The palace. The Fallen Phoenix Court.
Laughter like a silver bell went round and round the yard.
The Ninth Princess, in red, small and pretty, was standing up on a swing and telling the two maids behind her to push harder.
“Ninth Princess. The weather’s cold. You mustn’t catch a chill. Shouldn’t we go back inside?”
“That’s right, Ninth Princess. Or you could sit down and we’ll push you.”
The Ninth Princess was standing on the swing, and the two maids did not dare push hard at all.
If the Ninth Princess came off it, ten lives between them would not be enough.
“Oh, don’t be so dull, the pair of you. Push properly.”
The two maids dropped to their knees, both facing the same way, and said it together. “Presenting ourselves to His Highness the crown prince.”
The Ninth Princess turned her head and saw the crown prince coming toward her.
“Brother. Come and push me.”
The Ninth Princess called it out happily.
The crown prince looked up at her and sighed deeply.
The Ninth Princess saw that his mood was bad and asked, surprised, “Brother, why aren’t you happy? Has Father been scolding you again?”
Before the crown prince could open his mouth, the Ninth Princess went on by herself. “Never mind. Father scolds you all the time anyway.”
The corner of the crown prince’s mouth twitched, and he had nothing to say to that.
He let out a breath. “Ning Chen is in trouble.”
“Ning Chen?” The Ninth Princess stopped short, and asked, curious, “Didn’t he go to Zhenyuan County? What’s happened?”
The crown prince said heavily, “He lost his temper and cut down the Empress’s brother.”
“What?”
The Ninth Princess was left staring.
“Zhenyuan County is in Chongzhou… The Empress’s brother? Isn’t that Mother’s own younger brother?”
Neither the crown prince nor the Ninth Princess was born of the Empress… They call her Mother because the Empress is the mother of the nation.
The crown prince inclined his head slightly.
The Ninth Princess stood there a while, then jumped down off the swing and said, half to herself, “Then Father ought to be rewarding Ning Chen.”
“Mm?”
The crown prince looked at her, taken aback.
The Ninth Princess’s face was full of disgust. “I’ve seen that Empress’s brother in Mother’s palace. A tub of a man, fat in the head and the guts, with a nasty look about him, and a great one for women… He actually dared to make free with Heye, and I gave him a scolding for it.”
Heye was the Ninth Princess’s own senior maid.
“Brother, I’ve heard nobody has a good word for that man and everyone dislikes him… Ning Chen killed him. Father ought to be commending him for it.”
The crown prince smiled without any humor in it. “It isn’t as simple as you make it sound. Whatever he was, he was still a relative of the imperial house by marriage, and whether he lived or died was Father’s to decide… Ning Chen cut the Empress’s brother down with a sword, and that is a crime punishable to the ninth degree of kin.”
The Ninth Princess pushed her mouth out. “Then Father is being unreasonable.”
The crown prince’s face changed slightly. “Huai’an. You mustn’t talk nonsense.”
“It’s the plain truth, isn’t it… That Ning Chen is perfectly hateful, but wiping out nine degrees of his kin over this is going much too far.”
Something moved in the crown prince’s eyes. He sighed. “Huai’an. Father is in a very bad mood just now.”
“Father’s in a bad mood? Then I’ll go and see him.”
The crown prince’s face filled with satisfaction. “Huai’an has grown up… Go on. Father favors you more than anyone. Seeing you will certainly cheer him a great deal.”
The Ninth Princess gave him a sweet smile. “Then I’ll go and see Father now… Will Brother come with me?”
“Er… I have things to see to. You go on ahead. Ah — and if you can, put in a few words for Ning Chen.”
“Hmph… I’m not going to trouble myself about him. He’s so hateful.”
The crown prince smiled. He knew Huai’an would speak for Ning Chen… The girl’s nature was to settle her debts both ways.
Huai’an, don’t hold it against your brother. It’s only that Father favors you most. If I went and pleaded for him I’d get a scolding about the head and face for it. So the crown prince said to himself.
Two days later Ning Chen was escorted into the capital and put into the Inspectorate cells.
The same cell as last time.
Ning Chen smiled without much humor. Were they afraid he wouldn’t feel at home?
He was put in that morning, and Old General Chen came that afternoon.
Something lit slightly in Ning Chen’s eyes. The old general was the one man he most wanted to see.
“Ning Chen. You were far too rash this time.”
“I told you again and again to keep enough respect toward the imperial house… It seems you only remembered it with your mouth and never took a word of it inside.”
Old General Chen said it sick at heart.
Ning Chen was calm enough about it, and smiled a little. “Ning Chen has kept the Old General’s words in mind the whole time. But the trouble is that the people of the imperial house don’t behave like men.”
“If the Old General had seen the state of the people in Zhenyuan County, I believe he would have done exactly what I did.”
“Zhenyuan County has no way to live. The people have nothing left at all… I killed the Empress’s brother and I don’t regret it.”
Old General Chen let out a long breath.
“Never mind. It’s too late for any of it now… Yuanzhong. Bring the thing over.”
Qi Yuanzhong came over carrying a food box.
He was frowning, and inside he grieved over Ning Chen… A boy of that ability, and he had put himself in the ground over a piece of human garbage. It was a waste of him.
Old General Chen said, “Ning Chen. I’ve brought you roast duck from the Heavenly Blessing Tower… It’s the one thing I can do for you.”
Ning Chen smiled without any humor in it. It seemed he was a dead man this time.
He looked at Qi Yuanzhong. “Brother Qi. Could I have a few words alone with the Old General?”
Qi Yuanzhong looked at Old General Chen, and only when the old man nodded slightly did he withdraw.
Ning Chen took a step forward, bowed over clasped fists and said, “Old General. I beg you to save the people of Zhenyuan County… To clean the rot out of Chongzhou for good, killing one Empress’s brother is nowhere near enough.”
“Every official in Chongzhou, high and low, is in it… I have the whole of the evidence against them in my hands. And now I am in a cell, with the will and no way to use it, so all I can do is beg the Old General to give the people of Chongzhou a clean sky over their heads.”
That startled Old General Chen. “Where is this evidence?”
Ning Chen said it heavily. “The Old General is the only man I can trust now. This evidence decides whether the people of Chongzhou live or die… And there are officials in the capital caught up in it as well. Even the reigning Empress.”
“This evidence is a hot potato… Does the Old General dare take it?”
Old General Chen looked at Ning Chen, and then began to laugh. “You young devil… Trying to needle me into it?”
“I have spent my whole life on campaign. What storm have I not seen? What I am short of is a leg, not nerve.”
Ning Chen laughed. “I did not read you wrong.”
The corner of Old General Chen’s mouth twitched. “You worthless boy. You say that as though you were the elder here.”
Ning Chen grinned. “Old General. Put your ear closer.”
Old General Chen leaned in.
Ning Chen said a few things quietly beside his ear.
“Good. I’ll send men for it at once.”
Ning Chen bent and made his bow. “Old General. The people of Chongzhou are in your hands.”
Old General Chen nodded hard, then pointed at the food box on the ground. “Eat it while it’s hot.”
Ning Chen made a sound of agreement.
Old General Chen left.
Coming out of the Inspectorate, he went straight to the palace.
He turned it over and over, and this was something His Majesty had to be told… With that evidence, the chances of getting Ning Chen off went up by several degrees.
That boy Ning Chen did not trust even His Majesty… And had no idea that a few days earlier they had sat with him for hours, working at how to save him.
(End of Chapter 59)