by G R Matthews
“Of course, Venerable Hsin.” Zhou bowed low, as a subordinate should.
“I am tired, Zhou. Tired of the length of the days here, tired of the war we have been fighting for most of the good years of my life, and very, very tired of explaining everything I do, especially to people who should know better. However,” Hsin put down the final page of the report, “I can see that you have an issue with the soldiers’ actions. I take it you have spoken with the Captain. Ah, I can see from your eyes that you have. He is a good man, he knows when to follow orders and when to keep his mouth closed. You could learn a lot from him. The soldiers are operating under my orders. The man they are talking to, a Donny Yuen I believe, is known around the city as an honest tradesman. We had word on the road that he may be able to give us information about the Yaart situation. I take it you saw the tents at the entrance?” Hsin paused, “Good. There is hope for you yet. We do not know what prompted this overture for peace. The war has been in stalemate for the past five years. Something must have changed. We need to know what that is if we are to get the best terms for the peace treaty. Yuen may be one piece in that answer. There you go, a long explanation but you can see now, I hope, the reason for the fraternisation you saw.”
“Yes, Senior Hsin.” Zhou bowed low again, “My apologies for disturbing you.”
“I will explain no more to you. You are young, inexperienced and only here because of your father-in-law. If you are to be of any use, keep your mouth closed and your eyes and ears open. If you challenge me again, I will have you sent home in disgrace. You are dismissed.” Hsin picked up a new sheaf of papers and began reading again. He didn’t look up as Zhou backed his way to the door and out of the room.
# # #
Zhou slept fitfully that night and woke too early. He had a quick wash and breakfast before following Hsin’s wagon to the castle. Once Hsin had dismounted, a slow affair with lots of cursing, they were guided, as they were every morning, to the meeting room. Zhou helped Hsin settle onto the cushions and organise his papers. A few minutes later servants brought hot tea and then the Yaart negotiators filed in, arms laden down with scrolls. As they sat themselves down, Hsin turned to Zhou.
“I don’t need you today. Please wait outside until this session is complete. You are dismissed.” Hsin turned back, slowly, to face the other negotiators and raised his tea in a gesture of welcome.
Zhou felt the blood rush to his face and ducked his head to focus his gaze on the scrolls in front of him, certain that everyone in the room was staring at him. The humiliation at being publicly chastised in front of the enemy set his heart beating loudly in his ears. The raised veins on his clenched hands pulsed in time with his heartbeat. He jerked, bowed to all in the room and left. He made sure not to slam the door; Hsin was not going to have the satisfaction. Outside, Zhou slumped against the wall. The heat drained from his face and his skin became cold.
“Old fool. Negotiations are going nowhere fast and he reckons he can do it all on his own. And, he’ll take all the credit,” he muttered.
There was a plain wooden chair outside the door which he collapsed into. As he sat there he dwelt on the insult that had just been delivered. ‘That must have been because of last night. I have to ask questions, that’s my job, to make the Senior Diplomat sure of his actions. I have to know what is going on. If he dies, I take over. He’s made it clear he doesn’t want me but these meetings can’t happen without two diplomats, it is not protocol. How long does he actually expect me to sit here? An hour, two, four. Bloody old fool.’
The guard passed Zhou on a regular patrol every six minutes. He started counting the seconds after the first three passes but by the tenth go round he was bored. The anger was still there but it was just smouldering embers now. On the eleventh patrol, Zhou stood up and walked off down the corridor.
“Sir?” the guard spoke.
“Yes?” Zhou turned back to answer.
“You are not allowed to leave the meeting area without a guard, Sir.”
“Well,” and Zhou resumed his walk, “come on then.” From behind, he could hear the creak of leather and metallic clinking of armour as the guard ran to catch up. “I need some air, where can we go?”
“There is the courtyard, Sir, or the ornamental gardens,” said the guard.
“Let’s go to the gardens,” Zhou ordered and followed the guard as he indicated the right direction. The corridors twisted, turned and then they were out in the bright sunshine.
