FicWad

Chapter 9

Filled with great concern for the general, Mulan trotted after her father and the others as they carried Shang into one of the empty rooms and set him down on the straw mat inside. Hua Zhou noticed her presence and approached, prodding her out of the room with a stern expression.

"You don't want him to wake up and see you."

A part of her did want that, and she wanted to stay there and drink in the sight of him, too; but she obeyed her father and left the room reluctantly, knowing better than to behave that stupidly. Still, she could do something to help him. She fetched two wooden buckets from the pantry and hurried out to the courtyard in back. They would need water to clean his wound and he would no doubt be thirsty when he woke up.

She ran to the well and filled both buckets with water, then brought them inside to the kitchen and filled a large bowl to bring to the room where Shang was laid out. Arriving there she found that he had been stripped of his armor, and her father and the other men stood over the general arguing quietly.

"Mulan," her father began sharply when he saw her.

"I brought water," she explained, setting the bowl of water down in the corner of the space. "The wound needs to be cleaned and he will need to drink when he wakes up."

Before he had a chance to speak again she darted out of the room and retrieved some towels and a cup. Her father took them from her when she returned with them and indicated for her to get out. With a sigh, she stepped out into the hallway and closed the panel behind her, sealing off the space; but she remained standing outside, listening to them argue, hoping they would cease soon and start treating Shang's head injury and other wounds.

Several minutes later the panel slid open again. Mulan jumped and quickly stepped away, but it was too late. Her father stepped out of the room and saw her.

"I just wanted to see that he's alright, Baba. He didn't see me."

He sighed deeply and beckoned for her to follow him to the private study.

"We know that the Emperor sent Captain Mao to kill him," she began. "He can't go back to the Imperial City, with or without me. He'll be executed just like the others."

"I know. Li Meng-shi is treating him now and I have to decide what the next step should be. The men in his troop will come looking for him when they realize he never returned tonight. Also, he knows that you and I are here."

She looked at him, surprised.

He nodded. "I'm sure of it. The general came to scout out the school tonight. His captain followed him and Wang Xiao followed Captain Mao. I have no doubt that General Li found a way to spy on us and therefore must have seen both of us training these men and women."

"Maybe I should talk to him," she suggested. "Things are different now, Baba. He can't go back to the Emperor."

"You shouldn't get your hopes up about him, Mulan."

"He's married, Baba, and it has nothing to do with that," she insisted. "It's just that I'm the one that saw everything that was going on in the palace. I can give him details."

"As I already said, I will decide what the next step should be. We need to see what he does when he realizes where he is."

"We confiscated his sword. He can't cut my head off."

"Even if he had his sword, I don't think he wants to kill you anyway."

xxxxxxx

Disembodied voices surrounded him, fading in and out. Shang tried to open his eyes to see who they belonged to, and to view his surroundings, but his eyelids, his whole body felt too heavy.

"You should never have brought him here, Xiao," a gruff male voice scolded. "His troop will come here looking for him."

"I had to. His camp was too far from where we were and he needs immediate attention. Besides, I don't think..."

".../what's done is done." This voice was more mature and the man sounded familiar. "And you're right. He may have died by the time you got him to his camp."/

"Why should we care?"

"Mulan."

"I brought water..."

".../to clean the wound. Good."/

"Leave everything to me. We will need to treat the cut on his head and he may have a concussion. Once his wound is tended and I'm sure that he's not in any danger, maybe we can move him."

"Back to his camp?"

"Or back to where you found him."

"What about the other man?"

Somewhere in his brain he knew they were talking about him, but the sounds seemed to reach him through a haze and his mind was in a fog. After a moment the voices began to fade out completely and everything went black again.

The sensation of something cool on his forehead brought him to his senses again. There was a damp cloth spread across it, he realized. Bewildered, he blinked up at a young man that knelt beside him, apparently tending to his wound. The man couldn't have been much older than he was. His head throbbed and he groaned, the memory of the blow that he'd received from the hilt of Captain Mao's sword flashing across his mind.

He had never thought the captain hated him enough to actually trail him and kill him.

"Easy now," said the young man who was bending over him. "You received a nasty blow to the head."

"Where am I?" he asked, weakly. His throat was parched and his eyes felt like they had dried out as well.

