*The Eastern Warm Chamber.*
Tang Pidi bowed toward Li Chi and said, “Had I not happened upon the scene today, I fear Cheng Wujie would have been killed by those villains — as would Fang Xidao and those Tribunal officers, right outside the walls of Chang’an…”
He raised his head, glanced at Li Chi’s expression, and after a moment’s deliberation continued, “Your Majesty’s grand design is not something this subject dares to disturb. Yet some people have crossed a line.”
Li Chi gave a nod. “Give Us four hours.”
Tang Pidi bowed. “This subject obeys.”
At that moment, Ye Xiaoqian came rushing in from outside: “Your Majesty — Her Highness the Empress has gone to the Tribunal!”
Li Chi’s expression shifted at once. He strode out in great steps; Tang Pidi’s heart lurched as well, and he hurried after him.
The Empress was nearly at full term. For her to go to the Tribunal herself at a time like this — how could Li Chi not be worried? By all reckoning it should be any day now. Gao Xining going to the Tribunal was truly terrifying.
Word had apparently reached the Empress via the Tribunal’s report: Fang Xidao had been ambushed outside the city, and even the Duke Cheng Wujie had nearly lost his life. The fury she must be feeling went without saying.
The Imperial Guards stationed outside the Eastern Warm Chamber watched the Emperor charge out at full stride with the Great General hard on his heels, and stood momentarily stupefied.
The Tribunal was not far from Weiyang Palace. Even as Li Chi and Tang Pidi were racing out, Gao Xining’s carriage had already drawn to a stop before the Tribunal gates.
Two handmaids helped Gao Xining down from the carriage. She swept inside, great belly and all, not slowing her pace for a moment. The attendants who had followed her out of the palace went pale with fright and trailed close behind, terrified she might stumble.
“Every last one wearing the cloud emblem — get yourselves before me at once!”
Gao Xining called out as she walked, her voice carrying a chill that made everyone around her flinch.
Within the Tribunal, officers at the rank of Baiban or above wore black brocade robes embroidered with silver-threaded flowing clouds; those at Qianban or above wore black brocade with gold-threaded flowing clouds. By calling for everyone bearing the cloud emblem, she made plain that her fury today had burned to its very limit.
Within moments, every officer of Baiban rank and above who happened to be in the Tribunal came rushing like a gust of wind toward the main hall.
Gao Xining stood in the hall with one hand resting on her belly. Each person who entered dropped to their knees and kowtowed. Acting Chief Tribunal Officer Zhang Tang — who now held the Tribunal’s full authority in the absence of the Chief — had gone ashen upon hearing that the Empress had arrived.
The Empress was nearly in confinement, and the Tribunal was like her very own family. Everyone knew that. Now that she had come, how could they not tremble?
One by one they entered; one by one they knelt. In no time the hall was thick with Tribunal officers, all prostrate in their cloud-embroidered robes.
Zhang Tang rushed to the front of the assembly and had just begun to bow when Gao Xining glanced at him. “You too — kneel.”
Zhang Tang dropped to his knees with a thud, the sound sharp and clean — he had made no effort to soften his landing.
Just then, Elder Ye came hurrying in from the rear courtyard. He stepped through the door, took in the scene, and immediately moved to kneel.
“Elder need not.” Gao Xining looked at him. “Elder, come stand beside me.”
Elder Ye quickly moved to her side and bowed slightly. “Whatever the matter, Her Highness the Empress ought to remain in the palace. In your present condition—”
Gao Xining shook her head. “Elder, this household has a thief. I am in the very place that catches thieves — and a thief has been found in this household.”
Her voice dropped to ice.
“Never mind that one Qianban of the Tribunal nearly fell in the line of duty — that is, after all, the risk of Tribunal work. The Great General Duke Cheng Wujie nearly lost his life right outside Chang’an. A breach this enormous — how could I not come myself? I am still the Chief Tribunal Officer!”
Gao Xining turned to Zhang Tang. “Crawl over here.”
Zhang Tang shuffled forward on his knees and, with his head bowed, said, “This subject is guilty. This subject begs Her Highness the Empress to calm herself — and to take care of her health—”
Before he could finish, Gao Xining raised her hand. “Address me as Chief Tribunal Officer.”
“Yes!”
Every person in the room prostrated themselves in unison: “Chief Tribunal Officer!”
Gao Xining glanced behind her and turned to her two handmaids. “Bring me a chair.”
The two palace maids — who had been frightened half out of their wits — scrambled to bring a chair. Once Gao Xining had settled into it, she spoke: “Zhang Tang. I entrusted the Tribunal to you, so today I am also entrusting this matter to you. I will give you two hours. I will sit here in this chair for two hours and wait. If you cannot identify the traitor within that time, go outside and claim a length of white silk for yourself.”
“Yes!”
Zhang Tang answered immediately.
At that moment, Li Chi and Tang Pidi arrived — both on horseback. The instant they appeared at the Tribunal gates, the dense black ranks of Tribunal officers outside all dropped to their knees.
Li Chi strode into the main hall. Seeing Gao Xining seated there, he let out a breath of relief. He stepped forward and urged, “This matter — let Us handle it. Go back to the palace and rest. Don’t be willful…”
Gao Xining said, “Your Majesty, this is the Tribunal’s affair. Either strip me of my post as Chief Tribunal Officer this day, or allow me to see this through.”
Li Chi: “You handle it, you handle it. We’ll watch you handle it.”
Tang Pidi took his place behind Li Chi, caught Elder Ye’s glance, and the two exchanged a look. In each other’s eyes they read the same concern — and something else besides.
They were likely both thinking: whoever had roused Gao Xining to this degree would not be getting off lightly.