“Round here, Sir,” said the guard.
The gardens were stunning. Even Zhou, who left his wife to tend their garden, was left with few words to say. The air was perfumed by herbs, spices and sweet flowers. Every breath was a decadent luxury. The flowers were in full bloom with every colour conceivable on display, each flowing into the next as if it was always meant to be that way. A rainbow looked plain in comparison.
The guard followed Zhou as he walked slowly amongst the flowers, stopping to inhale their fragrance and picking the herbs to rub between his fingers and taste. The garden his wife spent so long attending had some of the same herbs but none of the flowers. They would just not grow in the thin mountain air and the growing season was too short. As they approached one of the hedges that bordered the garden, the guard spoke.
“We are not allowed through there, my Lord.” The guard pointed to an arch in the tall hedgerow.
“Why not?” Zhou asked.
“I have my orders, Sir.”
“Then we’ll have to break them and see.” Zhou began to walk towards the arch when he felt a firm hand on his shoulder. Looking over his shoulder, he could see it was the guard that held him, “If you want a diplomatic incident that derails the negotiations your Duke wanted, you just keep pulling me back. If you don’t, let go. Now.”
“But, Sir, we…” the guard began.
“You can guard me as I go in, or you can run off and tell someone who’ll probably want to know why you aren’t guarding me.” Zhou said, “Orders are orders. Which one are you going to follow?” He shrugged the now limp hand away and continued through the hedge arch.
CHAPTER 6
“Yes, Commander, I am sure that he saw them. Acting as the worried guard, I was careful to guide him around the outside of the area but there was enough room to see,” the grey and black dressed Jiin-Wei said.
“Good, good.” Commander Weyl turned to Haung, “It all goes well. If the younger negotiator has seen enough then we can surely bet he is on his way to tell the old man now. Haung, I want you to take over tomorrow, be ready to act when the situation is right. This is the critical step. Get this right and the plan is sure to succeed.”
Haung bowed in response and, with the other Jiin-Wei, left the Commander’s office.
“Did he get a good enough look? I’m not sure how observant these Wubei are and he seems to be the worst of the lot,” Haung asked.
“Oh yes, he saw it all right.” The Jiin-Wei smiled, “He thinks he is so clever but with only a lowly guard like me there he doesn’t even bother to hide his reactions. As soon as he saw the ground around them his hands began twitching and his pace quickened. He didn’t even eat any more flowers on the way out of the garden.”
Haung laughed, “Where did he go?”
“Back to the chair outside the meeting room.” Haung watched the grin widen on his comrade’s face. “I carried on patrolling for the rest of the shift. Every time I went past, I could see his feet tapping away. He kept looking at the door too. I’ve no idea why he didn’t just go straight in, he looked ready to leap off that chair at any second.”
Haung returned the smile, “He had a falling out with the old one. The negotiators said it was enjoyable to watch the arrogant one get put in his place. Tomorrow is the test, then.”
They said good night and Haung hurried back to his small room to make sure he had everything ready. The room had been cleaned whilst he had been out, and no doubt searched too. They had warned him that it would be checked on a regular basis t
o ensure that no contraband or other materials that had not been officially cleared were present. He certainly had no intention of being caught with anything. The hidden niche behind the cupboard was empty. The fact that it was there when he moved in suggested that it was probably known about or been cut to tempt the unwary. For that reason he had, very carefully, cut a small section out of the ceiling. Haung had even beveled the edges so the very weight of the stone section closed the gaps and cracks that might betray its presence. Even though he knew it was there, he found it hard to find sometimes.
Ensuring the door was closed, he stood on his bed to reach up towards the hidden section. He rested his fingertips against the stone section and took a deep breath. The next step needed complete calm and concentration. Gently lifting the stone section, he focused on keeping the stone level. With his other hand he raised a lit candle to see if his trap was still in place. It was. The trap had been difficult to set and had required a few specialist tools that had to be smuggled out of the training rooms.
