Chapter 562: Night Rain

A scream echoed across the square outside the Hall of Union. The waiting Palace Attendants all stood motionless, as if they had heard nothing at all.

Lin Dengwan dared not move. That crooked bamboo basket pressed against his abdomen, and he dared not slacken in the slightest. Though the Emperor had gone inside, every Eunuch standing here in the vicinity was a close attendant of the Emperor, men the Fuel Office could not afford to offend. A single word could cost Lin Dengwan his life.

His entire body was taut, his senses grown somewhat dull. He did not know if he was still clamping those charcoal blocks tight. Beads of sweat slid down his forehead; his face burned hot, yet chill after chill kept falling upon the back of his neck.

A moment later, the hall doors creaked open. Footsteps emerged, and a man's voice said, "The Empress has taken great pains managing the inner palace, and today has been especially anxious over the prince. But do not overwork yourself; it would be best to rest early."

A woman's voice replied, "His Majesty toils for all the people under heaven; he too must look after his own health."

Both voices were very calm. No one around them interjected. The sweat on Lin Dengwan's forehead dripped unceasingly. That scream from inside the hall just now — he had heard it perfectly clearly. But listening now, it seemed the Emperor and Empress were as composed as ever. He even doubted his own ears.

Then footsteps descended the steps of the Hall of Union. Lin Dengwan guessed the Emperor was leaving. His body was already so exhausted it had grown somewhat rigid, his arms nearly drained of strength. Now he hastily mustered his remaining energy, clamping the basket desperately tight.

At last, the footsteps headed south. Then a pair of leather boots stopped before him, and a voice said, "Tell the men you brought: if anyone back there lets his tongue wag, I'll make sure he truly chews his own tongue off."

The leading Overseer hastily replied, "This slave will keep them strictly in line. No one will dare speak recklessly."

The Eunuch who had spoken waited a moment, then exchanged a few low words with the person beside him. His footsteps, too, headed south. Lin Dengwan let out a long breath of relief. Suddenly, his arms gave way. A sharp clang rang out against the ground — piercingly jarring in the silence before the Hall of Union.

Lin Dengwan's whole body went rigid. The stone slabs were densely mottled with the imprints of raindrops. His mind went utterly blank. Wave after wave of numbness spread across his scalp. Before his eyes there was only the bluestone slab, inches away, as if the gaze of the entire world was fixed upon him.

……

The next day, past noon, in an empty room at the Fuel Office compound north of the Imperial City, Lin Dengwan stood in the center, head drawn in. Seated in the place of honor above was a manager in a red inner robe, smoking a tobacco pipe. Three other Eunuch Officials stood to the side.

The several men were silent, their expressions cold. Lin Dengwan shrank into a ball, his body trembling uncontrollably.

After a long while, the manager slammed the tea table. "Lin Dengwan! Outside the Hall of Union, you deliberately dropped charcoal blocks, startling the imperial presence. What exactly were your intentions?"

Lin Dengwan shuddered all over and immediately dropped to his knees. "This lowly one would not dare. The basket tilted; this lowly one's strength gave out and he could not hold it. His Majesty had already returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation by then; the imperial presence was not disturbed."

"So you've still got an answer for everything?" The manager shot to his feet, strode up to Lin Dengwan, and loomed over him from above.

"What sort of place is the Hall of Union? To the south lies the Palace of Heavenly Purity, to the north the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. On ordinary days, we are warned a thousand times, urged ten thousand times: when passing before any office or company, you must be cautious and mindful, not to disturb others at their duties. And you, of all people — you actually dared drop charcoal blocks before the Palace of Heavenly Purity, raising a heaven-shaking racket. If that was not deliberate, then what was it?"

"This lowly one would not dare. This lowly one truly... would not dare."

Lin Dengwan kowtowed repeatedly. The manager gave a cold snort of laughter. "Lin Dengwan, you do dare. From the very day you entered the palace, you dared sell out my fellow townsman, Li Wu. Others may not know your background, nor how you managed to latch onto Junior Supervisor Zhang. But now Junior Supervisor Zhang has been transferred to the Imperial Mausoleum to oversee the charcoal — he won't be coming back. Who else can you latch onto now?"

"This lowly one latched onto no one. I beg Your Honor..."

"Lin Dengwan, do you know who you startled outside the Hall of Union?"

"This lowly one does not know."

"Wang Cheng'en, Wang Laogong — the man right before the Emperor's eyes."

The moment Lin Dengwan heard the name Wang Cheng'en, his scalp went numb. But he heard Bai Laogong continue, "He was angered. He sent word to the Directorate of Ceremonial, asking how the Fuel Office conducts its affairs. His Majesty is already burdened with toil. You dropped charcoal blocks and disturbed His Majesty's repose — is that a responsibility you can bear?"

"This slave would not dare."

