The Emperor's Prey

by Jeremy Han

  He attacked. This time, he hacked at Lu Ximing who was circling behind him. The still morning air was shattered by the sound of the iron broadsword clashing against the fine steel of the narrow jian. Lu twisted his body every time the heavy blow came so he could deflect some of the force away. Then he riposted skilfully and caught the Dragon in the shoulder as he brought his sword arm up to execute another hacking action. The jian’s blade penetrated the flesh and came out the other side. The One-eyed Dragon screamed in pain and dropped the broadsword. He gripped the incoming sword with one hand and moved forward to punch Lu. His fist successfully landed on Lu’s face and the Imperial agent grunted in pain as he withdrew. The One-eyed Dragon’s hand was now free and he instinctively clutched the burning wound. At the moment of distraction, Li attacked. The weighted chain flew and circled the One-eyed Dragon’s neck before a jerk from Li’s wrist tightened it. The metal bit into his throat and he choked immediately. His massive body went into a paralysis with the shortage of oxygen going into the brain. Li moved in; he was highly experienced with this manoeuvre to subdue his opponent. He grabbed the dagger with one hand and the sickle with the other and pulled; the chain tightened again and as he got closer to the victim, he kneed him in the back hard so that the One-eyed Dragon went onto his knees. The bandit coughed as he struggled to breathe and his hands clawed at the chain choking him. Li drove his knee into the One-eyed Dragon’s back, forcing his face to the ground. A steel blade pressed against his neck and Lu’s voice broke his reverie,

  “Is it true there is a monk living among the Miao?”

  The chain tightened, causing him to gag, and then the chain was loosed to allow him to speak. After more coughing, the One-eyed Dragon replied,

  “Y….es.” He coughed and a string of saliva stretched to the ground.

  “He is Han? He is surrounded by armed men?”

  “That’s what people say.”

  “Did you transport them out of here?”

  “No!” He coughed and struggled to breathe.

  “Where are they?”

  “What is it to you?”

  “They are rebels. We are here to root out people who go against the House of Zhu. Where is the monk?”

  Dong Chang! He understood now. But how did the secret agents know about him? I’d better cooperate!

  “It is rumoured that he is among the people of the Silver Village. It is a village known for their silver craft. I can take you there.” He smelled an opportunity to live. Maybe they wanted information. If he could ingratiate himself by taking them to the monk. Maybe, who knows, in this wild province, he could even avenge today by arranging an accident for these two?

  “The Silver Village, you say.”

  “Yes.” He repeated the offer. “I will take you there. I am a former soldier of the Ming, I would do my duty if there are rebels who hide here.”

  “Your loyalty and offer of service is appreciated.” The man facing him replied as he sheathed his jian. The One-eyed Dragon sighed a breath of relief at the sight of the man keeping the weapon.

  “However, you committed a crime far greater than any service could redeem. And your service is not something that Hong He could not do.”

  He thought, So that’s how they found me! The bastard Hong He! “What crime have I committed that the Eastern depot would want my life?” He pleaded desperately. Selling slaves was not a crime against the state.

  “Treason. Your men declared that this land belonged to you. It belongs to the House of Zhu. I hereby sentence you to death by execution.”

  “Please! No...! It’s not what I meant! I did not tell them to do that! They said it out of ignorance! They are damn peasants!” The One-eyed Dragon’s eye’s bulged and his tongue stuck out. Lu Ximing looked on as Li tightened the chain. The One-eyed Dragon’s face turned purple and there was a violent gurgling sound emitting from his choked windpipe. The dying man grabbed the chain around his neck and tried to kick and struggle out of the death choke. However, Li was too strong and the bandit was weakening. Soon, the throes slowed and he settled onto the ground limped. There was a sound of air being expelled from his stomach cavity and then the smell that confirmed the man had died. His bowels released as all natural functions ceased.

  Sometime later that day, Ji Gang stood with his back to his subordinates, hands clasped at the small of his back, as they reported to him. On his table was a box, and inside the box was the decapitated head of the One-eyed Dragon. The remaining good eye looked out of the box without sight, the mouth still opened from trying to defend his innocence. It was evidence of a job well-done.

  “The Silver Village?” Ji asked.

  “Yes Lord.” Lu and Li replied in unison, heads bowed low.

  “Hong He, is there such a place? Or is the One-eyed Dragon spouting rubbish?”

  “Yes Lord Ji. There is a village by that name. It is isolated by a river and the only way across is by the Wind and Rain Bridge. Some of my scouts reported that there are some strange people among them too, but as they kept to themselves without causing trouble, we left them alone.” He did not add he had found out that this was the only village the One-eyed Dragon was not able to subdue due to the presence of these strange people.

  “Hong He, take one hundred of your men and lead us there.”

  “Yes Lord.” The commander bowed his head and turned to go.

  “One more thing,” Hong He turned and waited for the commander, “Make sure they are fully armed.”

