When Master Han returned to the county office, night had already fallen, but the lamps inside were still lit.
Seeing him come back, everyone hurried forward to meet him.
“My lord, was that young lady caught?” they asked.
Master Han’s expression showed a trace of embarrassment.
“She was found…” he said, quickly changing the subject by asking how things in the city were going.
“…All the monks have been arrested… only the local thugs who used to collude with Monk Ningde have taken the chance to stir up trouble…” the county deputy replied.
That was indeed a problem.
Master Han nodded.
“At the moment it’s still early, but if this drags on it might unsettle the people,” another clerk said.
“…Yes, and that young lady just walked away, leaving behind a mess that’s hard to clean up…”
“…Those people insist that Master Ningde once rendered great service, and that the credit was snatched away by this young lady…”
“…Today, some even secretly set up a ritual to worship Ningde. Luckily we arrived in time to disperse it…”
The government hall was abuzz with discussion.
Master Han couldn’t help but raise a hand to smooth his sleeve.
“You have all worked hard. It’s late today – go and rest first. We’ll discuss this again tomorrow,” he said.
Everyone nodded, packed up their things, and withdrew.
“My lord, was that lady actually brought back?” The county deputy, who was walking at the rear, waited until everyone else had left before asking.
Master Han sighed and shook his head.
“How could we entangle her in our affairs?” he said.
“But my lord, it was she who killed Ningde,” the deputy said, frowning. “Didn’t we agree to bring her back? After all, she took a life – going through the motions at least would not be too much.”
In truth, the quickest and most convenient way to settle this matter was to pin it on that young woman. The authorities would not need to step in directly, but could remain on the sidelines, using the opportunity to calm and guide the people – instead of confronting the unrest head-on.
Master Han shook his head again, fingers absently pinching the edge of his sleeve.
True, they had agreed to do it that way. But when he actually saw that young lady, he somehow felt it would not be right.
“Since we have already defined it as the calamity of a heretical monk, then that young lady’s killing is nothing more than rooting out evil – she should not be punished. I questioned her and had her sign and seal her statement, so from now on it has nothing to do with her,” Master Han said.
“My lord, but then it has everything to do with us!” the county deputy said anxiously.
“If it concerns us, so be it. It was my lax oversight of subordinates that brought about this disaster. If you say that young lady killed him, then the knife was placed in her hand by me,” Master Han said. “This matter should not drag anyone else in. I will shoulder it myself. At the very least, with that young lady having killed Ningde, the greatest problem has already been resolved.”
Master Han was admirable in many ways, but for a scholar he carried far too much of a warrior’s spirit.
The county deputy shook his head.
“Yes, my lord.” He bowed and withdrew.
As he stepped out the door, he suddenly paused, for indeed he saw Master Han once again reach out to pinch the edge of his sleeve.
How strange – what could he be hiding in there?
The deputy frowned and walked away.
Master Han had hardly slept the whole night. Just as dawn was about to break and he was about to lie down for a moment, word came from outside that someone from his household had arrived.
“I’ve heard about it – such a huge matter, even Su-zhou already knows,” Madam Han said as she entered, one hand pressed against her chest. “What on earth happened?”
“What are people saying?” Master Han did not answer, but asked instead.
“They’re saying all sorts of things. Some claim it was the government who did it, even saying it was done for profit,” Madam Han said.
“Utter nonsense,” Master Han said with a flick of his sleeve.
“Of course I know it’s nonsense. But, my lord,” Madam Han turned toward him anxiously, “a lie repeated often enough becomes truth.”
She then asked whether the killer had at least been caught.
Once again, Master Han pinched at his sleeve, unwilling to give an answer.
“Don’t worry, I have my own way of dealing with this,” he said.
“And how will you deal with it?” Madam Han pressed, still uneasy.
Master Han had no wish to answer, and instead changed the subject by asking after matters at home.
“Yuanchao went to his father-in-law’s place,” Madam Han said. “Next year he’ll be going to the capital again for the great examinations. Perhaps they’re reminding him – if they’re worried he might regret the engagement after passing, why not marry earlier instead of dragging it out?”
“He only wants the best for Yuanchao. Newly married, how could he study properly?” Master Han said. “This shows their trust in our Han family’s character. Even if he passes, they would not go back on the marriage.”
