Lady Li was beginning to regret not sending her daughters away as Wangshu told her story.
“He pushed me backward and I tripped over a stool,” Wangshu continued. “But I stood and ran behind my couch to get away from him. He grabbed me and tossed me against the wall by my dresser. I reached down, grabbed a hairpin, and stabbed him in the shoulder with it!”
Lady Li and both of her daughters winced as Wangshu imitated the stabbing action, her eyes wild.
“He yelled, calling me dirty names,” Wangshu said. “And then he stumbled out of my room and down the hallway. I was so scared. I was out of my mind and didn’t know where to go. I threw everything into my bags and left. But you were so kind to me, Lady Li. Defending me against that cruel inspector. I knew you would help me. So I asked around if anyone knew where you lived, and thankfully it wasn’t far. I don’t know that I could have carried those bags much further.”
“I am so sorry that happened to you,” Lady Li said, reaching over and gripping Wangshu’s hand. “What happened to the guard the prince left for you?”
Wangshu’s mouth opened, but she did not immediately reply. “He…he must have left,” she finally said. “I don’t know. Maybe the attacker bribed him or something.”
Lady Li doubted someone could have offered a bribe big enough to be worth the man’s life. If the prince discovered the guard had abandoned his post, he would certainly be put to death. She didn’t know if Wangshu was lying or really didn’t know what happened to the guard. She supposed it didn’t really matter at the moment.
“You can stay here for as long as you need,” Lady Li said. “And don’t worry, the inspector hasn’t given up on finding the real killer yet.”
“I am glad of it,” Wangshu said, returning to her bowl of food. “I couldn’t go back to the empress with this cloud of suspicion hanging over me. She has risked so much in putting me forward. What would people say if they found out she was harboring a suspected murderess?”
Lady Li nodded. She initially thought that Wangshu would be safer if she returned to the empress, but she made a good point. It could be dangerous for the empress’s reputation and standing if she took Wangshu in and then the rumors of her being a killer got out.
“Can I go to the theater and watch you perform again?” Second Daughter asked. Her chin was in her hands and she was staring dreamily at Wangshu.
First Daughter elbowed her sister in the side. “Don’t interrupt when the adults are speaking.”
“It’s quite all right,” Wangshu said. “But I don’t know if I can bring myself to go back there. There is supposed to be another performance in three days, but just the thought of going back there again…” She shuddered.
“Don’t worry about that right now,” Lady Li said. “Three days is a long time from now. Who knows. Inspector Gong might even—” She cut herself off, remembering that her daughters had no idea they had witnessed a murder. She wanted to keep them innocent for as long as possible, and even hearing about Wangshu being attacked was more than she wanted them to hear. “Just…never you mind,” she finally said. “Girls, go with nanny and get ready for bed. I’ll be there to kiss you shortly.”
“Yes, Mama,” they said in unison, but Second Daughter lingered, never taking her eyes off of Wangshu as she dragged her feet out the door.
“Your younger daughter has the spirit of a performer,” Wangshu said. “I can see it in her eyes.”
“She is the more outgoing of the two,” Lady Li said. “She is never afraid to speak loudly or be the center of attention.”
“If the empress has her way, your daughter could be a great actress when she is old enough,” Wangshu said.
Lady Li shook her head. “You know that is not in the sticks for women like us. I’ll have to start thinking about her marriage soon. Marriages for both of them, actually.” She sighed and picked at her rice, her appetite suddenly gone.
“The empress is changing not just opera, but the world,” Wangshu said. “Between the empress and the British queen, has there ever been a better time to be a woman?”
Lady Li scoffed. “You think just because women are sitting on thrones that life is any easier for us behind closed doors? That we have any opportunities outside of them?”
“You don’t answer to a man,” Wangshu said. “Why should your daughters? You have money. Status. Things could be different for them if you wanted it to be.”
