The Sage, the Swordsman and the Scholars

by Pierre Dimaculangan

  “It cultivates meekness and humility.”

  Having lived most of his life at the temple, the very truth of the “Way” was quite puzzling for Zuo Shilong. There were very little teachings about it in the monastery. The only exposure he had to the teaching of anything resembling the “Way” came from his limited knowledge of the priests living in the foggy mountain peaks of Wudang who sought harmonious and peaceful coexistence with nature. However, they devoted much of their time in temples in front of statues of a pantheon of deities. They spoke little of the sort of message Famin Jie was sharing to him. He pondered on the words of the philosopher as they continued their steady march towards the Huangshan mountain range.

  6 RESEARCH AND INVESTIGATION

  AT THE HEART OF GUANGZHOU, in the crowded streets of the commercial district, General He Jin and a light company of men rode their horses toward the Scholars’ headquarters. They were to inform them of the recent events that took place at the Battle for Putian Township and the new developments concerning the pirates who defected from Riben. The city’s harbor lay in the distance and He Jin paused briefly to observe the activities taking place at the wharfs. He extended a spyglass and watched the Pale Foreigners walking about as if they already owned the entire harbor. Under the shadow of the tall and imposing structure they had so quickly erected, the Foreigners conducted business with the city’s local officials. Together they regulated the activities of the harbor and oversaw the comings and goings of various ships from around the known world. The elite Jinyiwei secret police guarded harbor entrances and patrolled the harbor compound. How unusual that a special task force that supposedly only answered to the Emperor was involved in such affairs.

  “It appears that palace eunuchs have been scheming of late,” he muttered to himself. He continued onto the Scholars’ headquarters and was immediately greeted by Shang Jian and by the rest of them. At the council chamber General He Jin informed them of all that had happened: the arrival of Sun Xin at the garrison, the battle of Putian, and the arrival of the pirate ships that fired upon them from great a distance using a mysterious new weapon. The news troubled the Scholars and they agreed that the only logical explanation was the involvement of the Pale Foreigners.

  “One more thing, comrades,” said the general. “Your swordsman Xin has ventured north. Has some unfinished business there, says he needs to talk to his master or something. He sends his regards and apologizes for his absence. He was… rather affected by the events of the battle.”

  “Sun Xin is a free spirit. He makes an appearance at precisely the moment he intends,” Lu Guanying answered.

  “The Foreigners have become more intrusive in their dealings with the people and they walk arrogantly amongst us with an aura of superiority and confidence. The corrupt ones in government have allowed this matter to get too far and our emperor sits on the Dragon Throne watching it all happen?” said Shang Jian.

  Headmaster Lu Guanying stood and proclaimed, “There are still those righteous who desire to keep the empire free. We must speak with the emperor in order to take action against this blatant corruption. It is becoming top priority to eradicate the meddling foreigners.” The General and the Scholars agreed. Zhang Sunzan awaited news from Fox concerning the state of affairs in the capital. “Word from Beijing will reach us soon. Any time now, my contact shall be sending vital information from my close allies in the Censorial Office in Beijing. His report will be most invaluable to us, and then we will know our next course of action.” The Ming Empire was ripe for great change. Liberation was on the horizon.

  Fox’s Investigation

  Exactly seven days since he had left Guangzhou, Fox disembarked from the cargo ship that docked at the capital’s outlying district of Tangzhou where the Grand Canal reached its northernmost point. He continued on foot through the dusty, busy streets until he arrived at the main city gate imbedded into the monumental stone wall that surrounded the main districts of Beijing. He lowered his cap over his eyes and proceeded through the gate with a group of pedestrians being sure to stay away from the sight of the guards. The entire morning was spent navigating through the city’s main avenue as Fox moved towards the center of the capital where the emperor’s palace stood.

