Chapter 23: Killing the Chicken to Scare the Monkeys
“Go to the Eastern Depot.”
I got into the horse carriage and instructed the driver.
He Ming whispered by my side, “Second Young Mistress, on the day Second Master entered the capital, I was serving him closely. Second Master is a most cautious person, he never curried favor with anyone, nor did he cling to the powerful. I never expected what happened tonight… I heard the Eastern Depot has the most methods for torturing people, Second Master is going to suffer this time…”
The rain outside grew heavier.
It pattered against the horse carriage, as if striking my heart.
The horse carriage arrived north of Dong’an Gate, in front of the Eastern Depot.
The guards outside were vigilant.
I alighted from the horse carriage, walked to the gate, and said to the guard, “I wish to see Director Feng.”
The guard glanced at me and said, “Director Feng is holding court tonight, he is not seeing anyone.”
I bowed and said, “I… I am his relative, please inform him.”
The guard sneered, “Director Feng has been in the Eastern Depot for fifteen years, and I’ve never heard of him having any relatives.”
“Director Feng, Director Feng—” I rushed to the gate and pounded on the door knocker.
The guards were angered and gathered around, saying, “Take this woman away!”
He Ming and the servant boys quickly came forward to apologize and helped me back into the horse carriage.
He Ming choked back tears, “Second Young Mistress, please go back first. We must plan this carefully, we cannot rush.”
Cannot rush? How could I not be anxious?
Cheng Huaishi and I had set out happily together, my palm still felt the warmth of his hand holding mine, and in the blink of an eye, he had been captured, his fate unknown.
Raindrops dripped down my forehead hair.
I returned to the manor in a daze.
I slept fitfully through the night.
The wind blew open the windowsill, and I got up three times during the night to close it.
Every time I closed my eyes, I seemed to see Cheng Huaishi tied to a stake, a red-hot branding iron reaching for him, Feng Gao’s sinister face filled with coldness. I sat bolt upright, “No, no, no!”
These eight streets and nine alleys, under the capital, were filled with fangs and traps everywhere.
Daybreak came, I haphazardly wiped my face, got into the horse carriage, and went to the Eastern Depot again.
I waited outside the gate.
The rain had stopped after falling all night. The smell of the earth mingled with the lush Chinese roses of May in the capital, a scent both fishy and vibrant.
A green cloud crown, a silver gauze robe, a figure like a cherry blossom.
Feng Gao finally appeared.
I hurried forward, calling out, “Director Feng—”
He saw me, stopped, his expression complex.
A guard beside him said obsequiously, “Director Feng, do not mind this madwoman. She came last night and lied, claiming to be your relative. Fortunately, I was clever and sent her away.”
Feng Gao’s brow twitched. With a flick of his left hand, his powerful internal energy forced the guard back five steps.
I looked at him and bowed, “I beg Director Feng to show mercy and release my husband.”
Perhaps my humble plea struck a chord with him.
He said in a deep voice, “Come in with me.”
The guards no longer dared to block the way.
I stepped in through the gate, following him.
This was my first time setting foot in the Eastern Depot—a place rumored to be incredibly mysterious.
Upon entering the main hall, one could see a large painting of Yue Fei. In front of the hall stood an archway inscribed with “A Hundred Generations of Fame.”
The tables and chairs were all black, and black curtains hung at the entrances, exuding the supreme authority of the Eastern Depot, which “investigated cases from the capital to the world, not sparing even royal residences.”
Upon reaching the inner room, he slowly sat down.
I stood before him, head bowed, “Director Feng, if you could—”
Before I could finish, he interrupted me, “Elder Sister, you don’t need to speak to me so cautiously.”
His face had returned to the expression I was familiar with from Yangzhou.
How many faces did he truly have?
“I am of humble status, how could I presume to be Director Feng’s Elder Sister? In the past, I was ignorant and reckless, causing Director Feng to laugh. Director Feng is an important figure before His Majesty, a man of his word. With a mere flick of his finger, he could cause my entire family to perish without a burial place,” I said.
His eyes were filled with heartache, “Elder Sister, please do not speak to me like this. Do you not understand why I took Cheng Huaishi away?”
“I do not understand.”
“Let me tell you a story, Elder Sister.”
He said softly, “In the sixth year of Longqing, the late Emperor passed away. His Majesty was young, and the late Emperor entrusted him to Minister Zhang. Minister Zhang was the Emperor’s tutor and the Prime Minister. He taught His Majesty his lessons very strictly. The person His Majesty feared most was Minister Zhang. In the past, whenever His Majesty made the slightest mistake, Empress Dowager Li would say to him, ‘What would Mr. Zhang say if he knew!’ In the ninth year of Wanli, His Majesty was drinking in the Imperial Palace and accidentally injured someone. Empress Dowager Li was furious and summoned Minister Zhang, ordering him to emulate Huo Guang of the Eastern Han Dynasty, depose the Emperor, and enthrone Lu Wang. Later, this matter concluded with Minister Zhang writing the ‘Imperial Edict of Self-Condemnation’ for His Majesty… Elder Sister, do you understand?”
After a pause, I said, “Then, what does this have to do with Cheng Huaishi?”
“Elder Sister, Elder Sister, Cheng Huaishi is full of loyalty to the country, but he doesn’t know that country and family are not as important as the sovereign! What His Majesty wants is loyalty to the sovereign! Only by being loyal to the sovereign can one survive in the officialdom! I spoke with him at length last night, I don’t know if he understood…”
Feng Gao sighed, “If he weren’t your husband, why would I care about him!”
“You mean… you mean…” I hesitated, unsure.