Lady Li was shocked into silence. She hadn’t considered that there could be another path for her daughters in life. But what would that path even look like? She wouldn’t have any idea where to find it. If her daughters didn’t marry, what would they do? They couldn’t go to school. Couldn’t learn a trade or be apprentices. They would just stay home, embroidering and reading books. What kind of life was that?
She gave Wangshu a smile but did not engage in the discussion further. “I will go see if your room is ready,” she said.
“Thank you, again,” Wangshu said. “I did not return to the Forbidden City for fear of bringing dishonor upon the empress, but I may have brought it here instead.”
“Of course not,” Lady Li said. “I am happy to help you. And by helping you, I am helping the empress. Even if you don’t return to the palace, if you are arrested for the crime it would bring the empress great shame. I cannot allow that.”
“And you think you lack the ability to change your daughters’ fortunes?” Wangshu asked. “If you believed in yourself as much as you believed in me, I think you could move mountains.”
Lady Li felt her face go hot at the compliment. She rushed from the room before tears fell from her eyes.
14
The next morning, Inspector Gong woke up and slipped out as soon as he heard the servants shuffling about so he could avoid his family. He also thought he would have a long day ahead of searching for Wangshu.
He couldn’t simply ask Prince Kung if she had returned to the Forbidden City because then the prince would know he didn’t know where she was. Even though it had been the prince and Lady Li who didn’t let him arrest her in the first place. He should have at least locked her up somewhere, in an abandoned house or chicken coop or something. If he searched all day and still didn’t find her, he would have to tell the prince.
He had told his men, men who helped him search for things or people or assisted him when he needed some extra muscle, to keep an eye out for her. Surprisingly, one of the men had news for him.
“A girl carrying some large bags was seen asking where Lady Li lived,” the man told him.
He felt like a huge boulder had been lifted from his shoulders and he let out a loud exhale.
“Of course, she’d look for Lady Li,” he said to himself. It seemed so obvious now. Lady Li had defended her, kept her from being arrested, and the two somewhat knew each other from Lady Li’s years as a lady-in-waiting to the empress. He headed straight there.
A servant at Lady Li’s mansion admitted him without having to ask for permission from Eunuch Bai or Lady Li. He was becoming a well-known visitor.
“Gong Shuhu!” First Daughter and Second Daughter cried, running toward him as soon as he entered the courtyard.
He smiled and picked up the girls, one in each arm, and spun them around before gently placing them back on their feet. He kneeled down to their level to talk to them.
“And what have you naughty monkeys been up to?”
“I’m going to be a great opera singer!” Second Daughter belted out dramatically. First Daughter only rolled her eyes.
Inspector Gong laughed. “And what made you decide this?”
“Wangshu has been telling me all about her life as an opera singer at the empress’s court,” Second Daughter explained, looking back to the table where she had been sitting with Wangshu and her mother, both of whom were now standing anxiously.
Inspector Gong stood and walked over to the two women. “So, this is where you decided to hide out until all this is over? Must be a great deal more comfortable tha
n your little room at the theater.”
“And safer,” Lady Li added, her face expressionless and her hands folded in front of her.
“Oh?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I was attacked,” Wangshu said.
He nodded and stepped closer to them. “I think I need to hear more about this.”
“Girls,” Lady Li said, probably not wanting them to hear the troubling details. “It is time to visit with Popo.”
“Yes, Mama,” they said as they slinked away.
“Why don’t you have a seat, inspector,” Lady Li said.
He nodded, but before he could, Swan entered the courtyard.
“Oh!” she gasped, putting her hand to her mouth.
Inspector Gong stood and gave her a small bow, but then he locked eyes with her. She was…beautiful. More lovely than he had ever seen her before. Her face had color and her eyes appeared rested. She wore a simple gown and her hair was merely plaited down the back, but she seemed healthy. Youthful. Innocent.
“My Lady Swan,” he said. “I am glad to see you are looking well.”
She gave him a bow, as befitting a woman to her husband. “I am sorry to interrupt. I’ll take my leave.”
