Chapter 16: Fall Like a Thunderbolt[1]

The horse carriage was very luxurious and spacious but with three of us sitting in it, it felt slightly cramped. After Fu Wanxi's ambush earlier, Gao Zhanpeng quickly explained the situation to the princess, who graciously invited us to join in the celebration later as her guests. As I cautiously climbed into the carriage, I noticed that the maidservant who was supporting us was Li Yan. She gave me a wink before keeping the carriage steps and hopping on beside the coachman. Letting down the curtain hanging over the door, she ordered the coachman to start driving. While I was elated to see her again, I felt slightly guilty that she had to perch herself outside the carriage while we were seated comfortably inside. But when I thought about how Ruijie had to travel on foot alongside us, such thoughts of self-reproach quickly disappeared.

The lantern affixed to the roof of the moving carriage trembled overhead. Under the orange glow, Liu Mengjie gazed at us sideways with her large apricot eyes as her thin cherry lips curved upwards in a genteel smile. As she silently watched us with an enigmatic interest, Fu Wanxi was busy examining the interior of the carriage in oblivion.

Even though both Liu Mengjie and Fu Wanxi may be considered jade-like beauties, they had different personalities. From the book's characterisation of them, Liu Mengjie was more like a shengmu—an extremely virtuous and good-hearted 'saint', who would sacrifice herself for others; while Fu Wanxi could be described as a bailian hua—a "white lotus" who is silly, innocent and sweet. As the story progresses, however, Fu Wanxi would occasionally show traits of becoming a "black lotus" due to the circumstances that she was placed in.

Of course, these terms were Chinese internet slang that would not have crossed the mind of Lin Jiahe when he wrote this wuxia novel during his time. More importantly, emphasis was placed on the character development of the two male protagonists and less on the supporting female characters. Regardless, at this junction in the book, Liu Mengjie and Fu Wanxi would become bosom friends as both recognised the other to be friendly, good-natured and as having the same moral values.

"I didn't know that Imperial Guard Gao still had living relatives," Liu Mengjie was first to break the awkward silence. Her unfathomable eyes were like the surface of a calm lake in the dead of night. "To think that his younger cousin travelled all the way to the capital alone to look for him."

Seeing that Liu Mengjie was speaking to her, Fu Wanxi instantly stilled and turned her attention to the former but made no answer. Even though Fu Wanxi was able to mask her emotions, I was certain that she was flustered. Of course Gao Zhanpeng and Fu Wanxi were not biologically related. It must have been baffling when he had introduced her as such after the minor disturbance outside Prince Jing's Mansion earlier. Right now, she was likely to be contemplating about whether he had done so in order to further his disguise and hide his identity.

"So Fu-guniang and Imperial Guard Gao are really related by your maternal bloodline? Why did Fu-guniang suddenly come to the capital?"

"Junzhu, you don't have to be so formal with me. Please just call me Wanxi," Fu Wanxi replied; but before anyone could think that she was slithering out of answering the princess's questions, she turned a cryptic smile on Liu Mengjie and added: "I know that Zhanpeng-ge is not just an ordinary imperial guard, but is actually junzhu's trusted aide. In that case, surely junzhu would not doubt that Zhanpeng-ge would be lying to you? But do not worry, I only see him as an older brother figure and I'm sure he thinks of me as only a younger sister. I'm not looking for him to force him to enter into an arranged marriage with me. So my sudden appearance won't affect the dynamics of your relationship."

I watched with bated breath at the exchange before me, wishing that I could just disappear deeper and deeper into the shadow of the night. But the bright lights, the bustling streets and the cheers of celebration on the outside was a constant reminder that Fu Wanxi and I were currently in a tiger's den and a single wrong move may cause our demise.

Liu Mengjie suddenly burst into a laugh before she quickly covered her mouth in a dainty fashion. "Alright, I understand now. You have rightly said that Imperial Guard Gao is my trusted aide and I do rely on him a great deal. But you must not misunderstand the relationship between Imperial Guard Gao and I. We're just in a—partnership. That's all."

"Oh, a partnership?"

"Yes. The kind where people cooperate for mutual benefit." Liu Mengjie's head drooped slightly as she stared down at her hands. Twiddling with the gemstone ring on her index finger, she whispered in such a small voice that we had to lean in closer: "Gao-dage and I have an agreement. I will allow him to stay beside me disguised as my personal guard for him to complete his mission, in exchange for information about someone that I have been looking for."

