Out in the garden, the young men had found many places for their amusement. With no respite from rain, some were setting up places to compete in their archery skills in sprawling gardens. While some in a quiet little pavilion – standing tall beside a pond, marbled balustrades framing its perimeters, marble steps constructed ingeniously to submerge a great deal into the pond water – sat discussing today’s event.

  They were some twelve young men – dressed quite peculiarly from the rest who had come to visit Weijia. For one, none of them had taken off their fur lined cloaks, or even made themselves comfortable by taking off their woolen mittens, caps and hanging weapons on their chest and their waists –swords clung, sheathed inside their silver scabbards, while a few daggers could be spotted in plain view. A young man had even brought a spear, a golden bell tied to it would ring whenever he moved with it. Altogether, they made quite an odd spectacle.

  A round cap, fur lined at rims, covered their head and their hair, braided in a single braid hung low down to their hips. None of them wore a hair crown. Apart from their peculiar hairstyle, the insignia embroidered over the top of their caps looked strikingly noticeable. It was a magnolia shaped flower circumscribed in a violet circle.

  The day was murky; its pitter -pattering showers and soft breezy caresses constantly chilled their faces. For a few, nothing flickered past to entangle their somber gazes; the weather could hardly save their small talks.

  How could the melancholic murkiness of a wet, sullen day be any good to praise and speak of any auspicious word? How could the nostalgic air that seeks solitary reprieve be a nice thing to observe upon, especially in the midst of that medley of jubilation that surrounded them? The occasion was such that no proper sentiment could be translated into words – the observations were broken, intermittent and scathingly bland. As such, all of them decisively lingered outside in the pavilion longer, forming their own small group cut out from the rest.

  The moss-covered marble pillars, the green-stone pathway leading into shrubbery full garden and leaning willows in their poised elegance, a pond spread close-by at the feet of pavilion and ripples that formed therein at each falling raindrop...puddles reflecting gloomy piece of gray sky…many eyes took it all in and raised a warm cup of tea to their lips. “It’s a beautiful place ––. Green and gray, and hundreds of other enchanting hues. Introspection draws one’s heart closer to itself, and now look – a magnificent feast to a solitary eye.”

  “I agree - it's not all that bad. This Jinghai. If it weren’t for Wei Yize’s coming of age ceremony being so out of proportion, we could have enjoyed this trip a lot better. Ah –For one, imagine if it was just a random gathering – this place could have made a perfect place to read some poetry.” Yu Mingyang observed, drawing his sleeves closer together. He stood beside the stone steps descending down into the pond, his white boots almost touching water, but he seemed unconcerned with whether they remained dry or not.

  A few standing closer to him followed his gaze, and saw the green pond, with blooming purple lilies and white lotuses. Each droplet of rain pierced the water like needles, and endless round ripples merged- and then emerged like answering echoes from the bottom. The mist rising from the dark buildings surrounding the pond at faraway opposite shore, seemed to be rolling over the water surface.

  It was a poignant moment.

  Luo Chen finally broke the long spell of silence. “Most definitely -yes. This rain, as bothersome as it is, seems to be made just for this place. Just this scene - how moving is this? I should have brought my brush and ink.”

  “Damn, we forgot so many supplies back at school! Only if they had told us we would be gone for so long – I didn’t even bring my favourite set of knives! Can you believe that?!” Yu Mingyang exclaimed angrily. He took off his cap to fully show his elegant forehead, and then after shaking it a few times, wore it again. “I’ve been separated from my babies for almost fifteen days now. I just want to go back to the academy right away! If only they let us do what we wanted for once.”

  “Right now, we don’t even understand why we are even here. Doesn’t that bother you more?” Luo Chen amusedly asked, rising from leaning against the nearby banister. “Anyways, don’t tell me now – I know you don’t care that much. I am bored – Does anyone have a fun anecdote they aren’t embarrassed to share? The rain is not going to let us go anywhere, and we are almost stuck here– for better or worse – together for quite a while so let’s talk. After all, everyone comes from the same academy, and is familiar with everyone else. An Jin, how about you – nothing to say today? Sui Mo?”

  “If you put it this way, wouldn’t they have to come entertain their senior brothers – is this how you make requests to your juniors? Have some shame Luo Chen.” Yu Mingyang chastised his friend and then instantly turned towards another person standing close to him and said, “But, Sui Mo here, was talking about a really interesting thing while we shared the carriage. Ask him if he is ready to tell you that – I bet you’ll like it!”

  “Senior brother Yu! I was just randomly talking about some useless things; you don’t want me to share those embarrassing things here, right now?” Sui Mo exasperatedly retorted but then sighed when the others started encouraging him to go on. “Okay, okay, I see. I will say. It’s nothing much – I was just talking about how the editor of “Peony Pavilion –Tales of strange Lands and Beasts” seems to have changed recently – if it was a man named ‘Bamboo Gentleman’ before, then now it’s someone called ‘Empress Orchid’. I just wanted to ask if anyone also thinks that the new editor is a woman or not. It isn’t all that interesting…”

  “No, it is. I also saw this the other day but didn’t think much of it – some authors have weird quirk about naming and it can hardly ever show what they are in real life. Didn’t the journal just recently publish a story about a creature called ‘shadow beasts’ who live in the depths of the Boundless ocean? Now when you put it this way, it’s really strange.” Luo Chen replied. “The style has definitely undergone significant changes – if I am correct in my estimates, this was also the first time they used a detailed description of an underwater beasts in their essays. But why do you think the editor’s a woman –?”

