China by Edward Rutherfurd (latest novels to read TXT) 📗

for the day. He’d probably meet friends or go to a teahouse. But what if he returned to Lin’s headquarters? He might know from Parker that the messenger was an old man. If he saw Sea Dragon inside with the package, he’d smell a rat at once. The game would be up. He cursed himself. Why hadn’t he thought of that before?

What could he do if Shi-Rong appeared? Waylay him in the street? How? Could he kill him? He still had his knife, which he suddenly realized he’d never wiped clean.

Difficult, in front of the guards at the gate—and certain death for himself as well.

Should he go back to Hog Lane and try to kill Shi-Rong there? But that would mean deserting his post, when Sea Dragon had told him to wait where he was.

Nio gazed at the gate and prayed: Let it be soon. Lin had only to call Sea Dragon in. The whole thing could be over in a moment. If the pirate would just appear. Walk safely out through the gate. Turn down the street.

“Come on,” he whispered to himself. “Just open,” he silently begged the gates.

And his gaze was so fixed on the gates that he didn’t even notice Shi-Rong until it was too late.

—

Shi-Rong was running at full tilt. He didn’t notice Nio, though he passed only feet from him.

“Open the gates! It’s Mr. Jiang!” he shouted as he reached the entrance. They recognized him and opened immediately, and he burst through. “Guards, come with me,” he cried. But he didn’t look back, so he didn’t see that they hesitated. He turned, then ran through the doorway into the inner courtyard and raced across to the main hall.

Behind a door on the right of the main hall was a small library where Lin liked to work. Shi-Rong was just in time to see the door open, a servant come out, and a figure carrying a package step in. They hadn’t seen him.

Without a word, he went like the wind past the astonished servant, reached the door just as it was almost closed, and hurled himself at it. With a crash, the door burst open, striking the figure on the other side a vicious blow on the back that sent him and his package flying.

“Call the guards!” he cried at the astonished commissioner, and launched himself at the intruder.

The pirate was sprawled on the floor, but he was already reaching for his knife. Even if he’d been carrying a knife himself, Shi-Rong knew that the pirate would have made short work of him, and probably managed to kill the commissioner, too, before anyone could stop him. He threw himself on top of Sea Dragon, wrapped his arms around him, pinning the assassin’s arms to his body, and squeezed with all his strength.

If the pirate got a hand loose, he was a dead man. He knew it. But even if it cost him his own life, he had to save Lin. And though Sea Dragon kicked and elbowed and butted the back of his head into his face until blood was pouring from his nose and mouth, Shi-Rong held on like a man possessed. It was a full minute and more until four guards and a sergeant had disarmed the pirate and trussed him up with ropes so that he could not move at all. Only then did Shi-Rong, badly bruised and bleeding, let go and stagger to his feet.

If Lin had been taken by surprise, he quickly recovered. Pointing at the rope-bound figure, he ordered two of the guards: “Lock him up and watch him.” Then, turning to the chief guard: “Close the outer gates, lock them, and double the guard,” he commanded. “But do not raise the alarm,” he added. “There is to be no word of this incident. If other bandits hear I have been attacked, it may encourage them to try.”

Meanwhile, Shi-Rong had done his best to stop the bleeding from his nose and to wipe his face with a cloth.

As soon as the library was cleared, Lin turned to him. “You have saved my life,” the commissioner said solemnly. “Are you hurt?”

“It’s nothing, Excellency.”

“How did you know?”

Shi-Rong told him he’d gone to make sure the package was sent, and how he had encountered the messenger.

“The poor fellow may be dead by now, Excellency. But I couldn’t stay with him. The attack might just have been a robbery, but I feared something worse and had to make sure. So I ran here as fast as I could. Just in time, evidently.”

Lin nodded thoughtfully. “It seems my assailant knew the messenger was expected here.” He gave Shi-Rong a sharp look. “Did you tell anyone?”

“No, Excellency.”

“I would be surprised if Dr. Parker betrayed a confidence, but he may have let something fall, accidentally.”

“The assailant may have asked the messenger where he was going.”

“That is possible. But I have a feeling that this attack was planned. Were there accomplices? We shall question Parker and the messenger, if he is still alive.” He nodded. “That leaves the assassin. He surely can tell us everything.” He gave Shi-Rong another careful look. “Interrogation is not a pleasant business, but it has to be done. The governor has a man who knows how to proceed. He will guide you.”

“Guide me, Excellency?”

“Yes, Jiang. It is you who will interrogate the assassin.”

—

The use of torture in the Empire of China was strictly regulated. Only certain procedures were allowed. An official who used a method that was not sanctioned was deemed to have committed a crime and might be prosecuted. Numerous persons were excused from torture, including those who had passed the mandarin examinations, the elderly, and pregnant women.

Only high officials like Lin could order the harsher forms of torture. And torturing people to extract confessions was frowned upon, since it was well understood that people would confess to anything in order to stop the pain.

But the case of Sea Dragon admitted no such mitigation. There was no question about his guilt: