by JC Kang
As Wang Xinchang, the founder of the dynasty, once said, Ambitious men are easier to manipulate than loyal ones. Maintaining a withering stare on the lord, she spoke. “Fang Weiyong, come out.”
Lord Zheng straightened, and nodded toward the screen.
A guard emerged, leading a tall man whose head was covered by a black hood. The soldier lifted the cowl, revealing a gagged Fang Weiyong.
Zheng Han gestured toward his prisoner with an open hand. “Here is the source of the rumor: your doctor. I took him into custody for speaking ill of the Imperial Family. By the Tianzi’s own law, I will have him publicly lashed. Unless he spoke the truth.”
Eyes round, Weiyong tried to shake his head through the guard’s grip on his hair. Knowing him, he must’ve been horrified not so much by the threat of a whipping, but by the notion he might have betrayed her.
He ceased his struggle when she flashed a smile at him.
Kaiya leveled her gaze at the lord. “Doctor Fang is not just my doctor, but my friend. One who would not and did not betray my trust. The question is, can I trust you, Lord Zheng?”
Zheng Han bowed again. “Of course, Dian-xia.”
Indeed. “Then send everyone but your wife, my handmaiden, and Doctor Fang out, so we might confer.”
“Your handmaiden must go, too.”
“I see trust only goes so far. You have nothing to fear from a girl.”
Lord Zheng’s eyes narrowed. “It would not surprise me if the girl had more weapons concealed on her than all of my guards here combined.”
It wouldn’t surprise Kaiya, either. Though how Zheng Han knew… “Very well.” She nodded toward Jie.
Smirking, the Insolent Retainer bowed and padded toward the door.
“All of you, withdraw.” Lord Zheng waved his hand. His men bowed and shuffled back out of the room, though one un-gagged Fang Weiyong first. The double sliding doors closed behind them.
Satisfied, Kaiya bowed her head. When she raised it, she pressed her hand to her belly. “As you suspect, I am already pregnant.”
Lord Zheng’s lips twitched, his look one of vindication. He opened his mouth to speak.
She raised her hand, silencing him. “Doctor Wu confirmed they are twin boys. Your first grandsons.”
Zheng Han’s satisfied smirk slipped, replaced by a raised eyebrow. “How?”
“Your fourth son, Zheng Tian.”
His jaw slackened, even as Lady Zheng sucked in a sharp breath.
Kaiya nodded away their shock. “Unless the Tianzi and his wife conceive, your unborn grandchildren are next in line to the Dragon Throne.”
With a cough, Lord Zheng shook his head. “They may be my grandsons by blood, but they are illegitimate. They will—”
Kaiya raised a hand to quiet him again. “They are not.” She tilted her chin to Weiyong. “As a priest of Yang-Di, Doctor Fang consecrated my marriage to Tian. Were the rites and rituals carried out correctly?”
Fang Weiyong nodded. “Yes, Dian-xia. Your actions and corresponding vows followed ancient conventions, and are thus all legitimate.”
Kaiya turned back toward Lord and Lady Zheng. “As you see, I am your son’s widow. Yet his banishment would raise questions as to the validity of your grandsons’ claim. That does not have to be the case, in the eyes of the realm. This is why I wished to marry your firstborn.”
Lord and Lady Zheng exchanged glances, their expressions beyond Kaiya’s skill at deciphering. If only Jie were in the room to gauge their reactions. Lord Zheng looked back at her, his face as blank as when he asked if Tian had died bravely.
“Timing is critical,” Kaiya added. “Tian’s seed has grown in my womb for three weeks now. If I do not consummate a marriage to Ming soon—”
He opened his mouth to interject, only to be interrupted by Lady Zheng. She rose to her feet, waddled forward, and pressed her forehead to the floor in front of Kaiya. When she rose, she extended a tentative hand toward Kaiya’s abdomen. “Forgive me, Dian-xia, but may I?”
It was an audacious request, to be sure, but how could Kaiya deny it? The legacy of Lady Zheng’s beloved, dead son grew inside of her. Kaiya took Lady Zheng’s hand in hers and placed it against her abdomen.
Lady Zheng’s tearful eyes met hers. Her voice cracked. “Are they really Tian’s?”