  As if finding a small opening, a few of them started talking.

  There was much to be dwelt upon – strange tales and incidents, all the popular news or one related to academic discussions, or which angry teacher was beginning to get worse and which sword style suited them best at that moment.

  Perhaps owing to the fact that some embarrassment of a sudden meeting had wafted away, the air heated up and the topics were skillfully maneuvered towards more colorful alleys. Many other onlookers joined in the conversation. Soon from the original group of four, the strength grew to seven and then eight.

  Everyone had something to say about it.

  What else could substitute such perennial topics as swords and warriors, but maidens and their beauty, their virtuosity, and their characters? And so, they talked about that. Did someone hear anything new from the scholar who released that pamphlet called ‘Most Influential Beauties of Dajin’? Was there a mention of the capital city, and its several newly acclaimed accomplished women? Was there someone in it who was completely a surprise? Were they in a relationship, engaged or married?

  “They always lie nowadays – over there in these books from the capital! You know the capital people rarely acknowledge other beauties who come from elsewhere. They will have you believe that the rest of Dajin is just full of one-eyed maiden, who breath fire and eat men, ugly hags with bulging noses and flesh bursting out of their seams. It is their selling point at this point – call everyone ugly enough and then highlight the local maidens to make every capital-dweller buy it more enthusiastically. What do you say happens when someone actually falls into their illusion? Does such an idiot even exist?”

  “The world is so large that you cannot definitely say there aren’t. But I guess at least the ones written by outsiders are better. Now all of them share the same titles for beauties – no originality like before, but this, more people get to know how to appreciate this aesthetic better. And you cannot deny why they would do that – it definitely adds to their credibility.”

  “Names? The name given did great justice to beauty Wei, the title White lotus certainly suits her.” Luo Chen smiled light heartedly, as he pulled his crimson cloak covering his broad shoulder together, and leaned closer towards the pillar, leaning backwards for support. He looked at the tall young man draped in a silver, white fur lined cloak – Yu Mingyang and said listlessly, “There is some strange innocence in her eyes - I cannot clearly explain what. But when we met today, she felt like that pristine bloom gently cradling morning dew in her heart.”

  "His highness the second prince really appeared at the most opportune time. Before the flower could fully bloom in the spring, it was plucked off. Alas! What can one do but raise a toast to a missed fate." Yu Mingyang turned to catch the fleeting expression of loss reflected on his friend's face. He didn’t dwell on it, just lowered his eyes.

  "Nothing unusual to me.” Someone quipped up from the other side of the pavilion. “In fact, I had long expected something of this sort. With such caliber as he has, nothing short would have suited the status of either of them. Or why do you think people swear by the ‘White Lotus of the Western Mountains’? Not even the ‘Peony of the Imperial City’ so celebrated due to her noble heritage and great learning, could ever match Lady White Lotus in her grace! And I also heard that beauty in the capital is actually a childhood friend of his highness. Despite being so well learned, she was never betrothed to him, why do you think that is? He has good eyes, I tell you."

  “You talk of Miss Wei, I assume, when you all call her the lady White lotus. I still don’t understand, what is this about those titles? Who keeps a record of these, and who even decided to come up with that?” A boy sitting with his ankles in the nearby pond with the soft shower wetting his cloak's rims looked up.

  Sui Mo immediately rolled his eyes at him and took a sip of his warm tea.

  An Jin still continued his dialogue, saying, “Come on! Don’t tell me it's common knowledge. How could it be unknown to me if it were so popular – or a common knowledge so to speak – as you claim? All day long, there is someone calling Miss Wei the “White Lotus” and there just happens to be another one – I don’t recall this lady’s name in particular but it goes something like, “The Orchid of Lone Mountains” and whatnot. Flowery titles. Although they sound poetic and quite figurative, who has so much time on their hands to dwell on these things to choose all of them? It exasperates me. That is such a confusing way to remember someone, if you ask me.”

  “It’s not for someone like you, at least. All day long, all I see you doing is nothing but plowing through those endless piles of texts of yours. You don’t go to assemblies, never attend an informal meeting with the seniors – and you claim to know what is in vogue or common knowledge…are you kidding? Fine, good for you – you make a good scholar. But please don’t expect others to be the same as you, alright? Normal people read normal things and people like you –? It’s better for you to keep reading stuff in which not even a simile, nor metaphor comes even once. Forget allusions to aesthetics and sentiments – do they even write of those? Just don’t talk as if you know what poetic expressions even mean, brother. You don’t know anything of the sort. How could you know what "The White Lotus of the Western Mountains” means? Don’t pretend or you will only embarrass yourself, An Jin. We know what stuff you are made of.” Sui Mo’s scathing reply left An Jin speechless for a while.

