The capital - Jinhai

 

The capital’s buzzing with the news of war and the mood in the streets is one of resentment and anger.  There’s been no news from the army for some time, other than snatches of gossip picked up by Yuan Song’s young spies.  In recent days, the gate-guards have intensified the searches of people coming in and out, so only word-of-mouth messages can be carried.  However with the renewed declaration of war, the city has to be opened up so that supplies and weapons can be moved, and finally, after a long silence, a letter comes from General Tao.

Duan Bai and I hover around Yuan Song as he decodes the message.  He looks up, his expression tense.  “They’re going to do it.  They’re going to declare for the Third Prince and depose Yan Rong.”

“When?”  I’m so breathless at the news that my voice sounds faint.

“Soon.  Tao Yahui says he has the agreement of a majority of the officers.  He’s asking us to warn the Third Prince.  It’s the news from the north-east which tipped the balance.  He says he’ll warn us when they’re ready to move.”

My heart’s pounding.  At last!  At last some action, the prospect of an end to this soul-destroying waiting.  If all goes well, Shan could be back here within weeks.  If all goes well.  But last autumn’s disappointment’s still horribly fresh in our minds.

“Don’t overthink it,” says Yuan Song, reading my face.  “One fight at a time.  Go and tell your friends.  But only the ones who won’t talk.”

I’ve taken to wearing a doctor’s apron and cap when I go outside, as the soldiers in the streets are less likely to stop me if I’m dressed that way.  In any case, everyone thinks twice about challenging Duan Bai, who escorts me everywhere.  We make our way to the Liang house and tell Liang Zhou and Mo Jiang, then to Shao Su’s cottage and finally to the Lei house, where we also find Yao Lin.  Planning for the spring caravan is well under way.  They’ll need to leave soon.

“I hope the army moves quickly or I might miss everything” says Yao Lin, wildly excited by the thought of revolution.

Madam Lei’s brow is furrowed.  She has a better idea than Yao Lin of what revolution entails.

“They say they’ll give us a warning just beforehand," I say, "But I don’t know if I’ll have time to get the message to all of you.  So it’s wise to be ready.  Keep the gates barred and don’t let people out unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

“I understand,” she says.  “You be careful too, Ah-Jing.”

I grin.  “Don’t worry.  I’m being well looked-after.”

We all look at Duan Bai, who’s idling outside in the courtyard.

“Yes, he certainly looks efficient,” says Lei Qing.

“I’ll come home with you,” says Yao Lin, “We’ve finished our business here.”

I don’t really have much of an idea of how you carry out a revolution and say as much as we walk home.

Duan Bai chuckles.  “I wouldn’t worry.  I’m sure General Tao has a very good idea.”

“I suppose you’d have to start with the gates,” Yao Lin speculates, frowning.   “Get a lot of men into the city.  But then what?  They’ll have to fight the city guard.”

“Shouldn’t be a problem,” says Duan Bai, his lip curling.  “The city guards are half-trained and half-witted.”

“Then what?”

“Besiege the Palace?” I suggest, “The Imperial Guard isn’t numerous enough to take on a full army.  But the Palace has a high wall round it, so they’ll hunker down and hope Xu Yimu will come and save them.”

“Will he?” asks Yao Lin.

“I’m betting he won’t,” says Duan Bai.  “He’ll be expecting the army to march south.  When he hears they’re not going to, that’ll change the game for him.  He can’t fight the whole Imperial army.   He’ll cut his losses.”

“Maybe the Dowager Empress will try to escape?”

“Well, the high wall doesn’t just keep people out, it also keeps them in,” I say.  “Though I suppose there might be escape-routes somewhere.  But once the Palace is surrounded, the chances of getting out will be very small.”

“So you’re saying the army’s bound to win?”

“In the end, yes.  But there’s no saying what the cost will be.  In lives, I mean.”

“And when will it all happen?”  Yao Lin’s questions are inexhaustible.

“No idea.  I expect we’ll wake up one morning and find the streets full of soldiers.”

