Chapter 8

The most convenient route to Youzhou was through Luoyang.

The capital, Chang'an, lay more than eight hundred li from the eastern capital, Luoyang. Between the two capitals stood a wayside pavilion every ten li and a relay station every thirty, making it perhaps the most convenient official road in the north. However, the relay stations were reserved for conveying government messages and goods or lodging officials on their travels. Commoners could not stay there even if they had money; they had to find inns or temples themselves.

Guanzhong had little land and a dense population. Even in years of abundant harvests, grain remained scarce. The slightest natural disaster would immediately bring famine.

It should have been the season for harvesting ripe wheat, yet the fields were cracked and hardened, with nothing but dead brambles and withered weeds as far as the eye could see. Though the countryside was not yet strewn with the bodies of the starved, every trade languished, a world apart from the crowded prosperity of Chang'an.

If they happened upon a roadside vendor, they could get a mouthful of hot food. Otherwise, they could only stave off hunger with the dry provisions and flatbreads they carried, washing them down with water to make them barely swallowable. Often, there was nowhere to spend money even if they had it.

Wei Xun and his junior fellow disciple were accustomed to such days and naturally found them no hardship, but the princess, with her pampered constitution, suffered terribly. The wooden-framed saddle was hard, and after two consecutive days riding the donkey, the skin on her inner thighs had rubbed raw.

She had complained to Wei Xun about the poor quality of the saddle, but he said the previous owner had thrown it in for free. If she had not said she could ride and shoot and needed stirrups for support, he would have dispensed with the whole set of tack and ridden the donkey bareback, bargaining the price down another two strings of cash.

Wei Xun's approach to money was to pinch every coin he could. Baozhu was displeased, but she knew their travel funds were limited. If they spent at the rate she had been accustomed to, they would probably have exhausted their money before even setting out. She could only grit her teeth and endure, wishing she could turn into a bird, sprout wings, and fly straight to her elder brother's side.

As for Wei Xun, she privately bestowed upon him the office of Minister of the Treasury, overseeing the Left and Right Treasury Bureaus and managing the state's money, silks, and commercial transactions. She grumbled inwardly that if he managed the treasury with such stinginess, they would never again have to fear empty coffers or spending beyond their income.

As dusk approached that day, the three sought lodging at a small roadside inn. The innkeeper said all the private rooms were occupied, but a few places remained in the communal sleeping room. Baozhu had no idea what that meant. On entering, she saw several bare-chested porters sitting on the sleeping platform, picking at their feet. Before she could even take in the furnishings, the overpowering stench of sour sweat and foul feet drove her out. She rushed outside and dry-heaved.

"I would rather sleep in the wilderness than in there!" she said in disgust.

"If we hurry, we might reach Xinfeng County before the gates close," Wei Xun said. "But you have no travel permit. Getting you inside will be a problem."

He had previously suggested forging a contract for the sale of a slave, which would make traveling as a female slave convenient. But the gulf between free and servile status was immense. Under the law, slaves and bondsmen were no different from livestock, and the two classes were not even permitted to intermarry. Baozhu was willing to pose as a commoner, but she would rather die than become a lowly slave.

If she posed as a starving refugee fleeing famine, a compassionate county magistrate would generally allow her through. But aside from her unsuitable clothes, the princess's complexion, hair, and bearing were nothing like those of someone driven to the end of her rope.

"A little place like New Abundance isn't as strict as Chang'an," Thirteenth Son said. "We could probably get in by bribing the gatekeeper privately. It would just cost another two or three hundred cash."

Baozhu immediately decided, "Then that's what we'll do!"

"There are dozens of checkpoints along the way where our papers will be inspected," Wei Xun reminded her. "Bribing them every time would add up to no small sum."

Baozhu still refused firmly. "Once reduced to servitude, I could never rise again. Even if I agreed, my ancestors would not."

Wei Xun therefore counted three hundred cash out of his saddlebag and gave it to Thirteenth Son, sending him ahead to Xinfeng County to negotiate. If he succeeded, they would meet up early the following morning and enter the town.

Somewhat surprised, Baozhu asked, "He's only eleven or twelve. Can he handle this on his own?"

"Poor children learn to shoulder a household early," Wei Xun said with a smile. "He's had to scrape together a living wherever he could since he was little. He's quite clever at dealing with people."

Baozhu still felt uneasy. "What if the bribe fails and the officials turn on him and arrest him?"

"Thirteen joined us too late to learn much, but he knows enough to protect himself. You needn't worry."

Hearing his confidence, Baozhu finally let the young novice go alone, though she remained doubtful.

Whatever happened, entering the town that night was out of the question.

Wei Xun went over to ask the innkeeper whether there were any temples or villages nearby where they could seek lodging.

"There is a nunnery nearby," the innkeeper said, "but it's a wealthy family's private temple. They don't take outsiders."