"Junzhu, why are you suddenly telling me this?" Fu Wanxi backed away slightly, her tensed arm pushing against me as if warning me to stay alert. "We've just met and I'm a stranger to you."

Liu Mengjie stopped fiddling with her ring and locked her eyes on the young lady beside me. She titled her head slightly as a gentle smile played on her lips. "But I know who you are, Wanxi-meimei. Or should I call you, the Young Miss of Wuchang Manor?"

A collective gasp escaped our lips as Fu Wanxi suddenly grabbed my arm with one hand and placed her other hand across her chest. With a shaky, weak laughter, she spoke slowly: "S-so you've already know my shixiong's identity, and you're in cahoots with him."

"Shhh—" Liu Mengjie hurriedly placed a finger to her lips, her eyes darting about as if afraid that someone from the entourage outside would be listening in. "To others, Gao-dage is just a mere imperial guard who was appointed by my father to protect me. But I know that he is in fact a core disciple of Wuchang Manor. As part of a mission from his sect, he is secretly working for my cousin, the Third Prince. Working for me as my guard is merely a way for Gao-dage to gather intel and carry out assignments. But in return, Gao-dage has promised to look out for information on Sheng Yi and to search for him discreetly."

Fu Wanxi stared at her blankly as she repeated in a robotic voice: "A mission from our sect? So our guess is actually correct? But how could it be that no one has told me about such a mission?"

Watching her expression turn from one of disbelief into one of betrayal and disappointment, I recalled what she had mentioned a few days ago about Wuchang Manor's creeds and values to turn one's back on the allure of riches and power, to refrain from indulging in the passions of mankind and to remain far removed from the clutches of those who weld authority in the imperial court. Having lived a sheltered life under the over-protective wings of her parents, Fu Wanxi knew little about the world beyond her perfect bubble. Those Wuchang Manor's creeds and values that were especially taught to her were nothing but house rules to prevent her from getting killed by her curiosity.

Wuchang Manor was what gave the royal family of Bei Yue their status today. As a mysterious force that lurked behind the scenes, it was a single entity that could make or break an Emperor.

Placing a comforting hand on Fu Wanxi's shoulder, I rationalised along with her. "Shimei, I know that the sect rules forbid us from meddling with affairs of the court. But maybe there is a legitimate reason why Gao-shixiong has to accomplish this mission. For example, the sect's existence is at stake if he does not do this."

Liu Mengjie casted me a glance before nodding in agreement. "Your shijie may be right. Gao-dage did not tell me the reason for his actions, but he did say that he had to do this to protect his family and his loved ones. I'm sure you know that he is referring to you and everyone else back home."

"Perhaps there really is something important that only he can do," Fu Wanxi eventually acquiesced with a little pout.

The horse carriage swayed slightly as it made a left turn off the main road where most of the festivities were happening. As we moved away from the main road, our surroundings became quieter and quieter. Eventually, all we could hear was the sound of the rolling wheels of the carriage and footsteps of the guards outside.

The atmosphere in the carriage was somewhat bleak and I quickly racked my brains for a different conversation topic. "Junzhu, earlier you mentioned that we were headed to a private gathering to celebrate the Moon Festival. May I ask what we should expect so that we won't be disgraceful guests?"

"It is actually just a casual gathering of acquaintances. There will be quite a lot of people mingling and loitering around—and there would not be a separation of genders. Just stick together with me and we will be fine as a group. No one will dare to bully my friends."

"Strength in numbers," I replied with a bob of my head in affirmation of Liu Mengjie's cool attitude. She had just called us her friends!

"There will be snacks and tea, performances and lantern riddles! If you get bored, you can take a walk around the garden. The Murong family puts in a ton of effort and silver to maintain and decorate their Danbi Garden for this annual soiree in celebration of the Moon Festival."

Fu Wanxi's ears perked up with interest and exclaimed with a blush: "That does sound quite fun! I've never been to a social event before. What kind of snacks will there be? Will there be a prize if you guessed the most number of riddles?"

***

At the entrance of Danbi Garden, several horse carriages were lined up orderly as noblemen and noblewomen dressed to the nines alighted before heading through the open gates. Servants of the Murong family rushed about to guide these guests with high statuses into the venue, but not before giving every one of them a domino mask.

