Categories > Movies > Mulan > The Ballad of Li
Chapter 10
0 reviewsChina is under the rule of a new Emperor, whose brutal and excessive rule has brought about famine and suffering throughout the country. Mulan & Shang meet again for the first time in 3 years but t...
1Exciting
Chapter 10
He was even more handsome than she remembered, Mulan decided after sitting in the study and watching Shang speak with her father, a dull ache in her heart. Tall and well-built, broad shoulders, a chiseled profile and an angular face with dark eyes that, when he let them soften, revealed his surprisingly gentle and compassionate nature underneath the stern and stoic soldier's exterior.
Even after her father sent her out of the study and asked her to summon Li Meng-shi and Wang Xiao, she remained standing outside trying to listen. The two men passed her as they entered the room and Xiao wagged a finger at her playfully.
"I won't say anything to your father," he quipped softly before disappearing into the study and sliding the door shut.
Her father had not ceased to surprise her with his organizational abilities, strategic know-how and tactical intelligence. She could now add guile to his list of attributes. He was sly and she understood where his nickname The Fox came from. They had come up with a strategy to protect Shang as well as themselves, a ruse; but it meant lying to Shang, withholding information and detaining him against his will. She considered him a friend even though they hadn't seen each other in a long time, and she hated the idea of keeping things from him especially since there had been a time when she'd deceived him terribly. Although she'd had a good reason for it, a lie was still a lie. It saddened her that in a way she would be lying to him again.
In addition to all of his other talents Hua Zhou also had a profound understanding of the nuances of human nature apparently and was playing on the general's weaknesses, she realized. He wasn't doing it to be malicious or to harm him but to influence Shang, who he felt was confused and undecided, and nudge him toward their side, toward wanting to stick around. She realized that her father had allowed her to go in to see Shang for just a little while in order to entice him and throw him off-balance. Even their short conversation was calculated and staged; he'd left them alone long enough for them to begin to talk and returned to cut off the conversation before it really got started.
She leaped back startled as the door slid open again and Xiao stepped out of the study, sliding the panel closed behind him.
"I'm off," he told her, then added with a wink, "so be good, Jiang Hu."
"Yes, sir," she answered, laughing softly.
"If everything goes well I'll see you in a week or so."
"Good luck, Honorable Wang Xiao."
"You, too."
Mulan knew that he was going to deliver a message to Shang's troop, a message fabricated by her father. If everything went as planned Luo Di would believe that Captain Mao had carried out his mission and that Shang was no longer a threat to him. And everyone would believe that their organization had ceased to exist.
Unable to hear the conversation inside she tired of just standing outside the door and moved off, joining the other students at the tables in the main room. Master Jiang was in the front, working on another banner that most likely contained the next message to be brought to someone else in their network. The room was quiet but for the scratching sounds of etching calligraphy brushes. She went to her seat at one of the tables and began to practice her own characters.
xxxxxxx
Shang easily found the back courtyard where he'd seen the students training. The design of the calligraphy school was very plain and simple, a large, rectangular structure with a separate building several paces away for the toilet. There was a front entrance into the school through a walled-off courtyard and garden with several stone benches, and a rear entrance leading to the back courtyard. He stopped in the doorway and folded his arms across his chest, watching Mulan and her father as they stood by the well at the end of the courtyard in the twilight, deep in serious conversation.
He was still mulling over everything that Hua Zhou had said and what Mulan had told him, as well as the questions that the medic had been asking him.
Li Meng-shi had been asking him about his family. He'd wanted to know if he had any relatives in Taiyuan, or if he knew anyone of importance there named Li. Shang recalled his father talking about a general named Li Jing who was stationed as a minor official there. He didn't have much to say about him; just that he was a good soldier that had served with him in several battles until he was sent to serve in Shanxi province. He'd been given the rank of general at that time.
