A Cruel Romance

Li Shih-Yao saw Commander Ho off at daybreak, then collapsed into a chair and let out a shaken breath .

Dallying with Commander Ho was certainly exhilarating, but also certainly above his pay grade .

In truth, he was already awake by the time Commander Ho came back with a pistol, but he’d kept his eyes closed, afraid that Commander Ho would panic and blow his brains out .

And after that, he was gambling with fate .

Slow-witted as he was, Commander Ho had nimble hands . His finger around the trigger was surely faster than whatever Li could do lying in bed . Resistance would only hasten his death, so he waited, quickly coming to terms with himself—he really did like Commander Ho . It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to die by his hand .

He’d thrown his arms around Commander Ho without thinking, said what he said without thinking . His mind churned, remembering Commander Ho’s old wound .

– : –

It was of course impossible to verify if Commander Ho had a crisis of conscience, or if it was just his wound acting up . But Li had learned his lesson . He’d been reckless for too long and in dire need of a wake-up call—or he’d forget his place and get himself killed for it .

Li turned a somber eye at himself, vowing to rein it in a little . But he was a natural-born daredevil, his recklessness only solidifying with time . He wouldn’t be able to rein anything in even if he wanted to .

He leaned against the doorframe and stared up at the sky . A cigarette in one corner of his mouth and puffs of smoke out the other, he circulated both smoke and thoughts in silence .

He spat out the burned cigarette, his voice low and raspy: “run off for all I care . What kind of lunatic would want to cozy up with someone like you? It took me everything to get where I am today . Isn’t worth it to just die by your hand!”

– : –

Commander Ho broke camp right after New Year . Li asked him privately where he was going, and Commander Ho told him very seriously: “Didn’t you tell me to go to Duolun?”

Li didn’t ask any further . He felt anxious, like there was a kitten in his chest scratching him with its tiny claws .

He went to see Commander Ho off the day he left . Watching the other man’s car disappear into the distance, he gave a long sigh . “Look at that, he’s f.u.c.king gone again . ”

The kitten in his chest disappeared with Commander Ho, leaving only an empty hole . Li spent the next few days in an unhappy stupor, feeling as if he’d just lost a great deal of wealth .

– : –

Prince Yun’s full name was Yondon . He was grey-haired and in his sixties, but since he was pale and plump, he still looked fairly spry . He was very good-tempered, the perpetual smile on his face making him resemble a kindly old lady . If not for the small patch of feathery moustache above his lips, he’d be mistaken for the prince’s wife .

Prince Yun’s line had called Peking home for over a century, counting themselves among the branch of Mongol aristocracy who had a.s.similated into Chinese culture with the Manchus . Though he wasn’t able to shoot down swan geese with a bow, he was an expert when it came to raising doves and songbirds, and no stranger to customary Manchu entertainments such c.o.c.kfighting and riding—one could say he was a jack of all trades, though a master of none .

Prince Yun believed that as a royal scion, his paramount duty on earth was to eat well, drink well, play well, dress well, and carry on his bloodline . He’d lived a little too responsibly in this regard and had neglected the other areas of his life, and so he always seemed a little befuddled—he didn’t even know exact date of the Qing emperor’s abdication . As to why he had to flee from the capital to Harbin, then from Harbin to Harqin, he was even more at a loss . He simply drifted along with the current .

He did manage grasp the situation a bit better when he was elected the Chairman of the Mongol Government back in March . But still he played dumb, and since he was afraid of being targeted, soon after he was elected, he went on an interminable sick leave and left the actual governing to the younger and more ambitious Prince De .

The prince was a playful old man, yet he had n.o.body to be playful with . His eldest was a great daughter, but she was already married . He had a son, too—but this son was a source of woe .

– : –

Commander Ho had been worried that Prince Yun might have forgotten him, but after reaching Harqin, he realized his worries were entirely misplaced .

Prince Yun took one look at Commander Ho and proceeded to throw his arms around him, beaming as he attempted to pick him up and twirl him around . His steward managed to hold him back: “Careful, your highness! You’re going to throw out your back . ”

Prince Yun laughed, his voice clearer than a swan’s cry . “Look how tall you’ve gotten! Never thought I’d see you here!”

Commander Ho was beaming as well . “G.o.dfather—”

Prince Yun interrupted him with more swan cries . “Like father like son! Your ama—I mean, your papa—commanded armies, and now you’re commanding one as well . My boy, I hear you’ve got quite the numbers right now . ”

“I—”

“Very good work! In times like these, men and guns speak . I’m no use anymore, way past my prime . If this had happened a few decades ago… Hmph!”

