Wang Dian returned from the palace when the moon was high in the sky. He leaned against the carriage wall, his sleeves tucked in, dozing off. Suddenly, the carriage stopped, and he was jolted awake, steadying himself on the window.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, lifting the curtain.
“Young master, there seems to be someone lying on the road ahead,” the coachman said uncertainly, taking down the lantern from the front of the carriage to go and check.
“Wait,” Wang Dian called out to him, glancing back.
A man dressed in black approached silently, checked the breath of the person on the ground, and turned to Wang Dian. “Master, he is still breathing.”
Wang Dian’s eyebrows twitched slightly. “Master?”
“From now on, you are our master. The eighteen of us will follow your commands,” the man said solemnly. “These were His Majesty’s exact words.”
“I understand,” Wang Dian got down from the carriage, looking at the person lying on the ground from a distance. He looked somewhat familiar. “Zhao Wu?”
“Master, this road is secluded, and this man has been seriously injured; there may be something fishy.”
“It doesn’t matter. Take him back and find a doctor to have a look,” Wang Dian gestured with his hand and got back into the carriage. Shortly after, another person came by and hoisted Zhao Wu onto his shoulder.
Moments later, the man who had appeared earlier tapped lightly on the carriage and passed a golden token through the window. “Master, this was found on him.”
By the candlelight inside the carriage, Wang Dian could vaguely see the character “Zhao” on one side of the token and “Qi” on the other. Around it were six golden dragons entwined and a very small seal.
Wang Dian tossed the golden token in his hand and clicked his tongue with interest.
The next morning.
The person lying pale in bed opened his eyes only to see a familiar face staring back at him. He was stunned for a moment. “Is it you?”
“What a coincidence,” Wang Dian said with a smile, standing by the bed with his sleeves tucked in, looking at him. “You were hit by three arrows, each narrowly missing vital points. You’re really lucky.”
Zhao Wu gave a bitter smile. “Thank you.”
“It’s nothing, nothing at all,” Wang Dian dragged a chair over and sat down. “These are troubled times, it’s not unusual to pick up someone who’s been seriously injured.”
Struggling to sit up with his arm covered, Zhao Wu clasped his hands in a salute. “The three taels of silver you gave me last time solved a big problem for me, and now you’ve saved my life again. I owe you a great debt of gratitude. May I ask this young master’s name?”
“Wang Dian.” Wang Dian took out a token from his sleeve and waved it in front of him. “Zhao Wu, ‘Wu’ shares the same pronunciation as ‘five’, and Emperor Zhao Qi of Zhao country is associated with the number five. Brother Zhao, you seem to have quite the background.”
(TL: “武” in Zhao ‘Wu’, “五”=’Five’)
Zhao Wu’s pupils shrank at the sight of the token. Wang Dian smiled and placed the token back in his hand. “Picking up an unknown person in the dead of night is indeed dangerous. My men are overly cautious; I hope Brother Zhao won’t take offense.”
Zhao Wu, or rather Zhao Qi, clenched the token in his hand and looked at him with some confusion. “Since you know my true identity, why aren’t you afraid?”
“Emperors are human too; there’s nothing to fear,” Wang Dian said. “I’m just curious. As the ruler of a country, how did you end up in such a sorry state in Liang country?”
“…” Zhao Qi was silent for a moment before staring at him. “Aren’t you afraid of getting beaten for talking like that?”
“It’s okay; generally, no one dares to beat me,” Wang Dian leaned back in his chair and laughed.
“What about your beloved?” Zhao Qi asked.
“He deserves it even more,” Wang Dian sighed.
Zhao Qi sighed along with him, prompting Wang Dian to ask. “Is it really that hard to be the emperor of Southern Zhao? It’s one thing to be wandering outside, but to have no one to protect you, not even three taels of silver, and to be hunted down…”
“Damn it, I didn’t realize how miserable I was until you pointed it out,” Zhao Qi made a face as if he had swallowed a fly.
Wang Dian patted his shoulder sympathetically. “It’s really tough being an emperor.”
“That tone…sounds like you’re quite familiar with emperors?” Zhao Qi looked at him uncertainly.
“That’s right, I have a younger brother who is now the emperor of Northern Liang, so I know a bit,” Wang Dian said nonchalantly, then took a couple of sips of tea. “I can’t say who’s more miserable between you two, but rest assured, I won’t hand you over to him.”
Zhao Qi looked slightly bemused, “May I ask bluntly, is your emperor of Liang really…”
He gestured to his head, and Wang Dian understood immediately, defending Liang Ye. “It’s all exaggerations. Although I don’t get along too well with this younger brother of mine, to be honest, he’s a good person. He cares for his people and is brave and strategic—a good material for an emperor.”
Zhao Qi immediately breathed a sigh of relief, “To be honest, I was actually mixed in with the envoys from Zhao country to celebrate your Grand Empress Dowager’s birthday.”
Wang Dian nodded in understanding, “The Pact of Lintu?”
“Hey, you—,” Zhao Qi crossed his legs and said, “By pointing out my intentions so bluntly, you make me seem like an incompetent emperor.”
“Having fallen to such a state might indicate that possibility,” Wang Dian found this emperor of Southern Zhao extremely interesting. He had none of the airs of an emperor and it was even hard to find in him the inherent pride and caution of a feudal monarch. Even though he was so closely related to Liang Ye, he could often sense certain indelible traits belonging to an emperor in Liang Ye.
Zhao Qi wiped his face and lay back on the bed lifelessly. “I just can’t do this emperor job; it’s like forcing a duck onto a perch to knock down dates from a tree.”
