The moon is dark and wild geese fly high; throughout the marketplace no idle lanterns remain. The gatekeepers at the city entrance expertly opened the city gates to allow the carriage through.
The carriage had originally been heading east but, before reaching the halfway point, a voice from inside suddenly commanded: “Go south — to Shili Inn.”
The meeting place had been changed at the last moment.
A large estate to the south of the city — frogs chirped noisily in the early summer night, guards stood watch layer upon layer in the darkness, with only the guest hall of the estate’s second compound lit by lamp. This place was Shili Inn.
Having arrived late because the location had been changed at the last moment, Prefect Xie came in with unhurried footsteps. He wore dark robes and a bamboo hat to cover his face.
Prefect Xie had just suffered Pei Shaohuai’s humiliation in recent days and was in poor spirits. Beneath the flickering torchlight, his expression appeared all the more somber. As he drew closer and closer to the guest hall, and thought about using Xu Wu’s power to stir up chaos in Shuang’an Prefecture and entangle Pei Shaohuai, Prefect Xie managed to squeeze out a face full of smiles, even though he was unwilling.
“Brother-in-law, it has been a long time.” Entering the room, Prefect Xie walked toward Xu Wu with a jovial expression, and also said: “The hour is somewhat late, but the wine is still warm.”
Yet he greeted only cold indifference. Xu Wu let out a grunt, and in a frosty tone said: “Prefect Xie, it has indeed been some time since we last met.” The former brother-in-law had become Prefect Xie.
The tone clearly conveyed displeasure toward this “brother-in-law.”
Prefect Xie froze, and the steps he had taken forward slowed. The false smile failed to remain on his face, giving way to visible anger and contempt. He said: “Xu Laoliu, what do you mean by these words?”
At this moment, Prefect Xie noticed a youth standing by the window. Unsure whether to be angry or to smile, his expression became quite complex. He said: “What are you doing bringing Chun along in this pitch dark?” Though his son had been born under such circumstances, Prefect Xie still held some feelings for him.
“He was born in the pitch dark.” Xu Wu showed no inclination to spare his words, and asked in return: “Can it be that a son wanting to see his father must first send a calling card to ask this father of his for permission?”
Prefect Xie was speechless for a long while. He sat down beside Xu Wu and asked: “You called me here — what pressing matter is there?”
“There is something I want a straight answer on.” Xu Wu asked: “Has the court truly issued an edict to open maritime trade here? The activity on Jiahe Island lately has been well above the ordinary.”
Prefect Xie, to stabilize the man’s nerves, replied with an air of casual unconcern: “Word of this has been circulating for ten years or more — you know that. Why are you suddenly asking this?”
“The brothers on Qun Island are living with their lives on the knife’s edge — this silver is what we earn. What else would I ask about? Must I ask Prefect Xie to share half his official salary with them?” Xu Wu confirmed again: “Just tell me — is this thing real or not?”
If maritime trade were truly opened, without official suppression and with warship escorts for merchant vessels, they would be trapped like rats in a cage — a dead end.
How could Xu Wu not be furious and anxious?
“There is indeed such a matter…”
“Then why not tell me?” Xu Wu pressed.
Prefect Xie found a pretext and continued to placate Xu Wu. He said with categorical certainty: “This is a matter that is destined to come to nothing — why waste Brother-in-law’s time speaking of it?”
“I’ve been forced by the Jiahe Guard to hide on the island and unable to get out — I’ve had plenty of idle time.” Xu Wu was having none of it, and said: “Whether the matter can succeed is one thing. Whether you discuss it with me is another thing entirely…. I, Xu Wu, am not some dog to be called when needed and dismissed when not.”
“Xu Laoliu, don’t go too far.”
Provoked by these words, Prefect Xie could no longer conceal himself and erupted in anger.
“Very well, let us leave that aside for now.” Xu Wu was not backing down — instead he pressed Prefect Xie on another matter: “Quanzhou Prefecture gave Wang Chu more than ten thousand liang of silver — what is that all about?”
“That was the official reward issued by the court for killing Japanese raiders.”
“I don’t give a damn about any reward or not — what I can’t figure out is how this silver was passed through your hands to flow into Wang Chu’s pockets, and not into meat for the brothers of Qun Island to eat. What I want to know is whether Qun Island’s brothers haven’t risked enough over these years, putting their lives on the line, or whether they simply don’t qualify?” Xu Wu had not merely been passed over — silver had been sent to the opposing side. Xu Wu could not but be furious. He demanded: “Just tell me — is it that Qun Island’s brothers have given too little with their blood and their lives over these years, or that they are undeserving?”
Those who came together for mutual benefit will also part ways over it.
Prefect Xie had heard enough to understand. He asked directly: “How much do you want?”
