meng-Ting told her, plus Old Man Liu's instructions.
"He told me to fashion you another weapon?"
"Hollowed pens. He said you'd know."
Meng-Chou raised an eyebrow. "It has been some time since I made those. Grandfather had said he preferred flying weapons that demonstrated skill of the person, not of the weapon itself."
Hong was intrigued. "Show me."
Meng-Chou dusted his hands and rose from his work bench. "I believe I still have some in storage. Has Ah-Mei served you tea?"
"No, but that is all right. Your tea is terrible. Master Liu would certainly disown you if you served him tea with sawdust floating on top."
Meng-Chou smiled. He led the way to a small shed in the yard. When he emerged from the shed, he carried a long ebony box. In the box lay several pens, all fashioned from high-quality bamboo.
"There is a switch." Meng-Chou turned a pen in his palm, the brush end facing him, while the other end pointed to a tree. "Watch."
He pressed a spot on the pen, and a long silver needle shot out, embedding itself in the tree.
"The mechanism is powered by springs." Meng-Chou turned the pen over and showed her the hollowed inside. "Just press—and the needle comes out. No one will ever notice that you're carrying a deadly weapon."
Hong took the pen and felt the smooth bamboo, cool against her skin.
"Amazing design," she murmured.
"Grandfather used to carry them when he was working at the palace," Meng-Chou said. "But he doesn't use them very often. He's worried that someone might discover the secret of the pens and so the work will be copied." He tested the pens on the wall and found three of them worked well. Still, he brought a tube of oil and fixed them all.
Again, Hong thought about asking of Old Man Liu's past, the time when he had worked in the palace as one of the musicians, but she said nothing. Despite claiming her as a disciple and instructing her in the art of weaponry, Old Man Liu never brought up his past, at least not when it was connected with his days at the imperial court.
"There." Meng-Chou handed her the pens. "The mechanism will make it easier to hit your target. The tiny needles and darts you usually carry are more difficult if you're surrounded by multiple opponents and cannot aim carefully."
"It's a skill I've yet to master," Hong admitted ruefully. "Sifu can shoot ten darts and all ten hit the mark, even when he's talking to me, but I can't. I can have perfect aim, but only when I'm fully concentrating."
"Still, it's impressive what you have done so far." Meng-Chou smiled affectionately at her. "When Grandfather started training you, Meng-Ting and I had doubts, because you were originally from a wealthy family. We weren't sure if you could withstand the training, when none of us could."
"Sifu may be blind in body, but his mind is sharper than any of us," Hong said. "He sensed from my talk, my movements, that I could be a worthy disciple to him."
"Be extra careful this time," Meng-Chou said. "If someone with the legendary ability of the Lost Manual has killed Yao, he must not be underestimated. Are your other weapons all right? Any sharpening or polishing needed?"
"Several of my darts are getting blunt with use," Hong admitted.
When Meng-Chou was done fixing her weapons, he again bade her to be careful.
"I shouldn't doubt your ability, but from what I've heard from Grandfather, this time is different. None of your previous opponents were skilled in martial arts. If what Grandfather said of the Lost Manual is true…"
"I can do this," Hong said firmly. "Meng-Ting and Master Fang are suffering in jail. I have to bring this matter to an end."
TWENTY TWO
On her way home, Hong noticed a crowd gathered in a circle. A simple stall was set up nearby; two queues of a total of twenty or more people were waiting at the stall. A glance told Hong that the queue consisted of people who had more or less training in martial arts, either from the way they positioned themselves or the manner they talked. Interestingly, the two queues were divided by gender: one queue consisted of men, the other of women.
She tapped one of the onlookers in the crowd.
"Pardon me, but can you tell me what's going on?"
"Merchant Guo is hiring more bodyguards, missus! He's offering a thousand silver taels for anyone who can beat the five bodyguards he has here."
Hong strove to stand on tiptoe, but too many people blocked her view. However, she could distinctly hear the sound of fists hitting flesh. Since the crowd was practically quiet, the fight must be intense.