According to his father it was Zhi-xu that was remarkable, Li Jing's son who was about the same age as Shang. In fact, Shang had a lucid recollection of his father regaling him with stories about this boy, a natural-born swordsman, unusually disposed toward leadership, who excelled at everything. He'd even gone as far as to say that the boy had a special aura about him and was destined for great things. Shang had been somewhat envious of the boy even though he hadn't met him, to draw such praise from his father. Not that Li Kong wasn't proud of his own son; Shang knew he was. But his father never went on about Shang's accomplishments like that, at least not to him.
Shang said nothing about either of these men to Li Meng-shi, merely stating that he didn't know off-hand of anyone special in that area. He didn't know who to trust anymore and he'd decided that it was better to keep quiet than to risk the chance of saying the wrong thing to the wrong person. But he was aware that Hua Zhou was observing him closely despite his serene façade; in fact, he was beginning to suspect that Hua Zhou and his men intended to keep him there as a hostage. He still had no idea where his armor and his weapon were, and when he asked about it the old general had completely changed the subject without answering his question, remarking that he needed to rest more and that Li Meng-shi would take him back to his room and tend to him.
Captain Liang had been left in charge of his troop again most likely when Captain Mao left to trail him. Shang trusted Liang implicitly; in fact, if Luo Di hadn't forced Mao on him and he'd been allowed to choose his second in command it would have been Liang. But he hadn't had a chance to speak with him about anything and he doubted that Mao had briefed him on the situation.
Now Hua Zhou had sent that man Xiao back with a message for Liang, supposedly apprising him of his whereabouts; but Shang had no idea what would be in that message. It made him somewhat nervous; in fact, when Xiao had entered the private room Hua Zhou had merely asked him if he knew what to tell Captain Liang. No specific words concerning the message were exchanged and Hua Zhou's answer to him when he asked was extremely vague.
Absent-mindedly he brought one hand up to his chin and began to stroke it, frowning as he pondered the disturbing events of the past day. He knew that Captain Mao had resented him; and it would have been easier to believe that he'd attempted to kill him because of that. The idea that he had been following the Emperor's order was not only hard to swallow but it infuriated Shang. He was a loyal general to Luo Di! He had never strayed from his duty and every decision he'd ever made was with the most honorable and moral intentions, and in the interest of his country and his Emperor. And yet this man would kill him without a second thought because of his surname and a prophecy?
It made him think of his father again suddenly. Had his death been arranged because of this prophecy, too? That would mean that Wu Di was involved. Needing to physically push away the thought he began to shake his head without realizing it.
"General Li, are you alright?"
He focused on Hua Zhou with a start. He and Mulan had approached without him realizing it and they both stood before him now. It occurred to him that he was blocking the doorway and he stepped aside.
"You look upset," Hua Zhou remarked, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Oh. No. It's nothing."
"Did you have a good rest?"
"Yes, I did. Thank you for your hospitality, sir. And now I've been a burden long enough. I should return to my troop. I just need to retrieve my armor and..."
"I strongly advise you to remain here, General. It would be in your best interest. Don't worry about your troop. Xiao will see to it that your Captain Liang knows of your whereabouts."
His expression was kind and sincere, but movement inside caught Shang's eye and he saw that the front entrance was well guarded by several of the students. He immediately knew that he wasn't going to be allowed to leave.
"You're not a hostage," Hua Zhou said suddenly, as if he'd read his mind. "I know it's hard for you to believe, but we're trying to save your life, son."
He removed his hand from his shoulder and limped past him, disappearing inside and leaving Shang alone in the courtyard with Mulan.
"How's your head?" she asked, eyeing it. Li Meng-shi had removed the bandage already.
"It's still bruised and sore where I was hit. But I'll be alright. I don't think I have a concussion and neither does the medic."
"Oh, good."
"Mulan, earlier today your father told me what you did for me. I wish you hadn't..."
"What are you talking about?"
"You shouldn't have left the palace. You got yourself into trouble and have now risked your life just to warn me. That was..."
She cut him off.
"You don't know everything that was going on there, Shang. And I didn't leave only to warn you," she added, her face becoming a rosy color again.
"What else happened? I know you left after your friend was killed."