  A few of them burst out laughing.

  “I do actually come across such expressions more often than you would guess.” An Jin tried to explain himself. “My books that you call dry are not that dry actually – they have a different sort of beauty.”

  “Right – only a drunkard can feel the essence of his drink, that exhilarating sip to his tongue.” Luo Chen interjected light heartedly.

  “No, but in all seriousness brother Mo.” An Jin asked, changing the topic, “There must be a book you all refer to - right? A kind that names these beauties in such a high-handed manner? Because if it was a spontaneous act of agreement, you wouldn’t all just come together to think of the same title, would you? Let’s just say it happens in one case, but what about other such titles? It cannot be true for all! That can only mean that there is an author of these titles, and naturally, a book too. Why didn’t you ever show it to me –? Are you ashamed of it, brother Mo? Tell me, have I deduced this problem correctly?” In his anticipation to know, An Jin dragged out his wet ankles and started dragging his friend to sit down over the carpet, his arms reaching over his shoulder in a half-embrace.

  “Ah! You are such a pain!” Sui Mo exclaimed as he tried to wrestle his body away from his grip. He used a fist to punch An Jin, but as if An Jin peered through his intentions from his side-eyes – he countered with his own and captured the fist in between his open palms.

  “Not today, An Jin.” Sui Mo shook his head.

  “Why not – a few fists. Look, you started this now, come on brother Mo, let me judge the efforts of your practice these days.” An Jin crouched, his palms still clutching Sui Mo’s fist. His back was tense, pulsing with the rigidness of an arrow ready to be released.

  They looked at each other for a moment – then they both broke into a flash, An Jin trying to fight against oncoming fists, and Sui Mo using his taut muscles to get a hit.

  Where An Jin flew fluidly like water, flexibly moving and hiding from all the fists aimed at his main bone-points, all of them if properly hit would break a bone with a loud crunching sound; Sui Mo was like a freed up beast, propelling his hands against all forces, appropriately seeking and hitting– again and again, like arrows aimed precisely at its target– he judged all open weakness with his narrowed eyes and captured the rhythm to land a hit.

  But An Jin was equally lithe – he always managed to slip away at the last moment like a slippery eel.

  “This is good! I really don’t feel bored anymore.” Luo Chen squatted down, watching the ongoing scuffle with a mirthful eye, taking out his white hand-fan and waving it on his face a few times. Yu Mingyang stood beside him equally amused.

  “Now, now – show him Sui Mo. Land a few hits, and we’ll take care of the rest.”

  “Come on Sui Mo – your ‘tiger palms’, make them a bit harder. You’ll get him before he escapes.”

  “Right – it’s a good opportunity! He always annoys us with his flexibility. Get a hit and avenge your seniors!” A few of the onlookers hollered and joined in the fun.

  “There he goes again – a kick, a kick. Get him!”

  Sui Mo rounded a kick towards An Jin’s shin. Before it could reach and break a few bones on his face – An Jin propelled himself against the pillar, rose up in the air and rotated a few times to evade, and then fell back a few meters away from Sui Mo. He crouched down and looked concentratedly at Sui Mo, preparing to attack again –

  Then they started exchanging close-fists. An Jin was still fluid, and his fists equally unpredictable. Sui Mo exchanged a few serious moves. They both didn’t break out in sweat – neither did anyone hear a single pant.

  Others kept cheering at this turn of events.

  Finally, it was Sui Mo who exasperatedly lowered his hands and straightened up, saying, “That’s enough. It's not like you can bully me into confessing something so untrue - okay? You are always so eager to pounce – don’t tell me you want to compare the swords next?”

  An Jin stood up laughing, rubbing his neck shyly, “No, I am not. And this is not bullying brother Mo – thank you for the guidance! But can you still tell me which book it is?”

  An Jin continued to drag Sui Mo down, till they were sitting down over a thick carpet. A spread of platters full of desserts and small tea-cups and their refills lay together held in porcelain jars. Another brazier burned close by.

  “Now, An Jin, let's stop here. Okay, I confess. I did hide it from you in the beginning. And no, there is nothing shameful about it! I just thought you wouldn’t be interested in these things so it didn’t matter whether you knew of it or not. I just didn’t want you to report me wasting my time in such activities to teacher Li. You can be a passive tattle-tale at times you know. Especially when you start chattering about things you like - or as in this case, dislike.”

  “I do not! Don’t hide things from me - I really never go telling all your secrets to everyone, you know. When we go back to Imperial Academy together, you can show it to me there. I don’t think you have brought that book with you, have you?”

  “No, of course not! How can you even think of that-!?”

  “And this pair has successfully derailed our conversation. Just like always.” Luo Chen whispered to his companion, snickering at others' antics. They too were now sitting over the carpet, leaning against the pavilion marble pillars. “They are good – teacher Li wasn’t lying when he complimented them. Their fists complement each other.”

  “Undoubtedly – a hard and soft style. If they can learn to balance each other’s edges they will form a good pair. This season of the Academy's Martial art competition has a group fight. What about inviting these two to form a group?” Yu Mingyang looked serious.

