Song of the Spring Moon Waning (5 page)

"I would not tell you this," Liu Yi said after a moment of silence. "But I was told that you would come and you would translate the poems for me, so I will trust you with my story."

Wen Yu gave a small bow at that, and Liu Yi smiled faintly in return.

"I told you, I'd always been able to hear the voices of animals, particularly birds," Liu Yi said, and Wen Yu nodded, certain that he would not have believed such a claim if he hadn't so recently had a conversation with a tortoise.

"My parents were very poor," Liu Yi said. "But they wanted a better life for me, so they gave me to the palace as a eunuch when I was very young. At first it was hard, being away from my family and undergoing the rigorous training and education of a palace eunuch. I was also often sick as a child. The birds were my only consolation. They told me stories and comforted me when I cried.

"One day when I was sitting in the garden studying, a whole flock of birds came down to me. They were very excited, all talking at once, and they said they had come from the mountains were they had been given a message to pass on to me. They said the message was that I had been given something that was lost, but they didn't seem to know what that meant. I had no idea what they were talking about at the time, so I put it out of my mind.

"Some years a later, when I had completed my training, I was approached by a very elderly official carrying a box." Liu Yi nodded to the box on the floor. "He said had been observing me work and thought that my skills and learning far surpassed those of all the young scholars who served in the palace. Because of this, he was choosing me to continue with his most beloved intellectual project; translating the Moon Poems. Then he gave me the box, and I never saw him again. When I opened it, of course, I thought it was just blank leaves of paper, but I was studying late one evening and I happened to have the sheaves on my desk. As the moonlight fell across them, I saw the characters, and I remembered what the birds had told me."

"So you think the poems were lost by someone?" Wen Yu asked.

"Obviously they do not belong to anyone of this world," Liu Yi pointed out.

"So who told you about me?"

"The old scholar was wrong; I am not learned enough or talented enough to translate myself. When this became clear to me, I became despondent. One day I was walking by the carp pool in the largest of the imperial gardens. A carp swam up to the surface and whispered to me that he knew of a scholar who was talented enough to translate the poems, and I should trust the tortoise that would bring him to me." Liu Yi spread one hand out in front of him, palm up, "And here you are."

Seeming to come to the end of his story, Liu Yi fell silent, and Wen Yu tried to absorb it. Part of him did not want to believe such a tale could possibly be real; on the other hand, he had talked to a tortoise and found his way here, and he had seen the poems with his own eyes.

"I don't think I can translate them," he said after a moment. "I've never seen that language, and I don't know how I would go about learning it."

"I'm not sure either." Liu Yi seemed to ponder it. "I have long tried to translate them with no luck. Still, there must be a way."

"What do you suppose they say?"

"I don't know." Liu Yi smiled, sudden and bright. "I would assume, judging by their name, it would be poetry of some sort."

Wen Yu refrained from rolling his eyes.

"Will you try to translate them?" Liu Yi leaned forward, expression serious now.

"I am taking the Palace Examination. It'll be held soon, and I must study. I came here from my family's house so as not to be distracted in these last few months. Taking on another project …"

"Consider it, at least." Liu Yi reached across the table, covering one of Wen Yu's hands with his own. Liu Yi's hand was small and soft, Wen Yu noticed, the hand of a scholar or a courtesan; it made him feel a little warm inside. "Please."

Liu Yi's eyes were too pretty; it wasn't fair. He found himself nodding. "I'll consider it."

"Thank you."

Again, Liu Yi's smile was wide and sweet, and Wen Yu looked away.

On the walk back to his own rooms, Wen Yu allowed himself to admit that he was interested in translating the poems. The challenge of it had grabbed his attention right away; the amazing, puzzle-like quality of learning new languages had always been something he'd found enjoyable, and he loved studying poetry.

