The Eagle and the Dragon, a Novel of Rome and China

by Lewis F. McIntyre

  Si Huar’s neatly coiffed black hair was coming askew, and her blue eyes were bright with anger. She thought of Antonius, how kind and polite he had been to her, and she responded with the Latin profanities she had learned from him. She picked up a small porcelain vase and, grasping it in her right hand, she advanced on him. “I’ll kill yer, yer son of a bitch, I’ll kill yer, yer hear!”

  Ming, bewildered at her aggression, stood stock still, his eyes wide with surprise, and made no motion to resist her clumsy lunge as she aimed for his head, connecting with all the force she could muster, and shattering the vase into a shower of shards.

  Ming’s head snapped rightwards, his eyes rolling up into his head. He slowly collapsed onto his knees and pitched face forward onto the floor with a gentle thud. A small trickle of blood oozed out of his head at the point of impact and stained the floor.

  All anger left Si Huar, and the room suddenly seemed deafeningly silent. She put her hands to her mouth, and sobbed. “Master Ming? I am sorry, Master Ming. Please … get up… get up, please!” But Ming remained still on the floor.

  Si Huar whirled and ran out of her quarters, leaving Ming lying there. Fortunately, the residents of the concubinage were at evening meal in a distant part of the building. Her heart thudded, and she considered the consequences of having killed him. Not knowing what else to do, she ran out of the concubinage before someone could discover her crime, and once outside, managed to slow herself to a fast walk so as not attract attention. She headed for the East Gate of the palace and back out into town.

  Si Huar had no plan, no hope of escaping punishment. She went to the place where she and her Roman companions had met, what seemed like years ago, though really only about two hours past. To her surprise Gaius and Antonius were still there.

  She rushed up to them in tears.

  “Marcia, Marcia, yer look like hell! What happened?” asked Antonius.

  Across the street, both Ming’s and Cyrus’ watchers dispatched runners back to their respective masters.

  Marcia could do little but sob. “Marcia, please, take a deep breath, and tell us what happened so we can help you,” said Gaius.

  She took a breath, then blurted out. “I killed Wang Ming!”

  “Sit down, Marcia, and tell us what happened.” Gaius was trying to calm her down, but he knew there would be little they could do to help if this were true.

  “I came back to my quarters… and he was there… he said I was whoring around with you, Antonius… and he hit me!”

  “All right, and then what?” asked Antonius, softly.

  “I… I usually go to my quiet place when he beats me…”

  “We understand… we do the same sometimes, when you know yer gonna take a lickin’ an’ there ain’t nothing yer can do about it. We’ve been there, both of us.” Antonius was soft and consoling. “So then what?”

  “I couldn’t find… my quiet spot. All I could find was anger. I slapped him back, and told him I wasn’t a whore.” Gaius handed her a cloth from his tunic and she dabbed at her tears. “I cursed him in Latin,” she laughed through her tears. “You would have been proud of me, Antonius! I said, “I’ll kill yer, yer son of bitch!’ Just like you would have said.”

  “Well said, domina!”

  “Don’t call me that!” she laughed, choking on her tears, then continued “I picked up a vase… and … and… I hit him in the head! It broke, and he went down, and there was blood all over the place… and I killed him!”

  Marcia was perhaps five feet tall and around a hundred pounds, and Antonius looked at her. “It’s hard enough to knock a man out with a blow ter the head, much less kill him,” said Antonius. “Gaius and I have done this a few times. How big was this vase?”

  Marcia made a shape with her hands, about the size of a melon.

  “That’s not a very big vase. Did you hit him with the base or the side?”

  “The side.”

  “That’s why it shattered. Where on his head did you hit him? Here?” he said, motioning toward his temple, “… or here?” pointing to the top of his head.

  “Sort of in between, here,” she said, pointing to the ridge of bone on the side of her skull.

  “Not bloody likely you killed him. I don’t think I could, with a vase that small. A stone, maybe, if you get a lucky swing in really hard, but with all due respect, domina…” he winked at her, “I don’t think yer’ve got the strength and size to do it. You probably just knocked him senseless, as he deserves… Yer really called him a son of a bitch?”

