Chapter 53

The imperial carriage returned, and the capital too stirred at the news.

In no time the storm of this autumn hunt drifted from house to house on the wind of talk, and with the emperor's lavish, fanfared rewards besides, Zhuo Siheng, just home, was startled by the chests piled all over his courtyard.

Each solid-wood chest, big enough to hold a live grown man, bore a Court of the Imperial Clan seal reading "Imperially bestowed from the privy treasury upon Hanlin Attendant Zhuo Siheng" — ten of them stacked in neat order.

His family had never been this rich.

Some chests and gifts had no seal; Huiheng was tallying them with Xiheng, and seeing Zhuo Siheng back, the two, glad and anxious, ran up to see whether he was all right.

"You've heard too?" Zhuo Siheng was amazed at how fast news spread.

"People have been sending gifts nonstop since yesterday." Xiheng was terse: "All saying Elder Brother has done a matchless great service, his future smooth and bright to come."

Zhuo Siheng shook his head helplessly, thinking: why are these people in such a hurry? They likely don't know he's about to be thrown out of the capital by the emperor, and the wealth they've sent won't be easy to take back — mind they don't die of regret.

Huiheng had kept asking how he was, whether he was hurt; now, seeing Zhuo Siheng's subtle expression, she hurried to say: "Elder Brother needn't fret; I kept only the gift-lists from those with an old friendship with our family, and returned all the rest, saying only that my brother hadn't yet returned and we, as siblings, dared not presume."

Zhuo Siheng broke into a smile: "When have I not trusted your handling of things? I couldn't do better myself."

"And there are the palace rewards." Xiheng looked into the courtyard, without the least joy on his face.

"Quite a lot..." Zhuo Siheng hadn't expected the emperor to be so generous — bad; likely he was to be sent off to some troubled, back-of-beyond place at the ends of the earth.

But then, on second thought, when he'd first heard of being posted out, his greatest worry had been that the family's livelihood in the capital wasn't secure enough; with these rewards, even if he died in the line of duty, the family would have about ten years' spending.

The emperor... was rather considerate.

"You haven't tallied them yet?" Having mocked himself, Zhuo Siheng saw the seals still intact, and turned to ask.

Huiheng's face fell, uncommonly less than composed for once: "This is Elder Brother's blood-and-life money; not having seen my brother safely home, I wouldn't open them."

Zhuo Siheng's heart warmed, but his mouth still gently cautioned: "Everyone who takes office is like this; don't think it so darkly — it does your own frame of mind no good either."

Huiheng nodded obediently; Xiheng, though, pondered a while at the side, then suddenly said: "Elder Brother, the people who came said you fell into danger to protect the crown prince; they didn't say it outright, but the sense of their words was that you're already a close minister of the crown prince's."

Zhuo Siheng cursed wildly within, thinking: where do these busybodies come from — don't they know every child of the Zhuo family carries a post-traumatic stress from the Eastern Palace that broke and scattered our house? Before he'd even gotten home these people came around dropping such keywords to scare his siblings — what were they after?

"When ill-intentioned people state a thing caught from mere wind and shadow as the more certain, it's either to attach themselves and set up a ladder for their own climb, or to raise a loud claim to test the truth, or to praise-to-kill by first exalting then crushing your momentum; so long as you can tell them apart, there's no need to trouble yourself needlessly." Zhuo Siheng felt this a fine teaching moment, and added: "The Tong household sent things too, no? How did their messenger put it, and what did they send?"

Huiheng had a photographic memory, and answered without consulting the ledger: "Brother Tong sent many costly medicines and warming, nourishing foods; Sister Lanxuan said to have Elder Brother recuperate well once home, and if the medicine ran out there was more at their house. The Earl of Yongxiang's house sent things too."

This Zhuo Siheng hadn't expected — likely Zhao Ting'an had sent word home.

Huiheng stepped aside and pointed out the Earl of Yongxiang's house's gift — an enormous wooden tub.

What for? To pickle cabbage? The season did seem just right.

"The Countess of Yongxiang said their menfolk have served in the army for generations; for a sprain or broken bone they soak in a medicinal bath in a Scots-pine tub — it strengthens the body and speeds recovery wonderfully. They specially had their own cooper rush one to make and send, and brought a bath-recipe and a few packets of ready-mixed medicine, and said you must try it." This gift seemed to have reached right into Huiheng's heart too; her voice softened a good deal introducing it.

Zhao Ting'an looked rough and unbridled but was rather thoughtful; he really ought to keep him company over that drink.

Having gathered enough points for his argument, Zhuo Siheng nodded gladly: "So — what those who truly befriend you care about isn't the meteoric rise they might ride along with you, but you yourself and the friendship of years. That's the biggest difference from those others just now."

Huiheng and Xiheng, as if suddenly enlightened, felt their hearts much opened, and together with Zhuo Siheng opened the ten imperially-bestowed chests — within, gold, silver and brocade dazzled the eye, and there were even some jade vessels.

