First Knight

1.

I followed the young-lady-in-waiting down the endless columned corridor of the Imperial Place in Loyang.  It was mid-summer and the middle of the day but I could not help feel the chilling down my spine as I headed towards the secluded garden.  I was never a coward.  Being a weathered soldier and a commander of the imperial guards for so many years, I had witnessed battles and executions of unspeakable gory and cruelty.  Yet this was no help for me whenever I was summoned to her presence.  If there was any person I feared in this world, it was this woman who called herself the Empress Regnant Shengshen, or the Ruling Holy Empress, the first woman in the long history of the Middle Kingdom to put on a robe with dragon motifs embroidered on it.  All women before her, no matter how powerful they were, could only dare settle with the phoenix.

I was only seventeen when she ascended to the throne. But her story was well known to all, whispered in low voices in market places when the secret informers were thought not to be present.  We learned that she was born low and had entered into palace service of the former emperor, the father of her late husband, how the emperor admired her beauty and wit and yet became suspicious of her intelligence and ambitious heart.  She was ordered to be confined to a nunnery when the emperor died, but that failed to stem her rise to power.  The new emperor had her arranged to be returned to the palace and step by step, she advanced to the throne of the empress.  We heard of how she had killed her own baby-daughter in order to put blame of her rival, the then Empress who was then demoted by the unsuspecting emperor and later removed silently.  She gained power during the long-sickness of her husband.  When the emperor found out what kind of woman he had placed next to him, it was too late.  She had him in her power and there was a suspicion that she had poisoned him in order to reign supreme, an accusation she flatly denied.  She made another son “emperor”, but had him disposed and exiled when he proved uncontrollable. His name was Li Zhe and he was now living in the provinces, under practical house-arrest.  She was ruthless to opposition, unmerciful to any threat to her throne, employing magistrates who were so skillful in torture that the very mention of these could kill a faint-hearted man.

One never knew what kind of fate was waiting when summoned.  I kept telling myself that I had nothing to fear; that I had not plotted against her in any way.  But many apparently innocent men had met sad fates.  To the Empress, innocence was defined not by absence of actual deeds of conspiracy, but by mere suspicion.  And no one was above suspicion.  

But I knew it was not just fear that made my heart race.  Despite her cruelty to potential rivals, she was an extremely capable ruler.  She was terror to the nobles who yearned for a return to Tang lineage; she had changed the dynasty name to Zhou when she attained supreme power.  Her reign was also one during which the Middle Kingdom was feared by the enemies on its borders and the common people could look up to just rule and peace.  She was untrusting yet could be generous when loyalty was proven, wise in choosing the right officials to do the appropriate jobs.  She could see through people’s hearts, both the good part and the shadier one and she dealt with both in deserving manner.  The feeling towards her was always mixed: loyalty, admiration and of course, fear.

We were at last near the end of the long corridor now.  This was in the deep part of the palace in which entrance by male, other than the Emperor or eunuchs were forbidden on pains of death during previous dynasties.  But the Tang rulers were different.  Having nomadic blood in their veins, they were much more open in this.  This was one reason why she could attract the eyes of the then crowned prince when she was still a concubine of his father.  No, I must not let the slip of mind lead to the slip of tongue.  Such slips could have fatal consequences. They were not Tang anymore.  The current dynasty was supposed to be Zhou, though the heir was apparent still from the Li family, instead of from the Wu clan, which was the family name of the Empress Regnant Shengshen.  

We reached the north end of the planked walk and made a turn into the garden.  It was another world there: such green and spectacular collection of floral wonders.  We crossed the exquisite stone bridge under which carps swam in leisure.  They were probably the only living things that could breathe freely and not had to worry about the mood of the Empress.  I saw her now, her back turned away from the entrance of the pavilion, hands behind her back, and the fiery dragon on her gold-threaded imperial robe attesting her absolute power over the universe.  I hastened my pace and went down on my knees as was proper for one of her subjects.

2.

“Xu bin, commander of the imperial guards, wish your Imperial Majesty everlasting life!”