"Lin Dengwan, take off your trousers." Bai Laogong returned to his chair and sat down, accepting the tobacco pipe handed to him from the side.

Lin Dengwan hesitated a moment, then finally, before the four men, loosened his belt. The moment the belt came loose, the trousers dropped, revealing a patch of damp blue cloth beneath.

Then the blue cloth fell away as well. Nothing remained to cover him. A few drops of liquid fell to the floor in full view of the men.

Bai Laogong said slowly, "Lift up the hem."

Under the gaze of those several men, Lin Dengwan's face flushed scarlet. His hands clutched the hem of his garment; his entire body trembled without cease.

Bai Laogong deliberately said nothing, letting Lin Dengwan stew in extreme humiliation. Only after a long, long wait did Manager Bai set down his tobacco pipe and say, offhandedly, "You've been in the palace nearly a year. It was about time for a re-examination anyway. It seems to me you simply weren't cut clean — a second purification is in order."

Lin Dengwan collapsed to his knees with a thud and instantly burst into tears. "This slave would not dare. Even now, I leak urine day after day. I absolutely dare not undergo a second purification. From now on, whatever surplus I have, I will offer it in tribute to Bai Laogong. I only beg Bai Laogong to spare me."

Bai Laogong raised his eyes slightly. "Tribute is to wait until you have a surplus? Give me a straightforward answer: how much tribute?"

Lin Dengwan raised his head to look at Bai Laogong, his face streaked with tears and mucus.

……

An unbroken autumn rain drifted down from the void, yet upon landing, it made barely a sound.

Lin Dengwan's figure passed through the sparse curtain of rain and entered the North Market. Expressionless, he walked slowly to his contact's stall and crouched down, picking up an old wooden basin and turning it over in his hands.

After surveying the surroundings, the contact said, "It's raining outside. Why have you come now?"

"I was on business at the North Depot. I came on the way."

"What information do you have?"

"Today, His Majesty quarreled with the Empress in the Hall of Union. It seems it came to blows. Most likely it was about Tian Fei..."

"Lin Dengwan, Master Zhang has no interest in these matters. What he needs are troop strengths in every sector, actual soldier counts, actual pay, the grain and funds stored in each ministry's granaries and treasuries, the movements of the Eastern Invaders, the Northern Invaders, and the Roving Bandits, and whether there will be changes among the Grand Secretaries and Ministers at court. I told you before: in spring and summer, no fires are lit. You can't count on the Warm Pavilion. You need to find a way through your eating partner. It's not about prying into the grievances between the Empress and Tian Fei. It's because the Emperor goes there often — words are bound to leak out."

"His Majesty hasn't gone there in a long time. You know perfectly well the situation at the Palace of Heavenly Favor. My eating partner can't hear the Emperor speak either."

The contact paused, shook his head, and said nothing. Lin Dengwan leaned in a little closer. "I can find a way. But I need more silver to make the connections. You know Junior Supervisor Zhang was transferred to the Imperial Mausoleum. He did ask me whether I wanted to follow him..."

"Say no more of this. Don't forget how you got in here, and what you came in to do. What information could you possibly gather by going to the Imperial Mausoleum?" The contact glanced left and right. "You've had no solid intelligence these past few months — nothing but palace trivialities. Master Zhang has already said: if there's still nothing next month, your silver will be cut off. And don't forget, your two younger brothers are still with Master Zhang."

Lin Dengwan kept his head down for a moment. "The Warm Pavilion will be lighting fires soon. I need silver to make connections with Bai Laogong. He's in charge of the Red Basket Charcoal. If I latch onto him, I can get into the Warm Pavilion, and I can deliver charcoal to the Directorate of Ceremonial and the Imperial Stables Directorate too. I beg you, explain this to Master Zhang, and be sure to help me get two more months of silver."

"I can mention it, but my words carry little weight. You'll still have to rely on yourself to dig up solid intelligence."

"I will see to it myself." Lin Dengwan was silent for a moment, then picked up the basin. "Give me this basin."

"It's broken. It needs to be repaired before it can be used."

"I'll repair it myself. The one at home is ruined."

"Take it, then." The contact looked at him. "That Fu Shu of yours is dead."

Lin Dengwan looked up, stunned. The contact sighed. "When I went to deliver your silver yesterday, the other Nameless Whites in the hall said Lu Fu had been sick for over a month. Later, he couldn't keep food down. In his final moments, he just muttered about matters back in his hometown... and about you. By the time I went, the first seventh-day rites had already passed."

Lin Dengwan's lips quivered. His chest heaved violently.

The contact glanced left and right. "This is the market. Don't cry out and draw attention."

Lin Dengwan pressed the side of his palm to his mouth, pretending to examine the basin, and let out low, muffled sobs.

……

"This is a newly bought basin."

