Joy of Life

Shangjing was lively today, as the envoy’s arrival had been greeted by the presence of several hundred people. In the midst of these proceedings, the Northern Qi Kingdom’s officers and fellow Brocade Guard had to step aside to clear a passage, and with great respect, kneel to the discourteous walk of one woman in particular. “Greetings, Lady Haitang.”

Haitang’s eyes were swollen and it looked as if she had not slept much the night before. With her hands tucked into her large pockets, she yawned and brazenly asked, “What the hell are you guys doing here?”

An officer, with great haste, stood up and ran toward her to say, “In accordance with the decree, we have gathered here to welcome the arrival of the southern Qing Kingdom’s head diplomat, Fan Xian. But a guard in the employ of Fan Xian will not inform his master of his allowance to enter the palace.”

Brocade Guards and officers from the Office of the Grand Herald stepped forward to declare their desire to meet Fan Xian.

Haitang appeared unaware; she did not seem to have any knowledge of the events that had transpired within the capital for the past two days. With widened eyes, she asked, “Why will the guard not inform him?”

Tiger Guard Gao Da knew that the women before him was an important person to Northern Qi, despite her rugged apparel that suggested a countryside upbringing. What he found most curious, however, was that during the time that the delegations had been within Shangjing, Fan Xian had been spotted with this woman numerous times. It was because of this, he decided to approach the woman and with a deep voice, tell her, “Mister Fan drank too much yesterday and is now unwell. He is resting now; do not disturb him.”

Haitang groaned and quietly said, “I’ll go take a look.”

After this, she walked up the envoy’s entrance. She had visited the envoy in search of Fan Xian on numerous occasions and therefore Haitang had become a frequent sight for the others within. Seeing her stoutly march in, Lin Wen, who stood upon the stone steps, felt slightly concerned – but he did not dare to stop her.

Tiger Guard Gao Da sought to protect his master and so he frowned, firmly grabbed the hilt of his blade and impeded Haitang’s advance by stepping in front of her. “Miss Haitang... Hrm!”

He was at a loss for what to say, and thus his words trailed off at the end.

Haitang did not respond and instead simply turned around. The cloth shoes she wore did not leave the ground and they made a grinding noise as she spun. All of a sudden, for reasons he did not understand, Haitang had appeared behind Gao Da.

Gao Da thought to cease her passage by a demonstration of the zhenqi that he possessed but for some reason, his ability to do so had been suppressed. Being unable to release it, he shook his shoulders as a look of anger warped his face.

Haitang smiled, turned around and lightly slapped his shoulders. The expressionless, unconcerned face that Haitang had previously displayed now gleamed with life. “Fan Xian and I are friends. I am sure that my presence, no matter the timing, would bring him much joy.”

When her hand touched Gao Da’s shoulder, the contact imparted a soft, gentle, and comforting warmth.

Gao Da slowly closed his eyes and drew his longsword. He fiercely spun it around before driving it three inches into the pavement, scattering shattered cobblestones across the ground.

Gao Da was an incredibly menacing and highly-talented fighter, but even his skills paled in comparison to the dexterity of Haitang. And her identity was one of importance, which put him at a further disadvantage.

As such, Gao Da was unable to commit to doing anything which might have stopped her. He was at an impasse, but was still firm in his desire to not allow Haitang to visit Fan Xian alone. Thus, Gao Da grimaced and decided to accompany her, as she continued her staggered walk toward the courtyard.

The Brocade Guard and their fellow officers of the Northern Qi Kingdom, however, knew their place. They did not follow, but they were keen on having Haitang inadvertently confirm whether or not Fan Xian was in the area.

“Good morning, Lady Haitang.” The words were slightly garbled, revealing the presence of a man who was in the midst of brushing his teeth with a ridged instrument. It was Wang Qinian, and he appeared in a corridor in the courtyard that Haitang would have to pass by. Wang was close to Fan Xian, and as such, he was a person that Haitang had seen many times.

Haitang smiled in response, but acknowledged that Wang was simply seeking to slow her advance. She wasn’t in a particular hurry, so she decided to engage Wang in conversation. “What are you holding in your hand?” she asked.

Wang Qinian pulled the tool out of his frothy mouth, showed it to Haitang and laughed before saying, “Fan Xian invented this. It’s a toothbrush.”

“Toothbrush?” Haitang asked, with a confused expression. “It’s to brush your teeth?”

“Yes.”

“Why don’t you use willow sticks?”

“Because these things are wonderful! The brush is soft and delicate.” Wang Qinian realized that he had taken the toothbrush out of his wretched mouth and displayed it directly to Haitang. After noticing how boorish this act was, he quickly pulled it back and apologized.

Haitang gave a wry smile, stroked her hair and then proceeded forward. Seeing her departure, Wang threw his bowl and toothbrush to his assistant and quickly followed after her. For a man who was almost forty, he was as spry as rabbit. As he followed Haitang, he continued talking to her, explaining that Fan Xian had gotten drunk the night before and was still resting. He then pleaded that she return later.

Everybody who saw Haitang that morning knew she was on her way to see Fan Xian, for nobody could think of another discernable reason for her appearance at such an early hour.