  “It’s a good idea – I’ll ask them before we go back…”

  After some while, Luo Chen couldn’t help but discuss something different. “Second prince’s entourage hasn’t arrived yet. Something must have happened to them. They would have reached before the ceremony began, but there is no sign. It's already noon - what do you think might have happened to them? I don’t think any of us has even received a letter of some sort?”

  “There was a landslide in Shijiazhuang, I think. It's a small town a little away from here. I heard my old man talk about that on the way here, I forgot to tell you. If anything, he must have gone there first to survey the disaster struck area. He will arrive here, if he has time. Of course, official duties are more important than a brother-in-law’s coming of age ceremony.” Yu Mingyang said. “I still think this Wei house has made too much out of a personal ceremony – even my sister’s wedding wasn’t this elaborate and mind you, she was marrying the newly titled number one scholar of that year! I just don’t know why our teacher’s thought of sending all of us here first. Accompanying the prince doesn’t seem to explain the right intention…” Yu Mingyang whispered.

  Although the others around the two seemed to be engrossed in their own conversations, many ears were listening to them. A few even stopped their own conversations, lowered their voices to hear some more.

  “Ha -! Look at who’s talking? As if brother - as if that could ever be true. You know more than that. I know you. Tsk.” Luo Chen said, laughing a bit. “You cannot stay still till you have got your hands around those juicy details, or some nice gossip before you let anything rest. You don’t seem restless to me, right now. It can only be that your old man slipped something more in his drunken stupor last night, did he not?”

  “Fine! I will tell you then. It's hardly any big secret, alright -?” Yu Mingyang bent down and took up a piece of dessert, completely unperturbed at being seen through.

  “There just happens to be a plan for us in store. Are you happy now? Indeed, there is! I kid you not when I say this. But the plans are not for here. We are to catch up with another entourage, and join them in the exploration of the ‘Mysterious Mountains’ of Jinghai down south. For whatever reasons, we are to tag along with them. I only know this much. You know my old man seems to talk a lot when he is drunk, but actually, he will never say more than he really can let others know. Even if I make him drunk like a drowning horse, he will still not talk of those official secrets with me!” Yu Mingyang explained nonchalantly.

  “At least you do know something.” Luo Chen tilted his head distractedly, while he drank some more warm tea to drive away the chills. “It’s a funny business, ha! Our grandfathers won’t talk, our fathers are silent. But they all treat us like some porcelain dolls, always fussing about something or the other. I haven’t talked to my father so much in eighteen years of my life as I did these past three months! And that says a lot about them, doesn’t it?”

  For some while, they both stayed silent.

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  “It stinks of mystery. I don’t like it. But what were we talking about? That ‘White Lotus’ thingy, An Jin?” Here Luo Chen raised his voice to an eavesdropping An Jin, taking him aback. Although a little startled, An Jin raised his drooping head doggedly and met Luo Chen eyes as if to affirm while rubbing his nose in embarrassment.

  “As you guessed, it is indeed a book. ‘Three thousand blossoms’ - is what it's called and is kind of a long running series. Definitely a classic, mind you. The author has been running it for five decades now, and has remained anonymous for all this time. So, you know it's old. And mysterious. Even my father used to secretly read them, when he was our age - maybe your father’s might have done that too. My mother would always become angry whenever anyone recalled a certain young maiden’s title, you can guess why.” He chuckled a little and then continued, “It came out in a recent volume, the ‘White Lotus’ thing. Dajin, Daxia, Qi, Jing, Xia, Wu, Samhan, Oserthim… every known nation on our Tianxin continent, and their countless beauties were put together and then each ranked in a single list of some hundred people. They called it their special edition - if I am recalling it right. So, the competition was brutal. You can just imagine its reach among us young people and popularity, especially with maiden’s – many will die just to see their names coming up in there for even once in their life. Someone tried to dig a little deeper into who the author was, but to his surprise found nothing – so, he went and wrote an article for the weekly pamphlet for scholars. Now some people think it’s a complete organization to be able to reach out into so many places, while others hold the opinion that the author must be a well-connected adventurer – a Jianghu person. But it’s really funny to guess what their original purpose can be – if they are a powerful organization that is. That's like hitting an egg with a sledgehammer – completely disproportionate. What can you do by recounting names of beauties of a certain place and of a certain period, make a marriage brochure out of them? If someone does have so many resources at hand, why don’t they use it for something else?”

  He didn’t look too amused when he summarized the events.

  “How can Senior brother Luo be so sure that they actually don't do something on the side? They might as well be running a secret alliance somewhere, funded by the sales of these books. What if what everyone thinks is a silly project of searching about a maiden's name and qualifications, assigning them a title – they are, in fact, doing something underhanded in secret and just pushing this book out to make money to support their actual cause?” An Jin interrupted. “There are so many things that someone of their caliber can actually do. Don’t you find it strange that people still haven’t found their real purpose in all these years? Or who the author actually is?”

