I wake up next morning in agony from cramp and cold.  Wincing, I carefully lay Shan back on the pillow and ease myself stiffly out of bed.  I’m only just in time, for without warning the door slides back and Liang Zhou comes in.  I can only imagine his expression if he'd found us in bed together.

“How is he?” he asks.

“No change.”

He sits and takes Shan’s good wrist to feel his pulse, while I hastily get dressed.

“Pulse is still strong.  It's essential we keep giving him water.  A tiny amount at a time.  My wife will show you how.”

“How are the others?”

“Duan Bai has a fever, but that’s to be expected.  Shao Ru’s still deaf, but he’s being very cheerful about it.”

“He would be.”

The door opens again and Madam Liang comes in with a tray.  Liang Zhou pats my shoulder and leaves us to it.  There’s a strange pot with a spout, a little like a watering can.  We turn Shan on his side and Madam Liang shows me how to trickle water into his mouth drop by drop.

“He’s swallowing.  That’s a good sign,” she says.  “Just go on doing this.  And talk to him.”

“Talk to him?”

“Yes, just as you would if he were conscious.  I’m sure that unconscious people can hear us.  Even if he can’t hear the words, he’ll hear your voice.  Ah-Jiang will come in a moment to wash him and you can go and have some breakfast.”

The sun hasn’t yet risen above the courtyard wall, so it’s still cool outside as I go in search of food.  Shao Ru and Kong Guanyu are there at the big table having breakfast.  I join them, and we eat in companionable silence.  Then suddenly the gate creaks open.  Kong Guanyu looks up from his bowl and frowns.  “Who’s that?”

I jump up, feeling a sudden rush of warmth.  “Yao Lin!”

It is indeed Yao Lin, accompanied by Lei Qing dressed in boy’s clothes.  I run over and hug them both.  “It’s so good to see you!  I was going to send messages today.  Is everyone all right?”

“We’re all fine,” says Lei Qing, blushing a little at my welcome.  “Mother sends her love and says she’ll visit later.”

“We heard Sir Zhan was hurt in the explosion.  Is he all right?” asks Yao Lin anxiously.

“Not too bad, but he hasn't come round yet.  Come and sit down.  Are you hungry?”

Yao Lin’s always hungry.  Shao Ru greets the two of them and I introduce them to Kong Guanyu.  Xiaxia appears yawning, squeals with delight at the sight of the newcomers, makes Yao Lin blush by kissing him, and whisks Lei Qing away to look at the baby. 

"Is that a girl?"  Guanyu asks, puzzled.

The next moment, the gate creaks open again and Hao Meng comes in, looks round, sees us, grins all over his face and waves the wine-jar he’s carrying. 

“I knew they couldn’t kill you, Ah-Ru,” he cries and strides over to thump Shao Ru on the back.  “How’s Sir Zhan?”

“Still unconscious,” I say, a little painfully.

“Don't worry, he’s as tough as an old tree,” Hao Meng says blithely.  “It’ll take more than a knock on the head to put him down.  Got any cups?  Who are you?” he adds, looking at Kong Guanyu.

“A thirsty person,” says Kong Guanyu, looking at the wine-jar.

Hao Meng cackles.  “That’s what I like to hear.  Ah-Jing?”

“Too early for me, thanks.”  

Seriously, are they going to drink when the sun’s hardly above the horizon? 

It seems they are.  Yao Lin and I exchange expressive looks.  As the drinking gets underway, Yao Lin pulls my sleeve and says in an undertone, “How is everyone, really?”

“Shao Ru’s deaf.  Duan Bai has a broken arm and a leg wound.  Shan’s got a dislocated shoulder and a broken wrist.”

“But he’ll wake up soon, won’t he?”

“Yes.  Yes, of course he will.  But we don’t know when.”

His eyes are full of sympathy.  “Qian Hu and Xinyi are coming by later.  Xinyi’s busy making snacks to bring you.”

I laugh, a little shakily.  “I’m so glad to see you, Ah-Lin.  How are the plans for the caravan?”

“Delayed by all this, but we hope to get under way in a couple of weeks.  Hao Meng and Madam Lei have been recruiting men for the escort.  Will Shao Ru be able to travel by then?”

“Liang Zhou says there’s a good chance his hearing will recover.  But I don’t think it’d stop him anyway.  So, did you find the revolution exciting?”

“I didn’t see much of it.  Of course, we all heard the explosion.  And there’s a new Emperor now.”

“Have they proclaimed him Emperor?” I ask, surprised.  “We haven’t heard any news here.”

“Last night.  They’re busy putting up the notices this morning.  What’s he like?”

“A good man,” I say, smiling.

The drinkers are getting noisy.  Mo Jiang appears and is pressed to drink.  More wine’s sent for.  A party seems to be developing, but things come to an abrupt halt when the gate swings open again and two men dressed in the maroon of the Imperial Guard stride in.  One of them shouts, “All greet his Majesty the Emperor!”

