TSU MA WAS WAITING for him in the anteroom. "Well?" he said, coming forward anxiously.
"Tseng-li lives," Li Yuan said, smiling at the news. "And my son, Kuei Jen."
There was a look of delight on Tsu Ma's face. He embraced Li Yuan tightly, then stepped back, a sharper expression on his face. "Then we know what happened!"
"Yes," said Li Yuan, looking down. "We were wrong, it seems."
"Wrong?"
"It was not our cousin Wang. Not directly, anyway. This was Chi Hsing."
"Chi Hsing?" Tsu Ma laughed, disbelievingly. "Why, he hasn't the guts!" Then, seeing how Li Yuan continued to stand there, the same expression on his face, Tsu Ma shook his head. "What proof is there?"
Li Yuan looked up. "They used his shuttle to board. His codes. What more do we need?"
Tsu Ma stared at him a moment longer, then nodded. "I'll call a Council, then . . ."
But Li Yuan reached out and took his arm. "No. Not this time. This time we do things my way."
CHI HSING WAS bowed at Li Yuan's feet, one hand pressed to the cold tiled floor, the other clutching the hem of the young T'ang's robes. He was pleading now, almost in tears.
"What can I do to convince you, Yuan? I was betrayed . . ."
Wang Sau-leyan looked on from across the room, bitter and silent. He had been made to seem a fool. His own face had betrayed him. But surprise was not evidence and Chi Hsing had kept silent about their meetings. It did not matter what Li Yuan or the others thought privately. Before the world they needed proof, and they had none.
"You were betrayed?" Tsu Ma's voice was heavy with sarcasm. He made a sound of disgust and turned away, going across to where Wu Shih and Wei Chan Yin stood watching.
Li Yuan bent down and tugged the silk from Chi Hsing's hand. It was a savage, ugly gesture. Chi Hsing looked up at his fellow T'ang briefly, then lowered his head once more, humbling himself. All majesty had gone from him. He was a supplicant now, begging for his life. Li Yuan, on the other hand, seemed almost demonic in his power. His face was like a hawk's, pitiless, almost inhuman in its abstract cruelty. His eyes rested on Chi Hsing's topknot a moment, then he moved his head sharply and stared angrily across at Wang.
"And you swear Wang Sau-leyan knew nothing of this? You are certain of this, Chi Hsing?"
Wang made to speak, but Wu Shih barked at him. "Hold your tongue, Wang Sau-leyan! Chi Hsing must answer this!"
Incensed, he nevertheless did as he was told, glowering at Wu Shih. If the sight of Li Yuan's living face had been a shock, this now was almost more than he could bear. How dare they speak to him this way!
Chi Hsing shuddered, then shook his head. "Wang Sau-leyan knew nothing. I spoke to him, only moments after I had heard. I thought..."
"You thought what?" The cold anger in Li Yuan's voice was terrible to hear.
Chi Hsing took a breath, then spoke again, looking all the while at a spot just in front of Li Yuan's feet. "It is no secret that he hates you, Li Yuan. And so I thought—this is his work."
"And was it?"
"Take care," said Wang, taking a step forward. But he could see how things stood. All etiquette had been forgotten. Li Yuan, as ever,
had ridden roughshod over tradition. These others were his dupes. His accomplices.
They were all awaiting Chi Hsing's response.
"He knew nothing. I swear it. His surprise was unfeigned. There is a tape of my call to him. I..."
"Enough!" Li Yuan said suddenly. He turned from Chi Hsing and came across, stopping in front of Wang Sau-leyan. Giving the slightest bow, he spoke again. "Chi Hsing, though disgraced, would hardly say such a thing lightly. And the tape—I am sure that it shows what he claims." He lifted his chin. "So, cousin, I must apologize for what I asked."
Wang Sau-leyan's face was red with anger now, his nostrils flared, his whole expression indignant, yet still he said nothing. Even in apologizing, Li Yuan had insulted him and made a mockery of tradition. And all the while his fellow T'ang had looked on, saying nothing.
