Rav’an rolled her eyes. “You men! You are never so happy as when you are fighting! Or talking about weapons! Who are these Verangians you are talking about, Talon?”
“Er... they are a people who live up in Byzantium, my Love. I’ll tell you about them some day,” Talon said. “At least we both still have all our fingers. There is one student there who lost two of them when he made a mistake.”
“Your fingers! Talon, stop making jokes like that. I don’t want to hear them!”
He sighed inwardly. “No more jokes, my Rav’an. I apologize. How is Rostam doing with that young boy Lun?”
“They have become friends, I think,” she told him. “That is more than I can say for the wife of Hsü. She is as cold as a fish and will not speak to us. The older lady, however, is curious about us and uses Lihua to help translate. She asks many questions about our home land. It is difficult to explain to her where we three come from.”
Talon nodded sympathetically.
His thoughts to future times,
Or are they backward cast?
For freedom is he pining now,
Or mourning for the past?
—Anne Bronte
Chapter Twenty-Four
A Visit to the Police
Hsü spent some time pondering who might have ordered the break in to his house; certainly someone who had influence enough to threaten Kee convincingly enough to suborn him. Not just anyone could do that. He decided that it might be worthwhile to go see the Chief of Police and let him know what had happened. It was his duty to report such things, especially if there were dead men involved.
He decided to take Talon with him on this particular visit, to show him yet more of the well-established administration of Guangzhou. Fang was ordered to stay at the villa and not to set foot outside it as long as they were under the threat of attack. His duty was to the Lady Meng and the household. He was also ordered to knock the guards into shape. Hsü had been unimpressed with their performance during the emergency. It should not have been up to the foreigners to defend the property. Even Lun was told that he should stay close to home for a while. He did not seem to mind missing school, Hsü noted.
Fuling was studying for his final exams, so he had to go to college, but he was ordered to keep his wits about him and not tarry on the way home. A guard was ordered to attend Fuling while he was outside the compound.
Hsü and Talon arrived at the offices of the Chief of Police just before noon, a time when Hsü was fairly certain that Hua Rong would be at his desk. They found themselves on the ground floor of a multi-storied building where people were in constant motion. Armed men, whom Talon took to be enforcers of the law, were coming and going. Some hauled along men in chains and dragged them, crying and weeping, out of sight; others, Hsü told him, were there seeking redress.
“This is where people come if there has been a robbery. Not everyone will, but many will report a crime, just as we are now,” Hsü informed Talon.
Talon stared about him and wondered at the busy offices where dozens of people sat at desks and wrote down statements from others, who appeared to be telling their woes in detail and at length. He had never witnessed anything like it before.
Hsü was known, so it was not long before a harassed official came shuffling down the wide stairs at the back of the lobby, bowed low, and asked them very politely to follow him.
“If we had known you were coming, Lord Meng, I would have personally been here to greet you,” he said as they walked up the stairs. The second floor was much quieter, although there seemed to Talon to be just as many people working at desks.
“Please wait here, Lord Meng,” the man said politely, and disappeared into another room towards the front of the building.
They were served tea by a pretty girl who crouched almost at their feet as she poured. She examined Talon carefully as she got up and left.
“You are creating a bit of a stir here, Talon. Not many foreigners are seen dressed as you are,” Hsü remarked in a dry tone. Talon had adopted the Chinese form of dress.
He had noticed the curious looks he received but by now was used to it, so he shrugged the comment off.
Within half an hour Hua Rong himself came bustling out of his office to greet them. “Lord Meng! It has been so very long since I last saw you! Welcome to my humble offices. Come, please, come in.”
He bowed respectfully, as did Hsü, but not quite as low as Rong, and Talon followed suit, then they were ushered into Rong’s offices. After polite greetings, Rong showed them to chairs and returned to his own chair on the other side of a large table that served as a desk. It was piled high with papers.
“We all heard with great relief that you had survived your arduous journey,” Rong gushed. His glance flicked to Talon. “Would this be one of the people who helped you?” This time his eyes roved over Talon with mild disdain.
“It is a great pleasure to see you again too, Chief Hua,” Hsü said, with as little sincerity as Rong. “Yes, this is Master Talon, who is the owner of the ship that brought me home safely.” He waved his hand at Talon casually and smiled.
Rong steepled his fingers. “You have not been to this office before, Lord Meng. Might I ask what brings you here today?”
“I wish to report an attempted robbery,” Hsü said, watching Rong carefully. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Talon, who could not understand very much of the conversation, so was looking around at the expensive furnishings. He was clearly impressed. Hsü knew that Talon was looking for anything unusual that might point to Rong being involved, although that was unlikely. Hsü’s money was on Buwei.
Rong leaned forward, looking surprised. “What is that you say?” he demanded.
Hsü went on to tell him about the break in, making no mention of the fact that there had been one robber killed.
“I am here to do my duty and report the incident, although I do not expect much to come of it,” he told Rong.
“Of course, of course!” Rong said. He was sweating a little; the day was very humid and it looked as thought it might rain later. He dabbed at his forehead with a small cloth.