“Cool,” says Yao Lin, to whom this whole thing’s a huge adventure.

In fact, that’s exactly what happens.  No message arrives, but two days later, Ah-Bo, whose lodge has a window overlooking the street, comes and wakes us very early.  “Something’s up,” he says.

Duan Bai, Yao Lin and I crowd into the lodge and peer out of the small barred window.  A steady drift of soldiers is moving through the streets, mostly foot soldiers, but with some cavalry too.  They’re not Imperial Guards.  They’re wearing the familiar army uniform that I was wearing only last year.  Yao Lin wants to climb up on the wall to get a better look, but we dissuade him, as he’s liable to get an arrow through his head.  As the light grows, so does the flood of men.  In the distance we hear shouting and the clash of arms.  The movement of men carries on remorselessly till mid-afternoon, by which time we’re desperate for news of any kind.  And then comes the sound of horses’ hooves, a thunderous knocking on the door, and a voice which I recognize shouting, “Message for his Imperial Highness the Sixth Prince.”

Ah-Bo’s mouth drops open.  Yao Lin looks at me with an odd expression.  Duan Bai grins.

“Let him in,” I say.

It’s Bai Ping.  Grinning all over his face, he comes striding in and embraces me.  Then he says, “Ah, sorry,” and sketches an Imperial salute.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” I say.  “What’s going on?”

He looks round at us.  “We’re in complete control.  The city guard didn’t put up much of a fight.  Some of them even seemed glad to see us.  The Palace is surrounded.”

“You took the city just like that?” I say disbelievingly.

“Fell like a ripe plum,” Bai Ping says cheerfully.  “Good, isn’t it?  Your presence is requested at a meeting, Your Highness.  I have to take you to headquarters.”

“Where might that be?”

“The house of Justice Minister Wu.  There’s an escort outside.”

Yao Lin follows me as I go into the house to change.  “It’s true then?” he asks.  “You really are a prince?”

I turn and face him.  “It’s complicated, but yes, I am.  I’m very sorry I couldn’t tell you before.  I really wanted to.  Please don’t be hurt.”

“I’m not hurt.  I half-guessed.  Something the magistrate said in Orchard Town got me thinking.  And Dad dropped a couple of hints.  And then there was that fuss when Zhu Yu tried to have Sir Zhan arrested.  Who else knows?”

“The people who were with me in the army.  And Yuan Song and Duan Bai.  We had to keep it a secret because Xu Yating already tried to kill me once and she’d have tried again if she knew I was still alive.  And she wouldn’t stop at that.  Everyone who knew would be in danger too.”

He sits, thinking, as I search out a set of formal clothes and start to change.  Then he says slowly, “So Sir Zhan really is Liao Shan, just as Zhu Yu said?”

“Yes, he is.  Hao Meng figured it out.   And of course so did your Dad, but he didn’t say anything.”

“He wouldn’t.”  He grins.  “Well, what do I call you now?”

“My real name’s Jinhai, but please go on calling me Ah-Jing.  Not Your Highness though.  Listen, how about I tell you the whole story when I get back?”

“Deal,” he says, standing up.

Impulsively, I go over and hug him.  To my relief, he returns the hug warmly.

“I’m glad you know,” I say.  “I was wondering how to tell you.  And now I’ve got to go to this wretched meeting.”

Ah-Bo's friend has saddled Blaze.  Half a dozen horsemen are waiting in the street.  They all salute.  It looks as if my cover’s totally blown now.  Everybody will know who I am.  We move off and proceed at a smart pace through the streets, which are empty of all but our troops.

“We’re telling people to stay indoors tonight,” Bai Ping says, riding alongside me.  “They can come out tomorrow to buy food.  Many of the soldiers who’ve come in today are from the city, so their faces are known.  There’ll be leave granted in the coming days so they can see their families and spread the word.  General Tao’s idea.”

“Smart man.  Who’s going to be at the meeting?”

“General Tao, General Chen, Minister Wu, Prime Minister Teng, the Cherry Blossom guy, maybe a few others.”

