The news spreads like a forest fire.  I fight my way through the chattering men, grab the courier by his collar and demand details.  A hunting party.  The Prince and four bodyguards, all found dead five days ago.  Bandits are suspected.

Shao Ru, Liang Zhou and I stare at one another aghast, unable to believe it.  Jinhai’s dead?  Five days after we leave, someone kills him?  I feel as if a heavy rock has dropped on me.  It’s only when Shao Ru takes my arm in a strong grip that I come back to myself.  The men disperse, gossiping, to remount their horses.  The courier borrows a fresh horse and gets on his way. 

The officers and I stand in a group.  Their faces all look ghastly, so I suppose mine does too.  Wu Shun’s snivelling.  Mo Jiang looks shocked out of his wits.

“Bandits?”  Shao Ru says disbelievingly, “There aren’t any bandits up the mountain.  We made sure of that.”

“An ambush?” Liang Zhou’s voice is hoarse.

I can hear my voice shaking.  “An assassination.   He always said Xu Yating had a long arm.”

“What are you going to do?” Shao Ru asks.

I know what I’m going to do.

“I’m going back.  I’m going to find out what happened.  Ah-Ru, take the command token and get them home.  I’ll catch up with you.  If anyone asks, say I’m on a secret mission.”

He doesn’t argue.  “Find out who did it.  Cut them into little pieces, slowly.”

“Count on me.”

All I need to do is grab some extra rations and then I’m heading off back the way we came.  My instinct’s to ride as fast as I can, but I can’t afford to do this.  Imperial couriers change horses regularly and ride by night as well as by day, but I only have one horse and have to ride at a frustratingly steady pace. 

I feel numb, which is a blessing.  I’ve been in battle often enough to know that when your body’s seriously injured, often you feel no pain immediately afterwards.  I’ve seen men fighting with axes and arrows in their bodies, apparently oblivious.  It’s not till later that it hits you.  It must be the same with the mind.  My emotions are disconnected.  I’m planning, looking ahead, calculating the risks, as if the person I care about most in the world hasn’t just been wiped out as if he never existed. 

Two agonizing days back to Jiayuguan Pass.  I reach it after dark and have to wait for morning with the other travelers before I can go through.  When day breaks, there’s chaos.  For some reason there are numerous caravans and groups of travelers held up outside the east gate, pushing and jostling for position.  The noise is deafening.  I try to urge my horse forward so as to use my military token to get through, but I’m beaten back by the sheer volume of traffic and the angry shouts of other travelers.  The milling crowd’s causing clouds of dust to rise.  People are muffled up to the eyes to keep from choking.  The gate finally opens but first we have to wait for a caravan to come through from the other side.  It takes me an hour to get through, curbing my anguished impatience.  Then finally I’m out, galloping away from the slowly-crawling wagons.

Two more grim days to Border Town.  I ride, eat, sleep and then get up to ride some more.  I must find Ma Xiuying.  She’s the one most likely to know what happened.  I reach Border Town in the early morning and head for the Lotus Garden, leaving my horse at the command post, where only one sleepy guard’s on duty.  The town’s just waking up.  The streets are quiet.  The Lotus Garden doors are closed.  I bang on the door with my sword hilt and a yawning servant opens up.

“Honourable Sir, we’re not open yet.  Come back this evening.””

I push my way in and hand over Minister Li’s dragon ring.  “Give this to Lady Ma.”

A few minutes later, I’m led through the gardens to Ma Xiuying’s quarters.  Everything’s as quiet as a graveyard.  The courtesans are sleeping off the night’s excesses.

As soon as I get into Ma Xiuying’s rooms, I stop dead, realizing that something’s very wrong.  The main room has been stripped of ornaments.  A couple of travelling bags are open on the bed.  The lady herself is dressed in a plain robe, her hair in a plait down her back, her face clean of make-up.  The face she turns to me is strained.  “Liao Shan!” she exclaims.

“You’re leaving?  What’s happened?”

She comes forward and seizes my arm.   “Thank the Gods you’re here.  I sent a message after you, but I wasn’t sure it would reach you in time.”

“What’s going on?”

“The Emperor’s been assassinated.  The Second Prince has seized the throne.  The official news won’t reach here for a day or two.  The network has orders to disperse.  My sister’s already left the capital and I’m going west out of the Empire.”

Coming on top of everything else, this shock leaves me stunned.  As the information sinks in, I’m suddenly cold with a new fear.  “What about Prime Minister Li and his family?”

“In prison.”  Her tone becomes urgent.  “You’re in danger too.  You’re not only part of the network, but you’re related to Prime Minister Li by marriage.  They’ll be coming for you.”

How can the world turn upside down so quickly?  Two days ago I’m the respected Commander of a crack troop and now it looks like I’m about to become a fugitive with my little sister in prison and my lover….

“Jinhai,” I say, “Is his death connected to all this?”

“That’s why you came back, isn’t it?” she asks, her hand still on my arm.

“What can you tell me?  Who did it?”

She turns her head and calls out, “Ah-Ming, we need you.” 

The person who comes out of the inner room is Lady Han.  She comes to stand next to Ma Xiuying and bows.

“The thing is,” says Ma Xiuying, “We don’t think he’s dead.”