"Do you know why he's hiring?"
"Seems like his place got robbed." The man shrugged. "No surprises there; Merchant Guo's the richest person in town."
Hong remembered last time when they visited the Guo residence. Mrs. Guo had mentioned robbers infiltrating the place. It seemed that Merchant Guo was over-reacting; not only was he hiring bodyguards to protect his treasury, but also to protect the women of the household.
"But I know how to fight!" a voice came from the head of the queue. It was a scrawny-looking young man dressed in a tattered grey robe.
"That ain't enough, youngster," a man at the recruiting stall said. "We're paying good money for this job, we don't bother with people who aren't taller than my shoulder."
"But I've won fights against people who're bigger than me!" the young man said. "This ain't a fair duel between fighters, I know how to take advantage in a fight. Trust me, you won't regret hiring me. What about those women, hey?" He gestured toward the other queue. "They aren't the least intimidating!"
"Don't question me on our master's orders," the recruiter said with a scowl. "Since you are male, only those who fulfil size requirements can enter."
The young man looked sullen. Suddenly, he lashed out at the man, catching him by the ankle.
The recruiter, caught off guard, was flipped over his shoulder.
"Hey!" the other recruiters shouted. "Get off, you impudent scoundrel! Don't ever show your face again!"
"I beat him!" the young man insisted. "Didn't you just see? I beat him!"
While the stall erupted in chaos, Hong walked away. The requirements were understandable for some, but for real martial artists, it was true that smaller opponents could win. During her own experience of dealing with larger opponents, she found she could easily gain the upper hand through agility and reflexes. Not to mention that the flying weapons helped.
"Why, if it isn't Miss Hong."
It was a young, pretty servant maid with two braids curled and twisted on both of sides of her head.
"Little Jade?" Hong said. "Are you on an errand?"
Little Jade nodded, showing her basket filled with soy sauce jars and bean curd wrapped in oil paper. "For my mistress; recently she has been really stressed. Ever since the day of the outing—I guess she doesn't feel like risking it. You know, the baby." She sighed, her eyes darting towards the crowd around the competing bodyguards. "You saw us recruiting more bodyguards, no? My mistress specifically requested female bodyguards for her protection. I mean, anything can happen if a thief makes a wrong turn and ends up at her residence quarters."
"Mrs. Guo is stressed about potential robberies?" Hong said.
"Oh, she's totally freaked out over it!" Little Jade said, shaking her head. "She's become paranoid, I tell you. Like, when the wind blows on the bamboo curtain and makes this tiny noise, she jumps. I don't know why she's so agitated—I mean, I know she's worried about the baby, but this isn't healthy for the baby either."
Hong remembered the couple of times they'd seen Mrs. Guo since her marriage. She did seem extremel
y cautious to protect her baby. And although Hong had never troubled herself with child-bearing, she knew that it was vital for a married woman to produce an heir and continue her husband's bloodline.
"By the way, how is Master Fang doing?" Little Jade went on. "I'm so sorry that he was accused of having a liaison with Opal. Which is so untrue! I've been wanting to sail over to the magistrate myself and plead clemency for Master Fang, but he would never listen to a lowly servant like me. He doesn't even listen to his own daughter!"
Opal. Hong hadn't thought much about Opal before. Come to think of it, Fang's going to see Yao was to do with Opal's death…
"Little Jade, you knew Opal, right? She was killed before Yao. Have you any thought who might have killed her?"
"Well…" Little Jade shivered. "I don't really know. Opal was four years my senior; she used to be Mistress Guo's personal handmaid before she married. I assumed that Yao would have killed Opal, because they were once lovers, but Opal went off and married another man. But since Yao also died, I… I can't think of anyone specific."
She spoke slowly, in a way that reminded Hong of Golden Lotus. Golden Lotus usually spoke in that tone when she was revealing less than she knew, even though she wasn't lying.
"If not someone specific, then what might be possible for causing Opal's death? Other than Yao's jealousy?"
"Well…" Little Jade bit her lip. "I don't feel like speaking ill of the dead…"
"Little Jade." Hong fixed her with a steadfast gaze. "Master Fang is in jail. Is it not more important to do your best to save the living instead?"
"All right, but I really don't know that much. I'm just guessing. Opal used to be in debt. Huge debts that we weren't able to help her with. But somehow, she managed to pay them off. We didn't know where the money came from. My guess is that she got mixed up with a bad crowd. Maybe Yao was involved as well, they were always pretty close. So when she ditched him and got married, I think she wanted to start over with a new life. But she still had something unsettled with the shady people, so they came back to kill her and Yao. It's all guesswork, though. You can ask Opal's family, they should be able to tell you more than I know."
Could it be Madam Jin from Heavenly Pleasures? Hong remembered when Fang had gone to see Madam Jin and paid her five hundred taels. Was he paying Opal's debt? If Little Jade guessed right, who had actually killed Opal and Yao? Someone like Madam Jin could certainly afford to pay for a killer powerful enough to murder Yao without using poison. In fact, if she narrowed down the suspects by their ability to pay a huge sum of money… only a few in the city would qualify.
She needed more information.
"Please tell me Opal's family's address."
Little Jade named a place in the northwest part of the city. When Hong thanked her and turned to leave, Little Jade suddenly caught her sleeve.
"What you're doing—it's dangerous, you know? You really like Master Fang, don't you?"
Hong hesitated. It would be so easy to lie, to say that she was merely doing this because he was her master. Shu-Mo was likely to do the same. But she didn't want to feign indifference. She would be leaving soon, anyway.
"I do," she said, smiling.
"Oh…" Little Jade drew a deep breath. "Best of luck, then. Master Fang is a lucky man!"
Unsurprisingly, Opal's family was located in one of the rundown areas of the city. Hong could feel the eyes of children and elderly on her as she walked past. Her heart ached, but there was little she could do.
"I'd like to see Mr. Kwang's house," she said, giving a copper to a beggar.
"Mr. Kwang? He died a few years ago. A good-for-nothing, all he did was gamble and pile up debts. Got into a drunken brawl and had a blow that cracked his ribs."
"How about the rest of his family? Are they still living around here?"
"Widow and a son," the beggar said. "Go down this street and turn at the donkey cart. House has some calligraphy hung over the door."
Hong thanked him and went to look for the Kwang residence.
When she reached the house, she found a young man dozing on a bamboo chair outside. A scroll of the Analects on a small table lay open before him.
Hong rapped on the table. He slowly opened his eyes.
"Hello," she said politely. "My name is Hong and I work at the governor's house. Are you a relative of Kwang Opal?"
"Why yes," the young man stammered. Realising that he had drooled when he slept, he quickly swiped his face with his sleeve. "I am her younger brother, Kwang Lo-Wei. What can I do for you?"
"May we speak inside?" Hong lowered her voice. "I have come to enquire about your sister's death."
Lo-Wei stared. "Wait. You said you are from the governor's? Or was it the magistrate's?"
"The governor. Mr. Chow works at the governor's."
"Oh, right." Lo-Wei jumped up. He pushed the door open and led her inside. The interior was neat but sparse.
"Mother!" he called. "We have a visitor!"
A middle-aged woman came out. Though her face and body matched her age, streaks of white and silver peppered her hair.
"Who are you?" she asked. Her eyes darted around nervously. "Are you—are you from the magistrate's house?"
Hong repeated what she had told Lo-Wei. "Madam, please forgive me for this sudden visit, but I would like to find out who was responsible for your daughter's death."
Mrs. Kwang twisted her hands and her expression became quite wild. "Oh, my poor Opal. I truly thought that she'd be happy and well off when she married. When she… passed away, I didn't think it was possible. Even the debt collectors… we were almost finished with them…"
"Did those debt collectors threaten you?" Hong said.