“Was it really that easy?” I ask, still not quite believing.

He smiles.  “You did an excellent job of preparing the ground for us.  All that popular ridicule spooked Xu Yating into taking extreme measures.  That was just what was needed to get the army off its butt.”

“I thought nothing ever would.  We kept pushing and pushing but nothing seemed to move.”

“Well it has now.  The declaration of war and the news about Xu Yimu clinched it.”

We’re now in the exclusive residential area where the ministers and nobles live.  Minister Wu’s house is large and handsome, the mature trees in the garden just coming into leaf.  We ride into a wide courtyard and servants run to take our horses.  Bai Ping and I dismount and he leads me up the main steps and into a big reception room where a number of men are standing.  They all turn as we come in and, to my embarrassment, kneel in salute.

“Please rise,” I say.  “Don’t stand on ceremony.  General Tao, will you introduce everyone?”

His face as stern as ever, the young general quickly names the men who have gathered.  Our host is Minister Wu, an elegant, grey-bearded gentleman who looks the very embodiment of integrity.  Behind him, grinning and winking, is Wu Shun, whom, in a breach of protocol, I embrace heartily.  Then in order of rank come Prime Minister Teng, a short man with a square serious face, the Ministers of Revenue and War, General Chen, who also gets a hug and finally a smiling Yuan Song, who takes my hand and kisses my cheek, causing a slight disturbance among the rest of the company.

“We’re here to brief you on the current situation and discuss future strategy,” General Tao says.  “The city’s under our control now and we have the Palace surrounded.  As you all know, the Palace is well-fortified and there are over five hundred Imperial Guards inside, together with the Imperial family and as far as we know, a full complement of servants.  So, there are a lot of civilians who stand to get killed if we mount a full-scale attack.”

“Bad news,” says General Chen in his blunt way, frowning.

“We believe they have sufficient provisions to last for some time.  We assume that Xu Yating’s counting on being relieved by her brother.  That remains to be seen.  We’ve heard nothing from our contacts in the north-east about whether Xu Yimu’s army’s on the move, or how many men he has.  But it’s believed he can only mobilize ten thousand men at the most and we have many times that number.  And it’s a long way from the north-east.”

“The latest news we had from the south was that Xu Yimu’s in contact with Lord Zu, subsequent to the three lords falling out,” says Yuan Song.  “Lord Zu might throw his troops in too.”

“I’d put money on Lord Kong preventing that,” I say.  “He‘s no fool and he’s aware of the danger.  But surely there’s no hurry to engage with the Palace?  We can afford to wait till we get confirmation of what Xu Yimu’s doing.  I imagine the original plan was that he would only march once our army had returned to the south.  He surely can’t hope to engage us in and around the capital.”

General Tao smiles grimly.  “Indeed, Your Highness, you’re quite right.  The city’s plentifully supplied and too large to besiege.  So we only need to sit tight, wait for news and make sure that nobody escapes from the Palace in the meanwhile.”

“Do you think the Imperial Guard will remain loyal?” asks Yuan Song.

General Tao looks sterner than ever.  “There’s a central core of men from the north-east who have sworn to defend the Xu family.  But over the years, a number of younger men have been recruited who don’t have the same clan links.  So it’s difficult to say what they’d do in a pinch.”

The Prime Minister speaks up for the first time.  “We must summon the Third Prince at once.”

“Already done,” says Bai Ping, “But it’ll be twenty days or so before he gets here.”

“It goes without saying that the Dowager Empress and Du Xun must be removed,” pursues the Prime Minister.  “They should stand trial for their crimes.  And Yan Rong must be persuaded to abdicate in favour of the Third Prince.”

“What’s happened to Xu Yating’s faction in the Council?” I ask suddenly.  “And the people who support the Emperor?”

General Tao coughs.  “Under arrest.  They’ll have time to reflect on their position while we wait for the Third Prince to arrive.  In the meanwhile, we’ll maintain martial law in the city, though with a light hand.  The populace is on our side right now and we want to keep it that way.”