“No,” the inspector said abruptly, surprising even himself. “Stay, please. We were about to discuss Wangshu’s…unfortunate situation. You have helped me in the past. Perhaps you can offer some insight.”
Her eyes sparkled and she kept her sleeve to her mouth as she smiled. “Yes, I’d love to.”
He motioned for her to take a seat at the table, but as he did so, his eyes fell on Lady Li, and his own smile quavered. She was not looking at him, and she was neither smiling nor frowning. She wore only the impenetrable façade she had spent years practicing.
“Tea and cold dishes,” Lady Li told a nearby servant, who bobbed her head and disappeared.
Inspector Gong, Wangshu, Lady Li, and Swan sat on their knees around the low table, enjoying the comfortable breeze in the shade of Lady Li’s courtyard.
“I take it that Dr. Xue had been to see you, Lady Swan,” Inspector Gong said.
“Yes,” Swan said, keeping her eyes demurely downcast. “I can’t remember the last time my mind felt so clear. And my appetite has returned. Thank you.”
“I am glad to hear it,” he said with a smile, but making a point not to look in Lady Li’s direction. He was truly impressed with the progress Swan had made in such a short amount of time. Surely everyone was wrong about her not being a good choice as a wife. She only needed time to come out of the opium cloud. Of course, he would still prefer Lady Li, but Swan would be an acceptable alternative.
Two servants brought out a tray with a teapot, teacups, chopsticks, and several small plates of cold dishes such as pickled cucumbers in sauce, spicy lotus root, sautéed wood ear mushrooms, and almond cookies.
Inspector Gong used his chopsticks to grab a piece of cucumber while Swan, being the youngest person at the table, prepared the cups of tea.
“So, Wangshu, tell me about this attack in your dressing room,” he said.
“It was terrible,” she said, accepting a teacup from Swan. “He burst into the room, called me horrible names. He said I needed to be punished for daring to show myself publicly. I believe he was going to rape me.” She shuddered.
Inspector Gong nodded slowly as he listened. “Go on,” he said, and she did. The room did appear to be in disarray, but he couldn’t say that an assault as she described had happened there. In fact, she mentioned every askew piece of furniture in her retelling of the events, which was oddly specific. He didn’t want to voice his doubts, especially if she was telling the truth, but he had a feeling she wasn’t being completely honest about what happened in her room.
“Can I trust you to stay here?” the inspector asked when she finished her story. “I need to know where you are at all times. I can’t have you running away again.”
“Yes, I’ll stay here,” Wangshu said. “Lady Li has been the most gracious host. I could not repay her by fleeing into the night.”
“Of course, if someone would attack you in the theater, they could come for you here as well,” the inspector said, and Wangshu blanched.
“What do you mean?” Lady Li asked.
“Wangshu is a subject of scorn,” Inspector Gong asked. “Many people are not happy with her taking the place of a man, even if it is just on the stage. You know how people can work themselves up into a frenzy. What if they came here looking for her? I think I should station one of my men outside your gate at all times.”
“How…kind of you,” Wangshu said, but the inspector thought she meant anything but kind. Had she been planning on escaping again?
“Do you really think we could be in danger?” Swan asked.
“One can never be too careful,” he said.
“Forget about that,” Lady Li said, some irritation bubbling in her voice. “We need to find out who really killed Fanhua. Wangshu needs to get back to her life. There is supposed to be another opera performance in two days.”
“I doubt that will happen,” Inspector Gong said. “Changpu is furious that Wangshu left and took all the costumes with her.”
“Most of those were my costumes,” Wangshu said. “I brought them with me because the Dashu troupe was little more than a group of riverbed beggars.”
“Changpu said the troupe dated back over a hundred years,” the inspector said. “They performed for the Qianlong Emperor.”
“That didn’t keep his father or his grandfather from pilfering away their profits over the years,” Wangshu said. “They had their name only. If the empress hadn’t offered them such a substantial sum to take me on, they’d still be performing on the street.”
