The Year of Rice and Salt

'Marvels happen every day,' I li replied. It was, as far as she was concerned, a universe peopled by spirits, genies, demons, ghosts as many kinds of beings as tastes. She had never had the bardo explained to her, and so she didn't understand the six levels of reality that organized cosmic existence; and Bold did not feel that he was in a position to teach her. So it remained at the level of ghosts and demons. Malignant ones could be held off by various practices that annoyed them; firecrackers, drums and gongs, these things chased them away. It was also possible to strike them with a stick, or burn artemisia, a Sechuan custom that I Li practised. She also bought magic writing on miniature papers or cylinders of silver, and put up white jade square tiles in every doorway; dark demons disliked the light of these. And the restaurant and its household prospered, so she felt she had done the right things.

Following her out several times a week, Bold learned a lot about Hangzhou. He learned the best rhinoceros skins were found at Chien's,

As you went down from the service canal to little Chinghu Lake; the finest turbans were at Kang Number Eight's, in the Street of the Worn Cash Coin, or at Yang Number Three's, going down the canal after the Three Bridges. The largest display of books was at the bookstalls under the big trees near the summer house of the Orange Tree Garden. Wicker cages for birds and crickets could be found in Ironwire Lane, ivory combs at Fei's, painted fans at the Coal Bridge. I Ii liked to know of these places, even though she only bought what they sold as gifts for her friends or her mother in law. A very curious person indeed. Bold could hardly keep up with her. One day in the street, rattling off some story or other, she stopped and looked up at him, surprised, and said, 'I want to know everything!'

But all the while, Kyu had been watching without watching. And one night, during the tidal bore of the eighth moon, when the Chientang River roared with high waves and there were many visitors in the city, in the hour before the woodblocks and the weathermen's cries, Bold was awakened by a gentle tug on the ear, then the firm pressure of a hand over his mouth.

It was Kyu. He held a key to their room in his hand. 'I stole the key.' Bold pulled Kyu's hand away from his mouth. 'What are you doing?' he whispered.

'Come on,' Kyu said in Arabic, in the phrase used for a balking camel. 'We're escaping.'

'What? What do you mean?'

'We're escaping, I said.'

'But where will we go?'

'Away from this city. North to Nanjing.'

'But we have it good here!'

'Come on, none of that. We're finished here. I've already killed Shen.' 'You what!'

'Shhhh. We need to set the fires and get out of here before the wake up.'

Stunned, Bold scrambled to his feet, whispering 'Why, why, why, why? We had a good thing here, you should have asked me first if I wanted any part of this!'

'I want to escape,' Kyu said, land I need you to do it. I need a master to get around.'

'Get around where?'

But now Bold was following Kyu through the silent household, stepping blindly with complete assurance, so well had he come to know this building, the first one he had ever lived in. He liked it. Kyu led him into the kitchen, took a branch sticking out of the smouldering stove fire; he must have put it in before rousing Bold, for the pitchy knot at the end was now blazing. 'We're going north to the capital,' Kyu said over his shoulder as he led Bold outdoors. 'I'm going to kill the Emperor.'

'What!'

'More about that later,' Kyu said, and applied the flaming torch to a bundle of rush and kindling and balls of wax he had put against the walls, in a corner. When it had caught fire he ran outside, and Bold followed him appalled. Kyu lit another bundle of kindling against the house next door, and placed the brand against a third house, and all the while Bold stayed right behind him, too shocked to think properly. He would have stopped the boy if it weren't for the fact that Shen was already murdered. Kyu and Bold's lives were forfeit; setting the district on fire was probably their only chance, as it might burn the body so that the killing would not show. It also might be assumed that some slaves had been burned up entire, locked in their room as they were. 'Hopefully they'll all burn,' Kyu said, echoing this thought.

We are as shocked as you are by this development, and don't know what happened next, but no doubt the next chapter will tell us.

SIX

By way of the Grand Canal our pilgrims escape justice;

In Nanjing they beg the aid of the Three jewel Eunuch.

They ran north up the dark alleys paralleling the service canal. Behind them the alarm was being raised already, people screaming, fire bells ringing, a fresh dawn wind blowing in off West Lake.

'Did you take some cash?' Bold thought to ask.

'Many strings,' Kyu said. He had a full bag under his arm.