Verse VI: Serendipity
(c) HiImFebby
"Let's settle here for now," said Lixin as he scanned the small hut. "No one knows this place except for you and me."
"I've been serving you for years, and this truly shocked me when you showed me the way," astonished, Wu Cheng ran his fingers toward the dusty table.
A few moments, he grabbed a spare cloth and a basin from the corner and began to move to clean their temporary home.
The Crown Prince sat in the empty chair beside him, then rested his head in his hand.
"Any news from the palace?" Lixin asked. Wu Cheng stopped wiping the table.
"According to Shuchang gē's intel, it seems that Your Majesty is unaware of the concubine's action." He bit his lip and squeezed the cloth with anger. "The Emperor has no idea about the current situation in the Eastern Palace. She is blocking all the news."
"That's so like her." Lixin sighed. In his mind, it seems like his father has also lost interest in him.
"Oh," Wu Cheng paused and waved the wet cloth in front of his face. "Cong jiāngjūn also found some new corpses yesterday. By the looks of them, it seems like it was one of our people." He also sat in the chair, facing Lixin and the two of them shared an angry expression.
"Suo Suyin," Lixin clenched his fist. "Wait 'till we get enough evidence to corner you, and I will be the one to personally escort you to your execution."
Wu Cheng looked outside. The clear, cloudless sky welcomed his eyes.
He smiled, but a sad one.
"And when that time comes, Your Highness," Wu Cheng unconsciously shed a tear, thinking about his younger twin. "Wu Chen's soul will be at peace." he continued, and then a series of tears followed.
Lixin pat Wu Cheng's back for comfort, "I'll make sure to bring justice for Wu Chen, and all of the people Suo Suyin killed in the Eastern Palace." The Crown Prince once again felt the immeasurable anger towards his father's concubine."I'll drag that woman, and her whole clan for what she did to us."
Wu Cheng wiped his tears and then bowed to the Crown Prince after crying. Lixin smiled at him and continued to pat his back. He knew that the young man has suffered enough since he was a child and he only have his twin to lean on.
But fate was cruel, and also took Wu Chen away from him.
"Did the Ravens come back?" Asked Lixin, breaking the short silence between them.
"Not yet, Your Highness. Maybe it will come back tonight along with Cong jiāngjūn's update." Answered Wu Cheng and continue with his cleaning.
"All right, " Lixin stretched up a bit and also grabbed a bucket of water to help Wu Cheng."Call me immediately when the bird arrives."
Wu Cheng tried to snatch the bucket full of water from Lixin's hand but the Crown Prince dodged him. The young man sighed in defeat as Lixin insisted to help him clean the hut they are currently staying in for their investigation.
After cleaning for an hour, they turned the whole place clean as new. Lixin put down his spare cloth on hand on the nearby table and headed to the storage room behind the hut. Wu Cheng followed, curious about what His Highness will do.
"Tàizǐ diànxià?"
Lixin lifted the wooden door of the storage and Wu Cheng gasped in surprise.
Tons of supplies rested in front of their eyes; preserved meats, spices, trunks of gold and silver leaves, and also included several pieces of cloth.
"H-how did you sneak all of this, Your Highness?" Wu Cheng's eyes widened after opening another box filled with golden silver leaves.
"Remember when I told everyone not to enter a specific time of the day in the kitchen?" he asked and Wu Chen nodded.
"I was traveling back and forth. From here to the Eastern Palace to stock up goods." He paused to look at some golden leaves in his hand. "My grandmother always reminded me that the life of a royal is always full of dangers and that idea started this whole thing," then he pointed towards all the things he brought from the Palace.
"How did you discover the tunnel?" the young man asked. His eyes glistened with curiosity.
"It was also an accident." Lixin laughed softly when an old memory flashed in his mind. "I was hiding away from my father. The very first day of being declared as the Crown Prince. "
Wu Cheng only stared at Lixin, urging him to continue his story, and the Crown Prince did so.
"Shouldering the future of a Kingdom is too unbearable for a seven-year-old kid. You know me, I wanted a carefree life, but my lineage won't allow me."