  SIXTY THREE

  The roaring fire could not drown out the explosive laughter of the men gathered around the flames. Jars of rice wine stood empty by their sides. There were no ladies there tonight. Only those who were part of the brotherhood of arms were allowed. Li Po slept early because the next day would be a long one. Yula understood that the men needed time to end their brief reunion. Jian Wen needed his solitude to pray and meditate. The bodyguards needed time to farewell each other, a brotherhood recently rejoined, but to separate again. Once it was joined by duty, now it was separated by love. The Farmer and the Acrobat understood Long Wu’s decision. They did not let the anxiety of losing two good swords sour the happiness they felt for their brother. It was their last night together. Tomorrow they would depart for Quanzhou and Long Wu would remain with the Miao; they would never see each other again. Success in the mission would separate them forever by distance as they would leave the empire, never to return. Failure would mean separation by death. So the alcohol came in useful to dull the sorrow of departure and fuel the joys of fellowship. All of them fired questions at Long,

  Zhao Qi started first, “So Long, ever thought of what you will do from tomorrow? Become a farmer?”

  “Yes. Yula and I talked about it. She can herd, I can learn to till the land.”

  “More likely, she is going to herd the brood of children our friend here is going to give her!” Zhao exclaimed and the rest of them laughed. Then the commander continued, “I just can’t imagine you being a farmer, damn it! Holding a plough instead of a sword, wearing a black Miao dress instead of the rich brocade dress, what happened to us?” He shook his head in mock sadness.

  Li Jing, the Acrobat, pointed out, “Let’s not talk about the past. We look forward to the future.”

  “Spoken like a true father.” Long replied. Pointing at the Acrobat, he said, “He is the only one who truly has a future to look forward to because he has a child. He can look forward to her growing up, getting married, and carrying sunzi ‘grandchildren’. That’s a good life.” Long concluded with another swig.

  “Hmmph, finally someone who understands my feelings.” The Acrobat said. “We are getting old, worrying not for our lives but for our children.” After a pause, he added, “Long, you’ll make a good father.” Then he added, “All I want is to see my daughter grow up safely. She can wake up without fear. And she can see a future for herself.”

  “What about you, Commander?” Long asked. “What will you do in the future?”

  “Tanni
ng and fighting, I only have these two skills. Once we are away from here, I will become a tanner again...and take on disciples to pass on the martial skills of my clan.”

  “Ah...no women in your plans?” Long asked.

  “As though that is something you can bloody plan!” Zhao looked at him incredulously. “If I could plan that, I would be somewhere now nursing my children and having a woman screaming at me. Better a nagging wife than the Dong Chang right?” He shook his head wistfully as he said that. Then he broke into drunken laughter, “Or maybe I would be surrounded by exotic women waiting on me like the emperor in a faraway, mysterious land!”

  The only one who was married long enough to comment, the Acrobat, said, “That’s not necessarily true. I love my wife but I think she is more fearsome than the Eastern Depot. At least with them the lines are clear. With women, all those emotions…”

  Then the Acrobat spotted the silent Farmer smiling quietly at the banter, “We are forgetting someone. He is laughing at us but we forgot to include him.” He asked his best friend, “So Fu, what would you do after we reach the far south?”

  Before he could reply, Zhao added for him with a great loud voice, “What else? He will be a chicken farmer again! I bet you, he rather talk to those birds than to us!”

  Li Jing asked Fu, “Any plans to get a woman and settle?”

  Long poked fun at him, “He gets along better with those chickens of his than any woman: They can lay his eggs for him!” The rest roared and the Farmer just smiled good-naturedly. Then he retaliated.

  “Yes you guys laugh, I am going to own the largest chicken farm in the world. Palaces will order their eggs from me and I will be richer than all of you! I will buy fine clothes that don’t stink like a tanner and I will live in a big house in a great city unlike someone who will live with these hillbillies. And of course, I will be so rich that every night, I will have an acrobat and his daughter jump hoops just for a few coins. When I get rich, I am going to piss on all of you bastards who have been making fun of me all these years.”

  They laughed. Someone threw a jar at Zhao who smashed it with his bare hands, laughing drunkenly. Another whooped in mocked admiration of Zhao’s kung fu. And they continued to piss on each other’s dreams deep into the night until the alcohol claimed them. Yula heard every word of their drunken reverie. Men drinking late into the night making boisterous, intoxicated chatter were nothing new to her. But her man was there, and she knew that tomorrow, he would be leaving his sword brothers for her. They were men he trusted with his life, and he was giving them up for her. A tear formed and rolled down her cheeks as she closed her eyes pretending to sleep. She was touched by his love.

