Hu Li VI

Guo Xue’s Estate outside Shaozou, Xiao Empire

the Accomplice

Wind swept over the ridge overlooking Governor Guo Xue’s estate outside Shaozou. The sky was clear, but the winter winds were cold. Hu Li covered his face with thick cloth to protect against the cold, dry winds. He was alone again. Li left his guide, the Heguri pathfinder Morokore Wada, at the great border city of Fuhua. They rode for three days to return to the Red River border from Lord Tamura’s Mountain Province Number Two. The two men rode through Mountain Province One and Border Province Three with no issue. Unlike their trip out, they did not stop at the Heguri border cities or Sariju and Shimatari.

Rou whined, in need of some warmth, Li thought. He patted the sturdy brown colt on the neck.

“I owe you some time, boy. I could use some too. After this, we head home for some rest.”

Li thought of heading east to properly apologize to Gao Ju for bringing him into this mess but decided simply to return home after meeting with Governor Guo. He would rest before riding east to see his friend. Li’s search was fruitless; he came bearing no gifts other than the Dragon Lord Tamura Norimoto’s message. Li hoped that Lord Tamura’s message coupled with the blue roan would be enough to see Li on his way.

Not too little to anger the governor, not too much for him to ask me for another job.

Rou whined again and reared slightly.

“Easy boy, easy.”

Li dismounted and massaged the colt’s brown neck. The beast was tense and restless. It was too cold, and he was overworked, Li thought.

“Let’s go. Once we’re inside, I’ll find you a warm place to sleep and something to eat.”

Li mounted Rou once and began to trot towards the black iron gate of Governor Guo’s estate. Above the gates, massive Guo Family flags loomed.

Those flags are larger than I remember.

Li left Morokore Wada where he found him. Tucked away in the northeast corner of the city, Wada lived in the Heguri quarter of Fuhua. As the two men walked, Li noticed many of the goods sold by Heguri merchants weren’t foreign to him any longer. He noticed the pickled radish, oranges, steamed bean curd, and buckwheat noodles found throughout the villages of Mountain Provinces One and Two. Li filled his pouch with hot tea from a vendor, and the two men turned down the alley towards Wada’s residence.

They left their mounts at the pathfinders’ stables and set off towards the pathfinder’s street on foot. As they walked away from the main road, the city noise died away. Wada’s street was quiet and narrow like Li remembered it. The buildings were double-storied, and the fifth door on the left was still red, adorned with the small Pathfinder five-leaf silver flower crest, flush on a dark blue background. The walk was short and slightly uphill as the narrow street curved northwest away from the city center. There were no vendors here, only residences.

Wada turned to Li as they reached the red door, “Do you have everything you need?”

“I do.”

Wada grunted, “Good. Then my work is done.”

“Thank you, Wada.”

Wada smiled, “Where will you go?”

“Shaozou, to see the governor. I need to bring him the Dragon Lord’s message.”

“No, I mean after.”

“Home, I suppose. My legs need a rest. I think my horse does too.”

“Will you continue to run?”

Li nodded, “Yes, I promise. I was thinking of a trail near the river in Janlin. I should be able to run there. Early mornings, before tea.”

“Don’t do it for me. Do it for you.”

“And I’m going to buy plenty of Heguri tea here in Fuhua. At least to last me through the winter. There is none in Janlin.”

Wada smiled again, “I told you.”

“It’s good.”

“Better than your wine.”

“I know; the wine is poison. I know.”

Wada grunted, satisfied.

The two men stood silently for a moment, the red door looming over Wada’s hulking frame. A cold wind rushed down the empty narrow street. Plumes of smoke from wood stoves poured out chimneys, and wind chimes rang. Li had not seen Wada smile for so long during their entire journey. He supposed it was as good a time as any to say goodbye.

“Farewell Morokore Wada. Thank you for your help. I hope our paths cross again.”

“Farewell, Hu Li.”

Li turned and walked down the dirt street that would eventually lead to where they stabled the horses. From there, he imagined they’d walk south to the ferrymen on the Red River and cross back into the Xiao Empire. He wondered if he would be able to reach the estate outside Shaozou by nightfall.

“Li!”