  It was called the Forbidden City for only the emperor, his family, and his servants within the court were allowed to enter. It was the largest palace in the whole world— a city within a city. From a bird’s view, it shone brightly with majestic walls, columns, and structures of vermilion red and glistened with rooftops of golden hues. Gaining entrance to the palace was not Fox’s intention, however.

  Finding Zhou Liang or Wei Qiuyuan within the government’s Censorate was his priority. He rented a room at the top floor of an inn which stood upon a hill not far from the Forbidden City. From the room of the inn he saw the Foreigners’ small establishments just beyond the wall. They looked hastily erected but appeared sturdy. Guards wearing unusual foreign armor guarded the small compound. In the course of the next couple of days, he would be sure to learn something from them. He would leave one eye open for the Foreigners. The latter half of the day was spent in the premises of the Censorate compound watching for the censors that he was instructed to seek. The agency was quite infamous, as some of its members throughout history have been known to be corrupt and on occasion take bribes. If that were possible, then today of all days it was most likely to be with the arrival of the Pale Foreigners.

  Fox made an effort to look natural and to blend with the environment to not be caught loitering around a “sensitive” government office. He waited for quite some time as he watched people move to and fro, all of whom were completely unaware of the possible crisis their nation was about to face. They were as it appeared, completely clueless about the corruption happening within their government. It was towards the close of the day that interesting activity really started to occur in the office of the Censorate. Fox watched from the sidelines across the street as five Jinyiwei Secret Police armed with broadswords and bows came knocking on the main entrance of the Censorate grounds. They barged their way through as soon as the gates were opened, and within moments, exited the premises with a man whose wrists and feet had been chained. “I will give you one more chance, Zhou Liang. Where is your colleague Wei Qiuyuan?” demanded one of the Jinyiwei agents.

  “Even if I did know, I would rather suffer Ling Chi before I would betray my country. May shame and dishonor be upon you and all your comrades and may it follow you to hell,” spat Zhou Liang.

  The agent smacked him across the face with a backhand.

  “Take him to the dungeons beneath headquarters. If death by a thousand cuts is what he would prefer, give it to him,” the agent snarled.

  Two of the agents dragged him away down the street as the remaining three proceeded to the opposite direction, possibly to the home of Wei Qiuyuan.

  As they walked out of sight, Fox spotted a figure standing in a dim corner across the street. He was dressed in commoner’s clothes and an old farmer’s hat. He too waited for the guards to exit before he made his way down the adjacent street. Fox tailed him from a distance for several blocks. The man rounded a corner into a dark alley and disappeared. Fox looked around confused as to where he could have vanished. The sound of a dagger being unsheathed broke the silence, and before he could turn around, a sharp point pressed against his neck. The man shoved him against the wall and he wrenched his arm high against his back.

  “Calm yourself, comrade! I am an ally!” said Fox apparently very startled.

  “How amusing; lackeys of paper pushers will try anything these days,” said the man.

  “I was sent by Zhang Sunzan. Reach under my chest pocket. I have a badge of the Scholars to prove it.” Indeed the silver plaque of the League of Martial Scholars was secured beneath his garment and Wei Qiuyuan lowered his blade.

  “My apologies, man. I can never be too careful,” he said.

  “I cannot blame you,” said Fox. “It is important that I speak
to you. The Scholars have been receiving little word from the capital and they must know of our government’s state and the activities of the meddling Foreigners.”

  “We cannot speak here now. Just along the northern wall of the city at the eastern end of the commercial district, you will find an old wine shop still in business. At sunrise you are to go there and tell the shop owner ‘I have urgent business from the South’. He will take you to my personal guards who will escort you to see me. There is business I must first attend to.”

  When dawn had arrived, Fox had used the cover of darkness and evaded several Jinyiwei and city prefect patrols to reach the northern end of Beijing. The stress from several hours of waiting and a few more to reach this part of the city was beginning to take its toll on his strength. He restlessly entered the only wine shop in the district.