The inspector wasn’t sure what to make of this information just yet. Changpu had said he lived in a large house in an upscale district. He was hardly a riverbed beggar. Though he supposed it was possible Changpu had kept most of the money the troupe earned for himself while the other actors and theater employees starved. He had thought it was odd that so many people were living in the dressing rooms. Still, private squabbles between actors were not his concern. He only wondered if this had anything to do with Fanhua’s murder.
“Changpu will probably make you prove you didn’t steal them,” the inspector said.
“My family will vouch for me,” Wangshu said. “They never wanted me to do this. But…well, who can say no the empress?”
Everyone else nodded in commiseration. Even if they didn’t know the empress personally, everyone knew her reputation—and she was not a woman you could easily deny when she set her mind to something.
“And what about you?” Lady Li asked Wangshu. “Did you want this assignment? This responsibility of being the first woman to perform opera in public?”
“Well, surely, Lady Li, you know I’m not the first woman to perform opera on stage,” Wangshu said. “Only the first to do so with a woman’s name.”
“Wangshu?” the inspector asked. “That’s not a very feminine name, is it? Is it your real name?”
Wangshu chuckled from behind her closed lips. “You are astute, Inspector Gong. No, Wangshu is not a traditional name for a woman, but it just…fit. It is a name I chose when I started performing for the empress.”
“Wangshu is the god who drives the moon across the sky each night,” Swan said in her soft voice. Inspector Gong gave her an appreciative smile.
“Quite,” Wangshu said, nodding at Swan. “But in answer to your question, no, I didn’t really want the responsibility. Like the empress, I thought that women who were already involved in opera outside the palace would be happy to start performing in their own right, but no one was willing. Someone had to do it, but I didn’t want to leave my home, my family, all for what? Public scorn and humiliation?”
“For the future of opera,” Lady Li said. “Thanks to you, more women will be able to perform now. It will just take time.”
“Not if I lose my head over it!”
Wangshu said. “It will be another hundred years before a woman tries a public performance if I’m executed for killing Fanhua.”
“That won’t happen,” Inspector Gong said with more conviction than he possessed. “Just keep telling me what you know about Fanhua, Changpu, the theater, that night. Everything. I will find the person behind this.” Whether he would find the real killer before or after Wangshu was held responsible for Fanhua’s death was another matter.
“I’m doing my best, inspector,” Wangshu said.
Inspector Gong doubted that, but he pressed ahead anyway.
“Tell me about your relationship with Fanhua,” the inspector said as he sipped his tea, not taking his eyes off of Wangshu.
“I’m not sure what there is to tell,” she said looking pensively at her teacup. “We were…friendly, but he was greatly distraught over the loss of his role as the dan. But we were making the best of it.”
“In what way?” the inspector asked.
“We spent time together,” Wangshu said. “He showed me how he played the role of Xueyan and we worked together to help me improve on it. He supported me being on the stage, even if it meant he lost the role. It wasn’t as though he had to leave the theater. He was still able to play the wusheng. And if he really had his heart set on playing the dan, he could have gone to another troupe, or just started his own.”
“Would it be that easy?” Inspector Gong asked. “To just move to a new troupe?”
“Not always,” Wangshu said. “But for someone as talented and popular as Fanhua, other troupes would be climbing the gates to have him.”
There was something in her tone that he couldn’t quite identify. Something she was hinting at or leading him toward.
“Were you and Fanhua…” Swan started, but then hesitated. She looked to Inspector Gong, and he nodded, urging her on. She smiled and sat up a little straighter. “Were you having an affair?”
Wangshu’s smile quavered, just a bit, so slightly it was hardly noticeable. She looked down and her head swayed from side to side. She held her hand to her mouth and let out a giggle. Her movements were so practiced, so precise, it was as though she was performing an opera right in front of them, and Inspector Gong knew she was going to lie to them.
Murder at the Peking Opera Page 12