MIST HUNG LOW over the water and the drumming of rain filled the air.
As Shen Zechuan bent to enter the spring, Xiao Chiye had a clear view of the contours of his waist and buttocks from behind, the curves of which became more conspicuous with every move he made. Muscular, but not obviously so. He didn't look trained in martial arts; to Xiao Chiye's eye, he didn't appear threatening.
Shen Zechuan submerged himself. His feet, frozen from the rain, gradually warmed. Xiao Chiye slid into the water and leaned against the side, as far from him as the pool allowed.
"Why are you all the way over there?" Shen Zechuan asked incredulously.
"I want to be." Xiao Chiye roughly folded a wet handkerchief and covered his eyes, then draped his arms along the spring's edge, blocking Shen Zechuan from sight. But after a moment, he thought better of it and pulled off the handkerchief to stare fixedly at Shen Zechuan. It seemed to Shen Zechuan that, just now, Xiao Er was very much like his gyrfalcon—one little jab and the talons would come out.
"What do you want to see?" Shen Zechuan's expression was as mild as a spring breeze. In the tone of one cajoling a child eating candied hawthorns on the street, he said, "Tell me, and I'll show it to you."
Xiao Chiye curled a leg and surreptitiously tugged at the only remaining cover at his waist. "I've felt it all already."
Shen Zechuan sank deeper into the water, leaving only his eyes above the surface, watching him.
The scrutiny made Xiao Chiye even more irritable. "What?!"
Lifting his chin above the surface, Shen Zechuan said, "You were in a pretty good mood earlier. Why the sudden change?"
"I'm still in a pretty good mood. You can shut up in the bath; there's no need for chat." A moment later, he said, "Can you stop looking up at me like that?"
Shen Zechuan slowly stood. Droplets traced the contours of his chest, and his hair scattered like ink in the water, as if he were a pale magnolia emerging from this heavy mist.
Xiao Chiye couldn't stand it anymore. Why had he thought of a flower? He watched, wide-eyed, as Shen Zechuan drew closer. When he sat beside him, Xiao Chiye caught his scent.
Mild—not fragrant. He wanted to smell it again.
Xiao Chiye reached an arm back to pull a garment from the clothing rack, then shoved it into the water to cover his lap. He looked calmly at Shen Zechuan. "What? Surprised? I was afraid you'd get funny ideas at the sensual sight of Er-gongzi, so I covered up for you."
Shen Zechuan scowled. "Thanks a lot…"
Xiao Chiye looked down and realized that, in his distraction, he had grabbed Shen Zechuan's robe.
"…For washing my clothes," Shen Zechuan finished. "I suppose I'll have to soak in here until tomorrow." Awkward silence filled the air as the two men looked at each other. Outside, the wind sighed through the dismal autumn rain.
After a long interval, Xiao Chiye finally said, "It was already wet anyway. Meng can go summon Chen Yang." He raised his head and whistled. There was a moment's stillness in the hot spring. Neither Snowcrest nor Meng appeared. Xiao Chiye whistled again.
Outside, Meng buried his head deeper under his wing and ignored the call. He had absolutely no wish to fly out in such a downpour.
The silence stretched.
"I'll wring it dry," Shen Zechuan said eventually, reaching for the garment.
Xiao Chiye pressed the robe down more firmly and gnashed his teeth. "Hold on!"
In the end, they were stranded in the hot spring all night. By the time their clothes had dried, it was nearly dawn. Shen Zechuan finally shrugged back into his robes. He could sense, as he fastened the belt around his waist, the ravenous gaze of a tiger eyeing its prey. He feigned ignorance and said nothing.
Xiao Chiye lifted the hanging curtain. It was still dark, and the air was thick with mist and the smell of petrichor. A thin film of ice covered the stone stairs; it was not an ideal time to head down the mountain.
They walked in single file, one behind the other.
"The drill grounds occupy the land to the southwest of Mount Feng." Shen Zechuan peered down the mountain. "It's close to Qudu, but completely obstructed by the mountain. The Eight Great Battalions won't patrol this far. You chose an excellent location."
"I wouldn't have chosen it if not for Mount Feng." Xiao Chiye pushed aside the maple branches and gestured for Shen Zechuan to pass under his arm.
Shen Zechuan ducked through; the view before him suddenly opened up as the trees and mist fell away. He could see the Imperial Army's drill grounds clearly. At this early hour, there were already squads training below.
He studied them for a moment. "The Imperial Army didn't turn out in full force during the Autumn Hunt, but I can see they're well-equipped. Hua Siqian is dead. The instant they finish seizing his assets, the Chief Surveillance Bureau will come for you."
Xiao Chiye obviously couldn't afford to keep twenty thousand Imperial Army soldiers fed and equipped on his own salary, nor could he appropriate military provisions meant for the Libei Armored Cavalry. Even a cursory glance at the annual budget allocated to him by the Ministry of Revenue before the Autumn Hunt would reveal that the Imperial Army hadn't the money to establish themselves on such a scale. Xi Gu'an had died because of his failure to account for his funds, and now the accountants would be coming for Xiao Chiye.