  “I have urgent business from the South,” he told the old shopkeeper who was busy with preparing the shop. He glanced at him plainly. “Follow me,” he murmured. He was led to a storage room at the rear of the shop where armored men stood erect along a plain wall. “He has business with the official,” said the shopkeeper. Two guards unrolled the large rug that hugged the floor and revealed a trap door . Fox went in climbed down with the guards and was directed through some old tunnels until they reached a damp, candlelit makeshift study. “Glad to see you have made it safely,” said Wei Qiuyuan as the guards returned to their posts.

  “I know why it is the Scholars have sent for you. They are right to worry.”

  “Yes, they have good reason to suspect the agenda of these mysterious Pale Foreigners and their influence upon the government of late. They believe corruption has grown rampant since their arrival. I believe this myself. My name is Fox. It is a pleasure to formally meet with you.”

  “I’m Wei Qiuyuan. The pleasure is mutual,” he said, returning the salute. “They are not wrong, I’m afraid,” said Qiuyuan as he massaged his head. He sighed and frowned. “However, I’m quite relieved to see you here. It means that the League is actively investigating this serious matter. I had hoped they would reach out to me. Our nation truly is at a crisis. Many high-ranking officials in the court have practically given themselves over to the Foreigners who call themselves the Terukk. In the past two weeks, I have been conducting intensive investigations concerning the Terukk dealings with the court. I myself have not been personally approached with any sort of proposition, but I am nonetheless sure that dark dealings are being performed in high places. From the sidelines I have witnessed the Censorate’s very own chief censor, along with several eunuchs and scholar officials, meeting with them in secret… though I cannot be certain as to whom is buying into their propositions. For the moment, I cannot name names. Too many are afraid to speak out, and the line that divides allies from opponents has been severely blurred. I think you have witnessed my colleague Zhou Liang taken by the Jinyiwei last night? Such is the fate of those who would openly oppose this growing conspiracy. I warned him but he was too stubborn.” Wei Qiuyuan felt great regret for his capture. Fox was not sure how to react and his mind raced with the realization of how deep the conspiracy was. He could hardly believe it.

  “Has the emperor deliberately allowed this to occur within his own court?” Fox questioned.

  “Our enemies have been very successful in keeping the emperor out of their way. And for good reason. Were he to discover the truth of the situation he would have sent his Capital Imperial Guards to arrest them all and have them executed.” Sadness took over his face. “I have heard that his health is not well. In truth, he has disapproved of the Terukk from the very start and since then he has become strangely ill and has been bed-ridden for some time. Since then, the Terukk have been free to enact their agenda. I fear the new ‘medicine’ they are administering to him regularly is what is causing his affliction,” said Wei with a sigh.

  “So the young emperor himself has fallen victim to the deception of the bastards within his own court,” Fox thought aloud. “And they’re killing him slowly too.”

  “Speaking of medicines, there is more. The Foreigners have introduced a new substance, a drug of sorts that has become an addiction among those corrupted. I believe that this most of all is what’s giving the Pale Foreigners so much leverage in our politics. I do not have a sample with me, but I have seen them passing it around. A small bamboo flask they drink. It morphs their minds. I have managed to smuggle a sample to my allies within the Hanlin Academy.”

  “Good Heavens…” Fox slammed his fist into the table. “It’s beginning to make sense now, everything we’ve heard and learned of thus far. What of the imperial army? How compromised is it?” Fox asked.

  “As far as I know, it has yet to be corrupted. I guess it’s a blessing in disguise that the commanders and officers harbor a natural disdain for the civil bureaucrats along with the ministers who supervise them. As a matter of fact, I’m not so sure they’re fully aware of what is transpiring in shadow, though I don’t doubt they suspect that indeed some things are changing. The last thing we need is for the army to turn against the Middle Kingdom itself. They number in the millions!” Wei Qiuyuan leaned back into his chair and popped his knuckles. Fox struggled to wrap his mind around the reality of what was happening. The Censorate official’s tone softened yet the coldness remained.