Suddenly a burden’s been lifted from my back.  Other people are in charge now.  A process is under way which can’t be stopped, and I don’t have to do anything more.  We’ve achieved what we set out to do.  I glance at Yuan Song and guess from his reflective expression that he’s thinking much the same.  He looks up, meets my eye, smiles and nods.  Servants are bringing in drinks.  We drink to the Third Prince and wish success to our enterprise.  The conversation becomes general.  Everyone wants to speak to me.  I haven’t met any of these Council members before and I’m impressed by their intelligence and grasp of the situation.  They all seem to know what Yuan Song and I have been doing and they approve of our actions.  They’re men of the world.  Their attitude to Yuan Song is courteous and respectful. 

Wu Shun’s bubbling over with enthusiasm.  He’s been to visit Xinyi and Qian Hu at the Cherry Blossom Pavilion.  “Though my father disapproves of pleasure-houses in principle, he didn’t mind me going there for that,” he explains with a grin.  “Xinyi’s much better.  I’m amazed.  He looks so fragile but he must be very tough to have survived everything.”

“It was a near thing this time.  And if it hadn’t been for Liang Zhou, he wouldn’t have made it.”

“It was thanks to all of you, from what he said.  Did you know he’s planning to redesign Yuan Song’s courtyard garden?”

A polite cough makes me turn.  Minister Wu’s standing behind me.  He bows to me and nods at his son.  He’s rather imposing close up.  “I wanted to thank you, Your Highness, for passing on the evidence about the Gu family.  And also for your kindness towards my son here.  He came back a changed person from his time in the army and I think much of that is due to you.”

“Ah-Shun’s my friend, sir,” I say, as Wu Shun shuffles modestly.  “He and I did a lot of our training together and we helped one another.  And I think Commander Liao deserves most of the credit.”

“Indeed so.  But it was you realizing he was left-handed which made all the difference.  I had no idea – the women said nothing and even his tutor failed to see it.”

“I’m glad I could help.  But he must have got his administrative talent from you, sir.  And his eye for shooting.”

The Minister clears his throat and turns slightly pink, proving himself human.  “Well, I was noted for my accuracy back in the day,” he says.  “In both departments.  Commander Liao’s with the Third Prince, if I’m not mistaken?”

“Yes sir, with two other members of our troop.”

“And he’s the one who rescued Sir Li?”

“Yes sir.  His sister is Sir Li’s daughter-in-law.”

“I heard that the young lady has disappeared and is feared dead.”

“No sir, she’s alive and well.  In fact, she gave birth to a daughter just after she was….”  I stop, suddenly aware that I’m giving too much away.

Minister Wu smiles.  “You were going to say, just after she was rescued?  Was that Commander Liao’s doing as well?”

“No, in fact…”

“It was Ah-Hai here,” says Wu Shun, grinning.  “Oh sorry, I mean His Highness.  Mo Jiang spilled the beans,” he adds as I look at him in surprise.  “It doesn’t matter now, does it?”

“No, I suppose it doesn’t,” I say with a laugh.  “I’m just not used to the new situation yet.  We’ve had to keep everything secret for so long.”

“Your contribution has been invaluable,” says Minister Wu.  “Now we just have to finish the job.  You’re joining us for lunch, I hope?”

Lunch is long, plentiful and convivial.  The mood’s one of elation.  Even General Tao seems to have relaxed somewhat.  But even in this pleasant company, I’m suddenly overwhelmed by loneliness.  Shan’s not here.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Wu Shun says quietly from his place next to me.  “You’re missing the Commander, aren’t you?”

“I keep wondering – it’s been six months since I last saw him.  What if he’s changed?”

Wu Shun smiles.  “He’s like Mount Tai.  He won’t have changed.”

“But maybe I have.  So much has happened.  I’m not the same person.”

“Yes you are.  Stop worrying.  He’ll be back in twenty days.  And Shao Ru and the others.  It’ll be like old times again.”

Twenty days!  In another twenty days, Shan will be home.