  At sunrise, Yula held Long’s hand as they walked together with the rest. She looked at her lover’s handsome face and felt warmth in her heart. He looked sad that he was going to be separated from his comrades. But she knew he was doing it for her. She knew the feeling of being separated. It was so long ago. She could not even remember when it was exactly that her tribe was scattered, and how long she had been on the run. First, it was a group of them. The group got smaller with deaths, diseases and other problems. Then the remnant was no more. She was the only one left. Each death cut her heart like a knife until there was nothing to cut anymore. That was when she became the hard-hearted mercenary surviving by the power of her bow and the strength of her sword hand. After that, she no longer had a land, a people, a home, a family. But today, she would officially become part of the Miao. She and Long had agreed that the way to truly become invisible was to become part of the land. She would no longer be a Mongol and he no more a Han. Today, they were dressed in black like the natives. Yula the Mongol and Long Wu the Han no longer existed. Now, she would have a home, a family and in time, a new people who accepted and loved her.

  At the point of separation, they hugged and wept. She had grown to like the team. She loved the wisdom of Jian wen. She thought how wonderful it would be if the tribes had a leader who was both compassionate and wise like the monk-emperor. She found his gaunt features very assuring; someone who had suffered and understood the pain of others. She was fond of Li Po, the happy young girl who deserved so much and her doting father who carried the burden of fatherhood with so many tears. Under Li Jing’s rough exterior and quirkiness, he was a very good father. She did not speak much with the Acrobat because of his eccentricity, but she could tell he was a man who would die for his daughter. All he ever wanted was to give his child a chance to be free. Li Po reminded her of the hope and dreams a young girl harbours; it somehow re-ignited her own. They were dreams of finding true love and of settling down. And of course, the silent one – The Farmer Fu Zhen: he was the one who observed everything and was quietly kind. Frequently, he asked Yula with his eyes how she was. With a little dip of his head and a quiet smile, he conveyed his kindness. Quiet, wise and rock steady in a fight; he was the perfect companion in any quest. She had disliked Zhao at first for his stubbornness. But she had learnt to trust his leadership and respect his loyalty. He was a good man who always put his team’s safety first. She started to tear. She would miss this band of heroes.

  Escorting them were the Miao. They sent off their saviours with tears in their eyes. These were the only Han people who had helped them. They regarded Jian Wen like a ruler and Zhao as their protector. Some of the women wept and the children were silent. Ahead of the Miao delegation was the old lady Fu Zhen met, the butcher, and the gutsy young man who was their guide. They were dressed in Miao finery; black with lots of silver jewellery. And today, they were sending off their friends. Friends made in times of adversary were especially precious. They came to the Wind and Rain Bridge and then Jian Wen paused. Zhao turned around and faced the people gathered.

  “Thank you for your hospitality. Without your kindness, we would have perished in the winter.”

  The butcher replied, “Thank you Commander. Without you, we would have been sold. You have kept our families safe and together. You have vanquished evil, and now have taught us how to fight. You restored the hope we lost.” He paused to wipe a tear before he pleaded again,

  “Wouldn’t you consider staying?” The Miao nodded their heads, emphasising their welcome.

  “I am sorry my friends. We need to go. We have friends waiting for us to take us to a far away land where we would not bring harm to any one close to us. But you will be close to our hearts. I will never forget you. I promise.”

  Then Zhao went forward and hugged the butcher, and then the young men. Then tears opened like a river and both men and women, Han and Miao cried openly. Even the stoic Fu Zhen’s eyes reddened. Then finally, Zhao said, “We must go.” And they made their way across the Wind and Rain Bridge that brought them back to the land of the Ming. Long and Yula stood holding hands by the villagers. Then they started to sing as their friends went on their way across the silent bridge. Women held their young close, and men stood by their women, and together they saw their friends become smaller and smaller until they were no more. Yula looked at Long with a side glance; he was staring into the distance where his friends once stood. Tears flowed down his cheeks freely.

  SIXTY FOUR

  Banging.

  The door sounded as though it was going to crash when Yula opened her eyes. She got up and walked to the door. Long sat up from his bed, still intoxicated with sleep. They could hear shouting, barking, movement of people; something was terribly amiss. Somebody strong was pounding the door almost frantically. Yula almost fell backwards when the door was pushed open, and the huge form of the butcher filled the frame and blocked the scene behind the entrance. Somewhere in the distance, someone was sounding the gong.

  “Men!” He panted. “Lots of them. Approaching the village. Come!”

  Before he even caught his breath, he turned and was gone, disappearing down the steps leading back to the village. Long splashed water on his face and then he was out. Yula was behind him. Almost like second nature, they grabbed their weapons. The peacefulness of
the past months had not purged the paranoia in them. They were hardly dressed for the occasion but they were armed for it. They joined the throng of people running through the village square toward the Wind and Rain bridge. This time, they would be no pushover. Women were running there with the rudimentary bows and arrows they made. Children carried their slings with stones in their pockets. And men were running with crude swords and pitchforks. All of them were heading in the same direction. All of them thought that the One-eyed Dragon was back and they wanted to give him a warm welcome.