Off the corridor that the two walked along, a figure dressed in white began walking toward them. Haitang took notice of this person and turned around, a glint of frost showing in her eyes. As she did this, she exclaimed, “It’s you, Mister Yan!”

Yan Bingyun could tell that this apprentice of Ku He was in a foul mood this morning. Even though he had already been released by the Brocade Guard, Yan Bingyun always made sure to stay out of sight and avoid the fleeting potential that he may aggravate or annoy any of Northern Qi’s civilians or officers. Right before he was arrested, Haitang was returning to the palace. She met him once when he was masquerading as a scholar and, as such, this reunion left Yan Bingyun feeling a little awkward. He silently retreated.

Looking at the wooden door that appeared to be shut tight, Haitang frowned and raised her hand in an attempt to push it open.

Even though she was a friend of Fan Xian, to barge beyond a door like this would be considered extremely inappropriate. Wang Qinian was taken aback by what she was planning to do, and so he decided to spring in front of her to halt her. As established, he was quick on his feet, but he was not fast enough for this move. A strong wind picked up and before he could get in front of Haitang, the door swung open with the gust.

Wang Qinian was sweating profusely, unsure of whether or not he could prevent her from finally reaching Fan Xian.

Haitang delicately glanced over at the bed inside the room and then told Wang Qinian, “Mister Wang, you can go back now.”

Wang Qinian did not move.

A harsh and cold voice emanated from someplace within the house and said, “Wang Qinian, you can indeed go back now.”

Wang Qinian took a deep breath and joy returned his eyes once more as relief washed over him. He bowed and responded with “Yes, Mister Fan!”

Haitang stepped inside as the door closed itself behind her. She was not at all surprised, and the manner of her stride suggested she was in no hurry either. She approached a teapot that was set upon a table, poured its cold tea out into a cup, and had a sip. She then sat on a stool beside the bed.

On the big bed, Fan Xian was resting with the duvet upon him. His face was pale, but he managed to raise a smile. He gazed at the crass woman who had just sat near him and a brief while later, he said, “You can keep watching me like that, if you so wish.”

Haitang raised her hand to suppress a yawn and then said, “If Empress Dowager hadn’t asked me to come here, do you think it would bring me pleasure to gaze upon your early-morning unpleasantry?”

Fan Xian laughed and responded, “I’m not fond of how I look either. That being said, it is far from ugly.” He looked down and said, “She’s not ugly either.”

Fan Xian pulled back the duvet to reveal a woman with black, silk-like hair resting upon his chest.

“Been drinking in a brothel, day and night have you?” Haitang averted her eyes and acted as if she had not seen the woman upon his chest. She yawned once more and said, “She’s not that pretty, anyway.”

“Are you going to keep looking?”

“You haven’t tried to stop me.” Haitang smiled.

Following this tense exchange, it was Fan Xian who first began to feel uncomfortable. He ended up saying, “Could you please turn around for a moment? We should allow this lady in my arms to get dressed with a modicum of privacy.” He calmly continued: “You may not have to respect me, but you should at least respect this woman. There is no need to embarrass her.”

When the courtesan had gathered her things, she turned to face Fan Xian with a look of dismay. The gleam in her eyes conveyed a look that was both shy and salacious at the same time. Then, she went to bow before Haitang before exiting and leaving the two of them.

Fan Xian continued to lie in bed, with his hands placed behind his head, unconcerned about showing his naked torso to Haitang.

Haitang wasn’t one to blush easily, neither was she one to feign a reaction. She had no intention of complaining and thus paid no heed to the naked young man before her. “Do you have any idea of the events that have transpired within the capital these past two days?”

Fan Xian, for but a few brief seconds, was startled. He quickly retracted his reaction and began smiling, “Ugh. I have no intention of engaging in a formal conversation with you. I have been in Shangjing, so of course I know. A lot of Shang Shanhu’s men were killed and Xiao En was killed by your people. I believe your mentor will be very happy, so I suppose congratulations are in order.”

Haitang was still staring at Fan Xian with a gaze that grew increasingly intimidating. Fan Xian, however, didn’t seem to acknowledge that anything was amiss. With a continued smile, he said, “Not bad. I knew this was going to happen. So, to avoid any suspicion, I have had to lock myself within the envoy for the past two days. I hope you understand.”

Haitang was unsure about whether or not his words were ones of sincerity or deception. But earlier, in the courtyard, Wang Qinian had attempted to slow her approach. This would have given Fan Xian enough time to prepare, and nobody knew why Haitang had been willing to allow this.

Since Fan Xian was here in the mission, she knew that she wouldn’t be able to get any confession out of him. Though he seemed like any other young, handsome Southern official he was in actuality exceptionally rigorous in how he carried out his tasks, and she wouldn’t be able to catch him if he were lying.

Haitang stood up and returned her hands to her pockets. Then, all of a sudden, she began to deliberately eye Fan Xian’s naked body. Through use of his zhenqi, Fan Xian mendaciously feigned a blush.

Haitang began smiling and questioned, “Why are you blushing?”

“I am simply feeling energized.” Fan Xian then suddenly felt that some vague danger was drawing near. Two nights of exhaustive trials, the effects could still be felt and so in the color drained from his face.

“Why have gone so pale once again?”

Fan Xian took a deep breath and smiled. “Last night took a lot out of me.”