Qin's Moon: Yang Shi's Long Song

It was raining in Xinzheng the day Granny Feng came to deliver the vegetables.

The rain was light, fine as needles, falling on the bluestone slabs without making a splash, but it had been falling for a long time, not stopping since morning. Yang Huisheng sat by the window on the second floor facing the street, watching the rainwater stream down the eaves across the street. He heard movement at the back door—the sound of the door being pushed open, then the sound of a vegetable basket being placed on the stove. Then came an old woman's voice, saying, "On rainy days, radishes are more vibrant than usual."

The kitchen helper responded and thanked him a few times. The back door closed again. The footsteps faded into the distance along the back alley.

Yang Huisheng didn't go downstairs. He didn't look at what the old woman looked like, nor did he look at what was in the basket of vegetables. He knew he shouldn't look. Granny Feng didn't know who managed Zilanxuan; all she needed to do was deliver the vegetables and say what needed to be said, and that was enough.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Zi Nu came upstairs. She pushed open the door to the elegant room, stood in the doorway without entering, and held a folded piece of linen cloth in her hand, inside which was a radish. She came in, placed the linen cloth on the table, and lifted a corner. Yang Huisheng saw the radish—white-skinned, slightly larger than a fist, with water droplets still on its surface. At the top of the radish, a faint pattern had been carved with a knife, depicting a lotus flower with five symmetrical petals, each petal's curve perfectly even.

Zi Nu picked up the radish, turned it around in the sunlight outside the window, and then put it down.

"Lotus," she said.

Yang Huisheng looked at the lotus flower carved on the top of the radish and remembered what Zi Nu had said: Peonies are normal, chrysanthemums are under martial law, and lotus flowers are "if something happens, report it immediately".

"What news came from the North City Camp?"

"It was handed over by Granny Feng's son," Zi Nu said. "Yesterday evening, there were unusual troop movements in the direction of the main camp. Granny Feng's son said he saw several fast horses heading towards Xinzheng from the main camp. The riders weren't wearing military uniforms, but they were wearing general's badges. Granny Feng came to deliver vegetables early this morning."

Yang Huisheng remained silent for a moment. "Ji Wuye needs to return to the city ahead of schedule."

"Possibly," Zi Nu said. "It's also possible that he sent someone back to relay the order. The troop movements at the main camp might not have been his personal return, but the fact that he moved things towards Xinzheng suggests that the 'night' within the city might be tightening."

Yang Huisheng stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the rain still streaming down the eaves across the street. The rainwater, after hitting the ground, gathered into thin streams, flowing along the cracks in the bluestone slabs to even lower places. He thought for a moment and said, "Gai Nie has seven days left."

"I know."

"If he comes back early, I'll have to do some things before I even see Gai Nie."

Zi Nu looked at him. "What are you planning to do?"

Yang Huisheng turned around and said to Zi Nu, "I need to prepare in advance. We can't wait any longer."

Zi Nu didn't ask, "What preparations are you making?" She put the radish back into the burlap and wrapped it up again. "I've put the radish in the earthenware jar in the corner of the kitchen; no one will touch it. The lotus carving is shallow; in a few days, the radish skin will heal itself and you won't be able to see it. But if we need to use it again—"

"When used again, it won't necessarily be a lotus flower."

Zi Nu glanced at him but didn't press for details about what it was. She picked up the burlap bag, turned, and walked out of the elegant room. At the door, she paused, her back to Yang Huisheng, and said:

"If you have anything to do, be back before dawn."

"Know."

Zi Nu left. After her footsteps faded, Yang Huisheng stood by the window, watching the rain continue to fall. He was thinking about several things: First, Ji Wuye's early return to the city meant that the "Nightfall" network within the city would tighten sooner than expected. Second, the thing he had originally planned to do after Gai Nie arrived—planting the fourth hidden thread—now had to be done himself before Gai Nie's arrival. Third, he needed a "backup route." If the road through the city gate was blocked before Gai Nie arrived, he needed to ensure that Yan Lingji and Han Fei had another way out.

He stood by the window for a while, thinking, then went downstairs. He paused at the kitchen door and saw the earthenware jar in the corner. The lid was tightly shut, and the radish lay quietly at the bottom, mixed in with a pile of ordinary cabbages soaked by the rain.

Yang Huisheng withdrew his gaze, turned, and walked out of the back door of Zilan Pavilion. He held up an old umbrella, its ribs slightly askew, rainwater slanting in from the edge and wetting his left sleeve. He headed towards the vegetable market in the west of the city. He was looking for someone—an old fishmonger. The one Han Fei had mentioned, the younger brother of the city gate night watchman, a talkative man who could chat with anyone.

The rain hadn't stopped. The streets of Xinzheng were mostly quiet in the rain, except for the bustling market. When Yang Huisheng walked into the lively area, his action of closing his umbrella was natural, like any ordinary person buying groceries. He needed a casual conversation. A question that would prompt the talkative old man to ask if his brother had been sleeping well lately. Then he would know—whether the city gatekeeper's gate was still open or closed.

Xinzheng looked as peaceful as usual in the rain. But Yang Huisheng knew that the fast horses from the northern camp were on their way. He needed to finish speaking before they arrived.