"Let them come," Xiao Chiye said. He did not offer more, and Shen Zechuan did not inquire.
After a pause, Xiao Chiye seemed to relent. "The Ministry of Works relegated many tasks requiring manual labor to the Imperial Army. For the last five years, every sum paid to the Imperial Army for these assignments was marked down in black and white in the account books. Even if the Chief Surveillance Bureau investigates, they won't find anything to complain about."
So this was why Xiao Chiye had become the infamous debt collector of the Ministry of Revenue. Everyone thought he spent the money on wine and women; in truth, he had been living frugally and saving year over year. His only extravagant expenditure was wine. Li Jianheng might be without good sense, but he was generous with his friends. Whenever he'd invited Xiao Chiye to Donglong Street, he paid for the girls and the feasts for his whole disreputable circle.
In those days, Li Jianheng had lived off the imperial coffers, and with no wife keeping him in line, he'd asked the palace for money whenever he wanted. The late emperor had never been stingy with his brother's spending; he'd always indulged Li Jianheng even if he had to take funds from his personal coffers. Thus Li Jianheng had never lacked for money.
Xiao Chiye hadn't gotten to return to Libei, but he never resented Li Jianheng for it. He knew better than anyone that Li Jianheng truly regarded these layabouts as bosom friends.
"The empress dowager saved your life, so of course she planned to use you," Xiao Chiye said. "If all was well, you might have enjoyed a steady rise to the top in the Embroidered Uniform Guard. But the late emperor began to resist her control. The empress dowager—she reached out to you, didn't she?"
Shen Zechuan met Xiao Chiye's eyes.
He couldn't evade that gaze, not even for a moment. Xiao Chiye had a keen nose; he had only to reveal the barest trace of guilt for Xiao Chiye to sniff it out.
"No." Shen Zechuan's voice was firm with certainty.
The chill wind brushed past them and tugged at the hems of their robes. Xiao Chiye slowly exhaled a cloud of white and smiled. "Then you must be lucky."
It was already daybreak by the time they reached Qudu.
"I have to rush over for morning court," Xiao Chiye said as they rode through the city streets. "You can head back."
Shen Zechuan nodded and watched Xiao Chiye gallop off. When he returned to the courtyard of the Imperial Army office, Chen Yang was gone; he must have left to wait for Xiao Chiye at the palace gate.
Removing the eastern pearl from his sleeve, Shen Zechuan held it between his fingertips and scrutinized it in the dim light. But before he could unwrap the strip of cloth around it, he paused.
When he undressed, he had placed the eastern pearl into the right sleeve pocket of his robe. But just now, he had found it in the left.
Shen Zechuan clicked his tongue and frowned.
When Xiao Chiye arrived at the gates of the palace, he dismounted and made his way to his family's carriage, where he quickly changed into court attire. Chen Yang had also prepared breakfast, and the porridge was still hot.
Chen Yang knelt beside the curtain and whispered, "I went to look for you at the drill grounds last night, but you weren't there. Qudu isn't safe these days. Someone ought to accompany you when you're out."
Xiao Chiye set the bowl aside. "Get someone to keep a close watch on Shen Lanzhou at all times."
Chen Yang nodded his acknowledgment. "Our men are stationed all around the outside of the office. If he leaves, it won't escape our eyes. But Your Excellency, the Hua Clan has fallen; what need is there to keep such close watch on him now?"
Xiao Chiye didn't answer. His face clouded, and he lowered his lashes in thought for a long time. It was not until Chen Yang reminded him of the morning court that he wiped his hands with a clean handkerchief and answered, "I find that man unpredictable. If you look at him, can you tell he's trained in martial arts at all?"
"He looks even frailer now than when he joined the Embroidered Uniform Guard," Chen Yang replied. "If Your Excellency hadn't mentioned his assistance during the Autumn Hunt, I would've never suspected. But get Zhao Hui to take a look; he might catch something."
"Zhao Hui met him face-to-face the last time he was in the capital, but he didn't notice anything out of the ordinary," Xiao Chiye said. "That physique of his—" He stopped abruptly. "Send a letter to Libei at once and request my shifu's presence here."
Stunned, Chen Yang said, "You want to ask…"
"No matter what method he used to cover it up, it will not escape Shifu's eyes," Xiao Chiye said coldly, spinning his ring around his thumb. "Besides, there's…something else I need to speak with Shifu about."
Li Jianheng had shelved the morning court session in favor of a warm bed. He had yet to sleep his fill when Shuanglu reported that Hai Liangyi was kneeling outside. Li Jianheng was instantly wide awake, but Mu Ru still slumbered in his arms. Unable to free himself, he craned his neck and commanded Shuanglu in an urgent whisper, "Go! Send him away."
Shuanglu was only gone a moment before he returned to kneel once again. "The secretariat elder says he must see Your Majesty. This lowly one informed him that Your Majesty still sleeps, so the secretariat elder said he will kneel and wait."