"N… no, but they warned Opal that they'd want her to work at the brothel if she failed to pay up."
"How much did you owe?"
"Two thousand taels of silver," Lo-Wei supplied, keeping his head down in shame. "It was Pa's fault—he couldn't stop going to the gamblers."
"Don't speak of your father in that disrespectful tone," Mrs. Kwang said sharply. Although she appeared meek, she was quick to admonish her son. "He's in the grave now—may he rest in peace!"
Hong turned the matter over her mind. "But your daughter was only a servant maid. Even after marriage, she couldn't possibly raise enough to pay off a two-thousand-tael debt."
"The magistrate's daughter bestowed on her some worthy gifts," Mrs. Kwang said.
"Valuable scrolls of serious poetry," Lo-Wei put in. "The prefaces had genuine handwriting from a couple of famous poets. Guess the magistrate's daughter didn't care for those."
Hong frowned. She distinctly remembered Little Jade saying that Opal hadn't accepted anything from the magistrate's daughter. Where had Opal procured those scrolls of poetry?
"May I see the scrolls?"
"We sold them all," Mrs. Kwang said, shrugging. "We just had enough left over for Lo-Wei. He needs the travel expenses for the scholar examinations in the capital. He… he's quite industrious, you see." She looked pointedly at Hong, as though hoping Hong would look more favourably on her son.
"There was something funny about the scrolls, though," Lo-Wei said. "One of them had a piece of paper wedged in it. There was a love poem on the paper—I think it was addressed to the magistrate's daughter."
"Do you have the poem?"
"Oh, I returned it to Opal, it shouldn't belong here. But I can still remember it—
Your eyes shine more beautifully than the diamonds on your throat,
Your skin glows brighter than the pearls you wear,
Your beauty is so natural, so alluring, so bewitching,
My heart is forever yours, maiden so fair."
Hong wrinkled her brow. She had not read much poetry, but the lines she had just heard were simply atrocious. Surely it could not have been the work of Mr. Guo.
She decided to pay a visit to Mrs. Guo. Perhaps the magistrate's daughter could shed some more light on her former maid.
"T
hank you very much," she said, bowing. "I will let you know if I find anything."
TWENTY THREE
The first thing that Hong noticed about the Guo residence was the number of guards at the entrance had dramatically increased. Last time, there had been four burly, bear-resembling, menacing guards, who only softened at sight of Golden Lotus. Today, there were ten burly, bear-resembling guards, of whom nine out of ten only glanced casually at her plain blue robes and resumed their door-guarding duties. The remaining one came up to her and said with a resigned sigh, "What do you want?"
"I am from the governor's household," Hong said carefully. "I have been here before, in the company of my mistress, Lady Lynn."
The other guard looked bored. Probably he had been asked to stand here all day. Then suddenly, recognition dawned on his face.
"Ah, you are the maid who visited last time? There was this other girl, the one with flowery skirts…"
"Golden Lotus," Hong supplied. "Yes, I work with her. We all belong to the Shue household. In fact, if you could summon Little Jade, she will recognise me."
"Oh, come on, old Hu!" the first guard said. "Unless she's actually a powerful swordswoman in disguise, what harm is there showing her in? Call Little Jade."
Hong stifled a grin. She did not think of herself as "powerful," but she was confident that a well-aimed bunch of needles and darts would easily take care of all the guards.
Little Jade was brought. Her eyes widened at the sight of Hong.
"Why… why have you… did you find anything?"
"I'd like to see Mrs. Guo."
"Is there a problem with this maid?" a guard asked.
"Oh no, nothing at all." Little Jade took Hong's arm. "She's from the governor's house; she just wanted to see Mistress Guo. Come on, Hong. Mistress has been bored all day long, I'm sure she'd be glad to see you…"
Hong dipped a curtsy to the guards and followed Little Jade. She was surprised when the maid led her to the east side of the compound.
"Was Mrs. Guo's room in this area of the residence?"
