by Jin Yong
This made Guo Jing even more anxious.
“Let me sing this song first. Listen carefully,” Lotus replied, turning around and continuing to row the boat through the lake. Her voice was as clear and crisp as the water itself:
“Wild goose weather,
Winter frost seeps through window screen.
Veiled in protective clouds is the moon,
Tender is the ice unweaned.
The stream her mirror, she combs her hair,
Perfume and powder
all brushed away.
Jade complexion
layered silk outweighs.
Leaning against the east wind,
One moment of her smile
Turns ten thousand blossoms away,
Blushed and beguiled.
Oh, loneliness!
Where is home?
A garden after snow?
A lakeside pagoda?
To Jade Lake, a ne’er forgotten beau.
But which messenger can she trust?
Butterflies only know to search for peach and willow,
Of southern blossom they do not care.
And so with sorrow she sheds her petals
Into sunsets
Accompanied by bugle blare.”
Guo Jing listened carefully. The meaning of the lyrics was hard to grasp, but Lotus’s voice was so sweet and the surroundings so beautiful that it lulled him into a warm daze. Only thoughts of the Elder Wang popped on the surface of his consciousness every now and again.
“This song was written by an official of the court, His Excellency Mr Xin,” Lotus almost whispered once she had finished, “and it describes the winter plum blossom. It’s very beautiful, isn’t it?”
“I didn’t understand it, but it was lovely. Who is Mr Xin?”
“His name is Xin Qiji. My father says he was a good and just official who takes care of the people. He was the only patriot left defending our lands when the Jin captured the north and tortured General Yue.”
Guo Jing’s mother, Lily Li, had often told him of the cruel deeds carried out by the terrible Jin, how they had brutally killed many of his people, but the injustice had burned only faintly up on the Mongolian steppe. He had never been able to muster a strong hatred towards the invading Empire.
“It is my first time here, in the Central Plains. You will have to tell me more stories later. Right now, I must save Elder Wang.”
“Just a little longer, there’s no hurry,” Lotus said.
“But if he doesn’t get the antidote within twelve hours, he will be forever crippled. He is most sick!”
“Then let him be crippled, it doesn’t much concern us!”
Guo Jing leapt to his feet. “But . . . but . . .” His cheeks burned.
“Don’t worry. I will make sure you get the medicine.” Lotus said, smiling.
She is certainly cleverer than me, and I don’t have any more ideas, Guo Jing said to himself. She sounds confident. So he relented and listened, laughing and clapping, as she related the story of how she had run circles around the Four Daemons of the Yellow River and Browbeater Hou.
The snow twinkled in the sun and the ice crystals and plum blossoms together painted the most perfect and romantic scene. Lotus slowly reached for Guo Jing’s hand. “Nothing scares me now.”
“Why’s that?”
“Even if my father has rejected me, you will stay by my side, won’t you?”
“Of course, Lotus. I . . . like . . . being in your company.”
Lotus laid her head against his chest. A sweet perfume filled the air. The lake seemed to stretch around the earth. Was it the blossoms? Or was it Lotus? They held hands and did not speak.
After what seemed like hours, Lotus let out a sigh. “This place is so beautiful, what a shame we have to go.”
“We do?”
“Didn’t you want to get the herbs for Elder Wang?”
“Yes, of course! But where can we find them?”
“How come the shops in Yanjing couldn’t supply them?”
“Wanyan Kang’s men got there first.”
“In that case, we’ll go to the Prince’s residence and take them back.”
“To the Prince’s residence?” Guo Jing was stunned at this suggestion.
“Indeed!”
“We can’t do that! It’s too dangerous.”
“Then you are prepared to let Elder Wang become a cripple? Or perhaps even die?”
Blood pumped into his cheeks. “You’re right. But I must go by myself.”
“Why?”
Guo Jing could not think of an answer. “Just promise.”
“But what if something happens to you? I will be all alone.”
Guo Jing’s heart leapt and a flush of love flooded his brain. Suddenly he felt much braver. Why should he be scared of Hector Sha or Tiger Peng? He could do anything. “Fine, we’ll go together.”
They rowed the boat to the edge of the lake and started back towards the city gates. Halfway along the road, Guo Jing suddenly remembered the Four Daemons were still hanging in the trees. “Should we release them?” he asked Lotus.
“They call themselves the Iron Heroes,” Lotus said with a smile. “A little bit of wind and snow won’t hurt them. Though I suppose they might starve to death. But the Four Daemons of the Plum Blossom Forest sounds much better than the Four Daemons of the Yellow River, don’t you think?”
Chapter Nine
Spear Splits Plough
1
GUO JING AND LOTUS SNEAKED ROUND TO THE BACK OF THE palace and climbed over the wall into the courtyard.
“You have excellent lightness kung fu,” Lotus whispered to Guo Jing.
Guo Jing beamed with pleasure from where he was crouching, looking out for movement inside.
Just then they heard footsteps and then laughter. Two men were walking towards them.
“What do you think the Prince is going to do with her, now that he’s got her locked up?”
“Do you have to ask! Have you ever seen a girl as luscious as that since the day you were born?”