Liu Mengjie's arrival seemed to be well-anticipated by the stewards who were waiting by the entrances to keep a look out for the more distinguished guests. A steward ran over to greet us. Liu Mengjie handed over her invitation card as she informed him that she was bringing along three guests in addition to her maidservant and personal guard. With a welcoming smile, the steward simply recorded down our attendance before fetching three more masks for us to put on.

Entering through the gates, we were brought to a huge courtyard hemmed with colourful spherical lanterns. Many tables were set up in the outdoor space in front of a brightly lit stage where a stage play was currently being performed with loud accompanying music. Even though Liu Mengjie had said that both genders were not separated at this event, the young ladies were all seated together around the tables on one side of the courtyard while the young men flocked together on the other half of the courtyard. The steward led us past these tables to one of the empty tables under a veranda. Clearly, this was the section reserved for the VVIPs. The view of the stage was the best from this angle.

"Ah, it looks like my royal cousins are not here yet," Liu Mengjie remarked as she glanced around the empty tables that had untouched cakes and pastries, as wells as undisturbed teacups and wine cups. "Or they may not even show up! Then we can have this place all to ourselves without needing to feel oppressed."

Seeing that we have settled ourselves down at the square table, Li Yan quickly poured the tea and served it to us. I flashed her an appreciative yet apologetic smile and marvelled at her professional attitude in my heart. As she came up beside me and Ruijie, she whispered in a voice low enough for only us to hear: "Just enjoy yourselves. I'm fine, who hasn't had mung bean cake, osmanthus cake or mooncake back home?"

"Substituting tea for wine, let me make a toast to everyone!" Liu Mengjie lifted her cup up with the other hand supporting her elbow, but her hands froze midair as her eyes fell on Ruijie and I. "My apologies, I did not manage to get both your names earlier. I suppose you are disciples of Wuchang Manor?"

"Replying to junzhu: My name is Shi Xiaorui and this is my younger sister, Xiaoyu. We are indeed disciples of Wuchang Manor, and we've been sent to the capital to watch over Wanxi-shimei."

I whipped my head to stare at him weirdly. His younger sister?

"Very well; nice to make your acquaintance, Shi-gongzi and Shi-guniang. Any fellow disciples of Gao-dage is also my friend. After this toast, all of us are considered friends, alright?"

My head immediately swivelled in the opposite direction to look at Liu Mengjie. Shi-guniang?

So, now I was Shi Xiaoyu? Since when had I agreed to adopt Ruijie's family name?

Nudging me with his elbow, Ruijie signalled for me to pick up my cup. I ignored the smile on his face that could have been a smirk and raised my cup respectfully. "Thank you, junzhu, for inviting us to join in this celebration. We wish you peace and happiness on this Moon Festival."

"And may your life always be filled with happy times and may all your wishes come true!" Fu Wanxi added gleefully as our cups clinked together.

Having finished all the desserts on the table, Fu Wanxi started to fidget in her chair halfway through the performance which told the story of Chang'e. She looked curiously in the direction of the giant lanterns in the shape of animals and dancing ladies which brightly illuminated the garden. Just as Peng Meng broke into Chang'e's house to steal the elixir of immortality, Fu Wanxi pointed in the direction of the garden and whispered into my ear. "Shijie, look at those huge lanterns! There are even lanterns hanging down from the trees!"

Liu Mengjie raised her chin which had been resting on her palm with a small chuckle. Although the mask covered half of the expression on her face, her eyes shone with joviality. "Wanxi-meimei, would you like to accompany me over there to admire the lanterns on display?"

"Yes! Let's go over before it gets crowded. Look, there are already people gathering around there."

"Would Shi-gongzi and Shi-guniang like to join us?"

I cringed at the way she addressed me and was about to tell her that she could just call me Xiaoyu, but Li Yan's face-changing performance in the background distracted me. When I looked at her again, she had already set her lips back into a stiff, horizontal line.

"Sure, I'd love to take a walk in the gardens too." I stood up to join Liu Mengjie and Fu Wanxi; but Ruijie politely declined: "Please go ahead. I'll stay here to watch the show."

"Alright, then! Join us too, Yan-er! Gao-dage, you can just remain here—we will be back soon."

The night air was cool with a sweet moist scent of flowers and grass. The lanterns which lit up our path shook slightly, emanating some heat which increased in intensity if we ventured too close. The lights were beautiful but were like poisonous flowers.

