Chương 64: Chapter 62

The procession leaves the wide main thoroughfare with a gentle turn, and I poke my head slightly past the window curtain to take in the new street. It's narrower than the last, just enough to feel secondary, but that doesn't make it seem any less important, since the roadway is every bit as well-maintained as the main street we've just left behind.

As I take in the buildings rising on either side, I see elegant multi-story structures built from dark wood, with rooftops curving skyward and lanterns hanging in every shade of the red spectrum. It doesn't take me long to pick out, among the artistically calligraphed signs, names that clearly belong to teahouses, banquet halls, restaurants, and even what appear to be small gambling houses or private entertainment establishments.

All of this lends the atmosphere a character distinctly different from the main streets. If that street could be called the spine of commerce, this one seems to be the heart of leisure. Though perhaps the most noteworthy detail is that interspersed among the various establishments, arranged with a certain architectural harmony, stand multi-story residential buildings with broad balconies, lacquered wood, and lattices of jade or mother-of-pearl. Clearly luxurious residences, yes, but residences nonetheless.

My gaze travels over each structure with growing architectural interest until, drawn by the surrounding bustle, I pull my eyes from the buildings to observe the people. The street is lively but not packed. As I look more closely at the people who stop to watch our procession pass, I see fewer servants and handmaidens than on the main street, which on the other hand makes perfect sense given the type of establishments found here.

The people's clothing, though well-made, displays a broader range of styles and colors than on the main street. Some are dressed with austere sobriety, others with an opulence that tries to be discreet, while the great majority appear to be low-ranking officials or successful merchants. The social standing of this area's clientele is still high, without a doubt, since the quality of the clothing makes it clear there are no commoners here.

But there's a certain mix of social levels that contrasts with the uniformly higher tier found in the shopping district. The procession keeps moving without pause, and the sparse traffic we encounter, two carriages, a pair of litters, and a squad of delivery men, clears aside promptly at the sight of the Nei Wei, who maintain their pace without needing to say a word while ignoring the onlookers gathering to watch us pass.

We continue forward until the street opens into a square plaza with a pleasant garden at its center, where I can make out a round pond with white lotuses, paths of pale gravel, and several pine trees trimmed with patience by some gardener. However, my gaze is quickly drawn to one side of the plaza, where a single building devours the immediate horizon.

The building is enormous, so tall and massive that, if my estimates aren't off, it's clearly in violation of the decree Lianhua just told me about regarding the size of structures near the Imperial Palace. Its facade of black stone and gilded wood rises what must be five stories, and its multi-tiered roof crowned with coiled dragons gleams with metallic reflections even at this distance.

"Lianhua", I say without taking my eyes off the building.

"Isn't that building clearly in violation of the decree you told me about?"

"No, Zhāohuán", she replies from her seat in her usual calm tone.

"Although it may not look it, it sits just on the outer edge of the two Li restriction, so technically it hasn't broken any rule." I stop looking at the building to look at her, and she, without changing her tone, adds "Moreover, it's our destination. It's the headquarters of the Talisman Crafters' Guild." As we cross the plaza toward that hulk of aggressive architecture, Lianhua continues her explanation, since she knows I like her to explain everything in as much detail as possible.

"It's actually quite common for this to happen", she tells me.

"Many powerful organizations built their headquarters right on the two Li line, as close to the Imperial Palace as they could without breaking the decree, since the closer one is to the center, the more power one is presumed to hold." I nod in silence at her words while I picture a gigantic invisible square, defined by that distance of two Li with the Imperial Palace at its center, while a second wall made of enormous buildings surrounds it.

The image is so vivid that for a moment I zone out again, but the sound of the procession's footsteps halting snaps me from my thoughts. When I raise my eyes, I see we're standing right in front of the building's main entrance. Above the double doors, carved in reddish wood reinforced with bronze, hangs an oversized sign declaring the building to be the Hall of Ten Thousand Talismans.

Beneath those words, engraved with a striking precision far more carefully rendered than the building's own name, I see the runic symbols of the seven elements, Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Nature, Yin, and Yang, clearly meant to stand out for those who know what they are. But even with the addition of the runes, I can't help but smile. It's clear that grandiose names seem to be an incurable epidemic in this empire, just as they were in ancient China.