It’s Ren Baiyi, almost unrecognizable in a fancy helmet.  And in they come:  a gaggle of Palace officials, eunuchs, some ministerial faces I recognize and in the middle, my Third Brother, in full Imperial regalia, accompanied by Li Wei and Wan Ning.  This is an unprecedented honour.  We all kneel.  People pour out of the house.  Liang Zhou and Madam Zhou come forward in a fluster and salute, but the new Emperor, smiling, waves everyone up and greets us all familiarly.  He’s come to visit the injured.  Madam Liang hurries to provide refreshment for the retinue, while Liang Zhou and I escort the Emperor to Duan Bai’s room.  Yuan Song rises from his seat by the bed and kneels gracefully.  He looks worried.  Duan Bai’s flushed and muttering in a fever. 

“We expect him to recover, your Majesty,” Liang Zhou says.

“I’m glad to hear it.  All the men who took part in the attack on the tower will be rewarded.  How is Commander Liao?”

"Still unconscious.  If you'll follow me, your Majesty."

In Shan’s room, we stand and look at the motionless body on the bed.  Liang Zhou explains about Shan’s condition and the Emperor frowns.  “I hear he fought Du Xun and killed him.”

“So it seems.”

“I’ve never seen swordsmanship like his,” murmurs the Emperor.  “Will he recover fully?”

“We hope so,” says Liang Zhou smoothly.  “In time.”

“Good.  We’ve lost too many good men.  Well, we’ll leave you to it.  Keep me informed.”

“Yes your Majesty,” we say in unison.

The Emperor looks at me and says, “Jinhai, we must talk.  But not at the Palace.  Can you come to Sir Li’s house later this afternoon?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.  Thank you.”

The Imperial retinue leaves with as much fanfare as they came, but without Li Wei, who’s taking the opportunity to make the acquaintance of his new granddaughter.  The whole house is in a flutter.  They’ll be talking about this for days. 

I retreat to Shan’s room and, mindful of Madam Liang’s advice, tell him about the Emperor’s visit.  “I’m glad he asked me to come and talk.  I’m going to ask him to make me a regular citizen.  Remember that letter I wrote back in Qiu City, which you never got a chance to deliver?  This time I’ll make it happen.  Then we can be together.  So you’d better get well.”

I’m feeding him more water when the door slides open and Li Wei comes in and greets me.  "I hope I find you well, your Highness.  How is Commander Liao?”

I rise and bow.  “No change, sir, I’m afraid.”

Li Wei stands looking down at Shan’s closed face.  “On the ride south, after we escaped, he carried me on his horse for days.  I must have been a terrible burden but he never complained.  And then when we arrived, it was entirely due to him that we were accepted and respected by Lord Kong’s men.  I don’t think we could have done it without him.”

“Without him we couldn’t have taken Qiu City either.  And I wouldn’t be here.”

Li Wei touches my shoulder sympathetically.  “We have to keep our chins up,” he says.  “Talking of chins, I’ve just met my granddaughter.  She pulled my beard and hit me in the face.”

I can't help smiling.  “She does that a lot.  She’s a feisty one.”

“I have to thank you most humbly for rescuing my daughter.  She told me all about it.  I’d like you to give me the names of everyone involved.  They must be rewarded.”

“I’ll bring a list when I come this afternoon.  You know that the Emperor wants to see me at your house?”

“I suggested it.  The Palace must hold very bad memories for you.”

“You’re very kind.”

“Commander Liao's part of my family now.  Therefore you are too, if you would accept us.”

“I’d be greatly honoured,” I say, bowing again.

“Good, good.  Well, I must be going.  The Emperor has returned all my property, but things need to be put to rights before my daughter and granddaughter come home.  I hope you’ll excuse any disorder.  There's a great deal to do.”

He gives me directions to his house, bows smilingly and leaves.  I have a warm feeling inside.  I look at Shan.   “You were right, he’s a remarkable man.  Intelligent, courteous and kind.  Third Brother’s in good hands.”

At noon, Mo Jiang comes in to take over the care of the patient.  He looks at me critically.  “You should go and get something to eat.  And try to get some rest.  You’ve got bags under your eyes.”

Discomfited by this information, I check in on Duan Bai, whose situation hasn’t improved.  Yuan Song’s looking very tense.  He too has bags under his eyes.  Madam Liang shoos us both out to get food.  Hao Meng’s asleep in the shade, breathing heavily.  Shao Ru, Yao Lin and Kong Guanyu are playing dice.  As we come out, the gate opens again and another visitor appears, a woman, heavily-veiled.  She pushes back the veil and looks round.  It's Shao Su.  She takes in the scene, marches over to the table where her brother’s sitting and halts, hands on hips.  “Here I was thinking you were at death’s door and you’re playing dice!” she exclaims.  “And drinking too!”

