by Qinghan CeCe
He had deep, dark eyes, a long, straight nose, and thin lips that implied a sense of coldness toward the world. He was dressed in azure silk embroidered with a cloud pattern. The gentle colors and pattern made his skin seem paler. His slight sense of detachment only accentuated his magnificence.
The Prince of Kui, Li Zi, Li Shubai, one of the most outstanding figures in the dynasty, still admired by the Emperor—“He makes the world a different place.” Rumor had it he was dignified, but Huang Zixia never heard of his demeaner being so cold.
Li Shubai blinked, sensed she didn’t know martial arts, and took some weight off the foot on her chest. He put his right hand on her throat and felt around a little to confirm she didn’t have an Adam’s apple.
Huang Zixia quickly pushed his palm away, stood up warily, and stared at him with two bright eyes like a fearless cub facing its hunter.
Li Shubai’s eyes fell on her face. He looked at her awhile, then took a step back. Next, he took out a white handkerchief. After wiping his hands, he dropped it and said with some disgust, “As a woman, you should at least clean yourself up a little.”
The handkerchief fell on her like a slow, silent cloud.
She clenched her fists. Her disguise had been uncovered, and the shame made grief well up inside her. She looked at the man and opened her mouth, but no words came out.
She’d been wearing men’s clothing since childhood and would go about with her father and brother like that. When she escaped to Changan this time, she dressed very well, and no one suspected she was a woman. Somehow, he’d been able to tell right away.
Someone tapped on the carriage door. “Your Highness?”
“Yes,” he said. “It’s okay.”
After the carriage smoothly traveled forward again, he said calmly, “When did you get in? What are you doing hiding in my carriage?”
A string of responses ran through her mind. She chose the shortest, most convincing one. She blinked shyly and gently bit her lower lip, acting as if nothing was the matter. Her cheeks grew slightly flushed, and she said, “I’m your guardsman Zhang Xingying’s cousin. He had some stomach problems outside the city today and was afraid if he held things up, he’d be punished. I live there, and when I saw him passing, he asked me to put on his uniform and do his duties for a while.”
“So why are you in my carriage?”
“I was trying to slip away at the palace, but I got stopped. They said I had to go to the retreat palace. Afraid I’d get found out, I had no choice but to hide in your carriage. I was hoping to wait for a chance to get out.” She looked embarrassed and shy.
“Sounds reasonable.” He leaned aloofly on the cushion. “What’s your name?”
Her heart sank slightly, but she showed no hesitation. “Yang.”
“Yang?” He laughed coldly without looking at her. “Zhang Xingying of the second rank is six-feet-one-inch tall, left-handed, was born during the second year of Emperor Xuanzhong’s reign in the capital’s Puning Square. Father, Zhang Weiyi, from Luoyang, moved to the capital and began serving in Duanrui clinic during the second year of Huichang; Mother, Feng Shi, the only daughter of the former capital’s Feng family of Xinchang Square. Last year, Zhang Xingying’s elder brother married the daughter of the Cheng family of the capital’s Fengyi Square, no children. So where did you, Cousin Yang, come from?”
She never imagined this man would know all the details of an insignificant guard’s life. All she could say was, “Actually, Zhang Xingying and I aren’t blood relatives . . . We . . .” She had trouble deciding what to say. He pretended not to notice and waited for her to go on.
She didn’t know whether he’d already figured it all out. But since she had already started, she had to keep going, shift the emphasis of her lie and change from biological cousins to something more ambiguous. With a look of bashfulness, she said, “Zhang Xingying and I get along well. I like playing polo and dressing up like a man, so I wanted to help since I was worried he’d be punished. His stomach was upset, so I took his horse, and he couldn’t catch up. That’s what happened.”
“Then why didn’t you clearly explain this to the officer when you left the palace and instead chose to put yourself and Zhang Xingying in a more precarious position by hiding in my carriage?” He tapped his slender fingers a few times. Their rise and fall seemed to hit her in the heart, and she began to have a sense of dread.