With her temper up like this…
One only had to look at the Emperor, standing there beside her visibly wringing his hands, to understand. Even those in the Tribunal who did not know Gao Xining well could read the situation by now.
Even the Emperor was fidgeting with anxiety — what did that say for everyone else?
Zhang Tang had already gone to investigate. Li Chi leaned slightly toward Gao Xining and murmured close to her ear, “Take it slow. Take a breath. Don’t let yourself get too upset.”
Gao Xining said, “Your Majesty need not worry.”
Four words. Li Chi dared not say another thing, and could only stand quietly by her side.
The whole scene gave the distinct impression that when the Empress was in a temper, even the Emperor was being made to stand in the corner as punishment.
Zhang Tang did not need two hours. In barely one, he had turned up his man: the leak was a Baiban officer of the Tribunal by the name of Xu Shangxin, promoted to his post only two months prior.
In truth, the moment news of Fang Xidao’s ambush outside the city reached the Tribunal, Xu Shangxin had known it was over for him.
Some days earlier, he had been drinking with a fellow townsman staying in Chang’an. In his cups, he had bragged about the secrets he knew from his work at the Tribunal — his mouth had run away with him, and out had come the truth: that Guan Mo was not, in fact, dead.
The words were barely out before he sobered up, though the fright had done most of the work. Cold sweat soaked his back. He had pleaded with his fellow townsman again and again to say nothing — and the man had sworn up and down that he was just a small merchant, who on earth would he tell?
Xu Shangxin had not dared breathe a word of it to anyone in the Tribunal. He had only prayed that Guan Mo would be safely transferred away, and the matter would die quietly.
Of those within the Tribunal who had known of Guan Mo’s whereabouts, there had been very few. Xu Shangxin had been present the day Guan Mo was moved.
He entered the hall and dropped to his knees with a thud.
“Your Majesty, Your Highness — Chief Tribunal Officer — this subject is guilty. This subject deserves ten thousand deaths.”
Gao Xining paid him no attention. She looked to Zhang Tang. “Have you gone to make the arrest?”
Zhang Tang bowed. “Yu Hongyi and Shang Qingzhu have already gone. Between the two of them, it should be more than sufficient.”
Gao Xining made a sound of acknowledgment and closed her eyes to wait.
In less than half an hour more, Shang Qingzhu returned with his prisoner. Xu Shangxin’s fellow townsman had not managed to flee the city; though he had gone into hiding, how long could anyone stay hidden in Chang’an?
The man confessed almost immediately — never mind whether torture was employed or not; the people surrounding him were enough to frighten him half to death.
“Your Majesty — Chief Tribunal Officer—”
Zhang Tang bowed. “This person was instigated by the steward of Vice Minister of Finance Mei Xinqu’s household, who had deliberately cultivated a relationship with Xu Shangxin. The intelligence was passed to Mei Xinqu’s steward.”
He finished speaking, then raised his head and glanced at Li Chi. Li Chi glared at him: “Why are you looking at Us?”
Zhang Tang quickly redirected his gaze to Gao Xining. “My Lord—”
Gao Xining said, “Go yourself to make the arrest. Let not one of them slip through. Take the Black Cavalry.”
Zhang Tang answered at once, turned, and ran out.
Gao Xining raised her hand and pointed at Xu Shangxin and his fellow townsman. “No need to lock them away and waste the space. No need to bring them to the torture chamber for further questioning. Those who are to die must die — and if they are to die, let it be quickly. Quickly means here, before my eyes.”
Elder Ye hurriedly bowed. “Your Highness the Empress — it would be better to take them outside for the punishment. Your Highness is so close to your time — it truly would not do to witness such a sight—”
Gao Xining pressed her hand to her belly and said, “Today I will witness it regardless. I want to see whether the sight of the Tribunal rooting out its traitors can startle this child.”
Her hand moved gently over her belly, as if in quiet conversation with herself: “Today, Mother will let you watch alongside her — so that after you are born, you won’t grow up faint-hearted at the sight of blood… and let all people know: though the Imperial Prince has yet to be born, he is already standing guardian over the law of the realm.”
Everyone’s eyes turned to Li Chi. Li Chi gave them a look that said very clearly: don’t listen to her — better that no blood is spilled here.
Tang Pidi stepped forward from the side: “In my time, I have stood before mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Today’s blood — I will stand before it and hold it back.”
He stepped forward and seized the two men, one in each hand, turned his back to Gao Xining, and cracked their skulls together hard.
There was blood — the Empress had asked for blood, and blood there must be, because Tang Pidi understood: Gao Xining’s resolve to purge the Tribunal was absolute. The Emperor did not wish the Empress to see blood, yet blood there must be — so he would let the blood fall without letting it be seen.
With a single crack, both men’s skulls caved in. The blood sprayed onto Tang Pidi himself.
He tossed the two bodies aside without looking, then did not return to stand behind Li Chi and Gao Xining — instead he walked to the doorway and took up his position there, facing outward.
The sight of it silenced every person in the Tribunal.
These were not people easily frightened — in any conversation about courage in the face of death, Tribunal officers would be the first to speak. What they feared was the Emperor and the Chief Tribunal Officer. If this matter was not purged, how could the Tribunal ever again hold itself up as a symbol of justice?
In the moment Tang Pidi stood at that doorway, the bodies behind him bleeding freely into the ground, the message was clear: whatever is fierce, whatever is ill-omened — who in this world dares to pass the Great General?
Li Chi looked at Gao Xining and lowered his voice. “What comes next, let Us handle. All right?”
Gao Xining assented. She rose; Li Chi quickly took her arm and helped her to her feet, then gave the order: “Escort the Empress back to the palace.”
The attendants hurried forward, guiding Gao Xining out through the side passage.
Li Chi let out a slow breath and took her vacated seat, his expression settling into something cold and deliberate.
—