Then there were Liu Yi's pretty smiles. Wen Yu found that he was blushing and mentally scolded himself. He barely knew Liu Yi, not to mention how impossible it was for him to become involved with anyone, save maybe Shi Fei, with whom he had grown up. Becoming physically involved with anyone else in a dalliance of pleasure or love would mean them seeing him unclothed, which would be the end of any secrets. Just the idea of it made fear twist his belly and close his throat.

Still, Wen Yu, set the fear aside and allowed himself to feel cautious hope; he wouldn't mind seeing Liu Yi smile at him like that again.

Wen Yu was bent over his desk studying the history of military formations, as well as which were used under what conditions, when a knock came at the door.

Frowning, Wen Yu stood and moved across the room the pull open the door. He stared at Liu Yi on the other side, looking completely out of place in the dilapidated hallway.

"Liu Yi." Wen Yu finally remembered how to swallow and did so several times, before stepping back. "Come in."

As Liu Yi moved into the room, Wen Yu tried to remember if he'd left any dirty clothes or a day-old bowl of rice lying about. Ducking around Liu Yi, he was relieved to see he hadn't, although his blankets were still piled on the mat on the floor where he slept.

"You don't have a bed?" Liu Yi prodded the blankets with the toe of one of his embroidered boots. Dressed like that, it was a miracle Liu Yi had made it all the way to his room without being robbed.

"No, the room didn't come with one. But the mat is plenty comfortable." Wen Yu hastily knelt to fold the blankets.

"We used to sleep on the floor when I was very young." Liu Yi looked around the room. "Back when I still lived with my family, I used to sleep with my sisters."

"You have sisters?" Wen Yu looked up with a smile. "So do I. Four of them, as a matter of fact."

"I have two." Liu Yi knelt by Wen Yu's small brazier, fanning the fire back to life and checking to make sure there was water in the kettle. "Are your sisters older or younger than you?"

"All but one is older," Wen Yu said. "All of them are married. And all but my youngest sister have children of their own."

"Both of my sisters are younger." Liu Yi put the kettle over the flame and then stood. "I don't know if they are married or not, it's been a long time since I have spoken to them."

Wen Yu wondered what that must be like; these last few months in the city had been the longest he'd ever been outside of his family's watchful eye.

"I do not think I have mentioned how commendable I find it, you having made it to this level in the examination process so young."

Wen Yu ducked his head, feeling his cheeks heat. "Thank you. My father never made it past the local examination. It was his dream that his son should rise to become a full scholar bureaucrat and work in the emperor's palace. He has done everything to make sure I got this far, spared no expense. I began training with tutors as soon as I was able to hold a brush."

"Even so, you would not have made it all the way through to the Palace Examination unless you yourself had considerable talent as a scholar."

"Thank you." Wen Yu looked down at his hands. "Some of it I very much enjoy; the literature for instance, the poetry, and I don't mind the Classics or calligraphy, although I'm not as good at either. The mathematics, military, and political strategy, on the other hand, I find tedious."

"Won't that be most of what these examinations will be on, though?" Liu Yi asked.

"Yes, unfortunately."

Liu Yi tilted his head to one side. "But if you don't care for political strategy, do you not want to be a political official? Because as one who has lived for many years in the Imperial Palace, I can tell you political strategy is about all you will be doing. The poetry will be limited only to your leisure time."

"I …" Wen Yu looked away. On the brazier, the teakettle let off a loud hiss and whine as steam rushed out, and Wen Yu stood to make them both tea.

"Still," Liu Yi said from behind him, voice soft. "If you were to become an official at court, then you would stay."

Part of Wen Yu wanted to ask why Liu Yi would care if he stayed or not, but another thrilled with the idea that Liu Yi would care. Instead of asking, he kept quiet and made the tea.

"Do you have work I'm taking you away from?" Wen Yu asked as he set the cup of tea in front of Liu Yi, who shook his head.