Sure enough, he sneered and mercilessly continued, “You’re hiding something, worse than posing as one of my guards, worse than being killed on the spot for.”
She was silent, out of her depth. She had taken a risk and been caught. Now she was helpless.
“A woman, early in the morning in the countryside, puts on a man’s clothing, which still show the traces of being rained on—if you claim you and Zhang Xingying didn’t plan it out in advance, I don’t think anyone would believe it.”
She bowed silently, her thick, black eyelashes trembling. Her look was one of stubborn resistance, and it made him sneer. “Put out your left hand,” he said.
She bit her lip and slowly extended it, palm up.
“Everyone’s hand has a record of everything they’ve done. You can try to hide them other ways, but your hand cannot.” He looked down at her palm and finally allowed a slight smile. “Your hand says you come from a good background and have been clever since you were little. At thirteen, there was a change. You left Changan and went to Shu, am I right?”
She looked up at him, trying to keep her voice steady. “Yes.”
“There you met your sweetheart. And your palm says you acted deceptively in order to be with him, something like killing your whole family. As for how . . .” He coldly curled his lips. “Poison.”
Her lashes suddenly jumped as if poked by a needle. He’d uncovered her true identity. She unconsciously clenched her fist as if trying to fend off the nightmare. She pressed her hand to her chest and looked at him.
He stared back with the look of someone with their prey in the net. “So your name must be Huang Zixia.”
She looked at her own palm, and the initial shock began to subside. Letting her hand slip back into its sleeve, she whispered, “Not true.”
“Which part isn’t true?” he gently asked. “Your background, the murder, or your identity?”
“I am Huang Zixia, but I didn’t kill anyone,” she whispered, “let alone my family!”
He leaned back on his cushion and smiled coldly. “You mean you’ve been falsely accused?”
She knelt on the carriage floor and looked up at him. The soft carpet with bright peony flowers woven in reminded her she was as insignificant as a bug, small and thin. The man across from her could squash her with one finger at any time. Kneeling there, she kept her back straight and looked up at him calmly and said even more stubbornly, “Prince of Kui, we all have parents; how could I do that as someone’s child? I came all the way to the capital because of this terrible injustice. Being falsely accused is one thing, but I can’t let my parents’ enemies get away with it. So I made the hard journey to Changan in order to find a way to avenge my family. Zhang Xingying was kind and didn’t hesitate to put himself at risk in order to help me. Please forgive him, Prince. Don’t blame him.”
“Kind? Who’s to say his kindness wasn’t helping a criminal?”
“If I were the killer, I could find a place to hide. But I won’t, because if I do, my family won’t be able to rest in peace!”
“No need to explain to me. You can do that to the Central Court and Board of Punishments.” He looked down indifferently toward the curtain. “You can go now. I hate to be around disheveled people, especially in such close quarters.”
Huang Zixia puckered her lips slightly and saluted him. When she raised her head, her eyes landed on the glass bottle.
The small red fish was still swaying its long, chiffon-like tail in the water.
“This fish is called agashennie, from India. According to Buddhism, they’re close to the Dragon Prin
cess and represent uncertainty, often appearing before people who will die a violent death.”
The Prince of Kui calmly looked at it. “Really?”
“That is what I’ve heard people say. In my opinion, they claim that for different reasons. One is to shirk responsibility when someone can’t break a case. Another is when a murderer says it so that rumors spread and people get confused.”
The Prince of Kui’s lips spread slightly. “And?”
She continued to go on her instincts and guess. “The things that appear at murder scenes are jinxed, but the Prince took this with him. This means he and the deceased had a strange relationship. I’d guess the murder is still unsolved.”
“So?”
She pondered a moment, then slowly said, “If the Prince is willing to help me, I can find the truth about the murder. It doesn’t matter how long ago it was or if the clues are still intact; I’ll be able to give the Prince an answer.”
The Prince of Kui picked up the bottle and brought it in front of his face, wistfully watching the fish’s scarlet light.
The little fish kept swimming, not frightened by the disturbance.