  “Yes... but what about the blood?”

  “Scalp wounds bleed a lot more than their size warrants. He probably got up with a big headache, maybe a few minutes after yer left. An’ it’s just as well yer did, ‘cause he is probably fixin’ ter kill you for real hisself.”

  “So what am I to do?”

  Gaius interjected. “I agree, Marcia, it’s highly unlikely you killed him. And Antonius is right, he likely would have killed you if you were still there when he came around. Or hurt you very badly. And he is likely to do that if you go back tonight.” It was now well after sunset, and lamps had been long lit along the shops and streets. “Do you have a place to stay?”

  “There is an inn around the corner, the Three Horse Inn, I could stay there, but I ran out without my purse, and I have no money.”

  “Antonius will take you there, and pay for your stay. I will get with Aulus in the morning and see if we can line up Marcus as a translator. Is he around?”

  “He is well-connected now, serving Empress Deng’s chief of staff. I think that will give protection against Ming.”

  “Good. Ming’s Latin is not up to any involved discussion. Where can I find him?”

  Marcia gave some instruction while Gaius scribbled notes on wax tablet.

  “We will meet with Ming tomorrow. We are under Imperial protection as a foreign envoy, and in fact, you also are under Trajan’s protection. That may carry some weight against him, your dual status and all. But I can’t guarantee anything. If that doesn’t work, we may not be able to help much.”

  “Remind me never to make yer mad! Cold-cockin’ a man on yer first head shot, good job, domina!” Another wink.

  “You two are wonderful. No matter what happens, I am so grateful!”

  Gaius departed for the palace to brief Aulus and locate Marcus. Antonius and Marcia left for the Three Horse Inn around the corner. As they went in, Cyrus’ watcher team departed at a run.

  Ming awoke a few minutes after Si Huar’s departure. He shook his head to clear the fog, sending more vase fragments skittering across the black lacquered floor. He saw a small puddle of blood, and put his hand gingerly up to inspect his throbbing head. Other than a rapidly swelling goose-egg and congealing blood, his pride seemed to be the most seriously injured. He got to his feet, and noted that the concubinage was silent. The girls and their eunuch guardians had been going down to an evening meal when he arrived, so the word of this humiliation would not yet be public knowledge, with people tittering behind his back. But that would not last: this was a communal concubinage for the girls of several officials, and in a few days there would be knowing glances from those men. His face flushed at the thought.

  He found a basin, a pitcher of water and a towel, and cleaned up his head, washing the blood out of his matted hair and removing a few stains from his dark blue cloak. Si Huar had a bronze mirror by the bowl, so he inspected his wound… no serious damage.

  Donning his elaborately curved black headdress, he dressed back some stray wisps of hair, looking not the worse for the incident. He stepped out of Si Huar’s quarters into the silent hallway, and departed for his quarters in the eastern palace.

  Ming was torn by two emotions: one, anger at Si Huar for her violent attack on his person, and the other, regret at losing the closeness that had briefly evolved between them over the past few months: the yin and yang of his soul. Ming stood about five foot five, lean, muscular, and well-trained in personal
combat; he had seen Si Huar’s awkward blow coming and could have easily deflected it, but had not. Why? He remembered being furious at her retaliation, her angry defense of herself, and the fierce Da Qin phrase she spat at him just before she landed the blow, something about ‘kill,’ which he believed she meant. But he was also in awe of her courage, her willingness to risk her life in a hopeless fight. More yin and yang, opposites pulling at his heart, as he trod across the vast pavilion to the palace, taking the northern stairways to his quarters on the third floor.

  Once inside, he dismissed his servants and sat on the floor to meditate, legs tucked straight under him, his hands on his thighs. He concentrated on his breathing to clear the clutter of emotions in his mind, and tried to opine the correct action to restore harmony. Harmony was all; without harmony, there was chaos, as there was now. Should he have her charged with the act of violence she committed? She would likely be executed forthwith, as she had attempted, however poorly, to kill him, and he believed she had fully intended to do so.