"It wasn't just my friend. The atmosphere there is oppressive because his rule is oppressive. And he puts his attentions and efforts in the wrong direction. He has a second capital now and is in the middle of building a third one."
He nodded but said nothing. She was telling him something that he already knew.
"The national treasury is depleted because of it and meanwhile people are starving. They can't make a living anymore. You must have seen it riding here, Shang."
"Of course," he answered, softly.
"Shangqiu is a little better off. My father is of means because of his service to Wu Di, so he's been helping this village to sustain itself."
"Is that how he got involved in this movement?"
"Yes."
He sighed and stared into the distance, brooding.
"For three years I only saw what was going on in the palace, Shang," she added softly. "When I was riding here, it was shocking to see the state that the people are living in."
"I know."
Shang's thoughts drifted to the boy in Zhengzhou again and he felt a twinge of sadness in his heart. He suddenly found himself telling Mulan about the incident.
"General Zhao was right," he remarked when he'd finished the story, disappointed with himself as he thought of the older man's words. "I'm too idealistic and naïve."
"Why? Because you helped that boy?"
"The only thing I accomplished was to buy him another day or two more of struggling. For all I know something worse happened to him after I was gone."
"Shang, what you did was good," she insisted passionately, placing a gentle hand on his forearm. "You showed compassion toward an innocent child and you helped him. You prevented him from being abused because of something that he couldn't help. That's a good thing."
"What did I do for him, though? Gave him two more days of living like a wild animal?"
"You gave him two more days in which he had a fighting chance."
For some unknown reason he found himself confiding in her without even thinking about it. It was strange, especially since they'd been so shy with one another earlier in the morning. But her voice was so comforting and supportive when she spoke that he felt like pouring his heart out to her. And he did consider her an old friend, even if they hadn't seen each other for so long.
He shook his head slowly, attempting to control his emotions, not completely successful at it.
"I'm too soft, and my weakness shows. Maybe you don't see it, but your father does."
She remained silent and stared at him, clearly taken aback. His eye followed her gaze then as it went to her hand which still clasped his forearm and she let go.
"Mulan, I've been stationed at the palace for three years. If Luo Di wanted me dead, why didn't he just execute me when I was there? Why send me away on a mission like this and arrange for someone to assassinate me all the way out here?"
"I don't know. Maybe he needed you to lead the troop. Many of his generals are away, fighting our neighbors that he's waged war on. And we lost many men in the battle to protect our northern border."
"I wonder if this is why my father was killed. Because of the prophecy."
"No, I don't think so, Shang. This is a recent thing. I'm positive that Wu Di had nothing to do with that. He certainly wouldn't have risked an entire regiment and an invasion to kill just one man. That would have been foolish."
Their conversation was interrupted by Hua Zhou clearing his throat. He'd appeared in the doorway again without them noticing.
"My daughter is right. Your father's death was not prearranged by Wu Di. This all started with Luo Di."
xxxxxxx
Training continued that night, but her father changed his plan a little bit and started the students on archery earlier than he'd intended since it had become necessary. There was a limited supply of arrows right now but that problem would be remedied shortly. The situation had changed such that they would be fighting from a distance rather than with swords or hand-to-hand.
Knocking one of the few arrows they had onto a bow, Mulan demonstrated for the others as Hua Zhou instructed them. She was pleased to see that, as rusty as she was, she could still hit the target fairly square on. As each student took a turn, her father helped them with their form.
Archery training was somewhat precarious given their circumstances. Whereas they could keep swordsmanship and martial arts fairly low-key, this exercise was more difficult. Not only did they have a shortage of arrows, but they would be in trouble if a trainee fired too high and shot it over the wall. If anyone was around to see it they would be discovered.
Out of the corner of her eye Mulan suddenly caught sight of Shang, leaning against the back wall of the school and observing them, Li Meng-shi standing beside him. She was relieved that she hadn't seen him before she demonstrated for the students; she was sure she would have completely missed the target in her nervousness if she had known that he was watching her.