The Prince of Kui touched the fish’s head with his right hand and watched it dive under in fright. Then he slowly took his fingers out and looked at the person kneeling in front of him. “Huang Zixia, you’ve got some gall.”
She kept kneeling, her eyes bright like morning dew.
“The Emperor has said he won’t get involved, but you want to take it on and think you can break the case?” As he looked at her coldly, she noticed the depth of his eyes, which made him look even more daunting. “That’s a court secret, but somehow it got out. How did you hear about the old case and come to want to make a deal with me to take it on?” Her guess turned out to be true.
Huang Zixia hadn’t expected there to be so much evil behind this little fish. She bowed slightly, still appearing calm. “Please forgive me, Your Highness; I had not heard. I just saw the fish and thought about that silly saying. The rest I just guessed. I knew nothing in advance.”
He put the bottle back on the table and studied her expression. “Do you dare?”
“Uncovering the truth isn’t a matter of daring; it’s a matter of capability,” Huang Zixia said softly. “Hearing the Prince speak like this makes me think the case is disturbing and has wide implications, perhaps beyond the death of my parents. But I think, if someone looks, they’ll one day find the truth.”
The Prince of Kui didn’t answer. He just asked, “Since you came to the capital to find justice, does that mean you have evidence that would reveal the real murderer?”
“I . . .” She was silent and frowned a little. “After the incident, I was named a suspect and could only flee. But if the Prince helps me and gives me some time, I’m sure I can find it!”
He raised an eyebrow slightly. “That reminds me; the year you were in Changan, you broke several cases. And you helped your father solve more in Shu, is that right?”
She hesitated. “Yes.”
“So you were a prodigy, but that doesn’t mean you still have it. Helping your father break cases at thirteen and fourteen, you must have a lot of people who want to get revenge on you, huh?” He smiled slightly in mockery. “You can’t even handle your own problems, and you dare to come bargain with a Prince?”
Huang Zixia was speechless. Li Shubai watched her bite her lower lip and grow even redder. The seventeen-year-old girl, though embarrassed, haggard, and disheveled, still had a bright face. It reminded him of something vaguely similar.
He lowered his voice. “Huang Zixia, everyone thinks you’re a murderer. If I speak on your behalf, won’t people suspect I’m having an affair with you? And if the Central Court or Board of Punishments intervenes on your behalf because of my petition, does that mean I’ve wrongly influenced the legal process?”
Huang Zixia, still kneeling, listened and bit her lip without saying anything.
Li Shubai looked past her. “Go. I’m not interested in your business or in disclosing your location to the authorities. Godspeed.”
She paused silently and prepared to get out. It was no surprise that the man across from her, though powerful, was not bound to her, and would neither help her nor turn her in.
So all she could do was bow deeply. When she was about to get up, the carriage slowly stopped. A guard outside said, “We’ve arrived at Jianbi Palace, my lord.”
Jianbi was the newest palace to be built on the outskirts of the capital. It was only about ten miles from Daming Palace.
Li Shubai pushed the carriage’s curtain aside and looked out. Since the Prince had arrived, there was quite a commotion outside. He frowned slightly and said, “Looks like it’ll be hard not to be seen sharing a ride with the murderess.”
Huang Zixia whispered firmly, “I didn’t kill anyone!”
He didn’t pay her any mind as he opened the door and said, “Get out.”
She hesitated a moment and followed him out of the carriage. A low stool had been placed outside, and she stepped down upon it. Then someone kicked her lightly in the back of the knee and she fell.
Her whole body splashed into the water. Before her was a pond with freshly planted lotus. The leaves hung listlessly, and the water was cloudy. She choked and coughed as she lay embarrassed in the mud, unable to get up.
Li Shubai turned toward the female attendants who had come and said, “This clumsy person. Clean them up and let them walk back themselves.”
As for whether she was male or female, he didn’t bother to say.
Two
OMNIPRESENT BODHI
By the time they pulled Huang Zixia out of the water, Li Shubai had already entered Jianbi Palace.