  “Or,” Sui Mo interrupted suddenly, “you are over-reading into it. They can just be a few merchants who travel all around and hear of ‘beauties’ from the people they come in contact with. And it does sell, doesn’t it? People of all kinds buy into the fuss, and purchase the book. Just think about the profits. Many merchants will go to the farthest point of Samhan if needed, if they could be sure that something of this sort sells and sells fast. Let’s not let our imaginations run wild, shall we?”

  “A good point.” Luo Chen said, looking ponderous. “But let’s talk about something else. We have been in Jinghai for some days now, almost a fortnight. Apart from seeing the actual ‘White Lotus’ and making an acquaintance with her this morning, have you found something interesting? Heard any strange tales-?”

  “What do you have in your mind? Like something other than soggy legs, weather-beaten bodies and continuous rain? If there was anything that could succinctly describe being here in Jinghai, these are the right words, I tell you. I have never been to a land as wet as this place in my life!” Yu Mingyang retorted.

  "What about murder? Will that be too macabre of a topic for present?” A boy joined in.

  “Definitely, but who cares. If it's between us, and no words go about, why not? Let’s talk about that.” Luo Chen replied looking at the few faces that had come closer together. They were all from the same Imperial academy - and there was no outsider at the moment. Although some of them had only come to Jinghai for the first time in their lives – there were still many who were originally from this place. The speaker, Ji Si, seemed to have had something to do with Jinghai, either his father or grandfather was in the local governing body.

  “I heard, there was a maid found dead in her ladyship’s courtyard. I don’t know if it’s true. It was all the rage of town a few days ago. A very brutal death – everyone says she looked paper-white, almost sucked off of her…insides.”

  “Which ladyship?” An Jin perked up. “Amazing. A murder. Go on, tell us who was murdered? Who is this lady you speak of?”

  “Who else? That white lotus, of course. The one by whose purity everyone swears by. Who would have thought that such an event would come out from the backyard of such an accomplished woman?” Before Ji Si could reply, he was interrupted by another gravelly voice.

  An Jin looked up at the slowly rising head of the speaker. He wasn’t familiar with this person, Song Muchen.

  He was from another group of senior-most Scholars, quite different from his own small circle of acquaintances – at least their group had never been as well renowned or popular, as the one in which Song Muchen belonged to. If he remembered correctly, many of the Second Prince’s closest confidantes were in that group. Many people seemed to be coming closer once they saw who was speaking. They walked around and then sat in close proximity, as if quite interested in the talk. Now almost all the twelve members were sitting in close proximity.

  “A maid got murdered. A waiting maid who had accompanied the lady Wei growing up. What happened- how do I know? Heard some rumors that some secrets were spilled? What was it about – nothing that will see the light of the day in my opinion. But a washerwoman seemed to have been dragged to the Yamen a few days ago. She was yelling about how her sister-in-law was innocent and she had only talked of something when she was drunk; maybe it was the same case.” Ji Si continued to explain the events, supplying to each question put to him in a single breath.

  “Ah -! I was there! I was just in the opposite restaurant pavilion facing the Yamen. But I thought they were dragging a mad woman to do away with her – she didn’t look right. I even heard someone swear that she was just a lunatic.” An Jin recalled. “I searched a little deeper into it – because I have seen mad people, and she struck me in particular. I don’t know how, or why. But I went around and heard a little. Guess what? Her whole family had suddenly committed suicide like a mass hysteria took over them. It was said that they were all very heartbroken by the sudden sinking of their small business – the woman’s father-in-law was a tofu seller – with no one in the family left to support them, they could only seek death to avoid poverty – sounds horrifically made up. It will not take a genius to see that there was something fishy going on behind the scenes. Senior brother Song, do you know more about this?”

  “I don’t know, unfortunately.” Song Muchen spoke languidly, sighing in between and then drawing out his words in slow, clipped tone. His eyes though seemed to have dulled, unfocused as if chained in a reverie. He turned his head to look at An Jin who had addressed him and replied. The focus of his eyes made An Jin feel awkward – but he still heard him say, “Only that the maid in waiting, was of lowly birth. No one cares if she died an unjust death, even I or any of us sitting here. I mention it because she was maid to her ladyship – the eternally pure, ‘White Lotus of the Western Mountains’ and we people usually don’t associate such an accomplished lady to deal with their subordinates in such a high-handed manner. That's it.”

  “Senior brother thinks it was a punishment served out by her ladyship? Why? Is it a hidden secret that none of us can know of?” Someone prodded on. “Come on – have some faith in us, Senior brother Song. We won’t spread rumors. What we hear will always remain in our hearts.”

  An Jin agreed wholeheartedly. He was nodding his head while looking around.

  “I don't know if it will help satiate your curiosity, but someone spoke of how the maid was found gossiping, right? That is correct information actually. Maybe it might have been the cause of the incident.” Here he lowered his voice, taking in a white jade cup from the serving platters and filling it with some hot tea.

  After he had taken his time, seeing the growing anticipation in the eyes of his audience, he began in his nonchalant tone. “There used to be a daughter of Lord Wei, something Hua, some kind of flower was in her name. Quite like lady white lotus. Beautiful. Skilled in four arts and could even talk down the scholars who taught her in the Clan school – an accomplished scholar and a worthy teacher of his time himself. Never heard of her elsewhere and I doubt any of you even know of her. I heard she was more beautiful than the purest of the snow, had hands that could paint worlds so mesmerizing the world wondered at its sublimity. That is a tall claim – but the Duke of Weizhou seems to have collected some of her works before – but again, no word about such an accomplished woman elsewhere.”

