Late at night, the alley was dark and deserted. A thin young servant knocked on a wooden door deep within the lane.
Once inside, the figure removed the headscarf and wiped away the dust and grime on the face, revealing the delicate features of a young girl. It was none other than Taoling, the palace maid who had escaped from the Nanjing imperial palace hidden inside a water wagon.
From behind a beaded curtain came a man in his fifties, dressed in a brocade robe, with three strands of beard beneath his chin. His brows were kind, his face ruddy and full, giving the appearance of a well-fed, benevolent gentleman. He sat down in the grand armchair at the head of the room.
Taoling stepped forward and bowed, her voice crisp and clear: “Foster Father.”
The wealthy-looking man showed no expression as he lifted his teacup and said, “The matter failed.”
Taoling hesitated slightly before replying softly, “This failure was not my fault.”
On the eve of the tomb-sacrifice ceremony, she had mixed datura powder into the incense, causing the Crown Prince to fall into a half-dreaming, half-waking daze. While he lingered between sleep and consciousness, she kept whispering by his ear: “In the mountains there dwells a divine beast, a white deer with golden antlers.” She repeated the words until they sank deep into his mind, becoming part of his dream.
That was why the prince had woken with a dry throat and aching chest, the aftereffects of the drugged incense. To leave no trace, she buried the remaining incense deep in the ground and thoroughly washed the censer the moment she left the hall.
Not long after the ceremony ended, word came from the Divine Palace Directorate: the crown prince, indeed disguised, had gone to the northern peak in search of the deer, and their people had successfully volunteered to act as guides.
Up to that point, her mission was complete. The next steps were the responsibility of those eunuchs from the Directorate. Whether they succeeded or failed had nothing to do with her.
“You’re right,” the man nodded. “They did ignite the gunpowder as planned and blasted open the northern stream basin, but the floodwater didn’t reach the mausoleum. I hear the crown prince and his guards cut down trees to block the channel, diverting the flow. One can only say, man proposes, Heaven disposes.”
Taoling asked, “What should we do next?”
The man stroked his beard. “You needn’t concern yourself with what follows. My daughter, stay here quietly for now. Don’t show your face in public lest someone notice you. If you’re needed, you’ll be summoned again.”
Taoling nodded obediently, bowed, and said, “Father, rest well,” before slipping silently out of the room.
The man set down his cup and began twirling the three long strands of beard between his fingers, as if he cherished them greatly, occasionally touching the roots where hair met skin.
After a brief silence, he sighed regretfully. “The best plan failed, then we move to the second.”
***
The next morning, Lu Shangshu came as arranged to request an audience. The Crown Prince spoke vaguely about what had happened, glossing over the details, and sent him away to draft a memorial to submit to the court.
As soon as Lu Shangshu left, the crown prince and Su Yan departed the palace with a dozen guards. To avoid attention, they disguised themselves as garrison soldiers sent to clear fallen trees on the northern peak.
They skirted around the southern slope where the Xiaoling Mausoleum lay and arrived at the eastern foot of Mount Zhong.
There stood a temple called Linggu Temple. To make herb gathering easier, the monks had opened several mountain paths, mostly compacted dirt trails, some with steep stretches reinforced with stone steps and railings.
Zhu Helin and Su Yan climbed the northern peak along one such “monk’s path,” compass in hand, retracing where the deer hunt and trap setting had taken place.
After nearly two hours of searching, they finally reached a landslide site hidden within a dense forest. The rock layers had been blown apart, leaving a vast crater. Soil and stones lay scattered everywhere, obliterating any sign of the original terrain.
“Judging from the sound and distance of the explosion, this should be the site of the first blast,” reported one of the scouting guards. “Not far ahead, I found that big oak tree still standing. The iron chain used to tether the deer is still fastened to its trunk.”
Zhu Helin nodded. “Take this crater as the center. Spread out and search in all directions. See if you can find any clues.”
The guards began a careful search.
Zhu Helin pulled Su Yan to sit on a rock nearby to rest and drink water.
As Su Yan drank, his gaze drifted off, lost deep in thought, so much so that when water spilled down his collar, he didn’t even notice.
Zhu Helin used his sleeve to wipe the moisture from Su Yan’s chin. “What are you thinking about?”
“…Tell me,” Su Yan asked, “why would monks go to the trouble of building these mountain roads?”
Zhu Helin blinked. “To gather herbs?”
“Herb gathering needs roads this wide?” Su Yan gestured with both hands. “Eight feet across, wide enough for a cart to pass.”
Zhu Helin frowned, realizing the oddity. Herbalists usually carried baskets on their backs. Even if they cultivated herb fields, there was no need for such broad roads, unless they were harvesting by the ton.
Su Yan packed up his water pouch and began climbing the steep rock face. Zhu Helin, startled, grabbed his robe. “What are you doing?!”
“Going up to take a look.”
“No! If there’s anything to see, I’ll go. You’re a…”
“Stop right there!” Su Yan cut him off. “If I hear the words ‘weak bookish scholar’ out of your mouth again, I’ll splash water all over your face!”
Zhu Helin swallowed back the words “bookish scholar” and instead said, “What do you mean ‘you people’? Other than me, who dares belittle you? I’ll slap him for you!”
“Oh, so only you get to bully me, no one else can, is that it?” Su Yan rolled his eyes.
“I don’t bully you,” Zhu Helin muttered, with a perfectly self-righteous expression.
He pressed a hand to the rock, vaulted lightly to the top, then reached down to pull Su Yan up, holding him firmly by the waist. “Go on, look all you want, but be careful.”
Su Yan scanned the landscape from above, then pointed to two iron chains stretched across the valley. “Look there, isn’t that a zipline?”
Zhu Helin tilted his head. “A what?”