A guest sitting outside to enjoy the cool air offered directions. "Follow the official road east for one li, and you'll find a path. Head north along it for six li, and you'll reach a place called Fang Village. You should be able to stay there."

"Don't send them into harm's way," the innkeeper snapped. "That village was abandoned long ago."

The guest was startled. "How did it come to be abandoned? I have a distant relative living there."

"How many years has it been since you last came to Guanzhong?" the innkeeper asked. "During the Jingyuan Mutiny, the rebel troops camped there. They took everything they could carry and burned everything they couldn't. What could have been left?"

"There was a wealthy merchant in Fang Village, with an enormous estate and more than a hundred people in his household," the guest said in astonishment. "Were they all wiped out too?"

"You mean Wealthy Landowner Fang?" the innkeeper said, with more than a little pleasure at his misfortune. "He used to boast about having a treasure in his house. Everyone nearby knew about it. So when the rebel troops entered the village, they went straight to his estate. They interrogated and tortured him but found no treasure, so they stripped the place of everything he owned. Not even a dog or a sheep survived in Wealthy Landowner Fang's household. Later, a male cousin of his inherited the mansion, but before long an epidemic broke out, and his entire household died too. Since then, no one has had designs on that house."

The innkeeper's wife came out and said, "These past few years, I've heard there are unclean things roaming inside, with ghosts howling all night. Last year, a miserly traveling merchant who couldn't bear to spend money tried to save a little by staying there. The next day, he suddenly dropped dead! It seems Wealthy Master Fang couldn't let go of his family's treasure even after death."

Wei Xun listened with keen interest. Seeing his expression, Baozhu felt an ominous stirring and asked the innkeeper's wife, "Since someone died, didn't the authorities send anyone to investigate?"

"Of course it had to be reported," the woman said, turning toward her. "But the authorities can't do anything about evil spirits. What are they supposed to do, demand someone back from the King of Hell?" She added, "You're far too delicate, Baozhu. How can you expect the same comforts on the road as at home? Hang a curtain across the sleeping platform to separate the men and women, and you'll have a bed while your donkey has fodder. Isn't that much better than sleeping outside?"

Baozhu remembered the filthy smell in that room, which no curtain could keep out, and shook her head firmly.

It was growing late. They had to find somewhere else to stay.

The two of them and the donkey traveled some distance toward Xinfeng County and indeed found a small path leading north. A fish seller carrying baskets on a shoulder pole stood at the junction, and Wei Xun went over to ask him for directions.

Bored with waiting, Baozhu rode the donkey closer to look. Each woven rush basket held an earthenware basin filled with water, with seven or eight fish of various sizes inside.

Seeing her interest, the fish seller eagerly pitched his wares. "Would you like some fish, young lady? Big, fresh fish, caught just this morning. They make delicious fish soup or fermented fish, fresh and sweet. It's getting late, and I want to sell them cheaply and go home. Just ten cash for a big one and five for a small one."

After several days of dry provisions, Baozhu had long been craving something different. The thought of all those fish dishes made her mouth water, and she immediately reached for her purse.

But when she saw the fish's yellow backs, white bellies, and cross-shaped markings on their scales, she asked hesitantly, "Are these carp?"

The word for carp, "li," sounded the same as the imperial surname, Li, earning it the name "the imperial-surname fish." To avoid violating the taboo, the authorities had repeatedly banned catching it, with offenders subject to beating under the law.

At her question, the fish seller's expression changed at once, and he protested shrilly, "What carp? Don't talk nonsense! These are clearly crucian carp!"

His stubborn insistence made Baozhu think she might have misidentified them, so she corrected herself and said she wanted to buy some crucian carp. But now the fish seller refused to sell at any price. He hoisted his pole and hurried away.

Bewildered, Baozhu asked, "The authorities really do forbid catching carp. What was wrong with asking?"

Wei Xun, who had watched the whole spectacle, was thoroughly amused. "With this sort of thing, the authorities don't investigate unless someone reports it. They keep one eye open and the other shut. Who has time to watch every day? Poor people struggle just to feed themselves. Naturally, they sell whatever they catch."

Seeing the fish that had almost reached her mouth swim away, Baozhu was deeply disappointed. She puffed out her cheeks. "I wasn't particularly concerned about that. How was I to know he'd refuse to sell?"

"You exposed the unspoken rule of his trade. Naturally, he feared you'd buy the fish and then take them straight to the authorities. He'd rather lose the sale than invite that trouble."

"All right... Are there any inns nearby, then?"

Wei Xun shook his head. "Only the one we just passed."

Baozhu grew worried. "What do we do, then? Are we sleeping outside tonight?"

"It needn't come to that." A glimmer of excitement flashed in Wei Xun's eyes. "Since we've come this far, why not take a look at Fang Village?"

Baozhu's almond-shaped eyes widened. "Didn't you hear what that innkeeper and his wife said?"

"They were only spinning frightening tales to force you to stay at their inn," Wei Xun said carelessly. "They weren't necessarily telling the truth."