Li turned back and looked up the narrow street. Wada had not moved.

“It’s difficult, you know.”

Li took a few steps back up the street to hear Wada, “What?”

“It’s difficult. You’ll trade your tea for wine again. Probably too soon.”

“I don’t understand.”

“It’s difficult to stop. I tried many times. I never could stop on my own.”

“I thought you hated it, the wine.”

“I think about it every day,” Wada’s eye contact broke, “Someone helped me. Another Pathfinder; more senior. He came from a family that couldn’t stop. He had the problem, too. He told me I could come to him anytime if I failed. I could talk with him. It helps.”

Li nodded.

“If you find one morning that you’ve traded your tea for wine, and you’ve stopped running, and you’re not sleeping, and you want to get better again, come see me. I’ll be here.”

Li wasn’t sure what to say. It was the longest Wada spoke at once during their entire journey. And yet, Li was relieved. It had been on his mind. Yueyang stood between Fuhua and Shaozou. Li feared he would be tempted into another night at the tavern with Peng Shun. If not Yueyang, then surely back home in Janlin or wherever his next job took him. He feared he would be too weak without Wada.

“Thank you, Wada.”

It was all Li could say. Wada grunted again, apparently satisfied. Li was too.

Hu Li rode briskly through the cold empty streets that led from the Heguri quarter to the docks, bypassing the central market. He paid a ferryman to take him back across the now high winter waters of the Red River at the docks. Autumn rains raised the water level, and the shallow portions of the mighty river now began to freeze over in winter. Small chunks of ice floated on the surface. The fishing season was over. Li paid the ferryman and wondered if the man needed permission from the empire for the right to ferry travelers across. The thought hadn’t crossed his mind when he crossed into Fuhua on the way out, but after witnessing the strife in Yueyang and the mountain villages of the Heguri and hearing about the farmers’ rebellion on the far side of the mountains, taxes were on his mind.

Did the ferryman pay for his spot on the docks of Fuhua? Did he have the right friends? Were there other ferrymen that wanted to ferry at Fuhua but could not? Did Governor Guo tax him? If so, how much? Did he think the tax was fair? All these thoughts and more cluttered Li’s mind during the short trip across the Red River. On the far side, Li thanked the ferryman and went on his way.

The conversation with Wada gave Li the strength to pass through Yueyang without incident. He stopped briefly for a simple green onion pancake with egg. He realized he missed Daming food. He looked forward to a plate of white fish with fermented black bean at his favorite inn back home in Janlin. Li thought about finding Peng Shun’s storefront to say hello, or stop by the stables to see Mo Da and Fan Liuxian. He wondered what Ai, the prostitute in the red robe, was doing. In the end, he rode swiftly out of town. Perhaps his work would take Li back to Yueyang someday, but for now, he preferred for the town to be a memory from his past life.

By the time Li arrived at the black iron gate of Governor Guo’s estate, it was the middle of the night. Oil lamps hung outside the entrance, and fires burned atop the walls. The stone wall was thick and imposing. Li felt the massive iron gate; it was frigid. He could see his breath in the air, pouring out of his mouth like steam leaving a bathhouse; Rou’s too.

How am I going to get inside?

Li looked around to the left and right. There didn’t seem to be anyone outside the wall.

“Hello!” Li called.

A few moments passed before a guard called from the wall.

“Who goes there at this hour?”

“My name is Inspector Hu Li, I’m here to see Governor Guo.”

“So is everyone! Does he know you are coming?”

Not really, no.

“No. I was told to call on Head Servant Liu. He will know I’m coming.”

Li heard laughing from atop the wall and some conversation.

“Fine. We don’t mind waking up the little man. Please stay where you are.”

It was another ten minutes or more before Li heard the sound of a wheel creaking, and the black iron gate rose slowly. Head Servant Liu scampered out from behind the wall as the gate rose. His face was thin, and his mustache still long. The man looked very tired in his simple white robe with sandals, this time covered with a thick white wool coat and hat. There were bags under his eyes. He still wore a forced smile as he addressed Li and rubbed his arms together.

He was asleep.

“Inspector Li! It’s great to see you. Please, come in. We will take your horse to the stables and then find you a suitable place to rest.”