She still had serious misgivings about the fact that her father hadn't shared his plans with Shang, and that made her anxious too since the plan involved the general's own troop. Wang Xiao would be with that troop by now and they would attack within the week, led by Captain Liang. It was part of the plan.
He was even more handsome than she remembered, Mulan decided after sitting in the study and watching Shang speak with her father, a dull ache in her heart. Tall and well-built, broad shoulders, a chiseled profile and an angular face with dark eyes that, when he let them soften, revealed his surprisingly gentle and compassionate nature underneath the stern and stoic soldier's exterior.
Even after her father sent her out of the study and asked her to summon Li Meng-shi and Wang Xiao, she remained standing outside trying to listen. The two men passed her as they entered the room and Xiao wagged a finger at her playfully.
"I won't say anything to your father," he quipped softly before disappearing into the study and sliding the door shut.
Her father had not ceased to surprise her with his organizational abilities, strategic know-how and tactical intelligence. She could now add guile to his list of attributes. He was sly and she understood where his nickname The Fox came from. They had come up with a strategy to protect Shang as well as themselves, a ruse; but it meant lying to Shang, withholding information and detaining him against his will. She considered him a friend even though they hadn't seen each other in a long time, and she hated the idea of keeping things from him especially since there had been a time when she'd deceived him terribly. Although she'd had a good reason for it, a lie was still a lie. It saddened her that in a way she would be lying to him again.
In addition to all of his other talents Hua Zhou also had a profound understanding of the nuances of human nature apparently and was playing on the general's weaknesses, she realized. He wasn't doing it to be malicious or to harm him but to influence Shang, who he felt was confused and undecided, and nudge him toward their side, toward wanting to stick around. She realized that her father had allowed her to go in to see Shang for just a little while in order to entice him and throw him off-balance. Even their short conversation was calculated and staged; he'd left them alone long enough for them to begin to talk and returned to cut off the conversation before it really got started.
She leaped back startled as the door slid open again and Xiao stepped out of the study, sliding the panel closed behind him.
"I'm off," he told her, then added with a wink, "so be good, Jiang Hu."
"Yes, sir," she answered, laughing softly.
"If everything goes well I'll see you in a week or so."
"Good luck, Honorable Wang Xiao."
"You, too."
Mulan knew that he was going to deliver a message to Shang's troop, a message fabricated by her father. If everything went as planned Luo Di would believe that Captain Mao had carried out his mission and that Shang was no longer a threat to him. And everyone would believe that their organization had ceased to exist.
Unable to hear the conversation inside she tired of just standing outside the door and moved off, joining the other students at the tables in the main room. Master Jiang was in the front, working on another banner that most likely contained the next message to be brought to someone else in their network. The room was quiet but for the scratching sounds of etching calligraphy brushes. She went to her seat at one of the tables and began to practice her own characters.
xxxxxxx
Shang easily found the back courtyard where he'd seen the students training. The design of the calligraphy school was very plain and simple, a large, rectangular structure with a separate building several paces away for the toilet. There was a front entrance into the school through a walled-off courtyard and garden with several stone benches, and a rear entrance leading to the back courtyard. He stopped in the doorway and folded his arms across his chest, watching Mulan and her father as they stood by the well at the end of the courtyard in the twilight, deep in serious conversation.
He was still mulling over everything that Hua Zhou had said and what Mulan had told him, as well as the questions that the medic had been asking him.
Li Meng-shi had been asking him about his family. He'd wanted to know if he had any relatives in Taiyuan, or if he knew anyone of importance there named Li. Shang recalled his father talking about a general named Li Jing who was stationed as a minor official there. He didn't have much to say about him; just that he was a good soldier that had served with him in several battles until he was sent to serve in Shanxi province. He'd been given the rank of general at that time.
According to his father it was Zhi-xu that was remarkable, Li Jing's son who was about the same age as Shang. In fact, Shang had a lucid recollection of his father regaling him with stories about this boy, a natural-born swordsman, unusually disposed toward leadership, who excelled at everything. He'd even gone as far as to say that the boy had a special aura about him and was destined for great things. Shang had been somewhat envious of the boy even though he hadn't met him, to draw such praise from his father. Not that Li Kong wasn't proud of his own son; Shang knew he was. But his father never went on about Shang's accomplishments like that, at least not to him.