Feng Gao nodded, glanced around, and said hurriedly, “His Majesty wants to cut down the tree, it’s only a matter of time. When the tree falls, can the people standing beneath it survive? Elder Sister, think about who recommended Cheng Huaishi for his official career. It’s still not too late for him to step out from under the tree now.”
I panicked and said, “Does His Majesty… will His Majesty really be so ruthless? Minister Zhang is a pillar of the state, how could that be possible?”
Feng Gao said solemnly, “Elder Sister, if there is any stir in the world, the Eastern Depot will be the first to smell it.”
“Then… what about Lu Wang?”
“Lu Wang is the Empress Dowager’s biological son, and His Majesty is extremely filial to his mother, so he will not kill Lu Wang. But that doesn’t mean His Majesty won’t kill those who cling to Lu Wang. Last night, His Majesty received news that Lu Wang was feasting at the Su Manor. His Majesty ordered me to give those inside a warning. I chose Cheng Huaishi. This action was, firstly, to deter Lu Wang by taking someone away in front of him; and secondly, to deter others, to show them what happens when one associates too closely with Lu Wang. Cheng Huaishi has not been in office for long. If he shows loyalty to His Majesty at this time, it is an excellent opportunity to clear himself. I took him away not to target him, but out of personal affection for Elder Sister.”
“When can he be released?”
“Not for a while. The Eastern Depot cannot be seen through by others.”
He pointed outside the hall, “Elder Sister, do you know why the Eastern Depot hangs a portrait of Yue Fei? It is to remind the Eastern Depot’s imperial guards to handle cases without injustice or omission. When Cheng Huaishi can leave depends on himself.”
“I understand. You want Cheng Huaishi to willingly become a pawn placed by His Majesty beside Minister Zhang.”
He was silent.
Silence meant consent.
The silver gauze robe on my body seemed so sinister amidst the black curtains of the Eastern Depot.
After a long while, I shook my head, “You have said all this, merely to bring down Minister Zhang and eliminate dissent. You chose Cheng Huaishi because you thought he was a newcomer, newly entered into officialdom, and easy to manipulate.”
Feng Gao looked at me, his eyes dimming, “Elder Sister, don’t you understand yet? I am the one you should trust the most. Even if I harm everyone in the world, I would never harm you.”
“I merely protected you once at the ferry terminal. Director Feng exaggerates. Since you are determined not to release Cheng Huaishi, then… I have spoken too much today.”
I turned and walked out.
Feng Gao did not stop me.
He merely said behind me, “Elder Sister, do you know what bindweed is? You and I are both bindweed that grew in barren land… We are the same kind of people. We were, and we still are. Elder Sister, I truly wish you could remember.”
These words were so inexplicable.
Like a thick fog, accompanied by a throbbing pain in my head, they made me more confused the more I listened.
“Elder Sister, don’t stand in the rain anymore. It’s not like when you were in the dilapidated temple at Jingjue Temple in Dongchang Prefecture.”
His words were incredibly sad and desolate.
What play was he putting on?
Was this how he used honeyed words to gain the Emperor’s trust?
Perhaps making people feel close was just a trick for his survival.
He could turn clouds into rain with a flip of his hand, his mind full of schemes and tricks, not someone to be trifled with.
As I walked out of the Eastern Depot, the clouds were faint, neither gloomy nor clear.
The coachman asked me, “Second Young Mistress, shall we return to the manor?”
“No, go to Minister Zhang’s residence.”
If this path is blocked, I will take another. I am determined to rescue Cheng Huaishi.
However, as soon as I arrived at Zhang Manor, I saw the manor gate wide open. Two rows of house guards were neatly lined up on both sides. A sedan chair had already been prepared.
“The Minister is leaving the manor!” a man in a long robe called out.
Gongs and drums cleared the way.
A tall, slender man with refined eyebrows and a beard reaching his abdomen walked out. His official robes were neat and new, with crisp creases.
There was only one person in the world who could wear crimson silk official robes.
This must be the renowned Prime Minister Zhang.
Indeed, he walked with a confident stride, unlike any other.
Standing behind him was Xun Yitang.
It had been half a year since I last saw her at the ferry terminal on the day of the first snow last year.
She was still dressed in black, delicate and slender.
Minister Zhang got into the sedan chair.
A moment later, the manor gate became quiet.
Xun Yitang walked towards me.
“Madam Cheng, what brings you here?” she asked with a smile.
“I…”
Before I could speak, she said, “Madam Cheng is perhaps here to ask Minister Zhang for help—”
She paused and continued, “Minister Zhang has just left to see His Majesty. Minister Zhang is the Emperor’s tutor, and His Majesty always heeds his words. Minister Zhang will not allow those ruffians from the Eastern Depot to cause trouble.”
I fell silent.
The matter that had troubled me all night was spoken of so lightly by her.
Her demeanor as a daughter of an official gave her a distinguished air of superiority at this moment.
She looked at me, “I heard Madam Cheng has some dealings with the Director of the Eastern Depot. This is not a good thing. How can Second Master be tainted by such filth? Madam Cheng should cherish Second Master’s reputation in the future. The people of the Eastern Depot are merely lackeys. They instigate His Majesty and commit all sorts of evil. An institution like the Eastern Depot should be abolished.”
I remained silent.
She smiled, “Madam Cheng, please return to your manor and await good news. With Minister Zhang involved, Second Master will be released.”
I got into the horse carriage, a sense of inexpressible loss in my heart.
What she said was the same as what Cheng Huaishi had said: the Eastern Depot should be abolished.
It was as if a river appeared before me, with Cheng Huaishi on the other bank. I was trying hard to row across. And Xun Yitang was already on the other bank.
In the evening, Cheng Huaishi did indeed return, without a single scratch on his body—