  “What of the spy agencies? Now we know without a doubt they are active participants in this conspiracy. Their slaves within the secret police just arrested your colleague. The Eastern and Western Depots know all that transpire within the entire imperial bureaucracy, though I suspect there is division as the rumors say?” He said with some uncertainty. Fox was growing more rattled by the minute. He could no longer hide his anxiety.

  “Yes, there is most certainly division. They think just because I’m a paper-pusher I cannot see for myself what is truly happening. How else would I be in the Chief Surveillance Office?” he chuckled. His smirk however morphed into a frown.

  “The division among the Depots and the Jinyiwei secret police is more severe than what we can observe from the outside.”

  He presented Fox with a number of documents from a paper stack on the wooden desk.

  “I’ve managed to intercept some formal letters exchanged between the agencies. Based on this communication alone, one can surmise that many within the Jinyiwei have surprisingly defected and have gone into hiding for fear of extermination. This information is of great import. They number in the tens of thousands, Fox. That’s an entire army for a foreign kingdom. I need not mention that one officer alone is more than capable of eliminating a gang of bandits in single combat. But that is not the point. Most of them have submitted to the corruption running rampant in the Depots. Luckily, their internal division is causing much unrest. They’re hardly able to function or conduct their duties effectively at this point. Still, many virtuous officials have already been arrested or executed. It won’t be long until opposition is crushed completely.”

  “Blast it!” Fox shouted. “I’ve never felt so enraged and helpless all at once! The fools within our own government are selling the empire to barbarian foreigners!”

  “I cannot save the empire alone and I do not know whom to trust. The League must come to Beijing to help liberate us from this vast conspiracy and help the emperor reclaim the empire. With their resources, connections, and know-how, they can uncover exactly who is involved and formulate a plan to save the emperor and win back the court for him.” He sat back and took a long deep breath.

  “I would have reached out to the Martial Scholars myself but, the risks are just too great. If there is anyone with the connections, skills, and influence to equalize the schemes of the bastards within the bureaucracy, it is the League. The Martial Scholars can discover the ultimate goal of these foreigners.”

  “Then I must immediately send word of what I have learned here. The Martial Scholars must make contact with their counterparts in Hanlin Academy and unmask this conspiracy. We just might be able to rouse and embolden
the virtuous in the palace to make a stand for the emperor and save the Ming Empire before it’s too late,” sighed Fox.

  Before Fox could continue, the sound of commotion from the tunnels disturbed their conversation, and shouts echoed down the corridors. “They have found us! You must have been followed. Come quickly!” Wei barked. He and Fox scrambled to gather his research. They proceeded further down the tunnel towards an exit.

  “Halt! Stop where you are or we will shoot!” commanded one of the Jinyiwei officers as soon as he established visual contact.

  “Keep going! Do not stop for anything!” shouted Wei. The tunnel led into several caverns lit with candles and torches where many of the capital’s forgotten and unwanted have taken up a filthy residence. An arrow raced down the cavern and pierced through Wei’s leg and he shouted in agony. He stumbled and fell into the dirt. “Go! Do not wait for me! You must tell the Scholars what you have discovered here for the sake of the Ming Empire!” shouted Wei.

  “We will find you and get you out with Zhou Liang! I swear! For the Ming Empire!” shouted Fox. The Jinyiwei were fast approaching and Fox ran into the darkness of the cavern far out of sight. Wei Qiuyuan was dragged away for interrogation, and a most probable execution. Fox ran and ran until his lungs felt as if they were to burst inside his chest. The officers were no longer pursuing him but the urgency of this mission weighed heavily upon his heart and he was desperate to send news to Guangzhou.

  He ran through the streets, dodging patrols around the corners. He zig-zagged through alleyways and took shortcuts through some courtyard residences. Other officers made their way through the streets in haste, signaling others to scour hidden enclaves in the district. Fox took cover inside a dark passageway between two large shops. Behind a stack of wooden crates, he waited for them to pass.