My eyes were on the ground but I sensed her turning round.  

“Rise, commander.” It was a voice without any sign of displeasure.  I felt an immediate relief, and rose.

“Look at me, commander.”

I obeyed.  

She had aged considerably since the last time I saw her.  I knew her age: seventy two, but she had always looked younger than her actual years.  Even now, the outline of her face suggested a rare beauty when she was chosen to accompany the emperor, or should we say, the emperors, one after another.

“How long have you served me, commander?” She asked.

“Seven years, Your Majesty.” I answered.  I could even remember the actual date.  She had personally salvaged me from certain death, after I was accused of being one of the guilty officers who had plotted for her overthrown and tortured to unbearable limit to extort a confession.  I was fortunate; the other officers met their ends shortly.

“Ah, how time flies?” The Empress was so moody today.  She paused and then renewed her questioning. “You have heard of the recent debate on whom should I pass the crown when I would be gone one day, haven’t you?”

I felt a chill run down my spine: it was a question that could lead to immediate arrest, the torture chamber or the execution ground. The Wu princes, her own line, had been maneuvering for her favor to succeed her, to the exclusion of the Li princes, her own sons.  The court was divided in opinion, and an open show down could erupt anytime on this issue.  

It was useless if I tried to evade the question.

“Yes, I have.” I spoke and awaited the onslaught.

“So, which opinion would you think is more appropriate for me to take?”

Cold sweat ran down my temple.  I would not fear facing an enemy ten times my own numbers, even a hundred times, then to answer this question.

“Speak, commander.”

“It is not my proper place to give opinion on such issues, Your Majesty.”

She sighed.  “I know what you are thinking, Xu Bin.  Have no fear.  I will not hold it against you one way or another.”

“But why me, Your Majesty?  I have only twenty-five years of life experience and a low ranking commander.  There are so many more who are more qualified than I am.”

She laughed, with a sad tone.  “Those vultures?  Do you really think they will let me know the truth, the right path for me to take?  Xu Bin, I asked you because I knew I could trust you.  You are brave, and loyal.  Look around you.  Do you see any guards?  And do you think I am not aware you are one of the best swordsmen among my subjects?  That you can do great damage to me if you have a mind to do it?”

I sank to my knees. “I will never do such thing, your Majesty.  You always have my total allegiance.”

“Rise, Xu Bin.  If I suspect you have ever nursed such a thought, you would not be here today, or still be alive, for that matter.  As I said to you, you have my trust and I want your honest opinion.  Should my nephew Wu Chengsi be made heir apparent or should I made a decree that the throne would be reverted to the Li lineage after I was gone?”

Her eyes seemed to have drilled into my brain, like swords that I could never parry away.  I had to take a chance, one way or another and I knew she could sense if I had spoken my mind.

“Your Majesty, Prince Wu might not be fitting to govern over the empire, if peace and prosperity was in the mind of Your Majesty for the common people.” The dice was thrown.  At the nod of her head, I could find myself in chains.

She looked straight at me, remained silent for a time that seemed endless, then sighed. “You have spoken truly, commander.  That was why I think too.  I just want you to confirm I am right.”

I breathed.

“That is the exact reason why I have you summoned here.  I want you to go to Fangling and bring back my exiled son and his family.  The Zhou dynasty would end with my passing away.  Li Xian would be emperor again one day.”

I felt almost turned into stone.  

“Why me, Your Majesty?” I finally asked.

“Because someone might not like the idea and would do something to ensure Li Xian would not arrive in one piece and because despite my fame for being merciless, I do not want blood from my own family to be shed again, not from Li, not from Wu! “ She raised her voice but there was more desperation than anger in that. “And because you are an excellent swordsman, a proven commander and one I can trust.  Do not betray my trust, commander.  Now go!”

I knew the meeting was at an end.  She had given me an order, a mission and she would not have to be so selective unless it was one with considerable risk and she needed someone she could trust to carry it out.

I had become her chosen First Knight.