Right, grew up in the palace. Never mind.
Su Yan explained, “You can attach pulleys between the chains, to transport heavy objects.”
Zhu Helin nodded slowly. “I see. If they were only moving herbs, would they need a pulley system? There’s definitely something suspicious.”
The two climbed back down. A guard came up, saluted, and said, “Your Highness, Lord Su, this subordinate found a stone with yellow specks. When washed clean and held under sunlight, it glimmers faintly with golden flecks.”
Zhu Helin took the fist-sized rock, unable to make out anything special about it, and handed it to Su Yan.
Su Yan turned it over a few times. Within the deep bluish-green layer of rock, there were flecks and threads of yellow mixed in, he suspected it might be some kind of raw ore containing heavy metal. But in his previous life he hadn’t majored in geology, only seen some common ore samples in mineral museums, so he couldn’t identify what it was.
“Sulfur? Copper? Gold? Who knows… maybe it’s just ordinary yellow impurities,” he gave up guessing blindly.
Zhu Helin tossed the rock back to the guard. “Take it back. Go to Nanjing’s Ministry of Works and find an official familiar with smelting to have a look.”
Su Yan corrected him: “Wait, don’t go to the Ministry of Works. Ask around the markets, see if there are any mining villages nearby. Ask the miners instead. Keep it discreet.”
Zhu Helin caught on immediately. “You’re worried the Ministry of Works in Nanjing might also…”
“Better to be safe than sorry,” said Su Yan. “And also, have someone quietly look into that Linggu Temple at the foot of the mountain, find out who donated money to build the temple and the mountain road.”
Zhu Helin gave these two assignments to several quick-witted guards.
As the sun began to set, the group descended the mountain by the same route, carefully avoiding the occasional monks collecting herbs along the paths.
Back in the imperial city of Nanjing, Su Yan didn’t want to return to the palace, so Zhu Helin shamelessly followed him home for dinner.
“What are your plans for tomorrow?” he asked Su Yan.
Su Yan said, “Tomorrow… rest? I’ve climbed too many mountains these days. Tired.”
Zhu Helin: “Then let’s go to Tang Mountain Hot Springs, good for relieving fatigue.”
Su Yan: “Another mountain?”
Zhu Helin: “You promised me! After the ancestral ceremony, you said we’d go shopping and soak in hot springs.”
Su Yan: “…Fine.”
“So reluctant? I’m warning you, Su Qinghe, this is a royal favor from the Crown Prince himself, don’t refuse when you’re given a good thing.”
“Ha, spreading your wings now, are you? Throwing your weight around.”
“What’s that got to do with it? I’ve always thrown my weight around. But you, when did you get so bold, daring to defy your superior and disobey the Crown Prince’s orders?”
Su Yan rolled up his sleeves. “Saying I defy my superior? Fine, I’ll defy you right now!”
He foolishly went to challenge him, only to be pinned down on the couch, Zhu Helin wasn’t holding back this time, and he got tickled until he was tearful and sniffling, almost meowing for mercy.
Outside the room, little Su Xiaobei listened, shook his head, and quietly carried the digestion tea away.
—
The memorial written by Lu Shangshu was to be delivered to the Court of Transmission in the capital by express courier through the official relay stations.
After handing the memorial to the messengers, a clerk from the Ministry of Rites left the posthouse.
The two couriers exchanged glances, then carried the document tube into an inner room.
Inside sat a young man with a smooth, pale face and no beard. His sparse brows and the faintly raised orchid fingers revealed the softness of a eunuch. The couriers bowed deeply and presented the tube: “Lin Gonggong, this is the one.”
Lin Gonggong broke the wax seal, opened the scroll, and studied it by candlelight. “Lu Shangshu truly has a gift for subtle phrasing. With something this vague, how could the court officials, or His Majesty, possibly be satisfied? Come, Mister Zhuge, help polish this up.”
A young man lifted the curtain and stepped out. His black hair was neatly tied, and his dark cyan scholar’s scarf framed his pale jade-colored robe, simple yet elegant. His posture was refined and serene, like a white crane reflected in water.
If Su Yan had been there, he would have recognized him at a glance, wasn’t this his old acquaintance, Mister He?
Truly, “long gone from the mortal world, and met again amidst flashing blades.”
Mister He sat gracefully at the table, took Lu Shangshu’s memorial, and began writing on a blank scroll. His handwriting was identical to Lu Shangshu’s.
Lin Gonggong peered sideways and saw words like “white deer,” “auspicious omen,” “vain pursuit of glory,” “violation of sacred taboo,” “desecration of the imperial tomb,” and “damage to the dragon vein.” A flicker of unease crossed his eyes, but it quickly hardened into resolve.
When the man finished, he blew the ink dry. Lin Gonggong took the rewritten memorial, examined it, and smiled with satisfaction. “Excellent writing, sir, so seamlessly blended with the original, no trace of alteration at all.”
Mister He modestly replied, “You flatter me, Gonggong. We both serve the same master, how could I not give my utmost?”
Lin Gonggong ordered the messengers to reseal the new memorial, melt wax over it, and pack it back into the tube. “Deliver this by express relay, directly to the Grand Secretariat. Remember, it must be handed to Senior Ministers Jiao Yang and Wang Qianhe personally!”
The couriers acknowledged, slung the tube over their backs, and left. Moments later, the sound of hooves faded into the distance.
Lin Gonggong rose. “I’m returning to the city. Will you be coming, Mister Zhuge?”
Mister He bowed. “Farewell, Gonggong. I must visit an old acquaintance first.”
After Lin Gonggong left, Mister He washed his hands in a copper basin filled with clear water. As he wiped them dry with a towel, he smiled faintly.
“Lord Su… it’s been too long. I’ve missed you. How about another round of chess?”