Shao Ru looks up, roars with delight, and embarrasses his sister by enveloping her in a huge hug.  “Come on, sit down and have some food,” he says.  He looks towards us and gestures to us to come over.  Introductions take place.  We all bow.  Shao Su looks at Yuan Song with amazement which she tries to conceal, the usual reaction from women on meeting him.  Madam Liang comes over and embraces Shao Su.  Servants bring more food. 

The overworked gate creaks open again to reveal the missing members of my extended family, Ren Baiyi and Zi Wuying, accompanied by Qian Hu and Xinyi, who are both clutching food baskets.  There are more introductions, more seats to be fetched and more food to be distributed.  Xiaxia appears, flushes peony red at the sight of Ren Baiyi and becomes uncharacteristically silent.  Li Lien comes too, with Lei Qing and Ah-Jie carrying Little Lan.  The women all sit together at one end of the long table, which soon becomes very animated.  Even Yuan Song’s strained expression eases a little, though as soon as he’s finished, he gets up to return to Duan Bai’s side.  Kong Guanyu’s face is a picture, leaving aside the swollen nose and the two black eyes.  He looks from one person to another, probably wondering how such a disparate group of people ever got to know one another in the first place.  Qian Hu has his paper and charcoal out and is drawing.  Xinyi hugs me and tells me that the roses are blooming. 

Two years ago I was alone in the world.  Now I have all these people who are dear to me.  If only Shan …….  But there’s no use thinking that.  I have an important appointment to go to.  Back in Shan’s room, I find Liang Zhou carefully dropping water into our patient’s mouth.  He’s looking very serious.

“How is he?” I ask, suddenly feeling cold.

“No change.”

“If he doesn’t come round soon…..?”

“We won’t think of that.  You’ll need to change your clothes for your appointment.  My wife has put one of my robes out for you.”

“Liang Zhou, I don’t know how to thank you.  For everything.”

“Dear lad, there’s no need.  It’s thanks to you that we’ve all got a future again.  I just hope that robe’s not too big for you.”

The robe is somewhat ample and the sash goes round me twice.  I take one last look at Shan before setting off for Li Wei’s mansion.  The atmosphere in the streets has changed completely.  The crowds are chattering and laughing, relaxed and almost festive.  The Li mansion, which is in a very select part of town, is in a fearful bustle, with servants sweeping, dusting and repairing.  I’m welcomed by a stately steward who leads me into a pleasant study open to the inner courtyard, where my host is waiting, together with the new Emperor.  Li Wei greets me warmly and then excuses himself.  “I’ll leave you to talk, your Majesty.  Call if you need anything.”

My soon-not-to-be-brother is looking contented.  He pours tea and we sit, looking out at the overgrown garden.  “My wife will be in the capital soon,” he says, smiling.   “She’s with child, so she’s taking it slowly.”

“I’m very happy for you.  It’s wonderful news.”

He looks at me with the kindness I remember from our childhood.  “Commander Liao told me about your father,” he says.  “It was necessary to deflect any problems with Lord Kong.  He might have felt obliged to….”  He stops.

“Remove me?” I suggest.

He nods.

“If I may, I have a request, your Majesty.  May I humbly beg you to issue an edict declaring me the son of Zhao Qian and Liu Lan?  That way I can lead a normal life and you’ll never have to worry about anybody challenging you on my behalf.”

“I’ll do that and more.  I’m going to rehabilitate both your parents’ families and compensate your father for past judicial errors.”

I blink.  This is far more than I’d hoped for.

“The same goes for the family of Yuan Song.  Sir Li told me what happened to him.  A shocking injustice.”

I kneel beside my seat and bow to the ground.  “My most humble gratitude, your Majesty.  I don’t know what to say.”

He’s flustered.  “No, no, get up.  It’s the least I can do.  Your work here in the capital was the key that unlocked the door for us.”

“We didn’t do it alone - many people helped us.”

“They’ll all be rewarded.  Without them, I’d still be sitting in the Old Fort wondering what Lord Kong was going to spring on us next.”

“It seems so unreal,” I say, re-seating myself.  “I suppose it’s because of Shan.  Maybe I’ll believe it once he wakes up.”

“What will you do then?”

I tell him about my commercial activities and my hopes for building a trade network.  He seems very interested in my plans.  He tells me a little about life in the south, becoming positively animated when he talks about the games Shan organized, especially his experience of playing jiju.  I detect more than a trace of nostalgia in his voice.  After a while Li Wei joins us for dinner.  He looks out at his unkempt garden and sighs.

“My dear wife was the gardener,” he says.  “I really can’t get to grips with it.”

“I know just the person you need,” I say smiling. 

It’s late by the time I get back to the Liang house.  I go to tell Yuan Song the good news and find him asleep, lying precariously on the narrow bed next to Duan Bai, who's sleeping quietly and looking much less flushed.  I leave silently.  There’ll be time for my news later.

Then I hear Madam Liang calling my name with urgency in her voice.

Suddenly panicking, I think, Shan!