My Soul is in the Sky

by Summer Murong

“Yes, with the help of kite makers.” I then ask him. “Should I call them back?”

  “Nah, let them play. They look like having fun.” He then turns to Jinu. “Jinu, you have just got the official ranking through the donation.” Emperor Wu then ask Jinu. “What do you do currently?”

  I am surprised that Emperor Wu still remembers my brother Jinu. He has met my dad and two brothers at the Moon Banquet.

  “Your Majesty, I manage our family business for my father.”

  “Are you interested in getting a real post?”

  “I am still learning how to run the business as well as how to read and write. I will be much more useful for Your Majesty when I know how to do those.”

  “Who is teaching you how to read and write? Ah, let me guess, it must have been Shiaonu.” Emperor Wu chuckles.

  “Yes. She has been teaching us.”

  Actually we have moved beyond the phonetic now. I have put together a list of radicals, which are like the root words in English, along with the list of commonly used words. Chinese character is really not that difficult. It usually consists of two parts: one part is radicals, which provides the hint of the meaning, and the other part provides the hint of the sound. Even if you don’t know the exact meaning or the sound, you can have a fairly well educated guess when it is in front of a Chinese character.

  “I know Shiaonu learned to read and write within three months, how long do you think you will be able to do that?” Emperor Wu ask him. But that is not a fair comparison. I cheated with my previous knowledge.

  “Your Majesty. I was not doing anything else but studying. My brothers can only learn in their spare time.” I try to protect my brother.

  He waves his hand to me. “Let your brother answer that.”

  “It probably will take me about a year for basic writing and reading.” Jinu looks nervous.

  “That is very good.” Emperor Wu looks very satisfied. “If we can prove the method works, we can spread it all around our country. More people will be able to learn. That will be a very worthy cause.”

  Emperor Wu always has a vision about his country and his people. In fact, the concepts of China and Chinese are solidified during his long reign. Even to the modern days, Chinese or Chinese descendants still refer to themselves as Han Ren, Han people.

  “I would be very happy to share that with anybody who is interested in learning this method.” I bow to him with respect.

  “Let’s make sure your brothers can achieve that first.” Emperor Wu then turns to Jinu. “Jinu, I will test you myself in a year. Tell your brother Ponu about this too. He will be tested as well.”

  Jinu’s face turns pale. I know one more person will stay up late at night now.

  Papa comes by and invites Emperor Wu and General Wei to sit on the straw mats that have been just set up for them. Niang and our servants have lined up food, fruit and wines on the low tables too.

  “You are very lucky to have such a smart girl.” Emperor Wu signals my Papa to rise up.

  “Thank you, Your Majesty.” Papa answers him with trembling voice. “I hope she has not caused your too many troubles. Sometimes she can be handful. But she always means well.” I know Papa is still troubled by my running away and my rebellion against getting married.

  Both Emperor Wu and General Wei laugh. General Wei says to my father. “Shiaonu can be unconventional sometimes. But her unique way of thinking is actually her most valuable trait. “

  “That is true.” Emperor Wu follows. “She is very special and she deserves the special treatment. For others, I would say to follow the rules. But for Shiaonu, I agree with her tutor Dongfang Shuo. We should just let her be herself. “

  I have known it for a while that I have registered with Emperor Wu, who, according to my counselor, even spent time reviewing my learning plan as well as my essays. From all the books I have read, Emperor Wu has been described as a powerful and ruthless leader with great ambitions. He lays his rules clearly to his officials with fair rewards and punishments. He runs a tight leash on his people with oppressive and cruel officials. Even members of his close royal families are expected to be punished if they step beyond the boundary.

  That is why what he has just said really alerts me.

  He is fair but he is also very demanding. When one of his advisors criticized him for killing too many talented individuals, he laughed indifferently and told his advisor that there is never a shortage of talents, but a shortage of eyes that can spot talents.

  On one hand, he is anxiously recruiting talents, but on the other hand he will not hesitate to kill them if their performance is not to his satisfaction.