Done for, Zhuo Siheng thought in despair, just looking at these hundred taels of gold — he was surely destined to be sent to the ends of the earth, likely off to keep the loosely-reined frontier prefectures and native chieftaincies company.

At such enviable rewards, Huiheng and Xiheng showed no joy either; exchanging a glance, both were full of doubt and unease, but seeing Zhuo Siheng too wore a brooding look, in the end the two asked nothing.

Never mind, Zhuo Siheng thought, taking it in stride: count it as the settling-allowance for going off to cut people down for the emperor; take the money, do the job.

After this came recuperating by imperial order; visitors came in an unbroken stream, and Huiheng turned them all away cleanly: an imperial order is upon him, my brother is gravely hurt and unfit to see guests.

After all, the physician had come twice, saying the outer wound at his waist was rather bad, and he should stand little and lie down much.

Ciheng, home from outside, only then learned of her brother's injury, and cursed all hundred thousand Palace Guards for useless — rice-buckets and good-for-nothings, one and all — that of all things a civil official had to protect a crown prince; had they eaten the imperial family's food into a dog's belly? She cursed with relish, not noticing her elder sister had heard the whole thing behind her, and for the string of foul words was set to copy Cautions on Speech ten times. But this speech seemed rather to Huiheng's liking; Ciheng copied it only once, and Huiheng, turning a blind eye, let her slack off in broad daylight, and even cooked in person a good many of her sister's favorite dishes to encourage her.

As if to say: nicely cursed.

How could Zhuo Siheng not know his own siblings' hearts? They cared nothing for rewards or vanity, only wanting Zhuo Siheng safe and sound — which was of course Zhuo Siheng's own wish too; however the emperor arranged things, he'd strive with all his might to keep his family in peace.

So long as the family was of one heart, things needn't be so bad.

The day he was summoned by decree into the palace, Zhuo Siheng steadied himself and readied the resolve of a brave man going to his death, to face the throne.

The emperor was ever so kindly and easy; on meeting he asked how his recovery went, whether he was better, whether he liked the things bestowed.

Zhuo Siheng answered each in turn; in truth, setting aside his insight into the emperor's nature, purely in terms of perks this emperor was fairly generous — only the present perks somewhat had the air of overdrawing his future fate.

The boss's caring-time ended quickly, and getting to the point needed no roundabout way: the Tianzhang Hall today had hung a map two men tall, magnificent as it slowly unrolled, north to south, drawing out all under Heaven that is the king's land. Facing the map, the emperor looked up northward, and asked, kindly as an elder inquiring: "Yunshan grew up in the north from childhood; have you been to other prefectures?"

The emperor's form of address for Zhuo Siheng had been upgraded after he saved the crown prince.

This Complete Map of the Realm's Splendors had a larger version that could only fully unroll spread on the floor of the Chongzheng Hall, rarely shown; usually the emperor looked at this reduced one, which was enough. Following the emperor's gaze, Zhuo Siheng knew his destination was about to be revealed, and looked especially content with his lot, answering easily: "On the way from Shuozhou to the capital for the exams I passed many prefectures along the canal, but stayed in none, and never took in the grandeur of our dynasty's rivers and mountains, the vastness of its territory — a lasting regret of mine."

The emperor nodded: "From north to south along the canal is mostly towns, ample in bustle but wanting in nature; it's rather from Jiangnan Prefecture on southward that the mountains and peaks are steep and many and lovely, the waterways thick and dense with wonders of their own..."

Zhuo Siheng thought: Your Majesty, you've never been that far either — you talk as if you'd climbed those mountains and boated those waters yourself. But the sense of the emperor's words seemed to mean he favored sending him to Lingnan, so the geographic span of his life would be quite large after all...

In fact Zhuo Siheng had readied himself for the remotest region, so when the emperor spoke his intent he was neither panicked nor surprised, and said with an easy face: "Your servant has never seen it; I'd wish to behold it in my lifetime."

The emperor lowered his head and smiled, turned to look at him, and said in a seemingly consoling tone: "Lingnan is a far road, beautiful and perilous; if you went, Yunshan, wouldn't your siblings at home fret day and night?"

Your Majesty, do you think you're very funny?

Zhuo Siheng grumbled within, but showed himself most sincere, his acting at consummate pitch, not a shred of impatience leaking, only standing calmly in place awaiting the emperor's specific command.

But the emperor said nothing more, only handed Zhuo a small, yellow-clay sand-colored coarse-porcelain dish.

This dish was palm-sized, usable for wetting a brush and grinding ink or for holding food, only of most ordinary make — that being the polite way to put it. It rather resembled the earthenware jars fired in the country kilns of Shuozhou, sturdy and durable, but far from pleasing in appearance.

"This is old porcelain from the kilns of Anhua Commandery, Jinzhou; a few days ago the retiring vice-prefect of Anhua Commandery, Du Han, brought me several on returning to court. I found them coarse and not much to my taste, and just left one on my desk and forgot it; but who'd have known — the day a clumsy eunuch dropped it on the floor, it didn't break: a fine thing after all." The emperor gave Zhuo Siheng a meaningful look and smiled: "I bestow one on you to try out too."