“Thank you, Head Servant Liu.”

Liu paused before speaking again, “I must say I am slightly disappointed you are alone. Perhaps I had my hopes up. Every day I hope we will see our little Fei once more. Do you bring us good news?”

“I will speak with Governor Guo directly.”

“Of course, of course. My apologies,” Liu waved his hands as he spoke, “Unfortunately the Governor is away tonight seeing General Qi in Shaozou. He will be back midday tomorrow. Once he hears that you are here, I think he will want to speak with you immediately.”

I wonder how often a meeting with the general happens.

“How is the governor’s relationship with the general?”

“They are very close, inspector.”

“Like brothers, would you say?”

“I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

“Very good. Well, I look forward to speaking with the governor tomorrow.”

Head Servant Liu put Li in a small dwelling inside the walls of the estate. It was one of many dwellings dotted in semi-circles surrounding the central towers. The shape was rectangular, with the frame built with wooden columns painted green. The foundation was stone, and dark clay tiles covered the triangular roof. It reminded him of the three dwellings that formed the small compound within the estate where the concubines lived. Liu offered Li food and drink, which he politely declined. He would not need to eat again until the morning and had plenty of water in his leather pouch. Liu insisted and mentioned the kitchens cooked too much food with the governor away, but Li politely declined.

Li looked around his room for the night. A small furnace sat in the corner of the room, filled with dry wood and kindling. An oil lamp sat on a wooden table, and a changing wall partitioned the bed from the rest of the room. There was feather padding in the bed frame as opposed to straw. It was cold even now inside, and Li lit the kindling. The fire cracked quickly and filled the stove, and the smell of smoke filled the room. Li remembered the beechwood cookfires with Wada in the Heguri countryside.

I wonder if I would be allowed outside the walls to run early in the morning. I need to continue.

Li figured he would likely have time to run in the morning before Governor Guo returned to his estate. Li pulled the padded sofa over to the fire. The stone ground was, but the sofa gave his back enough relief. Li’s instinct was to reach for his leather wineskin for a quick drink to help himself fall asleep. He smiled, knowing he did not need it any longer.

One more sleep, then home by nightfall tomorrow.

He let the cold envelop him. It was quiet tonight. The cicadas sang when Li was here during the summer, but now there was only the sound of wind rustling trees and his burning wood stove. Slowly, Li drifted off to sleep next to the warmth of the crackling fire.

Li woke to the sound of the door opening. It was still pitch black outside, and the fire was still burning, albeit on its dying embers. Li opened his eyes but remained still, pretending to be asleep. Slowly, he drew the small blade from his waist.

“Inspector Li,” a woman’s voice whispered, “Wake up.”

Li rolled over and sat up on the sofa, his hand let go of his blade. Zhong Bai stood just inside the doorway, holding a small oil lamp. She was tall and slender, and her elegant sharp face looked severe in the light. Her face had no paints, and she wore no jewelry. She was covered in a long silk wrap and wore sandals. Like Liu, she wore a thick wool hat for the cold.

That’s not enough clothing for this weather. Her quarters must be nearby.

“Zhong Bai? What are—”

“Li, you need to go. Run,” she whispered.

“What?”

“You need to leave the estate before sunrise.”

A shiver went down Li’s spine. Li stood up and began to gather his things as he spoke.

“Why? What do you know?”

“Are you alone? You didn’t find her, right?”

“What? No. I mean, I can’t tell you.”

Bai shook her head impatiently, “If you haven’t, you should go. He’s going to make you disappear.”

Li felt trapped. He wanted to run for his horse.

Is he locked up? Can I reach him right now?

“Disappear? How do you know this?”

“He thinks I’m apathetic. I show him the face I want to show, and he speaks to me unfiltered. I know you found his horse; I know you traveled into Heguri territory. I know he’s with General Qi now, and I know he plans to usurp the general. He is ambitious and dangerous. Li, he knows where you live. It’s not safe there, either.”

Li stood quietly, unsure of what to say.

Where do I go? If this is true, where do I go? Surely if I speak with Guo Xue, I can talk my way out of this.