"You're in a safe place, General Li," he answered, removing the cloth from his forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm very thirsty."

His head was suddenly being lifted and supported and a cup had been brought to his lips. Shang lapped up the liquid, beginning to feel a little better as the water went down his throat. The man helped him to lie back down when he'd finished drinking.

"You know my name. Who are you?"

"My name is Li Meng-shi. You don't have fever," he remarked. "That's a good sign."

Shang opened his mouth to ask more questions, but the young man worked so intently that he found himself refraining from speaking. He watched him work for a short while, then, tiring, he closed his eyes. Images of the events that had occurred before his altercation with Mao flooded his mind. He remembered perching on the roof watching as Hua Zhou was teaching the students to fight and become a force of rebellion, and seeing Mulan dressed as Ping again, helping to train these men and women. He would have to deal with the situation, but not now. He felt too sleepy all of a sudden and he drifted off into slumber before he realized it.

Li Meng-shi was gone when he woke again, more aware now and able to take in his surroundings. He found that he was lying on a low pallet, in a small space surrounded by transparent screens. He reached up and gingerly touched the spot where he'd been hit, his fingers finding the material of the bandage that the medic had applied.

There was a bandage on his right arm, too, he noticed suddenly, remembering the wound that he'd received from Mao's sword when he was taken by surprise, attacked from behind. The events of the night came rushing back to him again. The arrow in Captain Mao's chest. Mao had intended to kill him, for a reason he didn't know yet. It couldn't have been simply because he resented taking orders from him. Had the Emperor sent him for this? Is that why he'd forced him to take him into his troop? He couldn't believe that. His captain was dead now; he'd seen the blood flowing from his neck, where his sword had landed. And an arrow in his chest. Someone else had been there.

With a start he realized that his armor had been removed and he was only wearing his trousers and tunic. He sat up too quickly and brought his hands to his temples to steady himself as he was hit with a tinge of dizziness. He glanced around him. His armor and sword were nowhere in sight.

Helping himself to his feet he swayed slightly for a moment as he stood. He regained his balance and moved forward slowly, toward the screen that he saw would slide open. He stepped out of the space, his socks the only thing between his feet and the cold floor, finding that he was now in a long narrow hallway lined with enclosed quarters similar to the one he'd been resting in. He heard voices at the end of the hall and walked slowly toward them.

He found himself in a large sunlit room which he recognized to be the work area of the calligraphy school. The old master was there, seated at a table with the medic that had been treating him and another more mature man that Shang didn't recognize but who seemed familiar somehow.

"Where is Honorable Hua Zhou?" he asked, stepping into the room.

The three men started and Li Meng-shi rose and came toward him.

"General Li, you shouldn't be up and about."

"I want to know what happened and who brought me here. Where is he?" he demanded firmly, shaking Li Meng-shi's hand off of his arm even though he was beginning to feel somewhat lightheaded and unsteady again.

The man that seemed familiar rose to his feet now and came around the table.

"I will answer your questions, General Li, but you must sit down before you fall down."

It was a relief to take a seat in one of the chairs at the table. Shang rested his head in his hands. He knew that it was ludicrous for him to be up and about, but he had to get some answers.

"You must be thirsty, General. I'll get you some water."

Li Meng-shi disappeared down another hall, returning a few minutes later with a pitcher of water and a cup, which he filled up.

"Thank you," Shang said, sitting up and gratefully accepting the cup that was held out to him. He sipped slowly.

"I am Wang Xiao," said the third, previously unidentified man.

"Xiao," he repeated, remembering that he'd heard that name when he was only half-conscious. "Are you the one that brought me here?"

"Yes. You received quite a knock to the head and you were bleeding."

"You...did you shoot that arrow and kill Captain Mao?"

After a moment of hesitation he nodded. "I've been watching Captain Mao for the past two nights."

Shang stared at him in astonishment.

"Hua Zhou asked me to look out for you and to watch Captain Mao's movements. He expected that the captain might try to harm you."

Questions filled his mind and he remained speechless for a minute, not knowing where to begin.

"He expected it?" he finally asked. "How could he know?"

Xiao shrugged.

"Well," Shang began, dejectedly, "thank you...for your help...against Mao."

"It was nothing, General."