Li Yuan turned away sharply, his back to Wang Sau-leyan, and looked across at Chi Hsing. "What, then, of you, Chi Hsing? What should we do?"
"This is a nonsense . . ." began Wang, but before he could say any more, Li Yuan had turned and placed one hand roughly, almost brutally over his mouth, pushing his head back. He spoke fiercely, as if to a vassal.
"Be quiet, Wang Sau-leyan! You have nothing to say here! Understand?"
Li Yuan removed his hand abruptly, glaring at Wang, then turned away again, leaving Wang to touch his bruised lip tenderly. There was murder in Li Yuan's almond eyes.
Li Yuan crossed the room again and stood over Chi Hsing. There was a look of disgust on his face now. "Speak up, Chi Hsing. What should we do with you?"
"Do?" Chi Hsing turned his head and looked past Li Yuan at the others, his eyes imploring them, but their faces were as hard as Li Yuan's. Seeing this, Chi Hsing dropped his head again, submissive. "There is no precedent," he said quietly.
"Nor for the destruction of a palace," said Wu Shih, but Li Yuan was uncompromising now.
"You have broken the most sacred trust, Chi Hsing—that which binds us who must rule Chung Kuo. For myself I would see you dead and your sons beside you in the ground. But this is not a personal thing. We must consider how best to act for those we represent."
Li Yuan paused and turned to face the others who stood apart from him. "We must decide now, and act at once. In this we must not be seen to be indecisive. There are those who would take advantage of our apparent disarray." He took a deep breath, then said it. "Chi Hsing must stand down."
"No! You cannot do this!" Wang Sau-leyan said, outraged. "There are but six of us here. We must wait for Hou Tung-po. A Council must be called."
Li Yuan tensed, but did not look at Wang Sau-leyan. When he spoke again his words were measured, and it was as if Wang had said nothing. "Chi Hsing must do this for us. He must appear before the world and confess what he has done. Then, before all, he will stand down. And his lands will be forfeit to the Seven. We shall rule the Australias as a colony, with a governor who will report directly to us in Council."
Both Chi Hsing and Wang Sau-leyan were silent. It was Wu Shih, the eldest of them, who spoke next. "So it must be. For the sake of us all. And you, Chi Hsing, must be a sleeping dragon. You will retire to your estate and take no more part in the doings of this world. Your wives, your sons, will live, but they will not inherit."
At this Wang Sau-leyan came forward and stood between Li Yuan and the others. "Again, this cannot be! This is a matter for Council!"
"Are you opposed to this?" Tsu Ma demanded angrily.
"There are forms . . ." Wang began, but Li Yuan interrupted him.
"We shall vote on this. Right now."
Wang Sau-leyan faced him angrily. "No! This is not right! Hou Tung-po is not here. We cannot act like this!"
"Right.7" Li Yuan sniffed. "You have not understood me yet, have you, cousin? My wives are dead, my palace blown out of the sky. And you talk of forms, tradition . . ." He laughed scathingly. "If you are so worried, let us meet form this way. Let us count cousin Hou as opposed to what we do. Would that be fair, Wang Sau-leyan? Would it be right?"
Wang bristled visibly. "And Chi Hsing?"
Li Yuan shook his head. "Chi Hsing has no say in this."
"No say?"
Li Yuan spoke angrily, each word clearly and separately enunciated. "It is as I said. He has no say."
Wang Sau-leyan stood there facing him a moment longer, then turned away sharply. "Do as you will, then. I'll have no part of this."
"Your hands are clean, eh, cousin?" It was Tsu Ma who taunted him. But it did not matter now. It would be as Li Yuan said.
"You will do this?" Li Yuan asked, looking down at Chi Hsing.
"I have no choice?"
"No," corrected Li Yuan. "We have no choice. For myself, as I said, I would kill you now."