“All this just for not finding the girl? It was an impossible task. As soon as she crossed the border, she was gone. He knows that. He said so much in a letter to me.”

“He’s disappeared men for less. You know what he did to Fei’s family?”

Li paused, “How do you know about that.”

“He did it to mine,” she said coldly, “If you’re an inconvenience to him, he writes you out of his world. The world he increasingly shapes for his benefit. If you’re alive and haven’t found his precious Fei, it’s an admission he tried to find her and could not. He’s too proud for that.”

“He told me if I didn’t find her, I would be fine. He said returning his horse was already worth my fee.”

“If you believe Guo Xue is where he is in the world through honesty, you truly are doomed.”

Li stood silently again. Bai’s expression did not break.

“Where should I go?”

“I don’t know. But ride tonight, and don’t go home. Wherever you go, tell no one. Don’t tell me.”

Bai swung around, and Li heard it too: footsteps. Before Bai could dive behind the changing wall, the door opened. A hawkish woman entered, with a shorter woman trailing at her heels. The older woman held an oil lamp, just like Zhong Bai. She wore a long wool coat and a thick hat. Li recognized the shorter woman as Duan He. She was in a silk robe and sandals similar to Zhong Bai.

“What are you doing,” the woman asked Bai.

The women’s shadows from the dying firelight projected onto the stone wall.

“Tao Fu,” Li thought out loud, “You’re the madame, Tao Fu.”

“You shouldn’t be behind closed doors with the governor’s woman.”

“It was my fault,” Bai started, “I just came to say—”

Tao Fu held up her hand, and Bai stopped.

“What is going on here?”

“Zhong Bai, we met on my first visit; she came by to say hello.”

Tao Fu shook her head, “You’re lying to me, inspector. Bring me the truth now, or I let the governor decide.”

Li didn’t know what to say. He had nothing, no lie to tell. Tao Fu had him backed into a corner. He looked down at the sofa by the fire. His blade still lay next to his cloak.

If I can get back to my blade, I can surely get out of this room. If I can get out of this room, I can make it to Rou. But the iron gate, how can I get outside the gate? Then where?

“Oh stop it,” Bai cut in, “You’re not one of them.”

“Quiet.”

“What is going on,” Duan He asked, confused.

“You’re not one of them. You’re one of us. They stole your life too. Maybe not Guo Xue, but someone like him. They’re all the same. Men who chase coin and power.”

“Quiet!”

Tao Fu stepped forward and slapped Bai across the cheek. Bai stared back at the madame without moving, the left side of her face red.

“Stop fighting,” Duan He pleaded, looking lost.

Li looked down at his blade. The madame was distracted; it was now or never.

“Where is your family then, madame? If you’re not one of us, tell me where your family is.” Bai pressed.

The madame didn’t answer. Li watched her face waver, lit by the fire and the oil lamp.

“I’ve seen you,” Bai continued, “I’ve seen you out at night. I know everything that happens inside these walls. You know the arts. You practice in the moonlight, but you couldn’t have learned that here. You had a life before this, didn’t you. Someone took it from you. Like they took Fei’s, and they took mine, and they took He’s.”

“What are you talking about?” Duan He pleaded.

The madame cracked now. Tears streamed down her face. She stood tall but put her free hand over her mouth and cried. Duan He put her hands over her eyes. The room was silent for a moment as Tao Fu wept. She hung her head and covered her face. Li watched Zhong Bai take a step forward to console the woman, only to halt again.

“I’m sorry,” Tao Fu said, her voice muffled by her hand, “I’m sorry.”

The room was silent.

“I miss him. I miss him so much. I miss my freedom. The arts were my life.”

“I know what it’s like,” Bai said, “So do you, He.”

Tao Fu composed herself and turned to the young girl.

“The governor didn’t pay your family. The governor killed them. He did it to Fei’s family, and he did it to Bai’s family.”

Duan He stood silently for a moment, “No, that can’t be true. Master told me—”

“Our master is a liar,” Bai said, gesturing towards Li now, “He plans to kill this one in the morning. That’s why I’m here, to warn him.”

“That can’t be,” said He, “My Father, he paid my Father…”

“It’s true,” Li stepped forward and put an arm out towards Duan He, “It’s true. I confirmed it with Fei’s family.”