The man looked so familiar but Shang couldn't place where he'd seen him. He found himself studying him carefully.

"You must be hungry," the old master spoke up, forcing Shang's attention away from Xiao. "Let me arrange for some breakfast for you. Follow me. There's a private room where I will see that you are served."

Shang followed the master to the private room, puzzled as to why he needed to be served in private. He was led to a study with a table and chairs. The master gestured for him to have a seat and stepped out of the room again. Hua Zhou appeared several minutes later and Shang rose to greet him.

"Be careful, General. You seem to be a little unsteady still."

He approached the table and took a seat beside him as he lowered himself back down into his chair.

"My troop will be looking for me."

"First we must talk. I will send Xiao back to your camp with a message."

"The men will know he doesn't belong there."

"He's been in your camp for two days watching Captain Mao. He was told to say he was a messenger from General Zhao in Xiayi if he was asked," Hua Zhou explained.

The young general stared at him flabbergasted. The former general seemed to know about everything that was going on and he suddenly wondered if Zhao had actually been in contact with him.

"You spoke to General Zhao, sir?"

"No, General. But some of my men ran into him on an errand in that village."

"Sir, when you said that things would be difficult and I would be fighting my own countrymen, I never believed that it would be you."

Hua Zhou rested a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I know that."

"I don't understand. You were one of Wu Di's most trusted generals."

"And greatly honored to be able to serve my country and my Emperor. But the definition of service to one's country is somewhat ambiguous during these turbulent times."

"You sent Wang Xiao to watch my captain and protect me. Why would you do that if you knew that I might move my troop against you when I found out that you...were a rebel?" He could barely bring himself to say it out loud.

"Baba, is it alright if I come in now?" a soft feminine voice interrupted from outside of the room.

"Yes."

Shang's head snapped around at the sound of the voice and he blinked in disbelief as Mulan stepped into the room carrying a tray with his breakfast. She was dressed in a man's trousers and tunic, but her shoulder-length hair was loose now and a natural blush spread over her cheeks as she glanced at him. It had been three years since he'd seen her and he noted that her face had changed; she had bloomed. Her features seemed more womanly, her cheekbones more defined, her lips redder and fuller. She was beautiful and alluring, even in man's clothing.

"Are you feeling better, Shang?" she asked, her face full of concern.

Recovering from his initial shock he nodded, still staring at her transfixed.

She set the tray down on the table and poured out two cups of tea, handing her father the first one and him the second one. She placed a bowl of congee and a spoon before him and a large plate of sweet rolls in the middle of the table.

"Thank you," Shang said softly.

Taking a seat on the other side of her father she helped herself to a roll and a cup of tea. He watched her as she took the cup in small dainty hands and brought it to her lips to sip some tea then lowered it again. She kept her eyes either on her tea or on her father, seeming to avoid his gaze on purpose.

"I believe that Xiao already answered some of your questions, General Li," Hua Zhou spoke up, drawing Shang's attention away from her.

He nodded, shifting his focus back to her father. "Yes. How did you know that Captain Mao would try to harm me?"

"The Emperor forced you to take him as your second in command because he was sending him to kill you."

"That occurred to me before...but I can't believe that. I don't understand why..."

"As I told you, he's killing people with the surname Li. It's been going on for months."

"Because of that ballad you told me about?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes."

"I don't believe it. Over a song?"

"It may only be a song and it may even turn out to be meaningless; but many people believe that the song is about this prophecy and, more importantly, Luo Di believes it," Hua Zhou added. "And he's trying to prevent it from being fulfilled. Xiao said that he heard your captain say that he was following orders."

"He didn't say whose order."

The retired general patted his shoulder in a paternal manner. "I know it's hard to accept. But I honestly believe that Captain Mao was acting under Luo Di's order." He gestured to the bowl of congee that sat untouched in front of Shang. "Your breakfast is getting cold. You should eat, General, and regain your strength. Then we can talk more."

Shang tucked into the food in front of him while Hua Zhou finished his tea and stood up, heading toward the door. He and Mulan shared a meaningful glance that Shang couldn't interpret at all, then he left the room.

"Did you make this?" he asked softly when he'd finished the congee, setting the spoon aside.

"Yes," she answered, a flush coming to her face again. He suppressed a smile that began to come to his lips involuntarily as he stared at the rosy tint in her cheeks. She gestured to his cup. "Would you like more tea?"