Li Jianheng panicked. Mu Ru blinked open sleepy eyes in his embrace, and he hurriedly coaxed her, "Dearest, get dressed quickly and go out the back to Chenming Palace for your meal! We have to receive the secretariat elder!"
Mu Ru was a dainty woman with a delicate disposition and hair like a dark waterfall. She did not pester him or raise a fuss, but simply dressed herself as instructed. When she had finished, she rose and glanced coyly at Li Jianheng with eyes full of adoration, as if overwhelmed by his favor.
Li Jianheng loved this look of hers to bits. He tugged at her hand, reluctant to part, wanting desperately to cradle her on his lap while holding court.
"Next time." Li Jianheng rained kisses on her upturned face. "Next time, we won't ask you to retreat like this." He took her into his arms and spoke a while longer, until Shuanglu again entered to hurry him. Finally, Li Jianheng reluctantly released Mu Ru.
Minutes later, Hai Liangyi entered with a solemn expression and kowtowed.
Seated on his dragon throne, Li Jianheng said, "Please rise, Secretariat Elder."
Hai Liangyi remained in place and kowtowed again.
Looking to the left and right, Li Jianheng felt his face burn. He coughed. "We've recently caught a cold, so we wanted to sleep in a little longer in the morning…"
"This aged subject heard Your Majesty has been working diligently every night," Hai Liangyi said. "But there have been no responses to all the memorials submitted. After giving the matter careful thought, this aged subject has come to advise Your Majesty in person. Your Majesty is now in the prime of life. If Your Majesty exercises diligence in governing the state and does away with prior slothful habits, then I foresee a bright, thriving future for our empire."
Li Jianheng managed a few awkward chuckles. "Right…"
"However—Your Majesty resides deep in the inner palace served by castrated dogs. If impulses are indulged without restraint, over time, Your Majesty will become deaf to advice and distant from the concerns of the court," Hai Liangyi said resolutely. "This subject has heard that Shuanglu, the eunuch personally serving Your Majesty, has been bribed into filling Your Majesty's chambers with lowly and unscrupulous individuals. According to the rules, anyone so audacious as to bring outsiders into the palace without imperial orders shall be flogged to death!"
Shuanglu dropped to his knees with a thud and looked to Li Jianheng in horror. "Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"
"Mingli Hall is a sacred place. How can we tolerate eunuchs making a racket here?" Hai Liangyi looked at Li Jianheng. "Your Majesty!"
Li Jianheng's heart was pounding. He looked at the stern Hai Liangyi and recalled the unfathomable terror he had felt that night at the hunting grounds. His palms were clammy with sweat, which he meekly wiped on his dragon robe. He didn't dare say a word in reply.
The guards outside had already entered to take Shuanglu away. Shuanglu cried out as he was dragged across the floor, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"
"His crime," Li Jianheng began uncertainly, looking at Shuanglu. "His crime is not deserving of death…"
"Your Majesty," Hai Liangyi said firmly, "Pan Rugui formed a clique of eunuchs and colluded with Hua Siqian to wreak havoc within and without Qudu. Now is the time to nip such behavior in the bud as a warning to others! Not only that—promiscuous members of the imperial harem who seduce and bewitch the sovereign in an attempt to sway him should also be flogged to death!"
"We wouldn't dare, we wouldn't dare!" Li Jianheng said, heart hammering with alarm. "With such a virtuous subject as the secretariat elder to supervise and guide us every day, how would we dare fool around? Secretariat Elder, you mustn't be taken in by these baseless rumors."
But Hai Liangyi replied mercilessly, "There's no smoke without fire. Beautiful women are the source of all trouble; Your Majesty must not allow any such temptresses to remain!"
Li Jianheng was terrified now. How could he bear to let Mu Ru die? He rose to his feet in a panic, cutting a sorry figure as he said, "Secretariat Elder, we've realized our mistakes. Shuanglu has served me for many years, and now he—well, never mind that; we will surely pay diligent attention to affairs of state in the future!"
Hai Liangyi kowtowed but said no more, leaving him with some semblance of dignity.
Gripping the table, Li Jianheng listened to the sound of flogging outside. Blow after blow, one after another; it was as if the strikes were landing on his own body. He looked at Hai Liangyi with a mixture of feelings—aggrievement as well as fear.
Xiao Chiye came just in time to see servants mopping the courtyard. There were bloodstains under his feet, the red chilling and vivid. All the eunuchs in Mingli Hall were quietly kneeling outside, not one of them daring to raise his head.
Xiao Chiye stepped inside and saw Li Jianheng sitting frozen on the dragon throne. He stared blankly at Xiao Chiye for a time, then burst into sobs. He stood and began to smash anything in reach as he cried and shouted, "What good is an emperor? To be confronted and humiliated like this! What land under the heavens is not the emperor's land?!24 What's so wrong with doting on a woman? Where's the wrong in that?!"