Chapter 136: The Fire of the Divine Palace (Part Four)

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For three nights in succession, from the fourteenth to the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, the curfew was lifted to allow people to admire the lanterns. The custom was known as the “Night Release.” From the fourteenth onward, the streets and alleys teemed with people. Gardens and palace grounds everywhere were festooned with lanterns, while the cries of peddlers and hawkers rose and fell without pause, mingling with the endless calls of parents summoning their children. All of Luoyang rang with noise, and the entire city remained bright as day throughout the night.

The naturally dissolute gentlemen of the realm would never miss such an opportunity. Those with a conscience took their wives, children, and elders out to solve lantern riddles and stroll through the lantern fairs, sharing the joys of family life. Those without one settled their families in some garden, sternly ordering clever servants to look after them, then slipped away alone, making straight for Yongfeng Ward in search of male amusements.

Of course, there were also quite a few people who did the unexpected and brought their entire families—men and women, young and old—to wander through Yongfeng Ward. Such people were by no means rare. Though Yongfeng Ward had no official lantern market, it was the most splendidly illuminated place in all Luoyang. At every street corner stood lantern wheels, lantern trees, and lantern towers soaring into the clouds, forming a spectacle of breathtaking magnificence. The designs of the various new lanterns were ingenious beyond compare, while beneath them, song, dance, and every manner of performance constantly took on fresh forms. Singers and dancers wore flower crowns and rosy silk shawls, weaving beneath the lantern wheels with seductive grace, their subtle fragrance drifting through the air and stirring the hearts of all who watched.

Quan Ce was touring Yongfeng Ward with his entire family. He carried little Princess Quan Luo in his arms, with Fuqu nestled against one arm. Wang Hui held Quan Zhu, while Princess Yi Yang and Princess Gao'an each tugged at the sleeve of her own son. Together they wandered happily through the crowds, admiring the sights. The two mature ladies, both past their middle years, were at that moment as lively as girls in the first flush of youth.

“Eldest Brother, that singer is dressed so beautifully. Go ask her how much she charges to sing a song!” Princess Gao'an was brimming with excitement. She bounced about, pushing Quan Ce toward the singer.

Quan Ce wore an awkward expression. Asking a woman her price in the middle of the street was a thoroughly strange thing to do. After dawdling for a while, he finally stepped forward.

“May I ask how much you charge to sing one song?”

“May fortune and happiness attend you during the Lantern Festival, my lord.” The singer bent her knees in a graceful curtsey. “We do not sing unaccompanied here. We have a full ensemble of strings and pipes, and we singers take turns performing at every street corner. Whatever song your lordship favors can be carried throughout Yongfeng Ward.”

“Good heavens, that is quite a production.” Princess Gao'an suddenly poked her head out from behind him. “But you still have not said how many strings it will cost.”

“Peace and blessings to you, noble lady. One song costs three hundred strings.” The singer bowed again and calmly named her price.

Princess Gao'an stuck out her tongue. She glanced at her eldest nephew, then puffed herself up with renewed confidence.

“What pleasant songs do you have?”

The singer’s smile grew even brighter. “This humble girl has already sung five songs tonight. Every one was chosen by our honored guests, and all were newly written by Lord Quan Ce. The title is *The Green Jade Tablet: On the Lantern Festival*.”

“Oh?” Princess Gao'an cast Quan Ce a sidelong glance. “Then sing that one for us. He will settle the bill.”

Quan Ce waved his hand. Quan Li, who had been following behind them, stepped forward—not with money or bolts of silk, but with a note. It bore every seal, endorsement, and hidden watermark required, and could be exchanged for goods at any of Quan Ce’s many enterprises. Such credit was possible only because the businesses under his name had grown to an enormous scale.

The singer knew a valuable thing when she saw one. With a radiant smile, she accepted the note, called over her companions, and turned toward the lantern tower. They climbed the steps and stood along the gallery, then raised their voices together.

“The east wind, on this night, sets a thousand trees ablaze with flowers;
Then blows them down—stars scattered like rain…”

Their voices soared into the heavens and seemed to halt the drifting clouds. The bustle of the marketplace parted before them. Many people craned their necks to look upward, and the singers, haloed in lantern light, appeared almost like immortals descended to earth.

When the singers finished that line, another group at a street corner several dozen paces away immediately took it up. The sound continued in this manner, traveling farther and farther, like wave after wave across the sea. Yongfeng Ward seemed to have erected layer upon layer of echoing walls. With the voices reverberating in every direction, the effect was astonishingly powerful.

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“Among the thousands I searched for her again and again;
Then suddenly I turned—and there she was,
Where the lantern light grew dim.”

By the time the final line rang out, the song had become more than mere music. Many scholars and gentlemen stroked their beards, savoring the lyrics and voicing their admiration. The ladies of the household had no intention of critiquing the verse; their bright eyes shone with emotion, each heart harboring its own tender thoughts.