Wang Dian consoled him. “It’s okay; every profession requires gradual progress over time. It’ll get better.”
“You young masters all speak so elegantly; it’s hard to learn,” Zhao Qi paused for a moment before getting straight to the point. “You’re not going to hand me over to your emperor brother?”
“Not at the moment,” Wang Dian said with a smile. “I have many grievances with him; even if I handed you over, it wouldn’t do me any good.”
Zhao Qi’s eyes rolled around, and he laughed out loud. “You’re really amusing.”
“You’re quite interesting yourself,” Wang Dian said.
Zhao Qi joked. “If your beloved knew you were hiding someone at home, wouldn’t he cause a fuss?”
“You’re a grown man; what would he fuss about with me?” Wang Dian was unconcerned.
“Come on, I could tell at first glance that your beloved is a man,” Zhao Qi said. “Which girl would give someone stones and branches wrapped in a plain handkerchief? Is your beloved good-looking?”
Wang Dian cleared his throat. “Naturally, he is good-looking.”
He was already undeniably handsome.
Zhao Qi whistled frivolously.
****
In the harem, at Kangning Palace.
Tan Yishuang fanned herself gently and said softly, “When we parted last time, I thought Your Majesty left quite freely.”
Liang Ye sat opposite her, silently picking grapes to eat.
Her light fan tapped on the back of his hand, and Tan Yishuang said with a smile, “Eat less, save some for little Heng’er.”
“Chong Heng doesn’t like them,” Liang Ye reluctantly withdrew his hand and took a wet handkerchief from a maid beside him to wipe his hands.
“He will eat what comes from Kangning Palace. Don’t always let him eat greasy meat dishes; he vomits when he eats too much,” Tan Yishuang said with some concern. “I made several pairs of shoes and socks for you these past days; don’t forget to take them with you later.”
“Thank you, Imperial Concubine,” Liang Ye said. “Chong Heng always misses you; it’s Zhen who doesn’t let him come.”
Tan Yishuang smiled helplessly. “Your Majesty is right to do so. He is still childlike at heart. Having been accustomed to living in the deep palace and at an age where emotions are budding, it would be better if Your Majesty finds a good family girl for him to settle down with soon. It might help him focus.”
“Zhen will,” Liang Ye paused before adding, “just afraid he won’t agree.”
“You are his master, like a brother and a father to him; he listens only to you,” Tan Yishuang said. “When the late emperor passed away, I intended to follow him in death. Now I’m just lingering in this deep palace…Your Majesty, please persuade him more.”
“Imperial Concubine,” Liang Ye’s voice deepened, “Zhen knows very little about matters of affection. Moreover, in Zhen’s opinion, there is nothing wrong with this matter. The rules and proprieties are nothing but lies those pedantic scholars use to deceive people. What matters is being comfortable with oneself.”
“Your Majesty?” Tan Yishuang looked at him somewhat shocked.
“Zhen will persuade him on this matter, but Zhen won’t obstruct whatever the outcome may be,” Liang Ye looked up at her with a solemn expression. “But Imperial Concubine, about the matter of Bian Xin being poisoned by the Grand Empress Dowager years ago, do you really intend to bury it deep within the palace and take it to the imperial tomb?”
Tan Yishuang was silent for a long time before she slowly began. “General Rufeng saved my life. Without her, even entering the palace would have been wishful thinking. She should have been an eagle soaring on the battlefield but was cruelly clipped of her wings and chained. From the first moment I saw her upon entering the palace, I knew she wouldn’t live long.”
Liang Ye remained silent.
“Such a person, she would rather die than lose her freedom, even though the late emperor treated her extremely well, loved her as his life,” Tan Yishuang said absentmindedly. “That year, a few of us concubines who had just entered the palace foolishly provoked her in her palace, only to find her practicing with a spear. Dressed in a strong outfit, she looked valiant and heroic, yet she was also strikingly beautiful and flamboyant. She took us up to the highest rooftop of the palace, letting us feel the wind as we looked out at the imperial city and the sky…”
[The sky beyond the Great Wall is a thousand times broader and higher than here. If you had met me two years earlier, I would have taken you to the grasslands to ride horses and pick flowers, to drink and dance. How delightful that would be!] The radiant woman stood against the wind, her high ponytail lifted by the breeze into a beautiful curve.
“…Since then, I’ve felt that beyond the Great Wall must be a wonderful place. After my death, I too wish to be buried beyond the Great Wall,” Tan Yishuang said with self-mocking laughter. “As one gets older, one tends to reminisce about the past. I hope Your Majesty will not take offense.”
“Bian Xin was a good general,” Liang Ye said.
“She didn’t like the name Bian Xin; she preferred to be called Bian Rufeng,” Tan Yishuang said. “Your Majesty, she knew there was poison in that bowl of soup, but she still picked it up and drank it. In front of the late emperor, she cursed your Liang family’s ancestors for eighteen generations. Then, wearing her battle armor, she leaped from the highest city wall. She said that in the entire harem, in this vast imperial city, the person she liked most was Cui Yuxian.”
Liang Ye tugged at the corner of his mouth but couldn’t manage a smile.
“I was thinking that after you left, you could help us see what lies beyond the Great Wall,” Tan Yishuang looked at him with some regret. “Why did you come back?”
“Zhen dislikes trouble; you might as well go see for yourselves,” Liang Ye looked at her. “Seeing through others’ eyes is never as satisfying as seeing for oneself.”
Tan Yishuang was slightly stunned.
“Since Bian Rufeng liked Cui Yuxian so much,” Liang Ye chuckled lightly, seeing the melancholy and hatred in her eyes. “Why don’t we send Cui Yuxian down to accompany her?”