Huang Zixia blushed as she got out of the mud. Li Shubai didn’t look back at her. She clenched her teeth and couldn’t help but kick the mud. It splashed, and a couple of cold drops sprinkled her cheek, but she didn’t care. Her whole body was already covered in mud.
The eunuchs quickly helped her out, and the ladies took her to bathe. Since she was wearing men’s clothing, one of the older attendants said, “Come, sir, we’ll get you cleaned up.”
“No need.” She didn’t want anyone to see her naked. If they found out she was a woman, she’d be easily linked to the wanted Huang Zixia. So she pulled her hand away and went straight to the well. There she pulled up a bucket of water and let it fall over her.
Though spring had come, it was still cold. When she poured the bucket of water on her head, the cold made her shiver hard. She poured another bucket over her head, numb from the cold.
The ladies watched her, stunned, unsure if she was crazy or not.
After two buckets of water, Huang Zixia’s head felt clear. She dropped the bucket and stood dripping next to the well, shivering and breathing hard. Because of the cold, her ears buzzed, and she couldn’t see clearly. Only the phantom of the cold look on Li Shubai’s face shone through.
He had said, “I’m not interested in your business or in disclosing your location to the authorities.”
Not interested . . .
Her parents’ deaths, her family’s murder, her false accusation, none of it affected him, so of course he wasn’t interested.
In his eyes, she was just a speck of dust.
Still, she dropped the bucket in the well and clenched her fist. Her nail pushed deep into her palm, but she didn’t notice.
Prince Li Shubai was more reliable than anyone else she knew. Her father’s old friends and relatives lived far from the capital, were low rankings, and lacked direct access to the Emperor.
Still, Huang Zixia, he’s your best hope. She said this clearly to herself in her mind and clenched her teeth. The man who had kicked her out, pushed her, and had no interest in her—Li Shubai was her best hope.
Despite her hatred and contempt, she made the decision then and there to stay with him. In the early-spring sunlight with its chilly wind, she shivered and walked slowly down the steps.
She took the steps one by one. She faced the attendants and smiled stiffly. “Could you please bring me some eunuch clothing? I’d like to go wait on the Prince of Kui.”
Huang Zixia stood before the two-foot-tall mirror with a bronze frame and looked at herself. In eunuch clothing, with her wet hair hanging down over her shoulders and chest, she looked like a handsome, slender boy. Her features were bright, though her face was still a little worn, and her eyes were still like deep pools.
She took a deep breath and casually tucked her damp hair inside the eunuch cap. Then she turned, opened the door latch, and strode out of the room. Following the ladies’ directions, she found Jianbi Palace’s main path. The newly completed palace naturally had a distinct atmosphere. In front, the vast lake sparkled, and countless rosewood ferryboats shuttled.
She faced the main hall. A large wall in front had the words Adviser Mi Zhang written on it. She stood and looked up at the words, feeling each stroke had a sense of dignity. Then she heard someone behind her say, “This is the Emperor’s handwriting. Does it look good to this little eunuch?”
She turned and looked. The man was dressed in purple, looked to be twentysomething, had white skin, and seemed purer than his age. There was a cinnabar mole on his forehead, set against his light skin and dark hair, that gave him a mysterious air.
Huang Zixia realized who he was. She hurried to smile and bow. “Prince of E.”
Prince Li Run was the best-tempered of the Princes, an amicable and gentle person. He nodded and smiled, resting his gaze on her face as he asked, “Are you of this palace? In which Prince’s care are you? Why’d they send you here?”
Palace eunuchs all knew the tasks at Jianbi were endless, and they rarely saw the Emperor. Like the female attendants, they usually waited until they were old to be sent there.
She looked at herself and said, “Your servant came with the Prince of Kui. When I got off, I stumbled into the water, and the ladies changed my clothes.”
Li Run smiled. “Oh. Then your Prince will take you inside.”
A lady led the way, and Huang Zixia followed Li Run around the wall. They passed a veranda where a group of people sat listening to a woman play the pipa. Its sound was clear as gems pouring. Coupled with the bright sun, it gave an incredible feeling of coziness.