Shang said nothing about either of these men to Li Meng-shi, merely stating that he didn't know off-hand of anyone special in that area. He didn't know who to trust anymore and he'd decided that it was better to keep quiet than to risk the chance of saying the wrong thing to the wrong person. But he was aware that Hua Zhou was observing him closely despite his serene façade; in fact, he was beginning to suspect that Hua Zhou and his men intended to keep him there as a hostage. He still had no idea where his armor and his weapon were, and when he asked about it the old general had completely changed the subject without answering his question, remarking that he needed to rest more and that Li Meng-shi would take him back to his room and tend to him.
Captain Liang had been left in charge of his troop again most likely when Captain Mao left to trail him. Shang trusted Liang implicitly; in fact, if Luo Di hadn't forced Mao on him and he'd been allowed to choose his second in command it would have been Liang. But he hadn't had a chance to speak with him about anything and he doubted that Mao had briefed him on the situation.
Now Hua Zhou had sent that man Xiao back with a message for Liang, supposedly apprising him of his whereabouts; but Shang had no idea what would be in that message. It made him somewhat nervous; in fact, when Xiao had entered the private room Hua Zhou had merely asked him if he knew what to tell Captain Liang. No specific words concerning the message were exchanged and Hua Zhou's answer to him when he asked was extremely vague.
Absent-mindedly he brought one hand up to his chin and began to stroke it, frowning as he pondered the disturbing events of the past day. He knew that Captain Mao had resented him; and it would have been easier to believe that he'd attempted to kill him because of that. The idea that he had been following the Emperor's order was not only hard to swallow but it infuriated Shang. He was a loyal general to Luo Di! He had never strayed from his duty and every decision he'd ever made was with the most honorable and moral intentions, and in the interest of his country and his Emperor. And yet this man would kill him without a second thought because of his surname and a prophecy?
It made him think of his father again suddenly. Had his death been arranged because of this prophecy, too? That would mean that Wu Di was involved. Needing to physically push away the thought he began to shake his head without realizing it.
"General Li, are you alright?"
He focused on Hua Zhou with a start. He and Mulan had approached without him realizing it and they both stood before him now. It occurred to him that he was blocking the doorway and he stepped aside.
"You look upset," Hua Zhou remarked, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Oh. No. It's nothing."
"Did you have a good rest?"
"Yes, I did. Thank you for your hospitality, sir. And now I've been a burden long enough. I should return to my troop. I just need to retrieve my armor and..."
"I strongly advise you to remain here, General. It would be in your best interest. Don't worry about your troop. Xiao will see to it that your Captain Liang knows of your whereabouts."
His expression was kind and sincere, but movement inside caught Shang's eye and he saw that the front entrance was well guarded by several of the students. He immediately knew that he wasn't going to be allowed to leave.
"You're not a hostage," Hua Zhou said suddenly, as if he'd read his mind. "I know it's hard for you to believe, but we're trying to save your life, son."
He removed his hand from his shoulder and limped past him, disappearing inside and leaving Shang alone in the courtyard with Mulan.
"How's your head?" she asked, eyeing it. Li Meng-shi had removed the bandage already.
"It's still bruised and sore where I was hit. But I'll be alright. I don't think I have a concussion and neither does the medic."
"Oh, good."
"Mulan, earlier today your father told me what you did for me. I wish you hadn't..."
"What are you talking about?"
"You shouldn't have left the palace. You got yourself into trouble and have now risked your life just to warn me. That was..."
She cut him off.
"You don't know everything that was going on there, Shang. And I didn't leave only to warn you," she added, her face becoming a rosy color again.
"What else happened? I know you left after your friend was killed."
"It wasn't just my friend. The atmosphere there is oppressive because his rule is oppressive. And he puts his attentions and efforts in the wrong direction. He has a second capital now and is in the middle of building a third one."