Li Yan and I walked slowly behind Liu Mengjie and Fu Wanxi as they scuttled towards a life-sized plum blossom tree lantern. As she could hide her identify beneath the mask, Liu Mengjie became much more free-spirited than she appeared to be back at the veranda. Numerous young ladies also gathered around under the rosy pink glow spilling from the lantern, waiting to be approached by the eligible bachelors who were strolling around with their friends. Young couples walked together in pairs towards the riddle lanterns which hung down from the trees. Liu Mengjie pulled Fu Wanxi along as they moved off to look at the riddle lanterns. As Li Yan and I were about to follow after them, a group of young ladies strayed into our paths. After waiting for them to pass by, we had already lost sight of the two book characters.

"We can just meet them back at the veranda. Shall we walk back slowly—and maybe try guessing some riddles along the way?" Li Yan suggested with a broad grin.

"Sounds good to me," I returned her smile and walked to a random lantern some distance down the path which we came from. Taking the wooden card tied to the lantern, I read the traditional Chinese characters on it. "When it is new, its hair is white; when it is old, its hair becomes black; when it is resting, it wears a hat; when it is busy, it takes off its hat. Guess an object."

"I feel like I've heard this before. Let me guess—umbrella, toothbrush, feather duster?"

I shook my head and looked at the answer on the opposite side of the wooden card. Perhaps it was not as intuitive for us modern folks.

Li Yan pinched the bridge of her nose as a line appeared between her brows. "An obvious hint please."

"It's something that we rarely use these days, but the people here can only use it as their tool—for writing."

"For writing? Oh, I know—a calligraphy brush!"

"Correct!"

Li Yan nodded agreeably as she peered at the answer. "It's a good riddle. Now it's your turn to guess." She examined the questions on the adjacent lanterns before settling on one that she was satisfied with. "Sorry, I could only read the words on this riddle. This one should be easy! Candied bitter herbs. Guess an idiom."

I laughed at the relatability before pondering on the riddle seriously. "Ah, I know this. Shared delights and common hardships (tonggan gongku)!"

"Yep. Also another good riddle. It's too bad that some of the riddles here are about objects or sayings that are obsolete in our time."

"That's true. Our riddles would have been about televisions, computers, names of places and celebrities."

"Speaking of our time, you're aware that when we return back, almost zero time would have passed in the real world, right? I just realised that Li Qin-jie may not have informed you about it because it is something that we are so used to. The mechanism that Shibao Pavilion has is different from the one at Wanshu Lou."

There was a flutter in my chest at the mention of Wanshu Tower, but it was all just a distant memory. "Yes, I was briefed about it. It's a good thing that we can just pick things off where we left off, and it's not like we would have vanished from the face of this earth for a whole week or so."

"I'll have to study for exams when we get back," Li Yan groaned as she slapped her palm against her forehead. "And I'll also have to start looking for a job too. How about you—do you have any plans?"

I sighed deeply as I mused on the question. There were many plans to execute when we return back to reality. Some were plans that I was reluctant to execute. "My family is moving back to Guangzhou at the end of the year. I'll finish my one-year training at the firm next summer and get my qualifications then, so I am considering going to Guangzhou to be with my family... But I'm not sure if it would be a wise decision to make." At the lunch meeting with Li Qin and Ruijie, Li Qin did offer to connect me with a large firm in Guangzhou. But it had seemed like a pretty random offer to me and I did not want my assistance to be based on an exchange of mutual benefits of sorts.

"Well, if you ask me I think that family is very important and irreplaceable while a job can always be lost and found again. Maybe, just follow your heart and do what makes you feel happy. If you have your family's blessings to work in another city, but you don't feel at peace, then maybe staying where you are currently at would only make you more and more miserable. Is there any purpose in that?"

"You're right. I do have to reflect on it quite a bit," I broke off with a tired laugh. "Let's head back to the veranda now in case the junzhu and Fu Wanxi have returned and are looking for us."

*** ***

[1]: Sun Tzu, The Art of War, Chapter 7 (Manouvring): "Let your plans be dark and impenetrable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt."

Author's note:

OMG I've been so involuntarily immersed in the 996 work culture (in fact it's more like 9.12.6 for me... cries) that I haven't had time to edit despite reading through before posting. Also don't have the time to do discursive footnotes, like explaining the Chinese internet slang White/black Lotus, etc. I'll come back to update when I have time! If there are any parts of the chapter that y'all have questions just leave a comment and I'll replyyy

Thanks for reading and for much encourage when comment + like heh :>

[FYI, 996 refers to  working 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. for six days in a row.] lel footnoting is an occupational hazard halp

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