Lin Dengwan walked into his own small hut, set the basin on the floor, and sat down blankly at the table.

The palace maid had not noticed. She went straight over, picked up the basin, turned it over in her hands, and said with delight, "Even though it's broken, it can still be mended. It'll do to use for a few days. Once we've saved up a bit, we can replace it with a new one all at once."

Lin Dengwan placed a hand on the table and said softly, "Something happened with Tian Fei — why didn't you go?"

"Yesterday, Tian Fei was waiting outside the Palace of Earthly Tranquility and looked about to faint. I went to support her, but the Empress's people said I broke the rules and must be punished. Today I'm forbidden from entering the palace." The palace maid's face darkened, and her voice dropped low. "In the Palace of Heavenly Favor, apart from us old hands, no one dares come now. Those matrons from the Palace of Earthly Tranquility have punished or transferred our people. Only Xueyan and a few others are still in the palace. Xueyan came today and said the Empress was slapped by the Emperor in the Hall of Union. After returning to the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, she hasn't eaten or drunk for a day and a night, and won't speak to anyone. The news has already spread outside — many imperial relatives and noble families are waiting to see the Emperor become a laughingstock. The Emperor cares most about face. If the Empress truly starves to death, the Emperor will have nowhere to put his face. The Emperor sent a mink coat to the Empress, then personally brought pastries. Only then did the Empress drink a few sips of water. Who knows what else he promised her."

Lin Dengwan stared blankly at the floor and said in a low voice, "I fear the Emperor is unwilling at heart too."

"The Empress knows the Emperor cares most about face, knows he absolutely cannot let her starve to death, so she seizes him by this. Of course the Emperor is unwilling at heart, but he has no method. He can't rely on the ministers, can't rely on the military men — can't even rely on the people in the palace."

Lin Dengwan murmured, "Even the Emperor has no method… what method could I have."

The palace maid didn't hear him. She bit her lip and said, "What he promised isn't hard to guess. The Emperor had originally decided to spend tonight at the Palace of Heavenly Favor — it was also a gesture to support Tian Fei. Later he didn't go, and didn't go anywhere else either. It must still be because of the Empress. I'm just worried about the sisters inside the Palace of Heavenly Favor. Even the Emperor can't go — what's to be done? Xueyan and the others don't dare eat the meals sent over now. They have to cook for themselves in the tea room of the Palace of Heavenly Favor."

Lin Dengwan slowly raised his head. "Is there really someone in the palace who dares to poison?"

The palace maid's face was full of worry. "You've only been here a short time and don't know. Poisoning has happened in this palace before. Those who can enter here mostly have fellow townsfolk or relatives who brought them in. Who knows whose orders they follow? They have unclear connections with the outside. People from every family are here. Everyone wears the same clothes, shoes, and socks — who can tell what intentions they harbor?"

Lin Dengwan's cheek twitched. He frowned and didn't reply. The palace maid, not noticing Lin Dengwan's low spirits, went on talking to herself. "Besides Tian Fei, I worry about Xueyan. Her family is also from Qingdu. Someone from the same village brought back word that her entire family is gone, and no one even knows where their bones are. These days she often cries alone. And now the Palace of Heavenly Favor is like this."

"What's the point of talking about this all day? When I hear it, it's… it's useless anyway."

The palace maid sighed wearily. "Everything I say is useless. It's just to make you more careful and on guard. Lately, some senior eunuchs in the palace are raising money — who knows what escape route they're plotting. In any case, the atmosphere in the palace is different from before. Everything requires silver now. I'm not afraid. As long as I work in the Palace of Heavenly Favor, the Empress's side looks unfavorably on everyone from the Palace of Heavenly Favor. I stopped being afraid long ago. I only fear dragging you into suffering."

Lin Dengwan said indifferently, "And am I supposed to be afraid?"

The palace maid scooped up a ladle of water, took a light sip, then set the ladle down. She went to the bed and took down an item, carefully handing it to Lin Dengwan. "I sewed a handkerchief for you. Tie it to your waistband. If you feel it getting wet, add it as padding. Those matrons in the palace care most about cleanliness — to spare you from them seeing…"

"Seeing what!" Lin Dengwan suddenly shrieked. He violently leapt up, furiously grabbed the palace maid, and pressed her to the ground, pounding her back with his fists.

Lin Dengwan cried and shouted as he struck, punch after punch landing on the palace maid's back. Caught off guard, the palace maid fell to the ground, crying out in panic, letting the fists and kicks rain down on her body.

"Wet — so it's wet! Find someone who isn't wet then, go on! Which matron despises it — say it! It's clearly you who despises it! I'll make you sew handkerchiefs… make you sew them! Sew!"

When he was finally exhausted from the beating, he threw himself onto the ground beside her, letting out heavy, ragged breaths.