Zhuo Siheng understood the emperor's meaning, and a stone in his heart finally settled; respectfully he gave thanks and received the order.

The emperor seemed to have something to say, when a eunuch came in to announce that the empress's palace had sent pear-broth sweet-dew to soothe the autumn dryness; the emperor took it and tasted a mouthful, seemed to like it, drank a little more and set it on the desk, and bade the eunuch have the empress bring the crown prince and princess to this evening's supper — after eating he'd ask the two about their lessons; the eunuch hastily assented and withdrew.

The information in this passage astonished Zhuo Siheng.

The emperor and empress seemed to have thawed somewhat, even dining together, and it seemed to have been so several days running; today he specially bade the two children join, the whole family eating together, and the emperor, like an ordinary family's father, would after the meal ask after the children's studies and care for their growth.

Zhuo Siheng didn't dare say the empress and crown prince had come through bitterness into sweetness, but at least for now they needn't live trembling in fear.

His own fate too had come to its settled dust.

Anhua Commandery, Jinzhou — likely still filling that retired vice-prefect's place; a vice-prefect is a sixth-rank office — a promotion, yet also an enormous bending arc across the map...

Walking out of the Tianzhang Hall it was just dusk, the evening breeze first cool with the setting sun spilling over Zhuo Siheng; he lowered his head to look at the porcelain dish in his hand, then looked at the twilight sky, comparing the two different golden hues, and felt within a few parts more of easeful release.

The feeling of a destination settled was, after all, a solid one.

Then he saw, far off, the empress, the crown prince, and Princess Qingshan.

The Tianzhang Hall, for the emperor's convenience in governing, sat just at the border of inner and outer court, with a stretch of the Taiye Pool dividing them; when the clear rippling light sent a breeze, the whole lake-surface seemed crumpled silk. Crossing the pool was a covered gallery-bridge, and over it lay the inner court, so both ends of the bridge had Palace Guards patrolling with their backs to it.

The empress, the crown prince at one hand and the princess at the other, stood on the water-reflecting viewing platform along the gallery-bridge, the three of them, mother and children, looking his way.

Zhuo Siheng saw the empress, far off, gravely gather her sleeves and incline her head to him in courtesy.

The crown prince and princess, together, followed their mother in lowering their dear little heads, proper and earnest.

An inclined head is no great rite, but given these three's station, Zhuo Siheng dared not receive it. Palace folk were all about, and so slight a gesture, at such a distance, might not be noticed; but if Zhuo Siheng returned the courtesy here, the empress's act would be hard to explain away.

He understood in his heart: this was the empress thanking him for saving her children.

Zhuo Siheng could not return the courtesy, nor explain that that day he'd have acted for any other children too; he could only watch from afar a moment, openly accept this honor, linger briefly, then leave.

This was the best choice for everyone.

He truly wished the crown prince and princess — and all the dear children in this world — might grow up happy and safe.

"Attendant Zhuo is a man of true honor, after all."

Far off, the empress murmured to herself, and, calming her heart a little, drew her gaze back to the lake, as if she'd been all along boating and sightseeing with her children.

Seeing the unbearable pity in her son's eyes, she sighed: "My child, you asked your imperial father at the field-camp to make Attendant Zhuo your teacher; that was well done — only so would your suspicious father send him away from the capital and the center. Staying here, he'd be taken, for saving you, as our faction; at court he'd be beset front and back, and over time, however your father might love talent, doubt would grow in his heart... It was you who saved him from a strait for a while; that you now have such breadth of mind and calculation sets your mother's heart at ease..."

The crown prince Liu Xu too had drawn back his lingering gaze, and looked up at his mother: "Mother, will Attendant Zhuo be sent somewhere very remote and wild?" He feared he'd overdone it.

The empress pondered a moment, pity on her face, yet a thread of steady resolve in her eyes: "He must leave; the farther from us three, the safer he is."

Princess Liu Wan's eyes were still red, seeming to have wept before coming; now she clutched her mother's fingers tight and asked, voice trembling: "Why, when he saved us, can we not repay him well — even a thank-you must be from afar and in secret? This isn't at all the courtesy to the worthy that Scribe Luo taught us!"

In the empress's sorrowful, tender tone there was an unquestionable composure: "All we can do is this. He knows his own situation and the hard place we three are in, and will surely understand. The farther from him the better — that, just now, is the best repayment we three can make for Attendant Zhuo's great kindness."

The two children, uneasy at heart, bowed their heads and assented to their mother's words; the empress slowly closed her eyes, gathered the children into her arms, and in a voice very, very low — as if only she herself could hear — said: "Good children... remember what you promised your mother before we came; this is the last time... from now on, never see your saviors again... this kindness cannot be repaid — until the day you can shelter him from wind and rain in the open, add not one more cloud to his sky..."