China by Edward Rutherfurd (historical books to read TXT) 📕

didn’t want to mention the salt inspector’s position, even to his son, until the deal was done. Firstly, it was confidential; and secondly, he always felt that announcing things in advance would bring bad luck.

“Just a piece of private business,” he said firmly, to head him off. But by the look on his son’s face, this wasn’t going to be enough. Very well, then: irrelevant information, obfuscation. He knew how to do that. “He’s a rather strange fellow,” he said easily. “He had a wife and children of his own before he got chopped. Better pickings in the palace, I suppose. He lives in a merchant’s house. His neighbors don’t even know he’s a eunuch. I never knew it before, but it turns out there are several of these married eunuchs at court.” He hoped that would do the trick. He certainly wasn’t prepared for what came next.

Ru-Hai was staring down at his food. Suddenly he looked up. “Are you bribing him?”

That was impertinence. It was also dangerous. “And why would you think that?” Shi-Rong’s voice was cold.

“People say you accept bribes.”

“What people? Your colleagues in the office?”

“No. Other people.”

“You realize, don’t you, that there’s hardly a public official in the empire who hasn’t been accused of that, at one time or another?”

“No doubt.”

Shi-Rong paused for a moment. He was angry, but he kept calm. “When I was about your age,” he said reflectively, “my father made me promise him not to take bribes. He needn’t have worried, as I was going to work for the most incorruptible official ever recorded. I am speaking of course of the great Commissioner Lin.” He nodded. “Lin liked me. He trusted me. He was right to trust me. I am sad that my own son cannot extend me the same courtesy.”

It was a big rebuke. But Ru-Hai did not bow his head in shame, as he should have. “I only mean that I have no desire to benefit, Father, even indirectly, from any bribes,” he said quietly.

Shi-Rong was silent. How long had his son been waiting to spring this on him? It was almost a year since they’d spent time with each other, and he’d supposed the boy would be pleased to see him. Indeed, he’d still imagined so in the bureau, just hours ago. Yet apparently not. The lack of respect struck him like a blow.

The boy takes after his mother, he thought angrily. As for his show of self-righteousness, I see his game. He’s absolving himself, just in case I get caught.

Clearly he would have to treat his son like any other dangerous person, with caution. And cunning. He knew how to do that.

“Your attitude is quite correct. I am glad to hear it,” he said. “Now I think this matter is closed.” And then a thought occurred to him. “By the way,” he asked, “do you remember Mei-Ling, whom you met in Guilin?”

“Of course.”

“Did you know that she had a daughter?”

“I remember hearing it.”

“A beautiful girl. She is to be married soon, to a merchant I know in Jingdezhen.” He smiled. “Since she has no father of her own, I decided to adopt her. It was an act of kindness to the girl and her mother—she’s marrying into a rich family, you see.”

“She is fortunate.” Ru-Hai inclined his head politely, but his father could see he was taken aback. “You did not tell me.”

“I was intending to tell you when I saw you. It was not a matter of great importance.”

“When is this happy event to take place?”

“As soon as I have returned to Jingdezhen.”

“So I have a new sister.”

“An adopted sister, yes.” And now, Shi-Rong thought, with grim satisfaction, my self-righteous son is wondering if I’m going to give his new sister any of the money he claims to despise. He smiled again. “In the meantime,” he continued blandly, “while I remain here in Beijing I shall do what I can to further the cause you spoke about today.”

—

He was as good as his word. He soon found that there were quite a number of mandarins he knew in Beijing who were happy to discuss the Tsungli Yamen with him. Most of them seemed to agree that the military must modernize with Western arms and methods. “We call this the Doctrine of Self-Strengthening,” a former governor told him. But when it came to matters like trade and education, there was far less agreement. Some were with the young men. Others held to the old rule: “Keep the barbarians at a distance.”

An unexpected event helped him. Just two days after his meeting with the young men in the bureau, news came that a Japanese warship had raided the coast of the Korean peninsula—exactly as Ru-Hai and his friends had predicted. “That raid has shaken up the mandarins,” he reported to Ru-Hai. “When I tell them your mission is urgent, they listen.”

“Perhaps your eunuch will listen, too,” his son reminded him.

“I’ve got to see him first,” Shi-Rong replied.

Unfortunately, this was proving a problem. Lacquer Nail had told him to be patient. But after ten days had passed with no word from him, Shi-Rong decided to call at his house. The eunuch was there. He was polite, though Shi-Rong detected a hint of irritation in his voice when he assured him: “Nothing has changed, honored sir. I am still waiting for the vacancy to become official. I am confident that we shall succeed.” And seeing that Shi-Rong still didn’t look satisfied: “I have just as much interest in the matter as you.”

“I understand,” said Shi-Rong. And since it was clear that Lacquer Nail was waiting for him to leave, he went away without broaching the matter of the Tsungli Yamen.

The days that followed grew ever more frustrating. His lobbying for the bureau’s cause began to wind down, because he was running out of people he knew. Most of the time he had nothing to do all day, except wait for the news from Lacquer Nail, which never came. Twice more he