The palace maid curled her legs, her body huddled into a ball, covering her mouth as she sobbed and wailed.

No one knew how much time passed. The light seeping through the gaps in the roof tiles was nearly gone when the palace maid slowly sat up. She sat blankly for a moment, then struggled to her feet.

Lin Dengwan turned over, looked up at the palace maid, and shrieked, "What are you going to do!"

The palace maid said dully, "Beat the bell. The punishment the Empress's people assigned."

Lin Dengwan said nothing more. He turned over again, putting his back to the palace maid.

The palace maid slowly turned and pulled open the door leaf. Rain from outside, carried by the wind, rushed into the room. Lin Dengwan felt waves of chill on his cheeks.

The palace maid took the bell. At the doorway, she turned her head and looked at Lin Dengwan for a moment. In the end, she said nothing and slowly walked out.

The door leaf slowly closed. Only then did Lin Dengwan raise his body and look toward the doorway. He panted heavily, propped himself up with both hands, and crawled on his knees and hands to the corner of the wall. His whole body shrank into a ball, his head buried between his knees, his face streaked with tears and mucus, sobbing and wailing.

……

The autumn night in the Capital carried a chill. Autumn rain sprinkled across the vast lands of Northern Zhili.

The palace maid walked haltingly through the rainy night, tears streaking down her face. For a brief moment, warmth touched her cheeks, then turned to icy cold.

The bell-beating route began at the Gate of Heavenly Purity. The palace maid had walked it many times before. Exiting the Gate of Heavenly Purity, she first headed east toward the Gate of Solar Essence, then turned back, passing before the Gate of Heavenly Purity again, then on to the Gate of Lunar Glory, where she turned back once more.

Her stride had to be just right, and the pace of her walking also had to be controlled, so that it matched the rhythm of the bell-calling.

Lanterns were lit around the palace city. In the dim yellow glow, swirling raindrops flickered past.

Some eunuchs and palace attendants on night duty were pacing about. The palace maid went straight to the Gate of Solar Essence. What connected here was Eastern Long Street — the direction of the Palace of Heavenly Favor. Though the door leaf was tightly shut, the palace maid still felt a greater closeness in her heart.

She paused briefly before the gate and glanced toward the northeast. Then the palace maid slowly turned back, walking all the way to the front of the Gate of Heavenly Purity. Her right hand slowly raised the ringing bell. With a slight flick of her wrist, a crisp ringing sounded before the empty, silent Gate of Heavenly Purity.

The palace maid wiped the tear stains from her face, then gently opened her mouth. A faint wisp of white breath escaped her lips, then dissipated into the autumn night sky filled with drifting rain.

……

"The seas are calm, the rivers clear…"

The woman's voice drifted from afar into the Western Warm Pavilion of the Palace of Heavenly Purity. Inside the pitch-dark bedchamber, all was silence. A faint sliver of lamplight cast onto the floor from beneath the door curtain.

When the Emperor did not spend the night in a consort's palace, this was his bedchamber. Outside the door curtain were the eunuchs on night duty. At the curtain, someone was always listening for sounds within. Inside the bedchamber, beyond the curtain, a eunuch sat in the corner. His task was to listen through the night for the Emperor's voice. If there was any anomaly or need, he had to respond immediately. But when the Emperor had no need, he could not make a single sound — even his breathing had to be light.

With a sudden whoosh, a figure sat up on the bed.

The young eunuch sitting in the corner whispered, "Your Majesty."

Immediately, there were soft footsteps outside — the eunuch on duty at the door curtain was notifying the night-duty eunuch to await the Emperor's command.

In the darkness, the Emperor sat silently on the bed. The young eunuch in the corner focused all his attention but made no further sound.

The night rain gently dripped upon the resplendent Forbidden City, merging into a rustling murmur.

After a moment, Chongzhen's deep voice came. "Get out."

The close attendant dared not make a sound. He quietly rose and went to the door. When he lifted the door curtain, the light from outside spilled in, illuminating the dark bedchamber for an instant and casting light on Chongzhen's figure on the imperial bed, his hair disheveled. The curtain fell back in an instant, and the warm pavilion was plunged into darkness once more.

Another burst of crisp yet not jarring bell-ringing sounded. A gentle woman's voice sang out with the bell.

"All under heaven at peace…"

The faint, ethereal woman's voice drifted into the warm pavilion. Chongzhen murmured along, "All under heaven at peace…"

The woman's voice gradually faded with the bell. Chongzhen slowly raised both hands, forcefully clutching his own hair. After two low, muffled howls, Chongzhen suddenly grabbed the blanket and pressed it over his face.

Chongzhen's entire body trembled. He pressed the blanket tightly over his mouth, letting out stifled, sobbing cries.

In the night rain, the Forbidden City rustled softly. The low, choked sobs were barely perceptible in the pitch-dark Imperial City.