“Today I don’t want silver — I want justice.”
A pirate chief speaking of justice before a “fully ranked” prefect — what a laughable scene this was.
Just at this moment, a rapid urgent knocking at the door — knock, knock, knock — interrupted the two men’s exchange. The guard outside came in to report: “My Lord, the Jiahe Guard has led a contingent of soldiers and forcibly entered the city. They are conducting a search throughout the area outside.”
Prefect Xie’s first instinct was disbelief, but going to the doorway, he indeed heard the faint rustle of footsteps in the distance.
“How could they enter the city?”
The guard bowed his head and said: “They said they have a gold warrant from the Southern Embroidered Uniform Guard, and spring knives hanging at their waists.”
It was the Southern Embroidered Uniform Guard that had entered the city — not the Jiahe Guard.
Xu Wu was no longer able to remain calm. Were it not for the constables protecting Prefect Xie, in his desperation Xu Wu’s blade might truly have come down on Prefect Xie.
“It is not what you are thinking.” Facing Xu Wu’s furious glare, Prefect Xie hastily tried to explain — but under such circumstances, how could any explanation get through?
Prefect Xie had no choice but to choose the lesser option. He said: “Better to flee for our lives first — explanations can be discussed afterward.”
Xu Wu walked toward the back entrance, saying furiously as he went: “If you show no loyalty, don’t blame me for showing no righteousness.” He then beckoned with his hand toward the youth who had been standing by the window throughout.
The youth called Xie Chun followed without hesitation.
As he passed by Prefect Xie’s side, Prefect Xie grabbed his son’s hand. It was somewhat thin, and rather cold — so he gripped it tighter, and said: “Chun, Father will take you home.”
The youth gave him an indifferent glance, said not a word, and in the next instant pulled a gleaming curved blade from his waist and drew it straight across Prefect Xie’s forearm.
Like a stranger.
Prefect Xie, in pain, involuntarily released his grip. As his son’s departing figure retreated from view, a smooth piece of sleeve fabric fell to the floor. The wound trickled blood steadily, staining the dark fabric — invisible against the dark color.
He should have known it would come to this.
……
Within the prefectural city, the sounds of troops and horses awakened the common people, yet no one dared to light a lamp and peer outside to see what was happening. Fearing that a lit lamp would attract attention and bring trouble upon themselves, they could only close their doors and gates, and hide in the darkness, listening carefully.
The soldiers Yan Chengzhao had brought were elite troops, and their search sweeps were methodical and disciplined. Before long they had chased south out of the city.
Xu Wu had thought that once outside the city he could shake off his pursuers — little did he know that the soldiers gave chase right at his heels, pressing in step by step.
He was almost at the wild river crossing when he saw the boats he had arrived on had already been burned down to charred ruins.
The bandit had reached the crossing with no boat to cross. Yan Chengzhao led his troops to encircle them. The outcome was inevitable — Xu Wu and his men were captured to the last, and that very night were sent to the dungeons of the Jiahe Guard.
……
Jiahe Island was damp from the sea air. If the island was like this, the dungeons dug underground were even more so.
The dampness was such that even the flames of the torches carried a faint mist.
When Xu Wu was dragged in with the clanking and rattling of iron chains, the long-confined Mori Shiro was hunched over, head bent down toward his hand, repeatedly trying to pull out several newly grown hairs from the top of his head — and repeatedly failing.
Hearing the sound, he looked up. The two men’s eyes met. Very quickly each recognized the other, then both hastily averted their gaze, fearing that the prison guards might notice.
But the more they avoided, the more conspicuous they became — how could this escape the sharp eyes of the Southern Embroidered Uniform Guard?
……
In the capital, inside the imperial palace.
More than a month had passed when Pei Shaohuai’s letter arrived at the Earl’s residence, and was then presented into the palace. The very fact of this delay made it all the more clear that this was an ordinary letter.
“Your Majesty, Prefect Pei has sent a letter back,” Chief Eunuch Xiao reported.
“Present it at once.”
The Emperor had originally been reviewing memorials. Having come across several vexing matters of governance, his heart had been somewhat heavy — it was just the right moment for Boyuan’s letter to dispel his gloom.
The letter was presented before the Emperor. He hefted it, and felt it rather light and thin.
Seemed like only one or two pages? No matter — the truest and most sincere sentiments between ruler and minister need not be measured by length or quantity.
The Emperor opened the letter, filled with curiosity about what Boyuan would say to him. He felt around inside the envelope three times and still drew out only one sheet of paper — nothing more. The Chief Eunuch Xiao Jing at his side couldn’t help but lean slightly sideways, transgressing proper conduct to steal a glance at the page.
The Emperor knew the letter was short, but he hadn’t imagined it would be short enough to be read in full the moment it was unfolded.