  Song Muchen stood up from his position and walked up to the nearby balustrade, he seemed to be gazing at the rippling waters of the pond.

  He left others pondering over this strange person they had just heard of. Perhaps even a bit about his strange state of mind. As many, if not all, had seen his disturbed expression. The company descended into silence.

  “Tales, I say, some made up story resounding in the market among commoners. It has that crass element in it." Another voice barged in, finally ending the suffocating silence. “How could such a famous person remain unknown? It's almost like a fairytale, an apsara descending from heaven and then vanishing. Like, think about it. Even a fairy leaves behind a legend about herself, after she is no more in this world. How come, we have never heard of this person? And she wasn’t that far away from our generation either.”

  With his lips taut in an unbelieving smirk, Yu Mingyang remained silent, as he picked up the kettle and began to pour himself a serving of tea. He nudged at Luo Chen who seemed to be deeply thinking of something. They both looked at the grim looking Song Muchen – who suddenly looked increasingly mad about something.

  “Yes, it's too far-fetched. She must have a name in the “Three thousand blossoms” at least? Did she, brother Song?” Luo Chen addressed the standing figure.

  “No, she definitely doesn’t. I sent my servant to look into that.” Song Muchen didn’t turn to see who addressed him, “He said, there was no title in that generation from Jinghai or Dajin. ‘White Lotus’ seems to be the only earned title in years that came from Jinghai. And don’t talk of being obscure –You heard me talk of her description from the commoners. She was anything but an obscure character. This amnesia regarding this daughter of Weijia seems rather a characteristic of the nobles and affluent people. The commoners talk a lot. And this makes it still stranger– that a maid who had accompanied the lady for so long would be silenced just for talking about a dead woman, about whom many other mouths can speak at random all over the place and whenever they want to. As if they are hell bent on keeping the secret hidden from all noble eye, and ears.”

  Song Muchen walked up to his friend, a little drunkenly and sat beside him. His friend extended a cup of tea and pushed it into his hands, while asking - “You seem sure that is the reason she was killed for?”

  “Kind of. Some insider’s let this slip and I agree. And all that maid’s relations are dead – except that mad woman. Then the direct link is still with the backyard of Eldest miss Wei.”

  “But like you said, brother Song, it doesn't make sense. Killing someone just to keep an open secret?” Someone in the crowd restated.

  “It might be a common secret that everyone agreed to not talk about – a taboo. Something ignominious would have happened for that to occur, but it's not like our old men don’t put restrictions on people, all the time.” Unknowingly it was Sui Mo who came a little closer to the truth. “Just don’t let men and women in noble houses talk about it. Then it eventually becomes a dark spot, with no common memory. What does it matter that common people know of this or not - in a generation or two, they too will forget all about it. Imagine if we hadn’t heard of this…maiden here, who of us would be even interested in searching her stories up in the midst of commoners and what they thought of her? For us the crass taste of commoners, our perceptions against the authenticity of their words would really keep us away from ever truly believing a tale so far-fetched. Who would have let us know of her existence to begin with? It's definitely taboo.”

  Saying this he rose up and went away.

  “But apart from the mysterious death of a servant, that woman’s disappearance, doesn’t that make you wonder? About what kind of disaster she might have caused to become a taboo? Taboo…a very precise description…I wonder.” Song Muchen, sitting beside the shadowed youth, drawled as he twirled the porcelain cup in his hands while leaning half-heartedly against the pavilion wall. He had left behind the tea, and taken several gulps of wine. It hit his throat and his nose. His head was swimming by now. “I cannot help but wonder.”

  There was something in that strange pronunciation that made everyone suddenly stop talking altogether. His strangely unfocused eyes, his weird smile or the strange way the light seemed to fall on his pale face – the gray of the foreground seemed to seize him in its hold and steal away all emotions.

  “The downpour is becoming heavier…” Luo Chen turned away his head and observed silently.

  All of them had been sitting down on the carpet spread against the marbled floor of the pavilion, many silver platters full of porcelain cups and kettles holding mellowest wines and best of the tea in them ladled there, accompanied by flower shaped pastries put in small servings. A vine of white button rose swept towards the eaves of the pavilion roof, overarching with the bougainvillea's – a breathtaking mix of white and red.

  "Where must she be? Where must she..." Song Muchen sighed in a sing-song manner, as if he hadn’t heard a sound coming from elsewhere – he pretty much was too engrossed in his heady recollections.

  'Lie dead,' he completed the sentence in his heart while thinking, 'as she deserved.' Perhaps amongst the weeds, unknown, forever haunting a mound of forgetfulness. Just like in people’s memories, forever sealed – until someone brought it out to enrich a stale conversation over dinner tables.