“It is very hot today. I hope it will rain and clear the air,” he said, and smiled crookedly. “Guangzhou is full of thieves and murderers. I have too few men at arms to police the entire city. It is a tragedy, and many innocents suffer.”
“Was anything taken?” he asked, almost as an afterthought.
“A little box, a family heirloom,” Hsü said carelessly, waving his hand dismissively. “It was full of small stones from one of my wife’s ancestral graves in the northern regions before the Sung lost the territory,” he informed Rong with relish. Did he detect a flash of something in those shifty eyes?
“Do you want my people to come and carry out an investigation?” Rong asked, looking hopeful.
Hsü smiled and said, “That will not be necessary, Chief. We have carried out our own investigation, but... it led nowhere. I feel that I have performed my civic duty by informing you.”
Rong asked a few more questions, but he seemed so preoccupied that finally Hsü shifted, ready to leave. Rong hurriedly stood up from his table and saw them out of the office, talking all the time. “You must have lunch with me some time now that you are back, Lord Meng. I would love to hear all about your adventures.” He gave Talon a perfunctory bow as they parted.
Hsü left the building with a strange look on his face. Talon, who could by now read him better, waited until they were well away from the building and walking slowly up the crowded street before he asked Hsü how the meeting had gone.
“Oh, I think it went very well, although I confess I am a little surprised.”
“What do you mean?” Talon asked, as they dodged a rickshaw that came barreling down the main street.
“I think that the Chief of Police was involved! I would have thought it would be Buwei instead,” Hsü mused.
“Tell me, what did you notice, about him, the man himself?” he asked Talon, who
obligingly told him what he had observed. When he came to mention the way Rong pitched his hands, Hsü stopped him.
“What was he wearing on his fingers? Do you remember, Talon?”
‘There were two or three rings on each hand. On his right hand there was a big gold ring with a ruby in the middle. I can’t remember what the others looked like, he had many rings on his fingers, but that one was distinctive.”
“Ah ha!” Hsü exclaimed. “I saw that too. With little pearls around it?”
“I think so, yes,” agreed Talon. “Hsü, what is going on here?” he asked, curious now.
“You would not have noticed, but when I mentioned a few things he looked nervous. There was... just that something, that isn’t right. You know what I mean?”
Talon nodded. “It doesn’t explain why you think he is involved,” he said.
“I shall tell you when we get back to the villa. In the meantime, I want to take you to see a game of polo. You and Reza have talked about that game. You should see we also play the game here in China.” He strode off up the hill towards the large park that surrounded the governor’s palace.
*****
While they watched the game, which enthralled Talon, Hsü’s mind was elsewhere; he listened with half an ear to the crowd and watched the polo with detachment while he continued to ponder the issue nagging him.
Then an idea occurred to him. What if the robbery had been about just a little more than the treasure? What if Rong, or perhaps Buwei, had assumed that while he was away they could easily obtain the treasure by whatever means, to take care of the paper promissory notes? Surely he could exploit that, he reasoned. He thought hard.
The last chucker came to an end and Talon turned to him, looking pleased.
“Do we play as you do in your country?’ Hsü asked him.
“The game is universal; it is a tiny replica of war,” Talon said, his eyes still reflecting the enthusiasm with which he had watched the way the players battled. “Do you think there is any substance to that legend you talked about while we were on the ship, Hsü?” he asked.
“There is often a smattering of truth behind legends. Come, we will go home. I want to talk to you on the way about something.”
They fell into step and walked all the way down the slope to the main entrance to the city. Under normal circumstances, Hsü would have had to take a palanquin to prevent Fang’s blood pressure from popping, but with Talon it was a simple thing to walk through the crowds without ostentation and talk at the same time.
Hsü explained the situation to Talon, who listened attentively. By the time they had reached the city gates Talon had been brought up to date on events.
“I have to admire the way you have manipulated the situation in your favor, Hsü,” he said with a chuckle at one point. “You appear to have some nasty opponents for this race for the governorship. What will happen if you lose?”
Hsü stopped in mid stride to turn and face him. “My enemies will see to it that I and my family will perish. It will be as though we had never existed. The stakes are very high.”
Talon stared hard at Hsü, who looked straight back at him. Talon was sobered by this information, the precious excitement of the game forgotten.
“You have to prove your suspicions. How do you propose to do that?” he asked.
They were standing on one of the several decorative stone bridges between the two great walls, looking down at the lilies and swans drifting on the still waters of the canal. It was relatively quiet here; the midday traffic had slowed in the sleepy early afternoon. No one paid them any attention. Hsü glanced up at the sky. It looked like it might rain.
“The box that they stole might still be around somewhere. There is the faintest possibility that it could still be in Rong’s office. If it is not there, then I must discover where another man, whose name is Buwei, has his office, and see if it is there. I will have to ask Fang to find someone who can get into Rong’s office and perhaps find some evidence. There is always the risk that it has been destroyed, of course, in which case I have a big problem.”
Talon turned to face him. “Are you saying that you need someone to break into the office we were in today and find a box?”