“Our son is indeed such a good boy,” Madam Han said. “The dividends from the capital for the half-year have also arrived, and they sent word that Ban Qin has already prepared a residence. Once Yuanchao goes up to the capital for the exams, he can move straight in…”
“Ban Qin!” Master Han suddenly shouted, cutting her off.
Madam Han was startled.
“So it was Ban Qin.” Master Han paced back and forth, visibly agitated, then suddenly stopped. “Could it be the same person? Yes, yes, it’s possible – they’re from the same place, and both went to the capital…”
Madam Han was completely baffled by his muttering. She quickly grabbed his sleeve and asked. After some hesitation, Lord Han recounted the matter, and Madam Han too was startled when she heard it.
“How could that be possible? My lord, it must only be a case of the same name,” she said.
“That’s possible too,” Master Han said. “But do you know what? When that young lady looked at me, the very first thing she asked was: ‘My lord, is your surname Han? Where are you from?’”
No one would ask such a question without reason – asking it must have been to confirm something.
Madam Han was left dumbstruck as well.
“And when I said Su-zhou, that girl called Ban Qin was so startled she lost her voice,” Master Han continued, glancing at his wife and nodding.
“That can’t be…” Madam Han didn’t know what else to say, only repeated herself.
The room fell silent for a moment.
“If that’s the case, then that young lady giving me this was not without reason. I must try it,” Master Han said, his hand pressing once more on his sleeve, as though he had come to some firm decision.
“Try what?” Madam Han asked.
Master Han did not answer. From his sleeve, he drew out a neatly folded sheet of paper.
“I know when the solar eclipse will come,” he said slowly.
“My lord! What are you saying?”
The officials and clerks seated in the hall all sat bolt upright in shock, staring at Master Han on the magistrate’s seat.
“That’s right – I said I know when there will be a solar eclipse,” Master Han said solemnly. “This is our chance. We can use it to win the people’s trust in the authorities and wipe out the hidden dangers left behind by the heretical monk.”
“My lord, do you know how to calculate the calendar?” the county deputy asked.
“I only know how to read the Wuyin Yuan calendar. As for actually calculating it, I don’t have that skill,” Master Han shook his head, pushing the sheet of paper in his hand forward. “Someone else told me.”
The matter was so sudden that everyone in the hall was struck dumb.
“My lord, was it that young lady?” the county deputy asked, his gaze unconsciously falling on Master Han’s sleeve.
So, what he had kept in his sleeve upon returning yesterday was this?
So the young lady had traded this in exchange for his not pursuing her?
Master Han nodded.
“Yes, she told me. She said she was giving us another chance.”
If it was true, then with proper handling it really would be a tremendous opportunity.
But wasn’t my lord a little too easy to fool…
Those present couldn’t help but whisper softly among themselves.
“And if it isn’t accurate?” the county deputy asked gravely.
Then it would become a huge joke – and very likely an opportunity for the remnants of Master Ningde to exploit.
The risk was far too great.
“My lord, did you come here only to offer thanks?”
“So you really are a Han.”
“In that case, I will grant you an opportunity.”
She wouldn’t harm him! She wouldn’t deceive him!
Master Han drew a deep breath and lifted his head.
“It will be accurate,” he said. “Announce it to the public – have the whole city prepare for the rescue rituals.”
Everyone in the hall turned to look at him, their expressions heavy and uncertain.
“My lord, please reconsider,” the county deputy said.
“Yes, my lord, even if we do nothing, it won’t matter much,” another official said after some hesitation.
In a few years he would leave office, and what would Panjiang County have to do with him then? But if he made this decision now, and the solar eclipse failed to appear, it would become a laughingstock – and his official career would be finished.
If Master Han had still harbored some hesitation before, that thought only made him laugh instead.
“For the sake of the state, how could I dare cling to my own life?” he said, shaking open the paper in his hand. “Enough, the matter is settled. In my name, issue the announcement: the entire city is to prepare for the rescue rituals. If anything goes wrong, I will take full responsibility.”
As the first light of dawn appeared, the gates of the Panjiang county office swung open. Several magistrate runners came out, carrying papers in their hands.
“You go that way, we’ll take this side,” their leader said, pointing with his hand.
The men answered in unison and went their separate ways.
“What are they posting this time?”
