Tao Hua didn't fully comprehend what Shan Si meant, or his reasoning behind not wanting to reveal unearthed history. None of it made sense, and the ultimate problem that boggled him most was that this all started with Weng Jing somehow.
Maybe this was his way of trying to address something?
But why was it so crucial of him to address Weng Jing's attitude? Maybe…he knew Tao Hua was holding something back. Caught in another lie! Except this time it was by omission!
Tao Hua hung his head shamefully, only for it to freeze midway at the sound of dark, almost dark laughing. It wasn't directed at Tao Hua, but at Shan Si himself.
"But that…" he began, a sadness looming over him. "That would be going against my promise to you."
Upon witnessing this, two conflicting feelings swarmed Tao Hua. The first had him almost grip his chest, but he prevented himself from making Shan Si feel worse than he already seemed. It was clear that the topic made him uncomfortable.
The second feeling was one that he couldn't explain in words; it was a warm, gentle feeling, like being covered with a warm blanket on a dark, wintry night.
Shan Si sighed. "Daoist Master Zhuan…well, Zhuan. You won't find a trace of her name, not in any history book at least. This is why I'm concerned."
"Why…?" asked Tao Hua. He watched as Shan Si lowered his head, and for some reason Tao Hua couldn't help but feel the man was flooded with guilt. It was all simple conjecture, however. So, rather than ask him how he knew all that wasn't written, he asked, "Did she do something bad?"
"The opposite. She was one of the many victims, and those she loved paid the price."
Tao Hua hesitated a bit, biting the inside of his cheek, but Shan Si just kept his head down, and it was clear from the way his jaw tightened that he was struggling.
"You don't have to—"
"Two hundred years ago—that's when it all took place," said Shan Si. "Zhuan was a renowned songstress at the time,"
"Then why do they call her a Daoist master?"
"I'll get to that," replied Shan Si. "A proficient woman, gifted in the art of poetry, and illustrated far and wide as a divinely talented. Many men described her as elegant, while young women admired her enough to call her the mother of all songstresses. Her ballads showcased every teahouse across the country; brothels especially."
Tao Hua nearly jolted at the word brothel, as it came out of nowhere. He whipped his head toward Shan Si, who somehow found this amusing amid his discomfort. The corners of his mouth tugged, and his stale frown turned into a playful smirk.
Toward Tao Hua he leaned, but not enough that there wasn't space between the two.
"Oh? Judging from your reaction, you've never been to a brothel? How innocent of you, Tao Hua," he laughed, causing Tao Hua's cheeks to flush a light shade of pink. "They're nothing special. If you've gone to one, you've gone to them all."
"Ah…" Tao Hua frowned, looking down at his hands no longer fumbling with each other. Why didn't he like hearing that?
Against his better judgment, Tao Hua reluctantly asked, "And…you have?"
"Unfortunately. I'm not taking you to one if that's why you're asking," he teased. "Can't have someone tainting that beauty of yours. Let's save the debauchery for later."
Tao Hua couldn't quite find it in himself to laugh, however. His shoulders slumped, and for some reason and he felt a wave of depression suddenly wash over him.
How childish and pathetic of him. Was he so inexperienced with such topics that the mere mention of his friend having a chance to indulge that jealousy-inducing?
But that didn't make sense…Tao Hua never had any desire to travel to these joints.
Shan Si didn't seem to pay it any mind and continued.
"Her gifts didn't just end there, though. Many at the time wouldn't be able to tell you which temple she forthcame, but her skills as a Daoist put the Imperial Diviner to shame. I'm sure you could imagine the emperor's reaction upon finding out—" Shan Si paused, before walking his words back a few steps. "The emperor at the time. An awful man treated women as nothing more than a bedwarmer."
Compared to the current emperor, Tao Hua wasn't sure if the two were far off. His only experience was in his comment about bringing the maidservant back to his room. The only difference, however, was that he was certain it was to kill her rather than…any other thing that could have been done.
Tao Hua shivered at the thought. Turning back to Shan Si, he asked, "Was it the emperor who ended her life?"