He nodded but said nothing. She was telling him something that he already knew.
"The national treasury is depleted because of it and meanwhile people are starving. They can't make a living anymore. You must have seen it riding here, Shang."
"Of course," he answered, softly.
"Shangqiu is a little better off. My father is of means because of his service to Wu Di, so he's been helping this village to sustain itself."
"Is that how he got involved in this movement?"
"Yes."
He sighed and stared into the distance, brooding.
"For three years I only saw what was going on in the palace, Shang," she added softly. "When I was riding here, it was shocking to see the state that the people are living in."
"I know."
Shang's thoughts drifted to the boy in Zhengzhou again and he felt a twinge of sadness in his heart. He suddenly found himself telling Mulan about the incident.
"General Zhao was right," he remarked when he'd finished the story, disappointed with himself as he thought of the older man's words. "I'm too idealistic and naïve."
"Why? Because you helped that boy?"
"The only thing I accomplished was to buy him another day or two more of struggling. For all I know something worse happened to him after I was gone."
"Shang, what you did was good," she insisted passionately, placing a gentle hand on his forearm. "You showed compassion toward an innocent child and you helped him. You prevented him from being abused because of something that he couldn't help. That's a good thing."
"What did I do for him, though? Gave him two more days of living like a wild animal?"
"You gave him two more days in which he had a fighting chance."
For some unknown reason he found himself confiding in her without even thinking about it. It was strange, especially since they'd been so shy with one another earlier in the morning. But her voice was so comforting and supportive when she spoke that he felt like pouring his heart out to her. And he did consider her an old friend, even if they hadn't seen each other for so long.
He shook his head slowly, attempting to control his emotions, not completely successful at it.
"I'm too soft, and my weakness shows. Maybe you don't see it, but your father does."
She remained silent and stared at him, clearly taken aback. His eye followed her gaze then as it went to her hand which still clasped his forearm and she let go.
"Mulan, I've been stationed at the palace for three years. If Luo Di wanted me dead, why didn't he just execute me when I was there? Why send me away on a mission like this and arrange for someone to assassinate me all the way out here?"
"I don't know. Maybe he needed you to lead the troop. Many of his generals are away, fighting our neighbors that he's waged war on. And we lost many men in the battle to protect our northern border."
"I wonder if this is why my father was killed. Because of the prophecy."
"No, I don't think so, Shang. This is a recent thing. I'm positive that Wu Di had nothing to do with that. He certainly wouldn't have risked an entire regiment and an invasion to kill just one man. That would have been foolish."
Their conversation was interrupted by Hua Zhou clearing his throat. He'd appeared in the doorway again without them noticing.
"My daughter is right. Your father's death was not prearranged by Wu Di. This all started with Luo Di."
xxxxxxx
Training continued that night, but her father changed his plan a little bit and started the students on archery earlier than he'd intended since it had become necessary. There was a limited supply of arrows right now but that problem would be remedied shortly. The situation had changed such that they would be fighting from a distance rather than with swords or hand-to-hand.
Knocking one of the few arrows they had onto a bow, Mulan demonstrated for the others as Hua Zhou instructed them. She was pleased to see that, as rusty as she was, she could still hit the target fairly square on. As each student took a turn, her father helped them with their form.
Archery training was somewhat precarious given their circumstances. Whereas they could keep swordsmanship and martial arts fairly low-key, this exercise was more difficult. Not only did they have a shortage of arrows, but they would be in trouble if a trainee fired too high and shot it over the wall. If anyone was around to see it they would be discovered.
Out of the corner of her eye Mulan suddenly caught sight of Shang, leaning against the back wall of the school and observing them, Li Meng-shi standing beside him. She was relieved that she hadn't seen him before she demonstrated for the students; she was sure she would have completely missed the target in her nervousness if she had known that he was watching her.
She still had serious misgivings about the fact that her father hadn't shared his plans with Shang, and that made her anxious too since the plan involved the general's own troop. Wang Xiao would be with that troop by now and they would attack within the week, led by Captain Liang. It was part of the plan.
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