“More slander about Master Ningde?”
“Who knows what lies they’ve made up again!”
The surrounding townsfolk muttered among themselves as they followed along, watching the yamen runners paste notices on the streets. They all surged forward at once.
“Quick, read out what it says!”
Soon someone who could read was pushed to the front. Standing before the notice, he read it aloud word by word:
According to the Linde calendar’s calculation, on the first day of the seventh month, at one quarter past noon, there will be a solar eclipse. At that time, the entire city’s populace is to conduct rescue rites.
The moment the words were out, the crowd erupted.
“Another eclipse? But didn’t one already pass?”
“Could it be that Master Ningde’s prediction was wrong?”
“What on earth is the government doing? Who said this?”
“Can we trust what the authorities say or not?”
With the posting of the announcement, the clamor spread across the whole city.
“Han Wenzhong!”
In the county hall, the officials of Panjiang stood with hands folded, heads bowed. They didn’t need to look up to feel the fury radiating from the superior officer before them.
“So it seems I was unaware that you had already become a grand official of the Bureau of Astronomy’s Division! Truly discourteous of me,” the superior said, his face dark as iron, grinding his teeth – yet still folding his hands in mock salute.
Master Han quickly lowered his head and saluted.
“I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare,” he said repeatedly. “My lord jests.”
“Jests? Is it I who jest, or you who jest!” the superior roared, shaking the notice in his hand until it rustled violently. “A solar eclipse on the first day of the seventh month, one quarter past noon – did this come from me, or from you?”
“My lord, this is no jest. According to the calculations of the calendar, there truly will be an eclipse,” Master Han replied.
No sooner had he spoken than the official hurled the notice against his chest.
“And what if there isn’t?” the superior shouted. “Instead of hunting down the killer and calming the people, you concoct this charade as a substitute! Han Wenzhong, Master Ningde is dead – are you planning to make yourself the next ‘master’ to take his place?”
“My lord, I neither dare nor would ever confuse the people with superstitious talk,” Master Han said. “This is based on calendar calculations, not any divine prophecy. I strictly adhere to the teachings of the sages – never to speak of monsters, forces, spirits, or gods. It is precisely through this that I wish the people to understand, so they will no longer be deceived by that false monk.”
Solar eclipses and celestial changes had always been predicted by the calendar; it was nothing rare, and once one understood the principles, it was hardly mysterious.
But compared to the matter of calculations, the Grand Administrator was more concerned with the present.
“Then let me ask you this,” he demanded. “Master Ningde claimed there would be one, yet he was branded a heretical monk and executed before the eyes of all. Now you say there will be a solar eclipse – if in the end there is none, what do you intend to do? Will you too accept the charge of being a charlatan and die before the people to atone?”
All this time, Master Han had kept his head bowed as he was scolded. Now, at this moment, he raised his head.
“Very well,” he said.
The official blinked, momentarily stunned.
“Very well what?” he asked.
“If there is no solar eclipse, I will die on the spot to answer with my life,” Master Han said.
At these words, everyone in the hall was struck with astonishment.
“My lord, my lord, mind your words, mind your words…”
“My lord, what need is there for this… speak carefully…”
At once, voices of persuasion filled the hall. The superior’s face had already darkened to iron, and he nodded sharply.
“Fine, fine. Han Wenzhong, remember what you have said.” With that, he flung his sleeve and strode away.
“Master Han… why put yourself through this…”
The other officials in the hall all stamped their feet, grumbling in frustration yet helpless, before turning to hurry after the departing superior.
In the blink of an eye, only Han Wenzhong was left in the hall. Straightening his robes, he looked out toward the courtyard and stood tall.
Lately, Panjiang County had become quite famous. First, Master Ningde was beheaded in public on the day of the solar eclipse. Then, the county released the killer, while instead beginning to question whether Master Ningde had bewitched the people with false words. Before the common folk could even sort out the connection between these two events, the Panjiang authorities hurled out yet another shocking announcement.
The magistrate, Han Wenzhong, had calculated the timing of an eclipse – and had sworn that if his prediction proved false, he would die on the spot to atone.
When Han Wenzhong stepped into the inner residence, Madam Han rushed to meet him, weeping.