  There was something strange in Song Muchen’s eyes that was forbidding them from dwelling further into that topic. A few of them even rose up and walked away to escape the depressing atmosphere. Of the few who stayed, many refused to take part in the conversation while others simply began to pick up pastries, or pour tea and wine.

  Yu Mingyang, although refrained from reaching out to Luo Chen, they both were frozen in their places and just kept nibbling at the small piece of cake for a long time. Everyone seemed to have realized that the beauty might as well have aroused a very personal recollection in this young master Song Muchen’s mind. No one wanted to touch this landmine and simply excused themselves away.

  "Ceased to exist. Poof! Disappeared." Seeing no one ready to talk, Song Muchen animatedly swung the empty cup, his eyes crinkled with amusement. He was pretty much drunk out of his senses. His friend snatched away another cup he was reaching out to.

  But he still kept saying, "As if the world had never known a person like her. Don’t you find it interesting? Just like the son of the Rong’s called Rong Chen? You might have never heard that Minister of Royal Affairs, old Master Rong, had such a son, have you? Someone who died a shameful death under his horse’s hoof –! Puch! Isn’t that hilarious! A good horseman who had spent fifteen years on the battlefield, dying under his beloved horse’s steps, his head smashed to pieces, his hands pulled off – is there a better insult than this?! A promising warrior fell off the horse and fell so steeply that there was left none of his ashes, nor a memory to recall in people’s mind! Just like we never heard of a Cuihua from Weijia, we might never hear of a third young Master Rong. Nor many other innocent, innocent faces…Can you believe it? The eldest Master Rong - Rong Shiwei swore that he would have Wei Houyu's head to appease the soul of his dead brother. Such empty words had never been spoken in the history of the world! What do you say, my friend? Indeed, it's a taboo - like many forgotten people, they too have been forgotten. Or how else could these hypocrites tear into the profit, without minding the shame! The Rong’s will eternally be brothers of Wei and Song will join in this party too – with no sense of shame or honor!"

  In reply, the shadowed youth, his friend, chuckled and raised his hands to get a cup of wine for himself. He had very pretty eyes, which were now glinting in the mist. “Calm down Muchen - it’s not like it's the first time such things have happened. History is littered with such instances – So many people…have been buried like this, it's difficult to keep count.”

  There was nothing but silence in the gathering. Everyone was too embarrassed to continue in this all too personal talk but no ear was not silently eavesdropping on this unfolding play. All of them could see that a pain nerve had struck Song Muchen's heart.

  “Interesting…observations. Fate, history and Taboo- these words do strike a chord.” An Jin hardly felt shame in joining with his thoughts.

  Many exasperated eyes winked at him, but all that went over his head as he kept prattling out his own observation. “I cannot help but recall our history, senior brother Song. You were quite right when you talked of this specific…attitude. Who cares what happens later when the victim was but a servant? But for us – who dwell on the decorum, the righteousness of our motives, a small servant losing her life is no news – how strange is that? What is news instead is that she had been attached to someone, who did eventually with her class and rank, make a mere servant memorable for everyone. I don’t condone murder, as I don’t condone the hierarchy that we so deliberately emphasize in Dajin. Our ancients didn’t live like this –! If a murder happened in a certain backyard, or it happens to have long implications for our society, then shouldn’t it be brought forth to light? Like any case of a commoner attempting murder would have been. But we hide it under wraps of courtesy and common decorum. Since when did etiquette become the chain that wouldn’t let us chase justice instead? Our forefathers didn’t envision the justice to be served only to a few, but does everyone here even know of this? That the great ‘Moral code of Dajin people’ doesn’t stem from nobility, but was given by a great farmer sage – who would have never condoned the hierarchy we support today. Did any of you know that?”

  “I don’t agree with this observation. You are seeing this one-sidedly. There is injustice everywhere in the world. Many things get convoluted as time passes. As for hierarchy – how could our forefathers be unaware of order and structure? Hierarchy is a natural order - our inclination. Any society will be in chaos if they do not have the precept and order to follow.” Yu Mingyang argued.

  “Senior brother Yu is correct – order and structure are important for a peaceful country. But imagine, a land where everyone could gain respect after contributing something to the country. The land was for those who tilled and gave others food, farmers were honored. There was nothing like merchants being shameful, money loving usurers and traders! In our times, it’s only the Nobel men who have the right and privilege to enter the halls of honor and be eternally praised. The sword which once used to belong to the blacksmith – till he parted with it on his own terms, is now a commodity with a value attached to its head! As a swordsman, we cannot imagine not owning it. But our forefathers never owned a sword, they borrowed. From their masters and creators. That is why ‘The Sandstorm’ will always be Lu Ming’s, not the actual swordsman, Huang You who was a Brave hero and respected the sword and sword-maker!”

  “That kind of society can only be endless war and strife.” A person tutted and said, “With no one aware of his boundaries or his duty to fate and destiny. True, our ancients never had the classes like we do now– but they had distinctions in the family –didn’t they? When Nuwa set out to make humans, though the soul was noble for all, some of the humans were truly born of humble soil while others of a finer kind! And they were given different roles. Heaven is for us all– commoners and nobles alike, but the roles we, nobles are born to play are different from that of a commoner.”