Now it was Shan Si's turn to hesitate, and slowly he shook his head. "No. It wasn't. He met an early demise. It was his son who caused the death of Zhuan and put all of Jianlai into ruin."
"Jianlai…?" Tao Hua asked, brushing along the black silk.
Shan Si lifted his hand, pointing toward the exact direction of the palace gate, toward the city they'd ventured three days prior.
"You've seen it," he said. "That's Jianlai."
Now it was starting to make sense. The empty city they'd entered three days ago wasn't just a mere illusion. It was the aftermath of a disaster. If that were the case, then why are there still people int he palace…?
Tao Hua furrowed his brows, thinking, Maybe it's just a bandit hideout now? I could asked, but…
He looked over to Shan Si, who seemed troubled. Maybe it's better if I leave it be for now.
"Do…you like her work?" asked Tao Hua, in an attempt to change the subject. "Um, Daoist Master Zhuan's?"
"I do, very much so. They were often sung to me as a child," he replied. Tao Hua's entire body tingled as he watched that troubled expression of Shan Si's slowly form into a soft smile. It was the most human he'd seen him, in the rawest definition of the word.
After a moment of silence and reminiscence, he said, "Now this is where I want you to listen closely, Tao Hua. Zhuan was often seen with two people. A man in his thirties and a young boy. Don't forget him."
After a few taps of his fingers, Tao Hua asked, "The young boy?"
Shan Si nodded. "During this time, Chuhen Palace was dealing with a problem. No matter the number of pregnant concubines, none could offer the emperor a son. There were many infant deaths, and the turnover rate for concubines skyrocketed."
"But you mentioned his son—"
"I did, and I'll get to that," said Shan Si. Tao Hua shrunk into himself and nodded, realizing that Shan Si absolutely hated the topic of the emperor's son. "Eventually, the emperor was at his wit's end, and his anger was spreading across the entire city, becoming a source of conversation. No one dared offer their daughter to the palace, which caused slavery to skyrocket."
"This…this sounds like such a small reason to kill," said Tao Hua.
"You're asking nobles to care about the common people? Not at the cost of their image," replied Shan Si. "Every problem has a solution, and to the nobles, awful solutions are still solutions."
"So, how was it solved?"
"By the actions of one scheming man," Shan Si began, leaning back and holding up his hand. As he spoke, he twisted it from one side to the other, eyes half-lidded. "His arrival was sudden, bearing a gift for the emperor. In such a time of desperation, how could he turn him away?
"Below the throne bowed a woman, with looks that could pierce the heavens and turn them upside down. She never once smiled, nor did she show a wink of emotion," explained Shan Si. "She didn't have to, nor was she allowed. Her brother took care of everything and played the role of a showman, perfectly presenting his own sister as the greatest incubator."
Tao Hua's entire body child over, sprouting goosebumps along his skin.
"He told the emperor that she'd been blessed with good fortune, said to one day birth the son of the next era—one worth more than a thousand gold statues."
"He…He believed that madman?" asked Tao Hua, slightly shell-shocked.
"Call it foolish, but she ended up birthing a boy," Shan Si shrugged. "So the cards played the emperor's favour—what was there for him to lose? The brother succeeded, the emperor was happy, and ended up giving the brother a high-ranking position in the palace. All at the cost of his sister's happiness."
Frowning, Tao Hua wasn't sure what to say, but the thought of this woman broke his heart.
He could sympathize…no, he could empathize with her, minus the childbearing aspects.
Tilting his head back, Shan Si stared up at the ceiling. "Want to know how Zhuan and Weng Jing play a role in all of this?"
With hesitation, Tao Hua slowly nodded his head.
"The sister-now-pregnant-concubine was so miserable, she fled the palace," Shan Si said, pausing. He never continued, but Tao Hua could see his frustration in the way Shan Si's shoulders stiffened.
So, with the small nudge of his voice, he asked, "And they ran into each other?"
"Close," with a heavy sigh, he curled his fingers into his hands against the warm, rough ground. "Zhuan, alongside her two companions, found the expectant concubine attempting to take her own life."
Chapter end.