  I have always sensed the need to hold a careful balance between usefulness and uselessness in front of Emperor Wu, especially after he granted me the special admission to Imperial University. While he plays the favoritism with you, he also has high demand from you, even the demand is against everything you believe. To me, there is a lot of things I do not wish to get involved, such as war, such as killing, such as mind controlling.

  My initial plan of observing the society in anonymity has been running into collision with the marriage law. Huo’s plan was effective with the cost of exposure. I am grateful of the solution since that was the only way.

  “Thank you for your tolerance, Your Majesty.” I bow to him again. “I am very lucky to have your good grace on my side, since I know that I am too erratic to be of any real use. “

  “You are not useless.” General Wei steps in. “The power of saddles becomes more and more apparent. The archery skill of our cavalry has improved tremendously. You don’t need to feel pressured. Just be yourself.”

  As always he reads my mind right away. I bow to him and give him a big smile.

  “General Wei is right.” Emperor Wu agrees. “Just do what you like to do. I can see you have come up with some real fun thing to do with Huo Qubing and Ponu.”

  “Yes,” I chuckle. “We have been kitesurfing every day.”

  We all turn to Huo and Ponu, who are just showing off with high jumps and staying in the midair for long time. Cheers are coming out from crowds whenever they jump.

  Emperor Wu turns back to his crew. “Anybody is willing to give it a try?”

  “I will do it.” A young guy steps out.

  “Huh, “Emperor Wu looks very happy with him. “I knew you would be the first one.”

  Then he turns to me. “Shiaonu, give him a quick lesson and see how he does it.”

  I nod and lead that guy to Jinu, who has everything ready by the water.

  He is almost a foot taller than me. I do not think there is a chance I can save him in the water. “You do know how to swim, do you?”

  “I swim very well.” He chuckles.

  “That’s a relief. Remember if there is any danger, just pull this knob out and it will release you from the kite. You will not be pulled anymore.”

  He nods.

  “Have you ever flown a kite before?” I ask him again.

  “Yes, when I was young.” He smiles. Standing right in front of him, I am sure he is more than six feet tall. With long arms and long legs, he is like a basketball player.

  “This kite is a little different.” I explain to him while picking up the controlling bar. “Look here. There are five lines from the kite, instead of one. So you need to learn how to control the kite first. “

  I then show him how to move the kite in different angles and the effect of different positions in the wind window.

  “The key of kitesurfing is to let the wind pull you through the kite. You then manipulate the kite in different positions to decide the direction. Try not let the kite fly directly on top of your head since that is the most unstable position. It will help your jump, but not right away. Focus on the position of the kite, feel the pulling force and you will be fine. ”

  He listens carefully.

  I signal to Zhao Yan, who has been watching us all this time. “Can you help him?” I ask him.

  He nods.r />
  “Jinu, can you hold up the kite and give it a lift? Zhao Yan, I need you to hold his belt tight so he won’t fly away while practicing it.”

  “Oh. “ The tall guy says to us. “My name is Li Gan.”

  I give Zhao Yan a glance, who has also recognized the name. Li Gan is the youngest son of another General Li Guang, who spent his whole life fighting with Xiongnu.

  “Good to know you.” I smile back. “I am Shiaonu and this is Zhao Yan. That is my brother Jinu.”

  “I know your brother Ponu.” He says to me. “I am an imperial guard too.”

  I nod with a smile. But he continues. “I have heard of you too. Ponu shared your drawing with us.”

  “The spring blossom of Chang’an?” I ask.

  “Yes, that’s the one. Ponu also shared the food you have prepared for him.”

  Finally when Li Gan bravely set into the water, he gets on board easily. I blow him whistles for encouragement. I have to admit Li Gan has a talent for kitesurfing. He is tall, but very coordinated.

  “You have to teach me how to do this.” Zhao Yan says to me. “I cannot just stand there watching you have fun.”