Lixin sat beside the pile of unopened boxes and rested his back against them. "I tried to hide away from him and his soldiers. I want to be a normal child who only enjoys his childhood and playing. I remember that day clearly, going to the kitchen and hiding in the used barrel for hours," the Crown Prince grabbed a few walnuts and crushed its shell in his hand. Wu Cheng stared as the crumbs fell to the ground.
"When the noises outside seemed to calm down, I knocked something inside the barrel and a door rotated, taking me to a dark and damp cave," he stopped to look at his companion only to find him immersed in his story. Lixin adjusted himself once again, leaning on the boxes, and continued
"Noises were heard once again from outside but it did not stop my curiosity. My feet urged me to go way deeper inside the tunnel. I used up my time to find the exit and after a couple of minutes of running, I found myself in this place," Lixin ran his eyes along the tall trees that surround the small hut. "In this secluded hut in the middle of nowhere. I found peace. No one dared to come into this part of the forest. Old tales said that this is surrounded by beasts from the Immortal Realm."
Wu Cheng tapped his cheeks as his eyes scan the old hut. From its posts, and the wooden walls to the brick ceiling.
"This hut must have been built several decades earlier. The materials are the same from the old era and I have previously found some old scriptures spread out here," said Lixin, getting up and removing some big spider webs in the corner. Wu Cheng also got up to help and he immediately grabbed the duster to give it to Lixin.
"Over the years, this place has greatly peaked my attention and I decided to make it my secret hideout. I can say that this place is safe, and I've been here countless times. I've never encountered a single beast whatsoever. So I decided to transport some of my personal savings and food for survival. I never knew that this place will be useful for something like we are doing now." the Crown Prince bitterly shook his head. A powerless Crown Prince like him can only escape far away from his father's concubine to save his people.
The flapping sound of the bird's wings immediately made the two men stand up from their seats.
"Your Highness," Wu Cheng called and dashed towards the front door, coming back to Lixin's side with the raven in his arms, "The news is here."
"Let me see," said Lixin as he put down the duster.
The Crown Prince carefully untied the knot in the raven's leg, getting the small piece of paper attached to it. The two young men sat in the small chairs and settled themselves to read what was written in the paper.
"Jīntiān zǎoshang zài hé lǐ fāxiànle liǎng jù shītǐ. Dōnggōng nèi bìng wú yìcháng. Huánghòu ānránwúyàng, dàn jùshuō Jiǎ fǔ de yīxiē rén shīzōngle (Two bodies were found in the river this morning. Nothing unusual in the Eastern Palace. Empress is safe, but some people from the Jia stores are reportedly missing)," after reading the news from his trusted general, Lixin crumpled the paper and threw it angrily into the blazing fire of the furnace.
"This is bad," Lixin punched the table. With frustration and anger written on his face, he threw a worried look at Wu Cheng. "We need to check on my grandfather."
༊ *
The noise from the messenger raven echoed from the outside surrounding. In a couple of minutes, the loud caws seemed to double and the whole place was surrounded by more ravens.
The two of them changed into civilian robes and grabbed their swords from the storage. The Crown Prince also got a few smoke bombs from the far shelf just in case.
"Zǒu," with a firm grip on his sword, the Crown Prince and Wu Cheng set foot once again on the secret tunnel. Xiao Wu let Lixin lead the way and soon, they found themselves in an empty lot covered with thick bushes just a few turns to reach the capital's biggest jewelry shop.
"Wah," Wu Cheng cannot contain himself and was awed by the wonders of the secret tunnel.
"Keep your voice down," hushed the Crown Prince. Wu Cheng immediately made a zipping gesture in his mouth.
The ravens flew above their heads and Lixin tried to shoo them away. It did work, but Lixin lifted his arms to attract one and the raven immediately landed in his arms.
He got a small piece of paper from his robe and tied it with a small string in the raven's foot then threw the bird midair.
"What is it, Your Highness?" asked Xiao Wu.
"I sent a message to General Cong. If ever something happens, he'll know where to find us," said Lixin and continued leading the way.
They stopped at the first store that sell spice for most of the people in the northeastern part of the capital. A store that the Empress' family owns.
Wu Cheng was about to enter but the Crown Prince dragged him behind the stack of hays. "Don't enter," said Lixin. Xiao Wu gave him a puzzled look.