  Or should he forgive her, and perhaps ask her to forgive him? His anger and jealousy of the Da Qin soldiers was the first element of disharmony, the one which triggered it all. His agents had not brought any indications that her meeting with them was anything more than an unplanned friendly reunion, nothing untoward in her behavior. Her disharmony was in response to his. How best to restore the balance? His breathing settled in, his heart slowed, and he felt the conflicting emotions begin to ebb, when his lead agent burst into the room with some urgency.

  The man, bowed, hurriedly clasped his hands before him, then blurted out the news. “Mistress Si Huar and the Da Qin soldier have gone into the Three Horse Inn in town.”

  Ming’s emerging harmony vanished like a soap bubble and his emotions came raging back. He rose from his seated position, whipped his robe around him, and ordered: “Send a detachment of agents to detain her. Leave the Da Qin alone, I will discuss this with the Minister of Justice, and he will determine the proper course of action for foreign envoys.”

  The agent bowed, saluted and was backing out of Ming’s quarters as the Anxi ambassador entered. Ming waved his hand dismissively. “Away with you, Kore-si, I have urgent matters and cannot chat with you.”

  “Well I know, for I have friends who brought me news of a great scandal involving your favorite concubine Si Huar.”

  Ming’s face darkened. “What do you know of this?” he asked angrily.

  “Master Ming, my friends have been concerned about the growing closeness between Si Huar and the Da Qin soldier, the one called An-dun. We fear the Da Qin may be using her to acquire state secrets from you through her. As such espionage might compromise Parthian interests as well, I feel obligated to bring this to your attention.”

  “Have you proof?”

  “Espionage leaves little proof.”

  “I will discuss this immediately with the Minister of Guards. For now, you are dismissed, Kore-si.”

  Ming’s emotions were once again disharmonious.

  Antonius caught up with Gaius returning to the east gate. For months, their comings and goings had become so routine, and their rudimentary Hanaean so comfortable, that they had dispensed with Marcus. They themselves carried the Hanaean scroll pass to the palace compound, and presented it to the guards who just grunted and let them pass. This time, the guard scrutinized their pass with a lamp, as it was well after dark. The guard lifted up a whistle to his lips and blew a shrill piecing blast, summoning ten guards who quickly surrounded them.

  “What the hell...” muttered Antonius.

  “Stand easy. Just go along with this, there is some misunderstanding and Aulus will have it all straightened out for us. No resistance,” Gaius ordered. He smiled at the guards, who didn’t smile back. Two guards came up behind each of them, grabbed their hands roughly behind their backs and knotted them with rough rope. Antonius flexed his bonds, testing it… they had done a good job.

  “This doesn’t look good, sir…” muttered Antonius. A guard cuffed him roughly, indicated that he should not speak, as they were marched into the palace compound. They were taken to a small door at the back of the building that led into the basement stables. A barred cage was at the back, and in it Aulus Galba sat glumly.

  Their guards thrust them roughly inside the five-by-five foot cage, lined with straw but without seats. Some filthy blankets were wadded on the floor, and a badly stained slop bucket was positioned in the corner. The guards locked and barred the door, and then silently motioned for Gaius and Antonius to turn around so they could undo their bonds. The men massaged their wrists and stretched, while all but two of the guards departed.

  “Good to see you, cousin, despite the circumstances,” said Gaius.

  “What the hell just happened? I was in my quarters preparing for the Emperor’s return, with all indications that our long-delayed meeting was finally imminent. A batch of guards burst into the room, seized me, and dragged me here about an hour ago!” replied Aulus.

  “I think I know, sir,” said Antonius. “We met Marcia in town today, a very happy girl she was. All bubbly an’ like. We had some light eats an’ talked fer some time, an’ she left about sunset. She came back about an hour later in tears. Wang Ming tried to beat her, but this time she fought back an’ beaned him with a vase. Knocked him out, she thought she’d kilt him.”

  “Did she?”