Hsü nodded, looking unhappy. “Yes, but those kind of people are hard to find and do not come cheaply.”
Talon stared out at the canal below, watching a sampan negotiate the narrow passage between two banks. The swans made way for the boat with ill grace, and then it was moving right underneath them. Suddenly Talon pushed Hsü sideways and pulled back sharply. A small knife flew by to rise into the air and then drop onto the stones with a metallic clatter.
Hsü had fallen to the stones and was about to say something indignant when he realized what had happened. Talon ran to the other side of the bridge just in time to see a man in blue cotton pants and jacket jump off the boat onto the bank and disappear into the labyrinth of streets. There was no way he could follow. Passersby who had seen him push Hsü out of the way and had not noticed the knife began to collect around him, gesticulating and shouting at him. The foreigner had struck one of their own! Talon was surrounded by indignant people all talking at once.
Surreptitiously picking up the knife by its handle and tucking it carefully into his sash, Hsü pushed his way through the small crowd and called for order. “He is with me and didn’t mean to push me. All is well,” he explained calmly. He took Talon’s arm and hurried him away from the muttering people down the slope towards the other gate.
“Thank you for what you did, Talon. Your alertness may have saved my life,” Hsü said, as he drew the knife out of his robes to show it to Talon. “Handle it carefully, as I think there might be poison on its blade.”
Talon nodded and said, “I saw a man running away. He jumped off the sampan and disappeared into the streets alongside the canal. No way of catching him.”
“That doesn’t surprise me,” Hsü said. “Well, now we know that they want me dead, so we must move quickly.”
“What do you have in mind?” Talon asked.
“I need to go ahead and find that box and prove that at least one of my enemies has committed a crime. For that, they can go to jail, or worse.”
“About that visit to the office,” Talon said.
Hsü cocked an ear. He had been waiting for this. Not very long ago a message had come to him from the Dojo. The Sensei Saiki had written a very polite note saying that he wanted to talk.
They had met at the Dojo, and there Hsü had learned some interesting news.
“These men you have sent to me, they are not what they seem,” Sensei Saiki had said in an aggrieved tone. Hsü had lifted an eyebrow.
“They might have had much to learn of the finer points of swordsmanship, but when we came to knives no one can touch them. I have also had my instructors teach them hand-to-hand, and they learned that faster than anyone could have guessed. Then you told me to teach them stealth. They make fools of my people!”
Hsü had blinked but he had nodded with agreement. These two men were indeed not what they seemed. “What do you want to do?” he’d asked.
“I will continue with the sword training and the hand-to-hand work, but it will be a waste of my time to continue with the other skills They can teach my people a thing or two,” the Sensei had grumped. Hsü had smiled and sipped his tea.
Now Hsü waited.
“If you need someone to simply go to his office and retrieve the box, Reza and I could help with that,” Talon volunteered.
Hsü pretended to be skeptical. “This is a very dangerous thing you are suggesting. Are you sure you know what you are doing?”
“Hmm, yes, I am sure. Reza and I can go tonight. It looks like it might be raining by then.”
A nerve twitched at the side of Hsü’s neck. The confidence that Talon displayed chilled him. He feared for anyone who tried to get between these two and their objective.
*****
Later that night, while it was still raining,
Hsü had Fang escort Talon and Reza across the river and guide them to the offices of the Chief of Police. Because of the rain, the streets were almost deserted. The building was closed; the police in Guangzhou didn’t work around the clock. It was a simple matter for them to evade the sleepy guards, who were sheltering from the weather, and then gain entry while Fang stayed out of sight in the shadows of the street to keep watch.
Once inside, Talon and Reza hastened past the deserted tables and chairs of the many clerks. They glided up the stairs to the second floor, which they also found empty and silent. They even heard a mouse scuttling away along the polished floor, it was so quiet. Talon led the way to where he remembered the office of Rong to be. They found it in darkness, only faintly illuminated through the windows by the lanterns in the street below. They began their search, their eyes accustomed to the dimness by now. Talon had explained in detail what they were looking for to Reza, who was eager for some excitement. He had come along willingly. They had not told Rav’an or Jannat about this particular foray.
While Reza kept watch at the door, Talon went from shelf to shelf, but he found nothing remotely like the box described. He was about to open a low level cabinet door when they heard a sound outside at the top of the stairs. Someone was moving stealthily towards them. Reza gave a small “psst” to warn Talon and slipped into the deeper shadows of the room. Talon vanished into an alcove, and they waited.
Someone arrived at the entrance to the doorway of the office and paused. The intruder was carrying a lantern that shed very little light, more of a thin beam, but sufficient for the intruder to see enough to move into the room. It quickly became apparent that this person was also searching for something. He lifted the lamp up to inspect the shelves, and then the dark figure began to concentrate on the cabinets very close to where Talon was hiding.
He opened a small door of the second cabinet and shone his beam into its interior. There was a soft exclamation, and an arm reached in and took out a small box. The person held it up for examination in the light and hissed with what sounded like satisfaction. Talon deemed it to be the right time to strike. He reached across the short gap and hammered the pommel of his knife onto the top of the intruder’s head.
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