Duan He began to cry now too. She put both hands on her head and cried. Her eyes were wide open.

“That can’t be… So my Father is…” sobs drowned out the rest of Duan He’s sentence.

“I’m sorry,” Bai said, “I wish we had told you sooner.”

“I should have told you all sooner,” Tao Fu said, “It is my fault. I was charged with looking after you three. Instead, I spied on you for him. He is my enemy, and yet I treated the three of you as such. I let down Fei most of all. Forgive me.”

“Why Fei most of all?” Li asked.

Tao Fu turned to Hu Li no, “I told the governor what Fei was doing in the middle of the night. It’s not just you that knows what goes on at this estate, Bai. Our little Fei was sneaking into the library. She had an interest in a particular section.”

“I know,” Bai said impatiently, “I know that. And you told him?”

Tao Fu fell silent.

Bai pressed, “You didn’t tell them. Tell me you didn’t tell them!”

“Like I said, I let Fei down most of all.”

“What was in the library?” Li asked.

“She was interested in maps of the Heguri Empire. Specifically, the mountain provinces. They know to look there, but they don’t know anything specifically.”

“Why didn’t they tell me? Li asked.

“Were you there?” Bai asked Li now.

“I was.”

“And you did not find her?” Tao Fu asked.

“I found nothing after we lost her tracks north of Fuhua.”

“Well, that’s good. Perhaps she’s well hidden,” Bai said, “Or perhaps you’re not very good at your job.”

I ask myself the same thing.

“For now,” Tao Fu turned back to the crying Duan He against the wall and put a hand on her shoulder, “They haven’t found her for now. But they sent a hundred men north only a few days ago. Inspector, did you see the governor’s men on the road? They would have been wearing his green plate; you could not miss them.”

“I did not. I know the governor’s reach extends into Heguri territory, though. He has the ear one the Heguri lords in the mountains. I was going to bring Guo Xue a message from one of them.”

“With that many men and the help of a Heguri Lord, he will find her.” Bai replied.

“Not if you find her first,” Tao Fu said, turning back towards Li.

“What? I told you, I found nothing. I looked for weeks, I had the help of Heguri pathfinder, and I still found nothing.”

“I think I know where she is.”

How?

“What?” Bai asked.

“I have the text she was reading the night before she left. I watched her. Night after night, she poured through texts. She read each one, then carefully replaced them in their pipe roll or shelf. She read over and over. Her expression never varied. One night she found a scroll that engrossed her. She read it the entire night, then came back for it again and again. On the third night, her expression changed. She stood up and paced around the library. The next morning she was gone. I noted the scroll and began to read it myself. At first, nothing stood out to me. But then I found it. It notes of a monastery, hidden in the mountains in the Heguri mountain provinces.”

“Why the monastery? How do you know,” Li asked.

“At first, I didn’t know why the monastery stood out to me. The more I thought about it, the more it frustrated me. I knew it was important but could not remember why. One night, as I trained in the dark alone, it came to me in the middle of a movement. Once, an unlucky Heguri trader came to the estate who had an eye for our little Fei. It was my job to bring him in for questioning. We wanted to know about everything he told her. There wasn’t much, but he told her about a hidden monastery in the Heguri Empire under the Gods’ Mountains. He knew traders that sold to the monastery.”

“And the scroll, it told her where to find it?”

Tao Fu nodded.

“Do they know about the monastery?” Li asked.

“I... I couldn’t bring myself to tell them about it. I don’t know why I only went halfway. I told them the province, but not the secret of the monastery.”

“What happened to the trader?” Bai asked.

“The governor wanted to do away with him for talking to little Fei. They made it look like drowning in the Red River.”

Li sat down.

I’m in trouble.

“I told you, Li,” Bai said, “He does this all the time. He makes people die or disappear. He’s more powerful than his station.”

If that wasn’t already apparent.

“You need to go,” Bai continued.

“She’s right,” Tao Fu agreed, “I will meet you back here soon. I will bring the scroll. Zhong Bai, we must never speak of this night.”

“What do we do about her,” Bai gestured towards Duan He.