"No, I made sure this afternoon was free. Usually, though, I write letters, run errands, and organize the schedules for several court officials. Sometimes Lady Yin Lihua has me come and play the liuqin for her. She composes, you see, and is always looking for someone to try out her latest piece." He picked up the cup of tea and took a sip. "Although she is forever telling me that no matter what piece she gives me to play, I always make it sound sad."

"I would like to hear you play," Wen Yu said, and caught a glimpse of Liu Yi's smile, ducking his head.

"Then I shall play for you sometime."

Wen Yu heard the soft clink as Liu Yi set down his cup. There was a soft
tap-tap
noise as outside it began to rain. Drops fell on the tiled roof outside Wen Yu's window.

"I shouldn't keep you from your studies any longer."

"No." Wen Yu looked up at that. "No, it's all right, I could use a rest. For a little while, at least." He cast his mind about for something for them to speak of or do. "Do you play liubo?" he asked finally.

"Why, yes. Do you have a set?"

"I do." Wen Yu scrambled up, and after some searching, located his board and pieces. It was a small wooden set, not particularly fancy or expensive.

Wen Yu set the board down between the two of them, and he counted out their flat, rectangular game pieces, six white to Liu Yi, six black for himself, along with their throwing sticks and counting chips. Wen Yu placed the fish tokens in the water square at the center of the board and then sat back, letting Liu Yi throw his sticks first and determine how many moves he would make. The game was part strategy, part luck, and Wen Yu learned early on that Liu Yi was quite good at the strategy.
Perhaps I could count this as study after all.
Wen Yu threw his own sticks, keeping a close eye on Liu Yi's pieces and their placement across the board.

Liu Yi was the first to get to turn one of his pieces into an owl. With a small chuckle, he set the rectangular game piece on end so it stood up from the board instead of lying flat, and Wen Yu groaned.

"I don't think I'm going to win this time."

Liu Yi only grinned wider and moved his piece to the water in the center of the board to claim one of the fish pieces, the collection of which was the point of the game.

"Are you hungry?" Wen Yu stood. "I think I might have some cakes, and I can make more tea."

"More tea would be lovely." Liu Yi looked up from the board, still smiling, and Wen Yu couldn't help but smile back.

He set the kettle on the fire and turned to see that Liu Yi was no longer smiling. In fact, he had gone pale, one hand pressed against his chest.

"Are you all right?" Wen Yu moved back towards him, and Liu Yi waved one hand.

"I'm just feeling a bit ill, nothing unusual, but I fear I may need to postpone our game. I should get back to my rooms at the palace. I have medicine there." He stood and gave Wen Yu a small bow. "Thank you for seeing me so unexpectedly, and thank you for a lovely afternoon."

"I'll walk you back to the palace." Wen Yu took the kettle off the fire and began searching around for his jacket, boots, and umbrella.

"Really, it's not necessary."

"But it's raining," Wen Yu pointed out. "And you are feeling ill. It would be terrible of me to let you walk across the city in the rain, alone, when you are not feeling well."

He ushered Liu Yi ahead of him and down the rickety staircase. They huddled together under the eaves as Wen Yu opened his umbrella and held it over both of their heads.

When they stepped out from under the eaves and into the street, Wen Yu realized it was not raining hard. It had been raining long enough, however, that water ran in deep rivers down the center of the paved streets. They hurried down the road, doing their best to avoid the carts, their wheels sending out sprays of dirty water in their wake.

The boots Liu Yi was wearing were silk. Wen Yu thought they would probably be ruined by the time they made it back to the palace.

"Don't you live in the house where we met?" Wen Yu asked as they walked. To his surprise, Liu Yu looked away, raising one hand to partially hide his face with his sleeve.

"It's actually not my house. It belongs to a friend. I was not sure if the guards would let you into the palace, and besides, I wanted us to meet some place nicer then my little rooms." The last came out in almost a whisper, and Wen Yu hid a small smile. So he had not the only one worried about making a good impression.