“My lord, why must you go so far! It was enough that the matter was carried out – after all, you were not the one who named the time. If there is some error, though your reputation may suffer, you would at least have grounds to excuse yourself. But now that you’ve thrown out such words – how will you ever take them back?” she cried.
“Father.”
From inside the room, a young gentleman spoke, his face showing some surprise.
“Since when have you gained any knowledge of the calendar?”
At his son’s look, Han Wenzhong smiled.
“It wasn’t my calculation. Someone else told me,” he said.
“Oh, that person – that person might be from Ban Qin’s family in the capital. That’s why your father places such trust in them,” Madam Han said through tears, quickly pulling her son close.
Ban Qin?
Han Yuanchao was taken aback.
Master Han then described to him the appearance of the young lady from that day.
“Father, I’ve never met anyone from Ban Qin’s family, so the person you mentioned I wouldn’t recognize,” Han Yuanchao said with a wry smile.
“Then what about this Ban Qin?” Madam Han quickly asked, urging Master Han to describe the girl again.
As Han Yuanchao listened, his expression grew somewhat complicated.
“Now that you mention it, there is indeed a resemblance, though I can hardly recall clearly,” he said. Then he smiled and nodded to his mother. “The age and even the accent are quite similar.”
Madam Han finally let out a sigh of relief, pressing her hands together in prayer. Master Han also nodded and exhaled.
“You must be tired as well. Go and rest. I’ll have a few words with Yuanchao,” he said.
Madam Han, worn out from days of fear and worry, allowed a maid to help her away.
The room was left with only father and son, the atmosphere a little heavy.
“Yuanchao, this Ban Qin is not the Ban Qin you know, is she?” Master Han spoke first.
Han Yuanchao lowered his head.
“Father, I simply don’t remember clearly. At the time, I hadn’t seen her more than a few times… so…” he said.
Master Han did not reply, only kept his gaze fixed on him.
After a moment of silence-
“Yes. From Father’s description, this Ban Qin is not the Ban Qin I knew in the capital,” Han Yuanchao said, lifting his head.
So, in other words, she was a stranger, not someone giving him special treatment because of prior acquaintance.
Then this prediction…
Master Han’s expression shifted slightly. So this time – it was truly a gamble…
“Father, do you regret it?” Han Yuanchao stepped forward to ask.
Master Han turned his head, looked at him, and smiled.
“Where duty calls, even if a thousand stand against me, I will go,” he said.
…
Whether there were those impatient enough to wish they could pull the moon and push the sun, shaking the clepsydra and urging on the drum, or others chanting prayers and begging the gods to halt the flow of time – June still ended, and July arrived at its own steady pace.
In front of Panjiang County’s gates, the crowds were packed so tightly there was no room to move.
This time, no one restricted passage through the gates – yet no one wished to leave.
From morning until noon, under the blazing July sun, the people stood waiting, each one drenched in sweat.
“Does the sky look like it’s going to have an eclipse?”
“In the end, whether it proves Master Ningde’s boundless virtue, or the government’s precise words, depends on today.”
“If there really is an eclipse, from now on whatever the government says, I’ll believe.”
“But if they’ve fooled us, then they’re the true murderers of Master Ningde!”
Such talk rustled through the crowd like wind sighing through a bamboo grove.
Han Wenzhong stood alone in the center beneath the city gate, his official robes immaculate, his bearing solemn. Perhaps because of the sweltering heat, the other officials and clerks all stood at some distance from him. From afar, he appeared solitary and conspicuous.
“…I fear, when the time comes, it will still trouble Your Excellency,” several officials beneath the awning atop the city wall said with ingratiating smiles to the seated superior, urging the maid at his side to fan him faster.
The seated official gave a cold laugh, his gaze falling on the man below the gate.
“The government’s credibility has already been squandered. I am merely doing my duty. As for the result – whether the people will be convinced – I cannot be certain,” he said coolly. “I can intercede with those above, but I cannot deceive the people’s hearts.”
“We are grateful for your hard work, my lord,” the officials replied obsequiously.
“Hard work or not, what choice do I have? Should I simply watch Panjiang’s magistrate go up in flames at the hands of the people, and think it would bring honor to me?” the Grand Administrator said testily.
The officials again echoed their “Yes, yes” in quick agreement.
“What’s he doing now?” the Grand Administrator suddenly exclaimed, leaning forward.
