He didn't allow her to speak. Instead, he lay down on the mat behind the pottery table, exposing his bandaged back to the warmth of the fire. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around himself. The white dog, seeing that its master was asleep, lay down beside him and occasionally opened its eyes to glance at Xi Yin. Xi Yin was terrified of the dog, so she huddled as close to Zhang Duo as she dared, but not too close for fear of accidentally touching his wound.
As the night wore on, the fire dwindled, and dawn approached. Zhang Duo seemed to have been restless all night, twitching occasionally and clenching his fists in his sleep.
Finally, day broke.
After the night's snowfall, the sun shone brightly. Children ran through the streets, playing in the snow. Their cheerful laughter drifted through the windows, disturbing the solitude of the winter plum blossoms.
The door to the Quiet Study creaked open, and the white dog bounded out, rolling around in the fresh snow. An old servant, who was sweeping the snow, tossed a piece of dried meat to the dog. The dog happily trotted over but hesitated when it heard footsteps approaching. It retreated behind the servant and lay down.
The servant straightened up and looked towards the door. Zhang Duo was descending the stone steps, adjusting his robe.
"Master," the servant greeted him.
"Hmm," Zhang Duo replied.
"Zhao Qian, the commander of the Imperial Guards, has arrived."
"Where is he?"
"Jiang Ling has shown him to the Western Pavilion."
"He came alone?"
"Yes, but I saw that he came with chains."
As soon as these words were spoken, there was a sudden clatter from inside the room, followed by the sound of fabric rustling against the floor. Zhang Duo turned around, and the person inside seemed to realize their mistake and fell silent.
Zhang Duo looked up and said calmly, "I told you you could live for ten days. Today is the first day. What are you afraid of?"
There was no reply.
The old servant leaned on his broom and glanced at the room behind Zhang Duo. "Is that a young lady?" he asked.
Zhang Duo did not turn around. "She's half a ghost," he replied.
The servant chuckled. "Even if she's half a ghost, at least she can stay by your side for ten days. If the old master knew that you were allowing someone to stay with you, he would be relieved."
A gust of wind blew a white plum blossom onto Zhang Duo's shoulder. It was quickly blown away and landed on the dog's nose. The dog sneezed and shook its head.
Zhang Duo glanced at the dog and then turned to the servant. "What do you think of me?" he asked.
"Master, you have your own reasons for doing things."
"That's a lie," he said.
"I wouldn't dare to deceive you," the servant replied.
Zhang Duo laughed coldly and called the servant by his name. "Jiang Qin, you haven't done anything wrong to my father or to me. I took you in because I didn't want an old friend of my father's to be homeless. I treat you as a guest, but if you choose to serve me, then you must follow my rules. Don't treat me like an elder. Say what you need to say, but be careful what you say."
With that, he closed the door to the Quiet Study and walked away.
"Give some food and water to the person inside," he said to the servant. "Slide it in through the western window. Don't look at her. And tell Xuanping not to clean the room for the next ten days."
Having finished speaking, he walked around the western wall.
The white dog wagged its tail excitedly. The servant patted the dog's head and gave it a piece of dried meat. "Here, boy," he said.
***
The Western Pavilion was a secluded part of the Zhongshu Mansion, connected to the west gate. It was a labyrinth of rooms, halls, and pavilions, each with its own unique charm.
Zhao Qian, the commander of the Imperial Guards, stood with shackles hung at waist in front of a jade screen adorned with carvings of birds. As the man dressed in simple robes approached, he spoke, "Do you think human life is so cheap?"
Zhang Duo gestured for the servants to leave and walked over to the tea table. He poured himself a cup of tea. "Here to plead for your man? So eager, and I haven't even had a chance to ask about your wrongdoing."
Zhao Qian strode around the screen and sat down opposite him. "I'm telling you..."
"Sit properly," Zhang Duo interrupted.
Zhao Qian hesitated, then reluctantly straightened himself and sat down cross-legged. He tossed his shackles to the ground. " The one whose eyes were gouged out by your servant last night was nephew of Xu Shang, the commander of the Palace Guards. That's not all. Do you know what crime the women you rescued committed?"
Zhang Duo glanced at the shackles on the floor. "When did I authorize you to bring people into my estate?"
Zhao Qian looked exasperated. "What's wrong with you? Every time you visit your mother at the Grand Sima's mansion, you come back all prickly. If I really wanted to arrest someone, I would have surrounded this entire estate with my Imperial Guards!"
"Sit properly," Zhang Duo repeated.
"Zhang Tuihan!" Zhao Qian call him by his Zi(8)
"Get out if you don't want to!"
"You..." Zhao Qian was furious but couldn't argue further. He scratched his head and sat back down, trying to calm himself. "I know she's here, and I came alone because I didn't want to involve you in last night's incident. Just hand her over, and I'll take her to the Imperial Court. We'll both be fine, won't we?"
Zhang Duo looked at him sideways. "The Imperial Guards were searching for a woman who assassinated someone in the palace. Who was it?"
Zhao Qian shrugged. "The Emperor. She stabbed him with a hidden dagger. Mei Xinglin entered the palace at the second watch and hasn't returned. I suspect that the Prince of Jin was behind the assassination attempt. He probably planned to..."
He made a slicing motion across his throat. "To take the throne."
Zhang Duo took a sip of his tea and said casually, "That's not enough."
Zhao Qian was surprised. "Not enough? What's missing?"
Zhang Duo tapped the table with his finger and looked up. "The Prince of Jin is far away in the East. Even if he wanted to reach the palace, he would have to get past you."
Zhao Qian was startled. "That's true. Who could be helping him?"
"Someone in the palace," Zhang Duo replied.
"Who?"
Zhang Duo lowered his eyes. "I don't know yet."
Zhao Qian slammed his fist on the table, spilling his tea. He didn't bother wiping it off. Leaning forward, he said, "You know that it's dangerous for you to keep her here, and yet you still do it? If I had wanted to, I could have arrested you right now."
"Go ahead and try," Zhang Duo replied.
"Zhang Duo! Do you want me to bring my men and raid this place?"
"Try it."
"You..."
"Jiang Ling," Zhang Duo called.
"Yes, Master," Jiang Ling replied.
"Prepare some wine."
Zhao Qian was furious and, disregarding all manners and etiquette, shouted, "Zhang Tuohan! Don't underestimate me! Fifty strokes is nothing to me. I'm not so desperate that I need to drink that bitter stuff."
Unexpectedly, the other person calmly retorted, "It's not for you."
"What..." Zhao Qian was stunned, then realized something. He looked the other person up and down, finally focusing on the wrist that was partially exposed from his sleeve. The blood around the wound had turned black and looked quite gruesome.
"Your father again..."
"Shut up!"
"No, I mean... why do you do this to yourself?"
"Skin broken, flesh torn, but my heart is at peace.
(8) Zi: A style name, or simply a "zi", is a formal alternative name used in the Chinese-character cultural sphere in addition to a given name. Out of politeness, it is customary to address someone by their style name rather than their given name as a sign of respect. Given names are more commonly used in private settings or when addressing younger people by elders, while style names are more frequently used in formal settings or among peers.