The Art of Go

"My Jianjian'er!"

"Poor child, you lost your mother at such a tender age."

Zhang Tai was past fifty. His graying temples, weathered for years by the wind and sand of the northern frontier, were coarse and unkempt. As he held her and wept, there was no sign of the imposing presence that struck terror into the barbarian raiders at the mere mention of him.

"Grandfather, your armor is digging into me."

An ill-timed voice came from his arms.

"Oh! Oh!"

Zhang Tai froze for a moment, then hurriedly let go.

Zhao Huiluan stepped back a few paces and frowned as she tugged at her wrinkled mourning clothes. When she saw Zhang Tai reach for her again, she turned sideways to avoid him.

She wrinkled her nose and sniffed.

"What's that smell?"

She sniffed in Zhang Tai's direction again, then recoiled once more in disgust.

"Grandfather, how long has it been since you bathed? You smell sour."

"You!"

The young heir apparent's son rose from his seat in anger, both fists clenched tight.

Zhao Huiluan cast him a cool sidelong glance.

The young man caught his father's warning glance and reluctantly sat back down.

The Yongzhao Emperor said, "Jianjian, do not be rude."

"It's not Jianjian'er's fault. This old minister forgot that girls like to be clean."

Zhang Tai did not take offense. Instead, his face showed remorse.

"It was I who failed to think things through. I should have issued an edict earlier, ordering you to return to your residence and freshen up before entering the palace. You have had an exhausting journey, my old minister. Go home first and have a good rest. Do not give yourselves over to grief and harm your health."

"Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty."

The three members of the Zhang family rose and took their leave.

"Grandfather."

Zhao Huiluan called Zhang Tai back, her gaze passing over her uncle's and cousin's faces.

"There was one thing you said that was wrong, Grandfather. I have Father Emperor and the Son of Heaven's love. I am not to be pitied."

Zhang Tai thought that made a great deal of sense.

He cupped his hands toward the Yongzhao Emperor in apology. "This old minister spoke out of turn. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

The Yongzhao Emperor raised a finger to show he did not mind and told them to go without worry.

"Jianjian, how could you be so rude to your grandfather and the others?"

"Did I say something wrong?"

Zhao Huiluan raised her face, looking bewildered. "Everything I said was true."

The Yongzhao Emperor pondered for a moment, then beckoned Zhao Huiluan over and spoke earnestly:

"Your grandfather is the father of your mother and your uncle. They are all your blood relatives."

Zhao Huiluan nodded, then shook her head.

"But in my heart, only Father Emperor and my younger brother are my closest blood kin. The others are different."

"Even so, one is your grandfather and the other your uncle. Both are your elders, and you should not speak so disrespectfully. You will only make people think the imperial family has no manners. Have you forgotten all the etiquette and rules your mother taught you?"

When he mentioned the empress, Zhao Huiluan's brows drooped, and she looked at him on the verge of tears. The Yongzhao Emperor sighed.

"Never mind. Considering how grieved you have been these past few days, I will not punish you this time. Go back to Jade Balance Palace and reflect on yourself."

"Yes. I understand."

Watching his daughter walk away, the Yongzhao Emperor recalled what had just happened and shook his head with a smile.

"That Jianjian..."

Seal-Bearer Duan said, "Her Highness is no longer so grief-stricken that she refuses to speak to anyone, as she was before."

The Yongzhao Emperor nodded. That had indeed put his mind considerably at ease.

He asked Seal-Bearer Duan, "Did Jianjian say anything to you?"

Duan Siqi dared not conceal anything and faithfully reported her remarks about ruler and subject.

The Yongzhao Emperor shook his head repeatedly after hearing them, though privately he felt Jianjian had a point.

"That Zhao Huiluan is utterly blind to everyone but herself! Aunt was such a graceful, refined woman. How could she have given birth to a daughter like that? She makes me furious!"

In the carriage returning to Marquis Jingwu's Residence, the young heir apparent's son could not help launching into a string of complaints.

The hot-tempered heir apparent promptly rapped his son on the head. "This isn't the northern frontier. Watch what you say and do."

"Grandfather!"

The young man clutched the back of his head, aggrieved.

The old marquis, Zhang Tai, was leaning back in the carriage with his eyes closed, resting. When he heard his grandson call him, he opened his eyes.

"You mustn't speak of Jianjian'er that way. My Jianjian'er is the best-behaved girl. She lost her mother so young; who knows how much she's suffering inside? You're her elder brother. You should be more understanding and look after her. How can you talk about her behind her back like that?"

That was going too far!

The young man stared in disbelief and muttered, "I have an elder sister of my own. A younger sister like her is too far above me. If I hear her speak so rudely again, I'll beat her up!"

Princess or no princess!

By the time the empress's grand funeral rites ended the next day, it was nearly dusk.

While the court officials took a break, Zhao Huiluan found time to meet an old acquaintance of her mother's, the Fifth Officer in Charge of Omens at the Imperial Astronomical Bureau.

"This minister, Tao Xuanzhi, pays his respects to Princess Zhenning. May I ask why Your Highness has summoned me?"

Tao Xuanzhi was merely a minor official of the lowly eighth rank. The dark blue-green official robes he wore made him look especially thin.

But Zhao Huiluan knew that over the next few years, he would rise straight into the clouds and become another favorite at court, second only to Wen Hong.

Her father, the emperor, believed in the Three Pure Ones and the Four Sovereigns. He revered the Dao's way of following nature and sought longevity, while Tao Xuanzhi, who came from a Daoist background, happened to be exceptionally skilled in the arts of the fangshi.

Zhao Huiluan took out a jade pendant. "Officer Tao, do you still recognize this?"

Tao Xuanzhi glanced at it, then prostrated himself on the ground.

"I await Your Highness's orders."

Chapter 4: The Art of Go

Zhao Huiluan had found the jade pendant while sorting through the empress's belongings.

She knew Marquis Jingwu's Residence would soon face impeachment by the censorial officials, but she had no one at court and was at her wits' end. The pendant had given her a flash of inspiration.

One winter, years ago, her mother had saved a down-and-out Daoist priest amid the ice and snow. To give him a reason to live, her mother had given him a token and suggested he seek a post at the Imperial Astronomical Bureau.

The priest, grateful, had given her the jade pendant in return, saying only, "Madam, should you ever have need of me, I will go through boiling water and tread on fire without hesitation."

That priest was Tao Xuanzhi.

Judging by his reaction, he seemed to remember the promise he had made back then.