Everyone hurried to look, and saw Han Wenzhong directing two yamen runners to plant a bamboo pole into the ground. At once, it cast a shadow across the earth.
“Everyone may watch the time. At one quarter past noon – if it is not accurate, I will personally answer with my life,” Han Wenzhong declared loudly, pointing at the pole.
The crowd broke into another uproar, all eyes fixed on the shadow of the bamboo. Bit by bit it shifted, and in the blink of an eye, the moment of one quarter past noon seemed about to arrive.
“Th-this…” On the city wall, the Grand Administrator’s face flushed red with anger, his hand pointing furiously.
“My lord, calm yourself, please calm yourself,” those around him urged, fanning and soothing him.
But the Grand Administrator could not be pacified. He shoved them aside and strode quickly to the edge of the wall, pointing down below.
“Calm myself? Han Wenzhong – this man is bound to bring ruin upon himself sooner or later!” he bellowed.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a sudden fierce wind swept in, throwing the crowd into confusion. At once, the bright sky dimmed into shadow.
“The sun is darkening! The sun is darkening!”
From below the city gates came the roar of countless voices, thundering like a storm, drowning out whatever words the Grand Administrator had left to say.
And in truth, he could say nothing more.
He lifted his head to the sky, his face struck with terror. All his thoughts and doubts scattered as he watched the sun vanish piece by piece into darkness.
An eclipse! An eclipse! It truly was an eclipse!
“Quickly, quickly – begin the rites!”
He shouted at the top of his lungs, seizing the waist-sword from a nearby magistrate runner and striking it against the city wall.
Darkness fell across the sky, and the whole city erupted, drums and gongs resounding in unison.
In the courtyard, Madam Han, who had been kneeling all along, bent low and wept, knocking her head to the ground again and again.
“Thank you, Bodhisattva, for your blessing, thank you, Bodhisattva, for your blessing.”
Behind her, the household servants screamed and ran about, striking the drums and gongs that had long been prepared.
Amid the dim, shadowed vision and the cacophony of drums and shrieks, Han Yuanchao, pressed and jostled by the crowd, swaying this way and that, cast his gaze through the blur of human figures toward the front.
There he saw his father standing ever straighter, and he could not help but break into a grin.
At that moment in the capital, as the sun suddenly vanished from the sky, the whole city shook.
From the emperor in his palace down to the common folk in the streets, all were thrown into panic, running in confusion, shouts, the beating of drums, screams, and cries rising in a deafening roar.
On the second floor of Desheng Pavilion, Qin Shi’san-lang flung open the window with a loud bang.
Behind him, Chun Ling and the others, who were prostrate on the ground, screamed all the louder.
“I wonder if, after a quarter of an hour, the officials of the Bureau of Astronomy’s Division will tell the emperor this was the result of their prayers and sacrifices,” Qin Shi’san-lang said with a laugh.
Passing by, Lady Zhu also smiled. Lifting her head to the darkened sky, she said, “They’ll probably say that heavenly matters can never be fully measured by men. Any discrepancy is only natural. Then they’ll urge His Majesty to cultivate virtue and morality to appease Heaven’s punishment.”
Qin Shi’san-lang laughed heartily, but suddenly his laughter broke off. He leaned farther out the window.
“My heavens…” he murmured.
While everyone else looked up at the sky, he was looking down. Curious, Lady Zhu followed his gaze – and her expression froze as well.
On the chaotic street, four lanterns suddenly flared to life, flanking a carriage from front, back, left, and right as it moved slowly forward. The curtain was lifted, and by the lantern light one could see a young maiden seated within. Amidst the gloom, she alone shone like a star – so radiant one could hardly look straight at her.
Whose daughter was this?
“Out in broad daylight and still carrying lanterns – could it be they foresaw this?” Lady Zhu murmured.
No one answered her. At her side, Qin Shi’san-lang suddenly turned and strode swiftly away.
Startled, Lady Zhu glanced back and saw the man who was usually so unhurried and ethereal already breaking into a trot. He pulled open the door, his footsteps pounding down the corridor.
Drawing back her gaze, Lady Zhu looked once more to the street below, at that bright cluster cutting slowly through the chaos of fleeing, screaming people.
“So… is this the ‘her’ he spoke of?” she whispered to herself with a faint smile.