‘So, they haven’t found it,’ he grinned.
He lowered the stone back into place and contemplated the game he played here. The void behind the stone was empty. The trap was set to encourage, and yet discourage, the searchers. If they found the hiding place, they would set off the trap and there was little chance they had the right tools on them to reset it. They would also find nothing and he would be in the clear. However, it also provided a hidden space should he ever need it. The intensive training he had undergone had taught him to be careful and cynical. Always plan for everything was one of the mantras his teachers had recited again and again.
There was soft knock at the door. Haung looked at the ceiling, rechecking his work then stood from the bed, took the few necessary steps to the door and opened it.
“Haung,” said Jiao.
He stepped forward and checked up and down the corridor. Seeing no-one he pulled Jiao into the room. “What are you doing here, Jiao?”
“I came to see you. You don’t visit anymore, and we never had that walk,” she said.
“Jiao, don’t you understand what a Jiin-Wei is? My old life is over. I have other things to do now. I’m not a soldier anymore,” Haung whispered. “You can’t come here.”
He stared at her, willing the urgency he felt to be understood. Her dark almond shaped eyes looked back into his. She was an innocent, he could see that in her gaze but she was also very beautiful. That’s what had drawn him to her in the first place, back when he was a trainee soldier. The sneaking into the kitchens to spend five minutes with her, talking to her, being close to her was exciting. Even now, with his new cynicism he could feel that same emotion stirring. He turned away from her, gaining distance but more importantly, breaking that look.
He felt a lightness in his stomach as if all his breath was rising like a summer morning’s sun, his heart was beating a fast tempo in his ears. “Jiao, you cannot be here.”
“I had to ask around the castle to find you and you don’t want me.” Her voice pushed exquisite fish hooks into his thumping heart, tugging him towards her and he had to battle hard to stay still, and keep his back to her.
“Jiao, you have put us both at risk. You should not have come here and you should not have asked about me.” He took a deep breath and forced the words out, “You are not part of my life anymore. We had nothing before and we have less than nothing now. Do not come back. I will not see you again.”
He heard the door open then slam shut but didn’t turn around until he was sure she was long gone from the room. Haung sat down on the bed, his head fall into his hands and let the adrenalin flow out of his body. When his limbs stopped trembling he slid down off the bed and onto the floor, sitting cross legged. His arms fell to his lap, palms resting lightly on one another and he started to slow his breathing. He could feel himself sinking further and further into the meditation and calm darkness of his mind. Just like he did with the Fang-shi, he could sense the darkness begin to absorb his outer shell and leave only the spirit core.
The banging knock on the door shattered the meditation and he fell out of it, sprawling on the floor in shock. He could taste blood in his mouth and investigating, with his tongue, he could feel the tear where he had bitten into his cheek. Pushing himself up onto his feet he stepped over to the door for the second time this evening.
“Listen, Jiao...” he came to fluttering halt. “Secretary Marbu, what can I do for the Commander tonight?”
Marbu scrutinised him and Haung felt like a fish being inspected by a picky housewife, ensuring it was as fresh as the fishmonger promised.
“Did she do that to you?” Marbu asked.
Haung prodded the inside of his mouth with his tongue once again and wiped the blood from his lips with the palm of his hand.
“No, Secretary. I was meditating when you announced your presence,” Haung answered and saw Marbu’s eyes narrow in response.
“You would be wise not to see her again. It would not be good for you, or her.” Marbu’s eyes narrowed even further and his tone chilled Haung.
“I have told her so, Secretary. I am sure she understands the situation,” Haung responded and threw in a respectful dip of the head at the same time.
“She is not wise, this Jiao, to ask all over the castle about the whereabouts of a Jiin-Wei. Perhaps, I will arrange for her to be spoken to. Just to ensure that she understands the situation as you have explained it to her.” Haung didn’t like the small smile that formed on the secretary’s face. He could feel those fish hooks in his heart tug again. He forced himself to stay still, though he so wanted to wipe that grin off of his visitor’s face.