“You’re still—”

“No use, no use . Even my hair’s turned grey . A few days ago, I let out fifty doves—and what a sight that was, all white like a little cloud against the blue sky! And then what happened? Four of them ran off! My own doves, just ran off! I’ve grown old, useless . ”

Then as if hearing something, the prince swung around with a toss of his silvery braid . It was his wife .

The princess resembled his husband, pale and plump with a kindly face . Since Commander Ho was neither Manchu nor Mongol, belonging to a new cla.s.s of warlords that rose to prominence after the revolution, the blue-blooded princess viewed him with some disdain . But since she cared only for the Buddha, she didn’t pay it much mind . Whoever Prince Yun chose to call G.o.dson had little to do with herself .

Commander Ho exchanged some lukewarm pleasantries with her, then watched her depart with a maid . Seeing the tremor of Prince Yun’s lip, he changed the subject hurriedly before the prince would resume his swan cries . “Where’s elder brother?”

Prince Yun grew despondent at the mention of his son . When he opened his mouth again, his voice turned from swan cries to duck quacks . “Your brother…”

Before he could say more, the source of his woe and Commander Ho’s brother-in-name thudded his way in .

– : –

Prince Yun’s son was called Setsen, which meant “he who is intelligent and wise” in Mongolian . Despite the prince’s good intentions, fate had other plans and made Setsen an idiot .

Setsen was now a large man in his thirties, with an oval face and a straight nose, his long, narrow eyes always squinting—since he was a little near-sighted . He came in and stared at Commander Ho, nonplussed . “Who’s this, Ama?” he turned and mumbled to Prince Yun .

Prince Yun threw him a weary glance . “Do you not recognize Ch’i-Bao? He used to come over all the time, back when we lived in Peking . ”

Commander Ho got to his feet and nodded at Setsen with a smile . “You don’t remember me?”

Setsen went up to Commander Ho, craning his neck to get a better look, their faces almost touching . Staring for a while, he shook his head with a confused look . “You’re Ch’i-Bao? Ch’i-Bao doesn’t look like this . ” He placed a hand next to his shoulder . “Chi’-Bao’s this tall . ”

Prince Yun let out a long sigh . “What are you even doing here? Get out of here if you don’t need anything . ”

Setsen ignored him and circled around Commander Ho, looking him up and down . He gave a sudden clap and began to laugh . “Ama, Chi-Bao’s so pretty . Can he be my wife?”

Prince Yun couldn’t even keep his head up . He instructed the servant behind him: “Ulagan, get him out of here, now!”

– : –

Commander Ho spent a week at Prince Yun’s residence and couldn’t take it anymore .

This wasn’t because he was mistreated—the entire household had been extremely courteous to him . The problem had to do with Prince Yun himself . The prince had latched onto his G.o.dson and talked ceaselessly of the past, his swan cries echoing from dawn to dusk . Commander Ho listened in a daze, his mind a jumble, and when the prince had gotten tired of his talk, he’d take Commander Ho to his shabby garden and show him all his fish and birds and dogs and horses, discussing each of their attributes in great detail .

He had endless pa.s.sion for his precious pets, but Commander Ho had no interest in animals . While Prince Yun tortured him with his pa.s.sion, Setsen kept demanding to marry him whenever he saw him . On the morning of the eighth day, Commander Ho politely informed them that he’d take his leave .

As he was leaving, Prince Yun finally gave him some serious advice . The prince was rarely serious, and so his seriousness felt particularly imposing . He only said two things; one was “Hetao is a good place”, then “keep your feet on the ground, stay out of trouble” .

Commander Ho knew he must have said this for a reason . Mulling over it for a few days, it finally clicked . The military government had made Prince Yun chairman due to his seniority among Mongol royalty, but other than his idiot son and his servants, he had no real power . For his own safety, he’d claimed ill health and stayed home with his pets . Now that Commander Ho was here, he could use his land in exchange for his G.o.dson’s protection .

– : –

It all made sense then . Commander Ho relaxed and left Harqin with his men, heading straight to Xar Moron Monastery in Dorbod Banner .

Xar Moron was a great place, its lawlessness a bit reminiscent of Luyang . Before them was the Hetao region, so wealthy its mud seeped grease . Behind them were the steppes, which were well-suited for large scale retreats .

Commander Ho soon put down roots here . By the time autumn rolled around, he’d build his defenses and significantly expanded his army . Of course, he’d not given up his old trade, banditry . Out of respect for Prince Yun, he’d refrained from robbing Mongol caravans, often trudging all the way to Hetao to make his fortune . Hetoa was under the Central Government’s control; Suiyuan’s Chairman Fu was busy dealing with the Mongol independence and had no time for him .

Good times were ahead of Commander Ho .