Were they? Kaiya couldn’t be sure, given the unfortunate circumstances. She contrived her most compassionate smile and nodded.
It was wrong to lie, not just on moral grounds, but also because the chance of exposure. The other potential father was just two weeks away, on the other side of the Great Wall. Emperor Geros didn’t know she carried twins; he only believed the son she would bear was his.
He would spare no resource in the vast Teleri Empire to retrieve her. Fortunately, the Great Wall and a hundred thousand muskets stood between them.
Chapter 4:
Perfect Storms
From his place near the bloodwood dais, Chief Minister Hong Jianbin scanned the hundred-some men gathered in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Whether it was his old eyes or the dozens of golden columns obstructing his view, he counted surprisingly few provincial lords kneeling among the blue-robed officials.
A messenger in dark green robes strode between the ordered rows of men, his boots clacking on the polished white marble floors. He dropped to a knee in front of the dais and bowed as he proffered a letter wrapped in rice paper.
Sitting on the jade Dragon Throne, the recently-anointed Tianzi gazed toward the tile ceiling mosaic of circling twin dragons high above. He probably would not have noticed if the messenger transformed into Hua’s guardian dragon spirit.
Hong expected no less from his puppet.
From where she sat on the smaller gold Phoenix Throne, the Empress Wu Yanli coughed. The Tianzi’s head shifted from right to left, the dangling pearls on his hat clicking. His lazy comportment clashed with the regal yellow robes, which he rearranged more than once. At last, he looked down at the messenger and waved a hand.
A minister shuffled forward and received the letter in two hands. He unwrapped it and snapped open the note inside. In a high-pitched voice, he read, “A missive from Tai-Ming Lord Zheng of Dongmen Province. To the Tianzi, Son of Heaven and Enlightened Ruler of Hua. Your sister, Princess Wang Kaiya, wishes to wed my son Zheng Ming. I approve, and ask for your blessing.”
Hong’s heart lurched into his throat. Despite his attempts to smear Young Lord Zheng in the princess’ eyes, despite the two being separated for half a year, she still had feelings for the philandering lordling. How could he secure his own—
“It is an appropriate match.” The Tianzi grinned and turned to the Empress. “I introduced them myself.”
The Empress nodded, her own lips curving up into a radiant, if measured, smile. One of the realm’s foremost beauties, she appeared much too young for the imperial yellow robes. Still, she wore the trappings of state with more dignity than her husband, and stayed disengaged from state affairs as a woman should.
Hong did not plan for her to remain Empress for long. However, if he could not stop the marriage of Princess Kaiya, the Tianzi would have to stay alive so Hong could still influence policy. Hopefully, the Tianzi would remember their private conversation from just a few days earlier.
“Huang-Shang,” Hong said, using the formal address for the Tianzi, “while Young Lord Zheng would make an excellent husband for the princess, the Zheng family is old and unquestioningly loyal. Perhaps you should use her marriage to reward an up-and-coming lord.” Like him, after another promotion.
General Shan, bedecked in ceremonial dragon armor, stood and bowed his helmeted head. Doubt hung in his voice. “Huang-Shang, did Lord Zheng agree to send the ten thousand troops you ordered for the pacification of Nanling Province?”
The Tianzi raised his eyebrow at the minister. So unsightly for an emperor!
The official scanned the letter again. “No, General.”
“Thank the Heavens,” General Shan muttered.
The shortsighted man apparently did not see the danger of insurgency from those still loyal to Nanling’s former ruler, the fugitive Peng Kai-Long. Hong pursed his lips. He knew all too well the threat.
A snake like Peng could wreak havoc, even from across the border in Rotuvi, where he enjoyed asylum after Princess Kaiya had failed to secure his extradition. It was time for Hong to share his brilliant idea, inspired by his lover’s silly notions of chess strategy. In their last several games, the girl had kept her knight in reserve, saying that, like the imperial garrison in Wailian County, it could be deployed at any time.
As ridiculous as it sounded, she had won those games, just like all the others. “Huang-Shang,” Hong said, “As the Founder emphasized, only the sword can bring order to a province in rebellion. Perhaps we should redeploy your most battle-hardened troops in Wailian to help contain the insurgency.”
