Snowflakes drifted down over the palace eaves. Madame Lu and the Empress Dowager sat primly in the chairs of an ornate sitting room, both wearing rather peculiar expressions as they studied Xiao Ting, who sat across from them looking immensely pleased with himself.
When the trouble had broken that morning, Madame Lu assumed Xiao Ting had landed himself in some enormous mess. Xiao Ting's mother was in no position to appear herself, so she had sent her daughter-in-law into the palace to plead with the Empress Dowager—lest Xiao Chuyang, in a fit of rage, slap Xiao Ting dead on the spot.
Madame Lu might have had no great opinion of Xiao Ting, but he was still her husband's younger brother; it was true he had never applied himself to anything worthwhile, but neither had he ever committed any great wrong. So she had hurried into the palace to see the Empress Dowager all the same.
And what a result it turned out to be.
"Cracking Down on Organized Crime — Xiao the Clear Sky!"
Even more sensational than the time Xu Buling cracked that big private-salt case.
Are the sons of princes and marquises these days no longer into throwing their weight around? Have they taken up righteous causes instead?
The Empress Dowager knew Xiao Ting's temperament all too well, and did not for a moment believe he could have pulled off such a great deed—defying the powerful and standing up for the common folk. Holding her teacup, her stunning eyes carrying a hint of scrutiny, she said:
"Xiao Ting, confess honestly. Who put you up to this?"
Xiao Ting's face was full of righteous dignity. This was the first time in his life the assembled civil and military officials had praised him as "upright and unyielding, a credit to his house," and he had not yet had his fill of it—how could he hand the credit away now? Besides, he had gone into the tiger's den last night to cover for the others; the lion's share of the credit was rightly his. There was no chance he would confess the truth now, and he said with an injured air:
"Auntie! I'm your own nephew! So what if I did one good deed? So what if I rid the people of a scourge? …"
Madame Lu and the Empress Dowager were both left looking helpless, at a loss for anything to say. Xiao Ting really had been at White Horse Manor yesterday, after all, and what he had done there was a deed ten thousand people were praising. They could hardly turn around and scold him for it.
Madame Lu thought it over briefly, then asked:
"Who was that masked blade you brought with you last night? The Imperial Guard say his martial skill is formidable—that he fought a tiger single-handed and left two martial masters from Hutai Street, one dead and one wounded. There are only a dozen or so retainers in this household with that kind of skill, and none of them went out with you last night."
Xu Buling had given him a warning the night before, and Xiao Ting knew Madame Lu did not like Xu Buling killing people. Still, seeing as the man had handed him a great merit for free, Xiao Ting proved quite loyal:
"A jianghu friend of mine. A nobody, that's all."
Madame Lu frowned. She knew Xu Buling owned a fine blade, and she strongly suspected that he was the one behind all this. But if she called it out, it would only raise Xu Buling's reputation another notch. So she said nothing more, rose, and left the palace to find Xu Buling and question him in person…
Elsewhere, after the morning court had dispersed, the assembled ministers filed out through the Vermilion Bird Gate one after another, more than a little puzzled.
The Son of Heaven, Song Ji, returned to the imperial study. The palace maids and eunuchs all withdrew, leaving only Eunuch Jia.
In the imperial study, incense smoke curled through the air. A color painting hung on the wall, showing a woman in palace dress.
The imperial desk was piled with memorials sent up from every province; the poems submitted a few days earlier had been consigned to a corner of the bookshelf, and the first sheet of rice paper bore that poem, "My Chancellor Daddy."
Song Ji glanced at it and could not even be bothered to pick it up. The Shu region had suffered a great drought this year, and a scandal that damaged the court's face had just broken; it was no time for him to be appraising poetry. He went and sat down before the chessboard by the window instead, where an unfinished game lay waiting.
Eunuch Jia sat down opposite him with a humble bearing and earnestly kept Song Ji company over the board.