He nodded. "Yes, thank you."

She lifted the teapot and refilled the empty cup that he handed her. He wanted to ask her when she had decided to accept the position as Wu Di's council and what she'd been doing for these past three years but he didn't know where to begin. And the mutual shyness between them made it more difficult.

"How have you been, Shang?" she began awkwardly, attempting to break the ice first.

"Okay," he began, stopping to clear his throat nervously. "I...I'd been stationed in the Imperial City until I was sent here. I didn't realize that you had accepted the position to serve on Wu Di's council."

"He summoned me about three months after I returned home. Chi Fu was on a diplomatic mission to the west. It was an honor to be asked not just once, but a second time. I couldn't refuse."

"I thought I saw you a couple of times, but I never caught up to you. I thought...I was mistaken."

"I was there when you were made a general."

"You were?"

She nodded and smiled slightly.

"I'm glad I was able to see you get your new commission. You deserved it."

"Thank you."

She fidgeted nervously and he cleared his throat again, uncomfortably.

"Mulan," he began hesitantly. "Why did you flee from Luo Di's service? Did you come to help your father?"

"I didn't know my father was involved in any of this until I got here. Shang, I saw whole families brought before Luo Di and summarily killed when I was there. The one thing that they had in common was they all had the surname Li. My friend Li Tian-mu was killed along with his family. He was a loyal councilman who served Luo Di's father for years; he did nothing to deserve execution."

"And you think that it's because of this ballad?"

"It's all because of this prophecy and the ballad that tells of it. You have to believe that."

He shook his head slowly, disbelievingly. "Did you leave the palace because of the ballad?"

"No, I never heard of it until I arrived here. I left the palace after Li Tian-mu was killed because I figured out that all the victims had the same surname. Only I realized the connection too late to save him," she answered somberly, her eyes lowering.

"He was a friend of yours?"

"Yes. My only friend there."

"I'm sorry."

He remembered what General Zhao had told him about the other councilmen and officers calling her the /'young man'/. This man must have been the one person that didn't do that.

"Mulan, I...," he trailed off. It was in his mind to tell her that he knew that she must have had a good reason for her actions and that he didn't want to harm her; but saying such a thing would be unwise, it would be showing weakness. And for all he knew, she and her father were just manipulating him for their own purposes, making up this crazy story about a prophecy and Imperial executions of people that happened to have the same surname as him. Given that it was one of the most common Chinese surnames, the Emperor would have to kill close to three-quarters of the population of the Middle Kingdom. The whole thing seemed ludicrous.

He suppressed a sigh and took another approach.

"You know that every general out here has orders to either kill you and bring your head to the Emperor or bring you back to Chang'an to be executed there."

"If you do intend to carry out my punishment for fleeing his service, you can't be the one to go back there with me, Shang. It will mean your own death sentence."

Shang stared at her in amazement, trying to fathom why she would even care what happened to him if he was going to be the one to carry out the Emperor's order. Her voice was urgent when she spoke and there was worry in her eyes. Her concern for his well-being seemed to be genuine. The realization disarmed him and he didn't know how to respond.

Hua Zhou returned a moment later, rejoining them at the table, and Shang never had the opportunity to answer her. The father gestured to his daughter and Mulan stood up silently and left the room.

"Honorable Hua Zhou, I...I'm the Emperor's general. I don't want to fight with you but I don't want to disobey my orders..."

"I understand. But you also have to consider your own safety."

"Thank you...for looking out for me, sir. And please forgive me if I seem disrespectful, but this story about the song seems implausible to me. My surname is very common. I find it hard to imagine that Luo Di would be trying to kill everyone with the name."

"Everyone of importance with the name," Hua Zhou corrected him. "Ministers, military officials."

"Still," he began dubiously.

"You believe that you're being manipulated." There was understanding in the old general's eyes. "But you must know that I wouldn't do that to you. And neither would Mulan."

Shang released a slow, soft exhale.

"She knew you were coming here before she left the palace, General Li, and she came here to warn you."

He blinked at Hua Zhou in disbelief. "Did she say that?"

"Not in so many words. But she didn't have to. I know my daughter."

Shang fell silent, at a loss as to what to say or think now.