Arturo Serrano - To Climates Unknown - An Alternate History of a World Without America

After an extended absence from her duties, Xiaobo had finished recovering from her drug-induced illness. She never explained to Tsunenaga why she’d vanished for all those days; even when she hadn’t been able to avoid Lady Zheng’s machinations, she would not give her her victory.

She regretted not having been present during Tsunenaga’s private talks with Taichang; who knew what could have been misunderstood in the passage from Spanish to Portuguese to Chinese. Zheng had disrupted the most crucial part of her plan, which had been precisely to seek a chance to introduce her own variations to the message. The last thing Islam needed was to compete with an official religion that wasn’t itself.

She went to the Gate of Heavenly Peace when the square was already filling with all kinds of curious people, and she thought she’d like to have a word with Tsunenaga before it all started, but she felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see the Emperor’s sister, Princess Rongchang, dressed in full regalia. The next thing she saw, which threatened to make her insides ill again, was Lady Zheng’s father guarding the princess.

“Good afternoon, Your Highness,” said Xiaobo, attempting to not let her nervousness show in her kowtow.

“I was looking for you, Liang.”

“You were?” She didn’t even know the princess knew she existed.

“I’ve been meaning to thank you personally for the way you saved my brother’s life.”

“It pleases me to serve.” She maintained eye contact to resist the temptation to examine Lady Zheng’s father, whom the princess couldn’t have brought by chance. “Does Your Highness know what the Emperor is going to say today?”

“I’m as clueless as everyone. But, like everyone, I guess it has to do with that Japanese friend of yours.”

“That’s the word around the palace, indeed. But beyond that, I have no idea what’s going on.”

“What exactly has that man been telling my brother?”

“I gather he’s been continuing the work of Jesuits and teaching him his religion.”

The princess frowned. “That’s what I feared. Only days ago, it looked like your friend was going to leave China as soon as he was done with his barbarian magic.”

“Your Highness must have heard that the Emperor himself ordered that he stay in China.”

“Do you think it was a good idea?”

“I wouldn’t presume to judge the Emperor’s decisions.”

Rongchang sighed and adopted a more empathetic tone. “You don’t need to be wary of me. I really need to know what you think.”

Xiaobo looked around meaningfully, and the princess caught her intent. “I suggest we get away from the crowd.”

So the three of them walked toward one side of the square, where they might not hear the announcement as clearly, but they had fewer random ears passing by. It wasn’t enough to make Xiaobo feel any less exposed, so when she spoke, she strived to be careful still. “The Emperor was very impressed with the efficacy of the ambassador’s prayers.”

The princess stopped her, raising a hand. “Now, let’s not fool ourselves. Don’t pretend my brother was saved because your barbarian friend prayed over him. He was saved because you convinced my son to strengthen the vigilance in the palace and keep an eye on the court medic.”

Xiaobo didn’t bother hiding she felt caught off guard. “Does the Emperor see it that way?”

“Who under the heavens has any idea of what my brother thinks? I don’t try to untangle that. It need not be anyone’s concern. What matters is that all threats to my brother have been dealt with.”

The way the princess looked at Xiaobo was clearly meant to convey she knew more than she was saying. “Was there something you wanted to tell me, Your Highness?”

“I know how you saved my brother.” She pointed at her guard and said, “You schemed to have this traitor removed from the palace.” Both he and Xiaobo jumped at those words. The guard looked at the princess, then at Xiaobo, with rising alarm. “It surprised me as much as it did you,” Rongchang continued, now speaking to him, “that you were so suddenly called to serve as my personal bodyguard. The truth is I didn’t ask for you. This eunuch,” she pointed at Xiaobo, “forged my handwriting to have you transferred. That was a clever choice. He had the authority to simply order you to come into my service, but that would have alerted you that the Eastern Bureau was aware of your treachery, as well as your daughter’s.” She waited for him to say anything, but no word came out. She gave an annoyed sigh. “You may leave. I didn’t request your services, and I don’t need them.”

He ran away as fast as he could, and Xiaobo had the momentary impulse to shout for someone to stop him, but the princess waved away her initiative. “How did Your Highness know?”

“My son told me, of course. He couldn’t bear to be part of your plan without alerting me that you were going to make a move in my name.”

“Did you have to tell the traitor that it was my doing?”

The princess saw her concern and grabbed her arms to reassure her. “Two reasons. Firstly, he may be a traitor, but he’s still a soldier. He has the right to know which enemy defeated him.”

“But now that he knows—”

“Secondly, early this morning, my brother signed a decree ordering the execution of the entire Zheng family. Guard, concubine, and pretender.” Xiaobo looked again in the direction Lady Zheng’s father had run, but he was nowhere in sight. “You can stop worrying. They must be arresting him as we speak.”

“Then it’s over,” said Xiaobo with relief. “All of the Emperor’s closest enemies are out of the way.”

“Don’t rush to conclusions. Now we need to discuss more important matters. As I said, you have my gratitude for saving my brother’s life. However, by focusing on one man, your actions have endangered all of China.”

“What do you mean?”

She led Xiaobo to another location farther from the square, almost hidden between two city blocks. “You know that our father never wanted him to rule. A decade was wasted in quarreling with legal scholars over the succession, until tradition, as always, prevailed. The result is that the usual provisions for ensuring a complete political education weren’t made in the case of my brother. He reached adulthood without the extensive preparation that every emperor needs to receive in his youth. He’s no statesman. He’s a drunkard and a lover of prostitutes. He has no discipline, no respect for decorum, and no idea of how to conduct government. That’s the man whom your noble services have kept on the throne of China.”

The echo of the voice of the Minister of Rites interrupted what Xiaobo was going to say, and they both agreed to rejoin the crowd to witness the proclamation.

“Subjects of the Great Ming,” said the minister. “Be it known that the Emperor Taichang has every wish for your prosperity and happiness. Under the generous protection of Heaven, His Majesty watches over his subjects with the loving care of a shepherd.” Xiaobo was certain she’d heard similar language before, and a bad feeling grew inside her about what could come next. “It is Emperor Taichang’s wish that all his subjects strive in blessed harmony to preserve and expand the greatness of the empire, and that all work together with one intention, with one aspiration, with one heart.” She started to feel suspicious at the amount of platitudes that were being spouted before the actual message.

Among the multitude she caught a glimpse of metal and her eyes were drawn toward the sword of Hasekura Tsunenaga, who was attending as an ordinary citizen instead of as the main reason for the celebration. The entire affair started feeling very strange to her. The Emperor’s personal preacher shouldn’t have been left out—if this was going to be a public profession of faith. She looked at the stage once again, growing more confused by the minute.