"They are not from the Jia family," he said and lightly touched his ears. Wu Cheng, still with a puzzled look unconsciously touched the tip of his ears and it took him a little later to get what the Crown Prince is implying.
Wu Cheng looked at the people at the counter and found out that they are wearing some kind of similar earrings and scars on the side of their necks that looks like it has been slit by a dagger.
People came and go in the spice store. The men at the counter acted normally, however, their eyes cannot seem to be at ease.
Lixin caught it by observing for a while.
Those are indeed waiting for them to show up.
"Let's go," he tapped Wu Cheng's shoulder. "We need to check the other stores of my grandfather."
They began scanning the seven stores located in the capital for a whole day and it took them another one to scan the other seven in the nearby city which is his mother's hometown.
"Your Highness," with a worried face, Wu Cheng followed Lixin to hide in the crown while trying to find a blind spot to observe the last store.
There, they found out that only the stores in the capital have their staffs replaced by the concubine's spies.
The evening came on their third day. Warmed by the fire in front of him, he still began to shiver. A raven suddenly landed on Lixin's shoulder while he gaze at the cloudless sky outside the hidden hut.
He turned his head and found a note. Lixin quickly untied the small piece of paper in the raven's leg.
"Hong Yuan Alley, last house from the street vicinity, in the direction of the Monkey," said General Cong in the letter. Lixin burned it after reading and the raven from his shoulders flew towards the sky.
The sound of its wings awakens the sleeping Wu Cheng inside the house.
"Why haven't you gone to bed, Your Highness?" asked Wu Cheng while rubbing his eyes then his gaze went down to the small note in the Crown Prince's hands.
"Well be heading to a Tiger's den tomorrow," said Lixin, looking once again at the vast skies above him.
༊ *
Morning came and the two of them rushed to Hong Yuan Alley located in a town called Mengxing that serves as a border of the two cities; the Capital of Lin Kingdom and the wealthy city of Wanxia, the neighboring city where the Jia family resides.
"Your Highness," Wu Cheng carefully followed Lixin as they strode towards the seemingly old weaving house, hidden from the bustling streets of Wanxia city.
It seems like really an ordinary old weaving house, with fabrics lining outside to dry up from the heat of the sun sun, but what the place made it unusual is the several guards with their faces covered with black clothes and red headbands with spider embroidery at the side.
"The spider resembles the store sign of Súiyúe Restaurant," with his eyes narrowed, he stared at the guard's headbands while several of them walks back and forth blocking the entrance of the old house. A guard was also stationed in every window of the house.
Lixin furrowed his eyebrows while he carefully examine the black guards. His mind wanders toward the image of the restaurant's logo; the character 'Súi, yúe' resembles the body of a spider with legs.
"Jiùmìng a! Jiùmìng a!" His focus got interrupted by a loud thud inside the old weaving house, followed by screams of several children inside asking for help.
"Zěnmele?" with an angry voice, a guard came to look.
The two, Wu Cheng and Lixin squished their bodies in the small gap between the buildings for them to hear clearly but it is no use. They only heard the cries of the children in the background along with the shouting of several guards.
In a short time, a stretcher emerged from the old house carrying a body full of blood and missing its arms, with a large slit on the throat. Lixin glanced in the other direction to avoid the gruesome sight.
The guards halted for a brief moment to wrap the body in a white cloth and it was carried by two guards away from the house.
"Follow them," said Lixin.
"But Your Highness, you're," worried, Wu Cheng hesitated to obey the command.
"I'll be fine. Go and tail them. Examine the body if you can," with a firm voice, Lixin commanded and soon Wu Cheng got up to follow the guards carrying the deceased body. The Crown Prince stayed to monitor the surroundings.
Wu Cheng's faint footsteps gently echoed in the small alley. The Crown Prince's eyes immediately set on the house's door when another scream filled the area.
"Please stop," said the voice that sounded like a child. "I will do his work, please let him rest for a bit."
The noises from the hidden house were concealed by the thick walls along with several empty houses in front of it. It was perfectly hidden from the outside world and no one would even dare to wander close to it due to the alley's eerie atmosphere.
The sound of falling wood startled Lixin and the cries became louder.