“Watch that the Prince doesn’t hear your dirty talk, or he’ll cut your head off! She may be pretty, but she’s got nothing on the Consort.”
“That lowly country girl? Of course she’s got nothing on the Consort.”
“But I thought you said the Consort came from—” He suddenly stopped and coughed. “The Prince took a beating today from that old Taoist. You’d better not upset him, or he’ll take it out on you.”
“If he tries, I’ll duck to the left, kick to the right.”
“Sure.” The first man laughed.
So Wanyan Kang has a sweetheart, Guo Jing said to himself. No wonder he refused to marry Mu Yi’s daughter. But then he should never have joined the competition, let alone taken her embroidered shoe. But what was that about keeping his lover locked up? Was he forcing her to stay against her will?
The two simply dressed servant boys came closer, one carrying a lantern and the other a basket of food.
“First he locks them up,” the one with the food basket said, “then he worries that they’ll go hungry. This late at night!”
“Winning over a lady takes charm and a gentle touch, don’t you know?”
They laughed as they passed by and disappeared around a corner.
“Let’s go and see how pretty she is,” Lotus said in hushed tones, her curiosity getting the better of her.
“But Elder Wang’s herbs!” Guo Jing replied.
“I want to see the young lady first!” Lotus scuttled off after the two servants.
What’s so interesting about a young lady? Guo Jing said to himself. I can’t understand it. He knew that if a woman heard another described as beautiful she would have to see it with her own eyes, especially if she was herself considered pretty. And Lotus was the type of girl who had to get what she wanted. So he set off after her.
They followed the two servant boys through the vast Zhao Palace until they came to a large st
and-alone house guarded by an officer armed with a sabre. Lotus and Guo Jing hid and listened as the servant boys exchanged a few words with the guard. He then opened the door and the young men went inside.
Before they could close the door again, Lotus picked up a stone and threw it at the lantern, extinguishing the flame with one poof! She then grabbed Guo Jing’s hand and slipped through the door. The guard did not think it too strange; rocks were known to fall sometimes from the roofs. The servants cursed and went to fetch tinder and a flint to relight it. They then carried the lantern across a small inner courtyard and in through another small door.
Lotus and Guo Jing crept behind them and saw a large cage with iron bars. Inside sat two prisoners: a man and a young woman.
One of the servants lit a candle, which he fed between the bars and placed on a table. Guo Jing peered closer. The man had a large grey beard. He looked angry. It was Mu Yi! And the young maiden sitting beside him, her eyes firmly set on the floor, was his daughter Mercy. But what were they doing here? Wanyan Kang had taken them hostage. But why? Had he fallen in love with her, after all?
The servants proceeded to pass some snacks and dishes through the bars.
“Kill us already, if that’s what you’re planning! I’m fed up with being pampered like a pet. Hypocrites!” With that, Mu Yi took one of the plates and smashed it on the ground.
Just then a voice came from outside. “Your Highness!” It was the guard.
Lotus and Guo Jing exchanged glances and slipped behind the door, just as Wanyan Kang entered.
“Who has angered the valiant Mu Yi?” he announced. “Be careful or I’ll break your stinking legs!”
The servants dropped to their knees.
“Please, sir.”
“Go, get out of here.”
“Yes, sir.”
They stood up and scurried away, but as they got to the door, they turned and poked out their tongues and made faces at each other.
Wanyan Kang waited for them to close the door before speaking. “Please don’t be alarmed. I invited you and your daughter here to the palace for a special reason.”
“Then why lock us up like common thieves?” Mu Yi snarled in response. “How dare you call it an invitation?”
“My apologies, please be patient. I truly am very sorry.”
“Such excuses are good for convincing a three-year-old, but don’t try them on me. It’s just typical of you greedy officials – always feeding off us common folk. I’ve seen enough of it to know.”
Wanyan Kang tried several times to reply, but each time Mu Yi cut him off with another flood of angry retorts. Somehow, the Jin Prince managed to keep a smile on his face.
“Father, let him speak,” Mercy pleaded quietly.
Mu Yi snorted, but at last fell silent.
“Your daughter possesses rare talent, and is of course extremely beautiful. I have eyes that can see, how could I not acknowledge it?”
Mercy’s cheeks flushed crimson and she lowered her gaze even further.
“But you see, I am the eldest son of the Prince of Zhao. My father is strict. If he found out I had agreed to marry a young girl of no family, a wandering performer from the rivers and lakes, he would be furious and the people would despise him for it.”
“What are you saying?”
“I would like you to stay a few days, rest, recover from your injuries, and then go back to your village. Wait until two summers have passed and talk has died down, and then either I will go south to ask for your daughter’s hand in marriage, or you can send her here. Wouldn’t that be better?”
Mu Yi made no reply. He was thinking about something else.
“My father has had to suffer enough from my mischief. Not three months ago he reprimanded me severely for my conduct. If he were to find out about this, there could never be a wedding. I beg you, sir, to keep it a secret.”
“You mean my daughter is forever to be your secret wife? Your marriage will never be out in the open?”
“No, of course not. I will make proper arrangements when the time is right. I will have some men of the court act as matchmakers and we will have a proper celebration.”