  “But Nuwa was no goddess of our ancestors! Another piece of information not many in Dajin seem to have forgotten! It might have been for those in Daxia, but Dajin always believed in a Mother goddess –!” An Jin replied heatedly. “The seven-day churning of the ocean in mother goddess’s womb that became the amniotic fluid, out of which sprang out Tianxin, and other continents - her sons and daughters - or the forging of souls in the water of Star filled River, or adorning our soul with flesh of Soulless Soil. Where do you see our ancestors differentiating amongst themselves? We were all born from the same river, our bodies from the same soil!”

  “Stop quoting something that our scholars no longer believe in! What are you even reading, An Jin. Are you sure it's not some heathenish account of Nuwa’s creation?” The same person rolled his eyes.

  “You won’t believe that this is a tale that all our people believe in senior Hu – all the commoners in fact. Only we nobles, take Nuwa’s creation of us as the truth! And completely forget that there is another story - older and much nearer to our forebears’ own beliefs.”

  “Let’s save this discussion for later, shall we? Those in the gardens are having some amazing games. I am going out with Luo Chen. Care to join us?” While rising on his feet, Yu Mingyang interrupted the talk that was going nowhere.

  “You go. I will join later along with Sui Mo.” Though An Jin looked disappointed, he didn’t hold Yu Mingyang back.

  “We will wait for you then.”

  With that An Jin too stood up to join Sui Mo, who sat at a little distance, away from the crowd, his feet dangling in the cold water, his pants raised up to his knees. He was looking lazily at the rippling water, the nodding heads of blooming lotuses and some of their pods. A shy fish broke the surface and jumped.

  An Jin sat beside him, then similarly immersed his ankles into the water. They didn’t talk. But An Jin saw this friend giving furtive glances at the two chatting lads in the back. Master Song seemed to have regained his earlier bearing. Or some of that.

  “I forgot.” It was Sui Mo who opened up this time, although his voice was almost inaudible. “I had a nanny from Jinghai. Growing up, she would talk a lot about this place. There was this major, major thing that happened here in Jinghai in the past that even my nanny had to be sent back. No one talked about it. I actually eavesdropped on my mothers and her maid’s conversation, but I forgot what it was all about. I wouldn’t have recalled it if it wasn’t brother Song acting all so weird. Song Muchen's aunt… was once engaged with the erstwhile third son of the Rong's who was crazy for beauty, Wei CuiHua, the youngest sister of Master Houyu. The strange thing is that - someone kidnapped Wei CuiHua and she is still missing, most probably dead. And it wasn’t a single kidnapping case either – it was a horrific chain of ten such cases with the perpetrator being never found. Soon the third son of Rong’s also died in an accident. Song Muchen’s aunt committed suicide…A bloody tale of love that left everyone dead... Don’t guess me wrong, I didn’t know the names of course, not many things were clear when I first heard them as a kid – but later when I turned fifteen, I secretly met with my nanny to know how she was doing or why she had left. She was good, had earned enough money to settle down – my parents, you know, are not that hard-hearted on their subordinates. She had no qualms in sharing what had caused her termination. It was there I finally chained my memories of childhood to actual, real names and events.”

  “Yes…it really doesn’t sound like something our parents would readily talk of. It cannot all be far from the truth. I did actually know of a family feud between the Songs and the Rong’s of Jinghai. It’s quite common knowledge in the capital.”

  A cautionary tale. But for someone who had someone close linked to that story -? They both whispered amongst themselves, seldom looking at the man who was engrossed in his wine cup, Song Muchen.

  A voice suddenly broke everyone’s deliberative silence.

  "The auspicious time has arrived; the ceremony is going to start. Do you want to meet with Wei Yize before he begins the ceremony? I think some of you haven't gifted him yet. Let's go, I’ll show you the way." Rong Yichen, who was a well-known figure in the Imperial Academy, stood a few steps outside the pavilion – holding an umbrella. At this moment, he bent his head to lean in while facing his friends and inviting them out, unaware of the little incident that had soured everyone’s mood.

  "Yes, the auspicious time." Song Muchen spoke with sarcasm filling his eyes, but still didn't move. Rong Yichen gave him a puzzled glance, but no one came forward to explain.

  "We should go." Somebody finally spoke and rose up taking the lead.

  “Do you have an extra umbrella – I think I forgot to bring mine.”

  “I’ll ask a maid to bring one. You wait here.”

  Silence reigned and the sound of footsteps could be heard faraway.

  Soon the twelve young men filed into the well-lit Hall. They followed the crowd and soon merged in the flow of introductions and greetings.

  The congratulations rang one after another. Laughter melted into cheers and toasts of wine. The elders had left the aisle for the youngsters to have more fun. Soon the rain stopped and the garden was separated into two portions and the rhythmic files of maids and servants began from the inner chambers arranging colorful delights that tasted as heavenly as they appeared to be.

  Mesmerizing dishes and charming laughter of men and maiden, mingled in the air. The banquet wasn't silent till late night, when the house once more descended in its gloomy appearance. As if the merrymaking had been but a part of the silent mourning that was still enduring on.