“My lord…” Fuqu felt herself to be the happiest woman in the world. She suddenly threw herself into Quan Ce’s arms, accidentally squeezing little Princess Quan Luo. The child immediately protested in a stream of noisy wails, then pouted and wrapped both arms around Quan Ce’s neck, stretching one hand far out in warning.

Fuqu’s surge of tenderness vanished at once. She could not help laughing. Biting her lip, she wrinkled her nose at Quan Luo.

“Our eldest brother truly is the most remarkable man in the world…” Princess Gao'an began, but she could not find words to finish. Pride alone remained upon her face.

Princess Yi Yang smiled softly and coaxed Quan Luo into her own arms, then continued walking at an easy pace. The singing flew through the night, rising here and falling there, every line praising the man who was her support.

Quan Ce half-embraced Fuqu as he followed his mother. When Quan Luo turned her head to peer back at him, he made a face, delighting her so thoroughly that she bent forward and back with peals of laughter. Her grandmother looked down at her with gentle affection. Beside them, Princess Gao'an pointed out one marvel after another, while Quan Zhu stood with his mouth round in astonishment. The scene was as lovely as a painted scroll.

Quan Ce had written the song at Xue Huaiyi’s request. He feared that Empress Wu might refuse to leave the palace, and wanted an extra guarantee to draw her out.

Within the city, all was bright and peaceful. Beyond the suburbs, darkness reigned.

A long line of carriages slowly emerged from a residence outside the city. Their wheels cut deep tracks into the earth. The steward summoned more than a dozen guards in gray, gave them a few instructions, and immediately sent them off in separate groups to take turns guarding the vehicles. He led the way, checked the hour, then cracked his whip against the horses’ rumps. The carriages began to roll with a steady clatter and soon vanished into the night.

After leaving the city, the party reached a narrow stretch of official road flanked on both sides by dense woods.

“Stay alert!” the steward shouted.

A flock of sparrows burst from the trees with a furious beating of wings.

The steward looked up. At once he waved for the convoy to halt.

“Stop! Gather together, quickly!”

Rustling sounds arose from the woods. Dark figures in black appeared on every side, the weapons in their hands glinting coldly in the pale moonlight.

“Friends of the road, you have all worked hard. It is the New Year, and times are not easy for anyone. I have a small token of goodwill for you. Please show mercy and let us pass, so that we may part as friends.” The steward’s manner was smooth and practiced.

The black-clad men did not answer. They merely continued closing in, silent and murderous.

The steward drew a breath and tried again. “Gentlemen, may I ask whose men you are? We are from Princess Gao'an’s residence, carrying New Year gifts to the Prince of Yu’s residence in Mianchi. We are all servants of the court. We are bound to meet again sooner or later, so please grant us this favor. There will certainly be a handsome reward.”

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Perhaps the steward’s speech had tested the black-clad leader’s patience beyond its limit. At last he gave them an answer.

“Hmph. In the middle of the night, with the Lantern Festival almost upon us, you claim to be delivering New Year gifts? Do you take us for fools? Attack! Wipe them out!”

The steward lost his temper.

“You murderous bastards! You are begging for death, and your grandfather will be happy to oblige! Brothers, fight them to the end! Once we return, the prince consort will reward us handsomely. Together, we’ll all become wealthy landowners!”

Steel rang against steel as the two sides clashed. Though the black-clad men greatly outnumbered the guards, their fighting ability was somewhat inferior, and the battle settled into a stalemate.

The steward was a quick-witted man. Seeing that the matter could not be resolved peacefully, he deliberately left an opening. A blade struck his shoulder, and he immediately threw himself to the ground. Taking advantage of the confusion, he plunged headfirst into the dense forest.

A sliver of cold light flashed through the air and struck him squarely in the throat.

Several other black-clad men sat on the branches overhead, watching the slaughter below with leisurely interest.

“They’re all a bunch of weaklings. The fellow from Princess Gao'an’s residence is a complete idiot—he exposed himself and even dragged His Highness the Prince of Yu into it. For our master to end up with such an uncle by marriage… he must have suffered through eight lifetimes of bad luck.”

“Enough chatter. The fight below is nearly finished. Keep watch.” On another tree stood a tall figure, whose cold voice silenced them.

The battle below soon ended. Only after the black-clad men had left heaps of bodies behind did they finally kill every guard in the convoy. The leader waved a hand.

“Search them. Make sure we have what we came for.”

“Chief, the money and goods are all here. But there is also this. What are these packets of medicine for?”

A flicker passed through the leader’s eyes.

“They are probably useless. Put them with me for now… Ah!”

Before he could finish, a needle as fine as a cow’s hair shot through the air and plunged straight into his eye. Blood gushed down his face.

The leader was scared out of his wits. He stared about with his remaining eye, then his knees buckled and he fell to the ground.

“Take everything back! Everything! Deliver it to the Duke! Deliver it to the Duke!”

Silence settled over the surroundings. No further hidden weapon came flying.

End of chapter.