“It is not needed. I assure you honourable Secretary, she understands. I was firm with her. I think that she, in all probability, now hates me,” Haung said in a calm tone.
“Perhaps, Jiin-Wei, perhaps. Still, let us remember that it is an option, should the need arise. And now, I will bid you a good night. Do not forget your task tomorrow, nor let your mind stray from it.” Marbu dipped in his own little bow then turned and walked away.
Haung closed the door and rested his back against it. Meditation was far from his thoughts. He stripped off and climbed into bed, checking that the small dagger was there, under his pillow, and that his spare sword was underneath the bed. Reassured by this, he fell asleep but his dreams were filled with images of Jiao. Sweet memories of meetings in the kitchen, stolen whispers in the corridor, distracted practices in the training yard. But the visions twisted and darkened, Jiao’s broken body lying at the bottom of the castle walls, blood pooling around her head, arms and legs at unnatural angles, sharp shards of white bone erupting from smooth flesh, sightless eyes. The sweat drenched bed covers caught and snared him as he rolled and turned, trying to escape the scenes his sleeping mind was conjuring.
CHAPTER 7
“Peace can only be realised when the Duke of Yaart releases control of the high plains that he, illegally, invaded twenty seven years ago. The Wubei people there cry out against the yoke of tyranny he has brought upon them,” Hsin said.
“The people of the Shinxi marshes feel the oppression of the Duke of Wubei also,” responded the Yaart negotiator. “Perhaps we can come to some agreement on these areas?”
“The marshes do provide excellent access to the Green River and thence to the sea. It has been a trade route of ours for many years.” Hsin dipped his brush into a small bowl of ink and painted words on the paper as he spoke.
“And the high plains provide some excellent grazing land for the farmers of Yaart.” The Yaart negotiator made notes on his own paper.
“It is good to see we understand each other, Honoured Cheng. Our list for the day is nearly at an end. We should congratulate ourselves with some more tea, perhaps?” Hsin’s face carried an open smile which Zhou found, for some reason, troubling.
“An excellent idea, Honoured Hsin,” and Cheng waved to a servant who bowed and left the room.
“We are getting nowhere
at all,” Zhou hissed quietly to Hsin.
“You think so? I am finding out quite a lot about Yaart and its situation.” Hsin whispered back. “You still do not see? Even after yesterday?”
“See what? We mention an area, they offer a counter, and we both note it down for further discussion. Nothing is ever agreed; round and around it goes.” Zhou checked to make sure that Cheng was in discussion with his own team of diplomats.
“Zhou, so many things are beginning to make sense. If you cannot see, then think carefully about all you have seen and heard.” Hsin’s smile turned malicious, “If even this simple thing is beyond you, your father-in-law will have made a serious mistake in backing you. Now, be quiet and pay attention.”
Cheng turned from his conference. “Is the Esteemed Zhou all right, Honoured Hsin? He seems to be pre-occupied with something.”
“The spicy food, dear Cheng. The delicious fare the Yaart chefs have placed before us each day does not sit well in his belly,” Hsin explained. “The youth of today are not well travelled nor their stomachs strong enough to cope with changing food. Give him time and he will come to enjoy it as much as I do.”
“My apologies, Diplomat Zhou, I was unaware of this.” Cheng turned his concerned face from Zhou and addressed Hsin again, “I can instruct the chefs prepare some blander food if required. It would not do for a guest in our city to fall ill if there were something we could do to prevent it.” Cheng looked concerned.
“No, no. He will be fine, dear Cheng. If he is to follow his chosen career he must open his mind, and belly, to new experiences. It is all good learning for him,” Hsin chuckled as he waved away the concern.
Zhou looked back and forth between the two, certain some un-spoken joke was taking place, one he had not been let in on. There was a knock at the door and servants entered placing fresh, steaming tea on the low table and clearing away the old.