As he spoke, Wei Xun took the donkey's reins and led it onto the desolate path, clearly having made up his mind.

Hearing no trace of concern in his voice, but considerable excitement instead, Baozhu cried, "What are you doing? They told us it's a haunted house, and you still want to risk it?"

"Such a rare opportunity! We're already here. How could we pass up the chance to see it?" As he spoke, Wei Xun quickened his steps until he was almost running.

This is bad, Baozhu thought. She hurriedly bent forward and kicked the donkey, but Wei Xun had already seized its reins, and he moved so swiftly that she could do nothing to stop him. Though she shouted and cursed all the way, he still dragged her toward that so-called "haunted house."

Just as the innkeeper had said, war had left nine houses out of ten in Fang Village empty. Most of its thatched dwellings had burned, and the remaining broken walls were unfit for habitation. The entire village lay pitch-black, without a single light. An eerie chill seeped through its silence, making it even more unnerving than uninhabited mountains and wilderness.

In that desolate, abandoned village, the only building untouched by fire was the legendary Fang Family Mansion. Its compound extended through four or five successive courtyards, with spacious rooms, lofty halls, and thick pillars. Its former owner must have been exceedingly wealthy, but now its darkness and emptiness filled the heart with dread.

Apart from Western Merchants' caravans equipped with tents and traveling in strength, no solitary traveler wished to sleep outdoors. Beyond mosquito bites, there were wild beasts, bandits, and all manner of dangers. If the dew soaked someone through and brought on an illness, a frail traveler might breathe their last far from home.

Baozhu was extremely reluctant, but as the night deepened, she had no choice but to follow Wei Xun inside.

Weeds taller than a person filled the courtyard, and vines covered the walls. Summer had not yet passed, and outside it was still as hot and humid as a steamer on a stove. Yet the mansion was eerily cold, with draft after draft sweeping through its halls and carrying a chill.

Wei Xun unloaded the saddle, tack, and luggage from the donkey. "Haven't you been complaining about the heat? What a fine place this is, so nice and cool."

Baozhu resentfully snatched her bundle from his hands. After a whole day on the road, her face was covered in dust. She needed a roof over her head to wash; otherwise, she would have to set off just as dirty the next morning.

Wei Xun took flint and a firelighter from his Dieliexie Belt and lit a candle for her. Not daring to venture far inside, Baozhu found a side room, dampened a cloth, and gave herself a quick wipe. But the room reeked of mildew, and there was nowhere to sit or lie down. Terrified as well, she hurriedly picked up her bundle and went back.

Holding his candle, Wei Xun was inspecting the main hall. Baozhu spotted an old coffin with peeling lacquer against the wall and immediately felt an icy gust strike her face. Fear seized her, and she could not help shouting, "You saw that thing and still want to stay here?!"

"It's hardly an unusual piece of furniture. There's nothing to fear," Wei Xun said with a smile. He went over and knocked on the coffin. The wood rang hollow, making it clear that it was empty. Then he pushed hard against the heavy lid, which opened with a crash.

"Look, perfectly clean. No corpse has ever used it."

Baozhu did not want to approach the coffin, but she stood on tiptoe and peered inside. It was indeed empty. Perhaps because it had remained sealed for years, the interior looked newer than the outside. There was no dust or musty smell, only a faint scent of wood.

"It's common for elderly people to prepare their coffins in advance and keep them at home, applying coat after coat of lacquer," Wei Xun said. "When an emperor ascends the throne, before attending to any other proper business, he first conscripts laborers to build his tomb."

Hearing this, Baozhu thought he seemed to have a point. But the coffin looked so old and dilapidated that its owner clearly had never used it after dying.

"You can sleep in here tonight," Wei Xun remarked casually.

Thinking she had misheard, Baozhu asked in disbelief, "What did you say?"

"The other furniture is rotten and falling apart. This is the only clean piece. I'll let you have it to sleep in."

All color drained from Baozhu's beautiful face. Her eyes widened in terror, and she shouted in a trembling voice, "Never!"

Noticing the change in her voice, Wei Xun saw her clutching her bundle tightly with both hands, her face deathly pale. Only then did he realize he had misspoken. The girl before him had once been buried alive in a coffin.

At that thought, he felt a little guilty and said, "I was only joking. Don't take it seriously. I'll find some straw to make you a bed." With that, he picked up the candle and prepared to leave.

The thought of being left alone with a coffin made Baozhu's hair stand on end. "Wait for me!" she said quickly.

After a moment's thought, she put down her bundle, hung her quiver at her waist, and took out and strung her bow.

Seeing her arm herself, Wei Xun could not help laughing. "Are you planning to shoot an arrow if you see a ghost?"

Hearing the mockery in his voice, Baozhu said bitterly, "Even if I can't hit a ghost, I can shoot you to vent my anger!"

"Then I shall gladly experience Your Highness's archery!" Wei Xun said with a laugh.