  “I don’t know fer sure, sir, but it would be one lucky hit if she had. I think she just knocked him out. We advised her to stay in town. She took me to an inn, an’ I paid for her overnight, as she hadn’t any money with her. Then we came back an’ got accosted by the gate guards when we presented our papers,” replied Antonius.

  Gaius interjected, “Marcus wasn’t with us, so if the guards said anything about charges against us, if such procedures exist here, I didn’t know what they were.”

  “Oh gods, gods, gods! Fortuna has been unkind to our mission. Did anyone witness your meeting with Marcia, poor girl?”

  “Sir, we always have minders out in town. They think we don’t notice them, but we have nicknames for each of them. We din’t do anythin’ wrong, so we din’t pay them much attention.”

  “Other than perhaps aiding someone who killed or injured a senior court official? Whatever you did, the court took it pretty seriously. I suspect we may be in serious trouble.”

  Gaius bristled at the implication. “We helped a fellow Roman citizen under Trajan’s personal protection. If she didn’t kill him, then her life was in danger if she went back to the concubinage. I take responsibility for ordering Antonius to put her up at the inn, and I’d do it again. Trajan’s protection may be the only bargaining chip in our hand, but it is a bargaining chip, if we can find a way to play it. Right now, I suggest we disturb the fleas on the floor as little as possible, and try to get some sleep. Staying awake all night is not going to help us think clearly when morning comes.”

  He flapped one of the blankets, and clouds of dust and straw debris filled the air as he lay down on his back. Antonius did likewise, and grumbling, so did Aulus.

  A few hundred miles upriver in Tianjin, the Asia and Europa were underway at first light on their return home. They would round the Shandong Peninsula by noon, then head south for Jiaozhi and home.

  CHAPTER 49: A NIGHT IN AN HANAEAN JAIL

  The weiwei Minister of Guards Dong Ch’u and Wang Ming were summoned before breakfast to meet with the tingwei Minister of Justice, Feng Chou. The Minister of Justice was the supreme imperial judge, second only to the Son of Heaven himself, and he was not pleased this morning.

  Ming and the Minister of Guards entered, saluted formally and bowed, but the tingwei’s scowling visage did not lighten; he received them standing. “Good morning. You have news for me of an arrest last night.”

  The Minister of Guards nodded. “The concubine of Wang Ming, liaison to the Da Qin, one Si Huar¸ was detained on charges of attempting to kill him, and of infidelity with the Da Qin named An-Dun.
He was arrested as her partner in infidelity, and the other two Da Qin, including the lead envoy, are suspected of espionage and also detained.”

  If anything, the corners of Feng Chou’s mouth turned even more sharply downward behind his trailing gray mustache, but his voice betrayed no emotion. “And you have proof of the espionage?” he asked quietly.

  “Master Ming has the evidence, Excellency.”

  “Master Ming?” he asked, glancing in Ming’s direction.

  Ming cleared his throat and began, “The agents of the Anxi ambassador Kore-si reported…”

  “Stop!” the Minister of Justice said, quietly but firmly cutting him off. Ming’s Adam’s apple bobbled at the rebuke, but he quickly nodded in acknowledgement and shut up.

  “Foreign agents are forbidden in the Middle Kingdom, Wang Ming. Of course, we know they are here, but if you are about to report their activities, or even worse, that you accepted a report from them, I will be forced to take action that will have dire consequences for them, and for you. Now, do you have any evidence of the Da Qin involvement in espionage… from a reliable Hanaean source?”

  Ming paused. “No, your Excellency, I do not.”

  “Which of you have evidence of the Da Qin soldiers’ involvement with your concubine?” The question should have been posed to the Minister of the Guards, but Feng Chou fixed his gaze on Wang Ming, and the weiwei remained silent.

  Ming again answered, querously,“She and the one called An-Dun were together at the Three Horse Inn.”

  Feng Chou scrutinized some documents.“Yes, and she entered the Inn at about three hours after sunset, and he was arrested at the gate about an hour later. This does not appear to be strong evidence.” Ming accepted his second admonition, staring straight ahead, nodding acknowledgement.