Beside him, Xiao Jing caught a glimpse of the letter and couldn’t help but draw in a sharp breath — only Lord Pei would dare to write a letter like this.
His great anticipation came to naught. The Emperor, gazing at the brief few lines of characters, showed no displeasure and no sign of anger — only fell into deep thought. After a long while, he asked Xiao Jing: “Boyuan’s letter — it was sent by the Office of Transmission?”
“To answer Your Majesty, it was Second Lord Pei who brought it into the palace,” Chief Eunuch Xiao added. “Second Lord Pei is also waiting outside. Shall he be summoned for an audience?”
“Summon him.”
Pei Shaojin entered the Imperial Study. The Emperor asked: “Boyuan’s letter to Us — did it come together with the family letter?”
“Your Majesty, that is correct.”
The Emperor asked again: “The letter your elder brother wrote to you — how many characters did it contain?”
With only these cryptic words to go on, Shaojin had no way to gauge the imperial intent, and could only answer vaguely: “Your servant was not careful enough to count the exact number of characters — only estimates there were about five or six pages.” In truth there were ten pages.
Whatever the number of pages, it was certainly more than forty-two characters.
“This Boyuan of ours…” The Emperor was both annoyed and amused.
As long as one understood the meaning in Pei Shaohuai’s letter, the Emperor was not so small-minded as to compete with a “family letter” over length.
Yet thinking it over, he still felt a bit “indignant.” The Emperor said to Pei Shaojin: “Tell your elder brother that the next letter he writes to Us must exceed six pages.” Arrangements were made just like that.
“Your servant receives the imperial command.”
After Shaojin had withdrawn, the melancholy that had been weighing on the Emperor earlier was entirely swept away, and his mood brightened considerably.
The melancholy had its origins in reviewing memorials. Many recent memorials, over and over, every line and word, were all petitioning for “the Crown Prince to participate in governance,” “the Crown Prince to serve as regent,” “the establishment of an Eastern Palace official staff,” “early establishment for early succession, passing to the virtuous and capable”… combined with the flow of silver in Fujian, the state of the Eastern Palace’s income and expenditures — all of this was causing what had once been an affectionate father-son relationship to become somewhat delicate and complicated.
The Emperor was past fifty, and the Crown Prince beginning to participate in governance was not actually premature. To a certain degree, ministers petitioning in accordance with established practice was normal enough.
“Xiao Jing.”
“Your servant is here.”
The Emperor said: “Are the Suzhou-style mung bean cakes from this morning still set aside?”
“They are still in the side hall, though they have gone somewhat cool,” Chief Eunuch Xiao said. “This old servant will have the imperial kitchen prepare a fresh portion.”
That the Emperor had an appetite for mung bean cakes showed his mood was quite good indeed.
“No need — just bring in what is in the side hall.”
Taking advantage of the moment while the Emperor ate his mung bean cakes, and since the Emperor was in good appetite, Xiao Jing asked: “Your Majesty, should the imperial kitchen prepare a few more dishes for the midday meal?”
“That would be fine.”
There were things the Emperor could not say to his ministers, so he treated Xiao Jing as someone to confide in. The Emperor said: “The entire court’s memorials denounce him; the court’s situation is unclear and uncertain — yet Boyuan can still tuck his letter inside the family correspondence to send it back. He neither defends himself seeking imperial favor, nor involves himself in stirring up the situation. He single-mindedly focuses on ‘being occupied’ with the important matter at hand. This is very good — very rare.”
Chief Eunuch Xiao stood holding the dish, listening with rapt attention.
The Emperor took another piece of cake and said: “Indeed. Handle what is important first, and the situation will clarify itself accordingly.” The Emperor’s worry came more from uncertainty about how events would unfold and difficulty in deciding what to do.
Having eaten his fill, his mood had also improved.
With a full stomach came the desire to play chess. Having not played chess for quite some time, the chessboard in the back of the Imperial Study ought to be brought back to life. As punishment for Pei Shaohuai writing only forty-two characters, the Emperor issued an order: “Xiao Jing, go to the Jingchuan Earl’s residence later today. Convey Our words: for the next half month, each afternoon, have the Supervising Censor Pei come to the rear garden of the Imperial Study to polish Our chess skills with Us.”
The distant one was beyond reach — the close one certainly could not be let off.
“This old servant will go at once.”
The “imperial decree” quickly reached Pei Shaojin.
In others’ eyes, to play chess with the Emperor like this, to enjoy the Son of Heaven’s favor — this was something difficult to seek and rare to obtain, and ought to be treasured and cherished with all one’s heart. Yet Shaojin found himself somewhat troubled — the debt his elder brother had incurred, for now, could only be repaid by his younger brother.
Well, so be it. He would have Elder Brother write a longer letter next time.