General Shan coughed. “Huang-Shang, such a move is not only unnecessary, but foolish as well. There is no insurgency. The lords of Nanling have already forsaken the rebel Peng and sworn fealty to you. Furthermore, Wailian County is outside of the Great Wall, protected from Rotuvi only by a shallow river and your armies. It is our main source of firepowder ingredients.”
Hong shook his head. “Huang-Shang, until you finish replacing the lords of Nanling, the old guard will always be faithful to Peng and remain a threat. As for Rotuvi, they are embroiled in a war with their northern neighbors and cannot possibly divert attention toward Wailian.”
The Tianzi looked from Hong to the general and back again. At last, he waved toward the crowd of officials. “What is the disposition of Rotuvi, Minister Yan?”
The aged man, who rarely came to court, bowed. “Huang-Shang, Chief Minister Hong is correct. Rotuvi is not a threat to Wailian. However, I agree with General Shan. I do not think we should leave it defenseless.”
Hong laughed. “You are here to report, not to think, Minster Yan. Thank you for reporting.” He turned from the minister and locked his gaze on the Tianzi. He had not worked his way into the Emperor’s good graces for so long, just to have a few upstarts reject his brilliant ideas.
The Tianzi sighed. “General Shan, draw up the orders to redeploy the imperial garrison in Wailian. Ensuring stability in Nanling is our utmost priority. Even in exile, Cousin Peng may still try to interfere in matters there.”
Peng Kai-Long, ruler of Nanling Province before his plot to seize the Dragon Throne failed, counted his men in the low light of dusk. Only thirty. It was still twice the number of imperial army troops stationed at the Great Wall’s southernmost gatehouse.
A light flashed in quick succession from the top of the Wall, clearly visible from the mill where his men gathered. The signal meant his twenty loyalists on the inside of the gatehouse had taken control. If they suffered no casualties, he would command nearly fifty men. Just enough to hold off a counter-attack by imperial forces until his reinforcements arrived.
If Kai-Long’s other assets in the countryside did their job, that counter-attack would never come, because the main imperial garrison, based out of his castle, wouldn’t know about their loss of this strategic point until it was too late.
With a silent gesture, Kai-Long motioned his men toward the gate. It took three excruciatingly long minutes to cross the meadow. The doors to the gatehouse opened, allowing a column of light to escape the hushed crack.
Fools. They were supposed to keep the interior dark until he and his other men slipped in. If he weren’t so shorthanded, the imbecile in charge might face punishment.
Inside, the provincial soldiers each dropped to one knee, fist to the floor. A dozen bodies lay against the walls, while three bound imperial soldiers gawked at him.
Kai-Long motioned to the doors. “Close them.”
While one man jumped up to obey, his loyal shift captain looked up. “Jue-ye, we suspected the imperial army was testing our loyalty to the Throne when we received your secret orders. I am heartened to see that you are truly here in Nanling and not a refugee in Rotuvi.”
Peng nodded at him. “Yes, rumors of my flight were greatly exaggerated. Or contrived, as the case may be.”
The imperial officer spat. “You’ll never succeed. You don’t have enough men to hold the gatehouse.”
Kai-Long knelt over him. “Word of my return spreads through the province as we chat. Despite their vows of fealty to the Tianzi, my loyal retainers and soldiers will side with me. We outnumber the imperial army garrison.”
The officer laughed. “Maybe you could defeat us, but not without sustaining crippling losses. The Tianzi will quell your rebellion. With the nation’s vast wealth and power at his command, he will send another army, and another, and another, until you are battered into submission.”
Kai-Long turned his back on the man and motioned for his lieutenant. “Flash the signals on the other side of the Wall, to let the Madurans know we hold the gatehouse. They must arrive by daybreak, before the changing of the guard.”
The provincial captain raised an eyebrow. “The Madurans?”
Kai-Long gestured him into silence, even as he looked back toward the imperial officer. “Tell me, what did the Founder write about facing an opponent who cannot be overwhelmed with force?”
His question was met with a gawk.