Eunuch Jia looked bony and gaunt, like a man in the last years of his life, but anyone who could attend Song Ji at such close quarters was no ordinary figure. Sixty years had passed since he entered the palace as a youth; he had come into Chang'an with Emperor Xiaozong, watched Xu Lie be enfeoffed as a prince, served the late emperor his whole life, and then attended Song Ji—all along the guardian deity of the inner palace.
Great Yue produced martial heroes in every generation, and Northern Qi, Southern Yue, and even the various vassal princes and great clans had often sent death-squads to slip into the palace city and kill the Son of Heaven. Without Eunuch Jia never leaving his side, the emperors of Great Yue would have died who knew how many times over.
Song Ji rolled a white piece between his fingertips, slow to place it, his mind elsewhere.
Eunuch Jia smiled faintly, deferential:
"Your Majesty has already made his move—why hesitate now?"
Song Ji was silent for a moment, then shook his head:
"What happened last night was not Xiao Ting's doing. When you cannot see through the board, of course you hesitate… Never mind. When something is set in motion, there is always an aim behind it. We need only watch and wait."
Eunuch Jia nodded slowly, clicked his piece down on the jade board, and said no more…
Past noon, an ornate carriage drew up outside the Prince Su estate. Yuenü offered her hand; Madame Lu stepped down from the carriage and walked in through the main gate.
There was hardly anyone about at the Prince Su estate; eight manor guards stood outside the gate to keep up appearances. They raised their hands and bowed gravely:
"Madame Lu."
"Wait out here."
Madame Lu told her attendants to stop and took the vermilion food box from Yuenü. Her elegant palace boots had just touched the stone steps when she caught a figure in the corner of her eye. Turning her head, she saw a female Wolf Guard in black watching from a corner some way down the street; the moment their eyes met, the woman turned and vanished down the street.
Madame Lu frowned slightly. The Investigation Bureau keeping watch on princes and nobles was nothing unusual, so she paid it no mind and walked on into the quiet, empty manor.
The New Year was near, and the other houses on Kuishou Street had begun hanging lanterns and colored silks to make ready. The Prince Su estate showed not the least sign of festivity; even the rare flowers and fine trees in the garden went untrimmed, grown into a wild tangle under a thick blanket of snow.
Madame Lu passed through corridors and halls to the main courtyard of the rear residence. Old Xiao had lit a brazier at the door of the study; his crutch laid across his knees, he was warming himself, eyes half shut and drowsy. Catching sight of Madame Lu, he gave a chuckle, got up, and left.
The bedroom door was shut—clearly someone had not yet risen.
Madame Lu's brows drew together. She knew how disciplined Xu Buling was; if he could not get up in the morning, he must have gone out the night before to take care of something.
At that thought her face darkened a little. She pushed the door open and walked straight into the bedroom, and there between the bed curtains lay Xu Buling, eyes closed in deep sleep, a wine jug left carelessly on the stool by the bed and one boot fallen over—plainly he had dropped where he lay and slept.
At the creak of the opening door, the sleeping Xu Buling opened his eyes. A moment later they cleared, he turned his head for a look, and sat up quickly:
"Aunt Lu, what brings you here? I must have slept right through without noticing…"
A grin played across Xu Buling's handsome face, and he yawned as though he really had just overslept and been startled awake.
Madame Lu's fine brows knit. Food box in hand, she came over and sat down at the edge of the bed, studying him closely:
"You went out last night?"
"…Mm… went out for a stroll. Came back rather late…"
"Did you go to White Horse Manor?"
Under her searching gaze, Xu Buling looked a little helpless. "A private matter. Not something I can easily explain."
"What private matters could you possibly have?"
Madame Lu's eyes were stern. She set the food box on the small table beside her, then reached her slender hand to the collar of Xu Buling's clothes, meaning to undo the white robe he wore next to his skin.
Xu Buling caught her wrist and gave an awkward laugh:
"Aunt Lu, I'm eighteen now."
"You're not a girl. What's the harm in taking a look?"