But before I can make another biting remark to Lianhua on the subject, I notice the Nei Wei deploying around our carriage into a formation, creating a perimeter that will clearly repel any attempt at approach by their presence alone. The crowd, however, as is evidently the norm, quickly begins to congregate in the vicinity to see what the spectacle is about.

"Would you like me to order the Nei Wei to disperse them?" Lianhua asks me softly. I know what she's really asking, and I also know what the word disperse implies when we're talking about an armed escort that isn't afraid to use their weapons, which could make things spiral out of control if one isn't careful.

"There's no need", I reply in a calm tone.

"As long as they don't cause trouble, they can look all they want." And then I can't resist adding with a mischievous smile "The pity is that we can't charge admission for the show. That way we might have solved our shortage of ordinary currency." Lianhua lets out a barely audible sigh at my words and climbs down from the carriage. She gives a few silent orders and one of the Nei Wei helps her lower my wheelchair.

In moments they have it ready, and Lianhua, with her usual gentleness, takes me in her arms and seats me with care. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. The instant Lianhua lifts me from the carriage and settles me into the chair, a wave of murmurs ripples through the crowd.

Lianhua begins pushing me with the same serene efficiency as always, but I, in this situation, can't resist and raise my hand to start waving at the crowd with all the grace of a Hollywood star on the red carpet, or rather, given who I am, of a European princess at a parade. The effect is immediate. Voices rise, and among all the comments I perceive with growing clarity the question of who I am, and the answer that I am the Zhāohuán can be heard here and there through the crowd.

I can't help but let out a barely audible giggle at finding myself in a situation I'd previously only seen on television, or participated in from the other side, standing among the crowd. But I don't hear much more, as Lianhua, diligent as ever, wheels me to the doors of the Hall of Ten Thousand Talismans with an escort of half a dozen Nei Wei, and just before the murmur of the plaza falls behind us, I raise my hand toward the crowd one last time in a gesture that's half jest, half courtesy.

Then we cross the threshold, and the noise of the outside world drops away. After crossing the threshold, I find myself in an immense hall. Looking around, I see the ceiling, held up by beams carved with dragon and phoenix motifs in a clear lack of originality, rises so high that the light from the hanging lanterns barely manages to illuminate it properly.

The walls, for their part, are decorated with frescoes depicting scenes of talismans floating in the air, surrounded by luminous runic patterns that seem to emit a faint energy of their own. Taken as a whole, everything in the place screams opulence, but with a restraint that feels calculated, as if the designer had possessed good taste and an unlimited budget, but at least enough shame not to go overboard.

Directly opposite the doors and spanning nearly the entire width of that wall stretches a counter of finely polished dark wood. Above it hang pennants embroidered with the seven elemental symbols, and behind it, as though they were a pair of receptionists in a modern office, stand two young women dressed in elegantly cut, understated outfits, clearly serving as receptionists. I can't help but sigh mentally at the sight and think that some things never change.

It doesn't matter if you're in the twenty-first century in a modern museum or in a cultivation city ruled by an Emperor, reception desks will always be staffed by young women who also happen to be aesthetically pleasing. But Lianhua scarcely seems to look at the hall as she pushes me toward the reception, with the Nei Wei flanking our advance in a formation that seems to draw an invisible corridor between us and everyone else present.

As we advance, I notice a couple of other people in the hall, two men in robes with bamboo scroll cases on their belts, who interrupt their conversation to stare at us. Their curiosity about us is more than evident on their faces, but the sight of the Nei Wei's lances and armor appears to be a sufficiently effective deterrent to keep them from approaching to satisfy it.

We reach the counter, where one of the young women swallows hard, smooths her sleeve with a mechanical gesture that seems intended to calm herself, and asks in a voice that aims for firmness but doesn't quite manage to disguise her nervousness "Welcome to the Hall of Ten Thousand Talismans. How may we help you?" I look at her but say nothing, simply letting Lianhua answer, as someone of my rank is supposed to do.