“I don’t know.”

Tao Fu left the room quietly. Bai and Li sat in silence for some time. Li could not tell how much time passed. Duan He’s crying died down to a whimper. She sat at the base of the wall near the doorway. Her head was in her hands. Li offered her water, but she would not respond much less drink.

“Do you think she’s turning us in?” Bai asked.

“You know her better than I.”

Li paced back and forth like a caged animal.

“I thought I got to her,” Bai continued, “If that was a lie, she’s a good liar.”

Li nodded.

The door opened quietly, and Tao Fu entered again. She was alone. Li and Bai exchanged a look of relief. She opened her coat and pulled out a small scroll before handing it to Li.

“It’s a long document, very dry. I’ve torn the scroll slightly where you need to look.”

“Thank you.”

“It won’t tell you exactly where to look, but if she found it, so should you. Or you truly are incompetent.”

Li shook his head, “Ok, enough insults from both of you. Thank you.”

“They’re out there in the mountains; the governor’s men. They don’t have the scroll, but they’re out there. Be careful, inspector Li.”

The door swung open. Li, Bai, and Tao Fu turned while Duan He sat still even as the opening door almost hit her. Head Servant Liu entered with a tray of hot food and a bottle of wine.

“I saw your lights in your room. I know you refused, but I must insist you eat—”

Liu’s eyes opened wide.

“Madame… Zhong Bai, what is going on?”

“Head Servant, sit down,” Tao Fu commanded.

“No, Governor Guo Xue will need to hear about this. This is wrong,” he muttered, “Something is going on here!”

Liu dropped the tray, and it crashed to the ground. Porcelain plates shattered, and the bottle of wine broke in half. Liu turned to run, but Li grabbed him by the arm. His slight frame could not break from Li’s grasp.

“Let go of me! Let go of me, or you’ll pay with your life!”

Li forced both of Liu’s hands behind his back and walked him back into the room.

“I’m sorry, Liu, I can’t let you go.”

“What is going on! As head servant to Governor Guo Xue, I demand to know!”

Duan He slowly rose to her feet from behind Li and Liu. No one had been paying any attention to her. Li turned; she held half of the shattered bottle of wine.

“He, what are you doing—”

Before Li could act, Duan He plunged the sharp glass into Liu’s stomach and ripped. Blood spilled out of the head servant’s abdomen, and his entrails spilled onto the floor. Li muffled his screams with his hand, and Duan He grabbed Li’s blade from the floor.

Tao Fu rushed to stop her, but not before she plunged the blade into Liu’s heart. Li dropped him, and his body fell to the floor. A pool of blood formed around the dead man. The room was silent. Duan He stood trembling with the bloody blade in her hand.

Tao Fu broke the silence, “Duan He, give me the blade.”

She handed it over, still trembling.

“It’s all true isn’t it. They killed them didn’t they. They killed my family.”

“They did,” Fu said.

“They have to die.”

“They do,” Bai agreed.

Tao Fu turned to Zhong Bai, “Bai, as you discovered, I know the arts. I trained in a temple during my younger years. I come from the riverlands, like Fei. I owe you two a debt. I feel complicit in the death of your families, or at the very least from hiding it from you. For too long, I’ve been on the wrong side. I will train you two in the arts. I will give you the tools to avenge your family.”

Zhong Bai nodded her head in agreement, “Little He, will you join us?”

Duan He nodded silently.

“We ride tonight,” Fu said, “We can take horses from the stables. We will go with Li to get his horse. Pack a small bag; nothing more than you can carry.”

“Where will you go?” Li asked.

“I can not tell you. It is safer that way. I need to find an old friend.”

Li nodded.

“Best of luck, Hu Li.”

“You too.”

Zhong Bai smiled, “Good luck. Guo Xue is busy with some large aspirations at the moment; perhaps it will give us the time we need to escape.”

“Thank you. I owe you. I owe you all.”

“Make sure our little Fei is safe; that will be enough,” said Fu, “Perhaps she will get her vengeance.”

Li nodded.

“Wait, the gate,” Li noted, “The gate is guarded and locked.”

“There is another way,” Tao Fu smiled, “There is another way out of the estate.”