  “No problem. You have taught me how to ride, it’s my turn to teach you how to kitesurfing.” I say to him. “But do not expect me to be nice. I am very strict with my student.”

  “No, you are not. You are very nice to Li Gan.” He protests.

  “I do not scare people away the first time I meet them.”

  He chuckles. “It looks like I have been trying to scare you away from the beginning.” He is referring to the first time we met by the lake when he put his sword on my shoulder.

  “Now think about it, every time you get frustrated you turn into a monster.”

  He gives me an almost sad look.

  “Do you know how to swim?” I ask him.

  “No.” He answers. “I need to learn that first.”

  “You mean, I can push you into the water now and you will have to beg me to save you?” I cannot believe he doesn’t know how to swim.

  “I will not survive.” He smiles. For a split second, I feel like the old gentle Zhao Yan comes back again.

  We walk back. Emperor Wu and General Wei are sitting on the straw mats drinking wine.

  “Shiaonu.” General Wei calls me. “How come the Baijiu tastes different this time?”

  “It’s not pure Baijiu.” I tell him. “We have soaked green plums and brown sugar with Baijiu since this spring. Do you like it?”

  He sighs. “It is alright. But I still prefer straight Baijiu: simple, pure and powerful.”

  Jinu immediately says to him. “We have brought Baijiu as well. Let me switch it for you right away.”

  Zhao Yan was right. The popularity of Baijiu is better than I imagined. Who would ever guessed the byproduct of perfume making becomes such a success.

  “What is this?” Emperor Wu holds a fish ball with his chopsticks. “It tastes like fish. But it’s not fish.”

  “It is called fish ball.” I explain to him. “It is made of fish. My brother Ponu likes fish but he get stuck by the fish bones often. So I pick just the meat from the fish and pound it till it’s very tender. Then make it into round shape. This way, it retains the flavors and nutrition from the fish without the worry of bones. ”

  “Ponu eats better than me.” He jokes.

  Fish balls are actually snack food from vending carts on the street. It is very popular in southern part of China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia. Emperor Wu’s comment makes me laugh.

  “If you’d like, Shiaonu can make some fish balls for you.” Papa suggests to Emperor Wu. “The fish are from our own pond. We have lots of them.”

  “Do you sell the fish?” Emperor asks Papa.

  “Yes. We do. Our fish are in high demand in Chang’an.” Papa says it proudly.

  “How about expanding it more?” Emperor Wu says. “I can grant you the usage of this lake. And you can expand your business.”

  The lake we are in are hundreds if not thousands times bigger than the one we had in our village. I cannot imagine how big the business will become.

  “Excuse me, Emperor Wu.” Papa kneels down in front of Emperor Wu. “I dare not to take the responsibility of such big business. We have made more money than I have ever imagined. We have saved enough money for the weddings of my three kids. We would not know what to do with any more. I am willing to teach and help whoever you assign to learn how to have a fish farm. But I would not be able to take such a responsibility.”

  I want to applaud for my Papa, who is never greedy in front of profit.

  Emperor Wu starts laughing. “I should have known. Last time Shiaonu told me what you had said to her. Now I hear it with my own ears. I am as impressed as the first time I heard it.” Then he turns to General Wei. “Now I understand why you like this family. They are just like you. Smart, humble and always grateful.”

  General Wei holds his hands together in front to show a quick respect. “That’s because Your Majesty has been a fair, kind and generous Emperor to us.”

  This is my first time hearing such a smooth back-scratch from General Wei.

  “Ha-ha…”Emperor Wu seems like enjoys the comment. “But I like to reward people, especially the one who deserves it but doesn’t want it. To those who want it badly, but doesn’t deserve it, I can be a scrooge.”

  Somehow those words remind me of the General Li Guang, father of Li Gan, who has experienced almost 100 battles with Xiongnu, but has never been award with Marquess.