"We are the Zhāohuán and her retinue", Lianhua tells her calmly and in a courteous tone.

"We sent word in advance to inform you of our visit today." The receptionist's expression changes instantly. She stiffens further upon realizing she is before a figure of higher rank than she expected and that her reception may not have been adequate. I watch her flush, lower her head in a bow, and say, even more nervous now "Please wait a moment while I go notify the manager."

She bows more deeply, turns on her heel, and disappears through a discreet door I now notice behind the counter, which I assume leads to the staff offices. While we wait, I take the chance to look around more carefully. The hall, which seemed to hold only two people when we entered, is now filling with new figures who have arrived through side corridors or emerged from adjacent rooms, drawn by our presence, and who now whisper with poorly concealed interest as they watch us.

I simply ignore them, since I'm accustomed to being the center of attention. It's part of my current existence, like the uncomfortable dresses or the endless bowing. Let them look all they want as long as they don't bother us, something the Nei Wei handle with incredible efficiency simply by standing at our side.

Barely a few minutes pass before the door behind the counter opens again and the receptionist returns accompanied by a man who appears to be around thirty, though here that could mean anything between thirty and a hundred, depending on his cultivation level. His bearing is firm and his clothes impeccable, decorated with subtle runes embroidered in silver thread. He walks with ease, and his face wears a smile of courtesy that's been skillfully rehearsed as he rounds the counter and approaches us.

"Welcome to the Hall of Ten Thousand Talismans", he says with a bow.

"I am Qi Sheng, the manager of this branch." He raises his eyes and adds, with a carefully framed note of surprise "I confess I'm surprised you've come today. Didn't you receive the letter we sent?" I raise my eyebrows at his words and, before Lianhua can reply, I get in first "What letter? What exactly are you referring to?" I see a faint sheen of sweat appear on his forehead. He clears his throat and, with a smile that has tightened somewhat, begins to speak after a brief hesitation.

"We received your message regarding your intention to come and find a master to teach you the theory of talisman crafting", he tells us in a nervous tone.

"But we sent a reply shortly afterward to let you know there was no need for you to come, as we were unable to provide the master you requested."

"Is there a particular reason?" I ask without raising my voice, frowning.

"It was my understanding that your organization offers this type of service as long as the corresponding fee is paid." Qi Sheng sighs as the smile slowly fades from his face.

"The reason is a standing pact between our Hall and the talisman masters who work for the Imperial Palace", he tells us in the tone of someone reciting a clause from a contract.

"Under this pact, the Palace's masters may not interfere in our business in the city, and in return, we do not interfere in their affairs and duties within the Palace." Lianhua is about to reply when I raise my hand to stop her.

"You wouldn't be interfering with the Palace's masters", I respond with a certain edge of annoyance in my voice.

"I'm here precisely because they cannot fulfill my request." Qi Sheng nods slowly, as though he'd already anticipated my argument.

"You may be right about that, Zhāohuán", he concedes, and for an instant his eyes drift from mine.

"In fact, when we received your letter, we consulted our masters to see if any of them would accept your request, but none were willing to risk the Palace's masters viewing it as an encroachment on their work." I bring a finger to my lips and bite it gently as I think that something doesn't add up. I very much doubt this Hall has never sold talismans to members of the court on more than one occasion, and that would be, obviously, a far greater encroachment than my request for theory lessons.

"Is there no possibility that one of them might reconsider?" I ask at last, not wanting to stir up what could be a hornet's nest controlled by who knows whom.

"A change of heart, an exception…"

"Very little chance", Qi Sheng replies honestly.

"And unfortunately, there are no masters in the building at the moment." That remark, so casual, raises my suspicions even further. The sudden absence of masters from the main headquarters, the pact invoked as a transparently obvious excuse, the letter that went astray for some strange reason. The chain of events smells like a scheme, though I can't see who stands to benefit from it.

I open my mouth to press further, but a woman's voice interrupts me from behind us, a voice that sounds equal parts amused and annoyed.

"Then am I not a master?" the voice says, and the murmur of the hall, which I've been ignoring until now, swells until it fills the room.

"What's more, how is it that no one has informed me about something as interesting as this?"