He clenched his fist, gripping the sheath of his sword.
"I need to do something," he whispered. A drop of sweat fell from his forehead down to the pebbly ground.
Lixin once again stared at the guards around the old house and counted them.
"Four in the front door, two in the windows. Huge windows on each side where two guards are present," Lixin observed the movements of the guards in front of him, then a splash of blood was seen on the paper wall screen near the front door. The sun emerged from being hidden in the clouds and its ray hit the wall revealing a silhouette of a body laying on the floor.
Then without further hesitation, Lixin jumped to the enemy's den to launch an attack.
༊ *
"Another one gets thrown," said one of the black hooded guards who is holding the upper body of the dead person grunted as the two of them swung the body into the deeper part of the nearby river.
"Let's go before the leader gets angry again and lash its anger at our workers," said the other guard and they immediately left the riverbank as soon as possible.
Wu Cheng silently watched the guards disappear from his sight. He was just there all the time, hanging in the tall tree which made it a good spot for hiding from the vision of the distracted guards from below.
Once he sensed that the area is clear, he immediately went down to check on the body the two men have thrown in the river.
With enough courage, he bravely jumped into the calm river waters to retrieve it.
Searching for something in the deep waters is not as easy as searching for something in the land. Time is his greatest enemy. If he did not manage his breathing well, he will end up with the same fate as the body he is trying to investigate.
Time passed and his body is also getting weary. Reaching the surface to gasp for air and collecting enough to survive his dive quickly exhausted him.
"I can do this!" he said in his mind, thinking about his deceased twin and His Highness.
On his third attempt at diving underwaters, he finally caught sight of the dead body he was searching for. He dived deeper and immediately drag it to the surface.
Wu Cheng exhaled and inhaled air as much as he could upon reaching the river bank. He took the body under a tree and searched under the man's robe for a token.
There, he found the Eastern Palace's small jade token that was secretly given to all trusted workers.
He scanned the face and tried to remember if he saw the man before.
"That's right!" He exclaimed. "The servants who take care of His Highness' wardrobe," then his eyes noticed several wounds and bruises on the man's face and body.
"I'm sorry you have to experience this, brother. May you rest in peace," Wu Cheng knelt and prayed for the man's soul. He dug a hole under the shade of the tree and placed the corpse there. After burying, he gathered stones and stacked them as a sign of respect for the dead.
"Please guide us," the last stone was placed on the top and Wu Cheng rushed back once again to the old weaving house to aid the Crown Prince.
༊ *
"Search! Don't let any of them escape our grounds!" the angry footsteps of the guards outside scared the kids even more. They knew that once they'd been discovered, there was no getting out of the place...alive.
"Brother, I'm scared." Lu Li, one of the young workers in the weaving house tightened her hug on Lixin's neck. She's been shivering for quite some time now. Lixin lifted his hand to reach for her forehead and she is burning with fever.
"You have a fever," said Lixin in his low voice.
"Ge," called the other child named Yan Zhi. She urged Lixin to hand over Lu Li to her and the little child lay on Yan Zhi's arms.
Yan Zhi rolled Lu Li's socks and found a huge cut on the child's right leg. Her leg already has an infection. The other children gasped at the sight of the wound and felt sorry for Lu Li.
Lixin felt the anger surging inside him.
Those heartless monsters.
Lu Li was covered in cold sweats and Lixin wiped her forehead with his sleeves. He caressed the little girl's hair to calm her down.
"Brother, I'm scared," Lu Li said once again and Lixin held the girl's little hand.
"Biépà. I'm here," he smiled gently. "I'll make sure to get you all out of here and reunite with your families," he said to Lu Li, and to all the other kids he rescued. He glanced back once again to the little hole to check the situation outside.
The guards are still there and he clenched his fist.
His resentment became stronger.
To those guards, those black hooded guards.
And Concubine Suo, for sure.
[DOP: June 8, 2023]
Vocabulary:
* Jiāngjūn - General - 将军
* Jiu Ming A - Save me! - 救命啊
* Zěnmele/Zěnmeliǎo - What's wrong/what's the matter?- 怎么了
* *Monkey- West-Southwest
* Biépà - Don't be scared - 别怕