  Emperor Wu then turns to my father. “I plan to expand this lake. It will be the training base for our new army. Not only we are going to defeat Xiongnu with our cavalry, we are also going to unite south regions with our new navy. It takes us eighty years to get ready to fight back with Xiongnu. We will start planning the wars on the water.”

  Except General Wei, everyone else is astonished by Emperor Wu’s ambitious plan.

  He continues. “We are going to start small, but we need to start right away. We also have to make sure we don’t put too much tax burden on our people. So I am thinking about grant you free usage of this lake and surrounding area, with only one condition.”

  He stops and gives me a long but deep look. “I need this lake to be expanded to 10 Li width and length.”

  He wants the lake to be the size of three miles long and three miles wide.

  Just as I expected, while he grants you the favor, he also has the high demand.

  I see the sweats coming out of Papa’s forehead. He is speechless. I know he is moved by the heroism Emperor Wu just stirred up within him, at the meantime, he is not sure if he can deliver.

  “Shiaonu, what do you think?” Emperor Wu asks me.

  “I am totally overwhelmed by the grand plan you have described. I believe my Papa is the same way. I am sure he is more than willing to show his loyalty and dedication to you. “I stop and organize my thoughts for a little. “But I don’t believe this is a going to be simple effort. While the main goal is to train your future navy here, I believe we can hit more birds with one stone.”

  “Really? Tell me what you are thinking.” Emperor Wu looks very interested.

  “I can think of a couple of things right now. First this can be used as a reservoir. It means we can use it to adjust the water supply. When it’s drought, it can provide water for Chang’an and nearby fields. When flood comes, it can be used to store excessive water. Secondly, it can link to the nearby rivers. This way, it will help reduce the congestion of main rivers and the piers. “

  He smiles and nods. “That is what you call hitting more birds with one stone?”

  I nod my head seriously.

  “Are you sure that’s not your attempt to get your father out of this?” He asks me.

  I kneel down right next to my Papa. “Your Majesty, the benefits of this lake can be much more than I just talked about. The responsibility is too big for us. But if you insist, my family will try our best to meet your dema
nd.”

  “Is that what you think too?” Emperor Wu asks my father.

  “Yes, Your Majesty.” Papa answers.

  “I was single-minded with the plan about this lake. Shiaonu reminded me.” Emperor Wu pauses a little. “All right, let me discuss this in my court first and see if there is any other suggestions.”

  I was just going to exhale with relief when he continues. “Shiaonu, I like your hit-multiple-birds-with-one-stone. It helps me thinking things differently too. Do not think you are off the hook yet. I might need you later.”

  Other than nodding, I can do nothing else. At least, Papa is off the hook now.

  “Ah, Zhao Yan, you are here too. I have not seen you riding horse with Shiaonu for a while now.” General Wei has met Zhao Yan many times accompanying me for horse riding.

  “General Wei and Your Majesty. “ Zhao Yan bow to both of them. “I was on a trip to take care of my business.”

  “Who is this?” Emperor Wu asks General Wei.

  “He is actually the one made the first saddle. As always, Shiaonu came up with the idea and he made it happen. “General Wei says. “He has also taught Shiaonu how to ride a horse. “

  “That’s good to know.” Emperor Wu says and then he seems like remembered something. “I thought Huo Qubing was teaching her riding the horse.”

  General Wei smiles without saying anything.

  “She did not like my teaching. She prefers somebody else.” Huo walks right in the middle of the conversation. He is still dripping wet.

  “Is that so, Shiaonu?” Emperor Wu looks interested in finding the answer.

  “Ugh…” I mumble. “I am not good enough to be Captain Huo’s student.”

  Both of them are amused by my answer.

  “Perfect for me. “ Zhao Yan says quietly but clearly behind me. My face turns red. I did not expect him saying things like this in front of others.

  Everyone stays quiet until Huo suddenly throws a linen towel over my head. “You’d better go change. Your lips are turning purple now.”

  I have been wearing the wet clothes underneath the thick gown Zhao Yan has given me. It feels wet and cold inside. By now my headache turns into throbbing on my temple.