Kai-Long shook his head, laughing. “This is why the loyalist governor sits idly in my castle, unaware that I am about to take it back. Even the imperial officers have grown complacent with the nation’s wealth, and have forgotten military lessons.” He motioned toward the provincial captain. “What did the Founder write?”
“Avoid confrontations which lead to unacceptable losses…” The captain’s eyes widened. “…have others fight for you.”
Kai-Long grinned. Over the past several months, he had corresponded with Madura’s Prince Dhananad. With the prince’s unhealthy obsession over Princess Kaiya since she’d danced for him a year ago, he’d jumped at the invitation to invade.
However, instead of helping a foreign invader crush the imperial army, Kai-Long planned to keep his own provincial troops in reserve. Once he deemed both sufficiently weakened, he would close off the South Gate and cut Madura’s supply lines. The Madurans would be caught between a hammer and an anvil, and he would do everything to ensure his enemies thinned each other out before crushing them both.
In the meantime, he had a dilemma. Cousin Kaiya was within reach of his agent in Dongmen Castle. He would like nothing more than to exact vengeance for her role in foiling his previous coup.
The only question would be how to keep Prince Dhananad motivated once she was finally dead.
Before Madura invaded and occupied her homeland, Leina had once been a dancer. Now she spent her days—and mostly nights—choreographing Cathay’s unraveling from a small house in the capital’s entertainment district.
A spring breeze wafted in through her window, brushing aside satin curtains and carrying in afternoon sun and the flitting laughter of coy Night Blossoms. In this high-end section of the Floating World, the ladies unwittingly heard secrets—either as they served rice wine to lounging officials or lay beside clients muttering in their sleep.
It was again time to harvest those secrets.
Leina knocked three times on the back wall of the pantry. When no response came, she pressed the dwarf-made trigger, and the wall opened outward, revealing the rear corridor of the adjacent Jade Tea House. The sliding doors to private rooms stood ajar. All empty, as was to be expected at this early hour.
She brushed aside the dangling curtain of jade beads and pearls and walked out into the main room. There, a handful of Night Blossoms congregated among the bloodwood chairs and tables, sharing tea and gossip before dusk. Perhaps even the legendary Moquan spies would never collect as much information as the girls in the Floating World.
Jasmine covered her mouth and laughed. Her sheer gown revealed the outline of the bloodwood chair she sat on, as well as her ample curves. Orchid lounged in a
seat across the table, her eyes conspiratorially narrow.
Who came up with such names? Perhaps they took the term blossoms too literally. Or maybe feeding into the stereotypes excited the high officials and lords who sought them out.
Jasmine looked up and beckoned her over. “Lotus, Lotus, come!”
Leina chuckled. With a working name like Lotus, given for her half-Ayuri blood, she had no leeway to criticize floral names. She glided over and took a seat.
Orchid brushed a hand across Leina’s sapphire-colored silk robe. “By the Heavens! This color brings out the walnut in your skin tone!”
Leina covered her mouth and giggled, imitating the irritating feminine conventions of Cathay. “Your gown, too. It emphasizes your dark eyes!”
Orchid batted her eyelashes. “That’s what Minister Geng said, that lecherous old man. You know, he’s looting the imperial treasury from beneath the Tianzi’s nose.”
Amazing to think how quickly the government fell into inefficiency, just with the death of the previous Tianzi. It almost made Leina’s job too easy.
Jasmine sighed. “I wish some of the imperial treasury would find its way here. Many of my clients are tightening their belts instead of loosening them! Almost all of the officials and soldiers from Linshan Province went home.”
A perky voice called from the entrance. “That’s because Linshan’s Lord Lin didn’t want to be drawn into the Nanling expedition.”
Purple Autumn. Ziqiu, in the local tongue. Now that was a clever name. Rumors swirled about the pretty young woman, like the lilac and silver gown she wore tonight. Supposedly only sixteen, she disappeared during the day, and only appeared some nights. Her clients were utterly secret, even to the other working girls’ omniscient network of whispers. Perhaps like Leina, she had a powerful patron.
She sauntered over, swaying her thin hips, and took a seat at their table. With a lift of her chin, she tossed her rippling hair over her shoulder and then leaned in close. “Lord Lin has quite an independent streak. I wonder how long the realm will be able to rely on Linshan Province.”