Mu Yi’s expression changed suddenly. “Bring your mother here, we can discuss it with her.”
“How could I let my mother know?” Wanyan Kang laughed.
“There will be no agreement if your mother does not come!” He grabbed the carafe of wine and threw it through the bars.
Mercy had taken a shine to the young man ever since their duel. To her, the plan sounded perfect. She was both surprised and aggrieved by her father’s reaction.
Wanyan Kang flicked aside his sleeve to reveal the wine jug in his hand; he had caught it before it smashed to the ground. “I’m going now!” he announced with a smile, turning to leave.
Guo Jing, too, thought the plan sounded a good one; who would have guessed Mu Yi would turn it down in such a rage? I will try to convince him of his error, Guo Jing said to himself. But just as he was about to stand up and reveal himself, he felt a tug at his sleeve and he was pulled back down.
Outside, more voices.
“Did you bring it?” Wanyan Kang said.
“Yes, sir,” the servant replied.
They peeked out through the window. He had in his hand a small rabbit. The Prince coughed, and then snapped the animal’s hind legs, before placing it inside his robe and striding away.
How odd! Guo Jing and Lotus glanced at each other before slipping out again and scurrying after the Prince.
They circled a bamboo fence and came to a cottage with white walls and black tiles on the roof. It had been built to look exactly like the peasant homes of the south. To Guo Jing, everything in the palace complex was new, so he saw nothing odd in the design, but to Lotus it looked most out of place. They watched as the Prince opened the front door and disappeared inside.
They crept to the back of the cottage and peered in through a window. What was the Prince doing in such an unassuming place? He had to be up to no good. But just then they heard him speak:
“Ma!”
A woman murmured an indistinct reply.
Wanyan Kang went through to another room. Lotus and Guo Jing shuffled along to the next window. There they spotted a middle-aged woman sitting by a rustic wooden table, her head held in her hands as she stared into space. She could not have been more than forty, and was possessed of such natural beauty that there was no reason to smother it in make-up. She wore the simplest of cotton garments.
The Consort is many times more beautiful than Mu’s daughter, Lotus thought, but why is she dressed like a peasant woman? And why does she live in such a shabby cottage? Did she do something to offend the Sixth Prince?
Guo Jing was thinking the same thing, but put it down to some strange custom he did not understand. Had Lotus not done the same, pretending to be a beggar boy? It must be a game women here liked to play, pretending to be poor.
Wanyan Kang walked up to his mother and touched her on the arm. “Ma, are you feeling unwell again?”
The woman sighed. “I worry about you so,” she said.
Wanyan Kang leaned in closer and smiled. “But look, your son is here now. And he’s all in one piece, isn’t he?” His behaviour struck the two onlookers as most arrogant and unfilial.
“Except your eyes are puffy and your nose has been bleeding. All this messing around. It would be one thing if your father were to find out, but if your shifu were to hear . . . you’d be in big trouble.”
“Ma, do you know who that Taoist was who appeared yesterday?”
“Who?” she said, looking up at her son.
“My shifu’s martial brother. Which would make him my martial uncle, I suppose. I pretended not to recognise him, just called him Elder this, Elder that. I could see it made him angry, but he couldn’t do anything about it.” He laughed.
“Oh dear.” The Consort looked worried now. “I’ve seen your shifu angry. He has killed people before. He is very frightening
.”
“You’ve seen my shifu kill? When? Why?”
The Consort looked up at the light as if gazing far into the past. “It was a long time ago, I can barely remember.”
But the young Prince was too impatient to listen to his mother’s story. “The old Taoist, my martial uncle, asked what I was going to do about the young girl today, and I told him I’d do whatever he said as long as he brought her to me.”
“Have you asked your father’s permission?” the Consort said, brought back to more urgent concerns than reminiscences of days past. “He said yes?”
“Ma, you’re too naïve. I got my men to trick them into coming here. I’ve got them locked up. That way the old Taoist won’t be able to find them.”
Outside, Guo Jing was fuming. To think I believed that he had good intentions! The valiant Mu Yi is too wise to fall for such a dirty trick.
“How can you mock his daughter like that, and lock them up?” His mother too was displeased at her son’s conduct. “Go back to them and apologise. And give them some silver as recompense.”
This was a good idea, Guo Jing thought.
“Ma! You don’t understand. The men of the rivers and lakes don’t care for money. A man’s reputation is more precious than gold. If I release them, he will tell everyone what happened and my shifu will find out.”
“So you plan to keep them locked up forever?”
“I told them to go back to their village and wait for my return. Ten, twenty years, it’s up to them – a lifetime, if it pleases them.” The young Prince was really laughing now.
Guo Jing was about to bang on the door and let the Prince know what he thought of him when a soft, smooth palm covered his lips and another hand seized his wrist. “Be calm.”
Guo Jing turned to Lotus and smiled faintly before turning back to the window.
“That old Mu is smarter than I thought, though,” the Prince was saying. “He hasn’t fallen for it yet. But we’ll see how long he’ll hold out.”
“Miss Mu is beautiful. I like her. Why don’t I tell your father that you could do worse than take her for a wife? Then all will be well.”