Chapter 15
The village of Kayamatsu was small. There were, perhaps, only a thousand villagers. With so few inhabitants, it was not deemed necessary to build a wall. Who, in their right mind, would see any gain in attacking a village of one thousand?
Since there was no wall, there was no way for soldiers to possibly question every person who entered or left the village. Nonetheless, they stood on the main road strictly examining all who entered. Sheiji crouched beside the road, hidden from the soldiers, though still with a good view of them. He could sneak around the road and enter from the meadow; but that would involve a mad dash across an open field. If he were caught, it would only arouse suspicion.
As Sheiji watched and thought about what to do, the soldiers took two lighter-skinned men away for further questioning. So Sui-Tsai is getting desperate, is he? Sheiji thought to himself. If those men were taken on suspicion, wouldn’t they arrest him too?
In the end, Sheiji decided to take his chance with the soldiers on the road. Blending into the small crowd that had formed, he tried to think up an excuse. Surely “visiting friends” wouldn’t work in such a small place as Kayamatsu.
“You, boy,” a rough man jostled him. “How’d you like to earn an oba carrying this load of manure?” He laughed gruffly and pointed to the smelly basket on his back. “For the gardens,” he explained.
It was the perfect excuse. An oba wasn’t much, but who would bother a manure boy with questions. If he kept his head down in shame—a manure spreader was one of the lowest of slaves—no one would even see his rounder eyes and lighter complexion.
“I’ll do it, Sir,” Sheiji agreed. The man seemed taken aback, but gratefully transferred his reeking load to Sheiji’s back, threw him several coins and directed, “Bring it to the north edge of the village as soon as you’re through.” Then he pushed ahead. Sheiji had a clear path to walk in up to the soldiers; everyone stepped aside to let him and his load pass.
“Ha, manure boy,” taunted one of the soldiers. “Is that a gift for your girlfriend? She must be a chamber pot scrubber!” The other soldiers found this uproariously funny and the first spat at Sheiji’s feet. “Get out of here before you defile us all,” he hollered with a kick. Hiding a grin, Sheiji hurried past.
After delivering his smelly load, Sheiji continued onward in search of the Bear’s house. It was later than he had wished and the sun was fully up before he found the window hung with a bearskin. A young man answered the door, smiling until he smelled Sheiji.
“Oh, get. We don’t need manure here. Go on before you defile us all!” the man hollered. When Sheiji didn’t leave he asked harshly, “What do you want, you filthy bit of garbage?”
“I know of a cygnet which is growing into a swan. I could bring him to your village and it will bring you luck,” Sheiji said.
At his words, the man’s eyes grew wide and he would have fallen on his face there and then had not a neighbor passed at that moment. “I know the Falcon shall not hunt forever, so bring him to our village. But come in and eat breakfast with us first.” As he spoke, Sheiji saw the man’s lotus charm flash in the sunlight.
Sheiji stepped inside. It was a cheery little house with many colorful paintings of their many gods and goddesses. Toys made of wood, metal and clay littered the floor and more lay half-assembled on the table near the window.
The man, who must be the Bear, led him past a cooing baby and a gawking toddler into the back of the house. There, he removed a rug, opened a trapdoor and led Sheiji into the dark opening. Sheiji wondered silently if he would have to live in holes all the way to Jiwu.
“Oh, forgive me, Vua,” the Bear begged. He pressed his forehead to the ground and breathed in the dirt of the underground chamber. “I did not know who you were, Vua, or I would never have said that.”
“You are forgiven because of your ignorance,” Sheiji replied. “But be kind to the next manure boy you meet. The profession saved me from being recognized at the entrance to the city.”
“I will, Vua,” the Bear replied wholeheartedly. “Should I bring you your breakfast?”
“Yes, though it is rather supper to me,” Sheiji smiled, all formalities gone from his voice. “We will talk when you have returned.”
The Bear bowed again and pulled himself up through the hole. Sheiji took a look around. The underground chamber was dug out of the dirt, and wooden beams held up the floor above. The room was as large as the entire house above ground, though only tall enough for Sheiji to sit comfortably or stand bent over. It was not much better furnished than his room at the Inn of the Axe, though it was decorated with as many pictures as the upstairs. There was no table, but the bed was especially spacious and a candle burned brightly beside it.
“Vua, please accept my humble food,” the Bear had returned carrying a bowl of steaming rice. An onion and a bit of cold chicken sat on a plate. “I wish we had more to give, but I am a toy maker, and it is not a wealthy profession.”
“Whatever you can provide is acceptable,” Sheiji replied. “I’m so hungry that even a bit of cheap brown rice could taste like the finest, freshest white rice cake ever made.”
After a few mouthfuls, Sheiji asked, “Will you wake me at dusk, then?”
“Yes, Vua, at dusk I will wake you and see you off,” the Bear said. “And…if you would give me your clothes…my wife could have them washed by nightfall.”
Sheiji grinned, “Thank you, sir.” He removed his smelly tunic and handed it to the Bear who held it as far away from himself as he could and carried it up to his wife.
Sheiji finished his food and laid the dishes aside. Then he curled up on his bed and fell asleep.
This pattern continued for more days than Sheiji could remember. After the first few nights, he had decided that it was safer for him to travel during the day and sleep at night like normal people. In a crowd, he would not be singled out by soldiers or thieves. Sometimes he reached his destination in one day, but more often he had to sleep in the jungle or find a safe place to curl up for the night. When he left one lodging, he was given directions to the next; but he was never told anything about where he would go after that. It was safer if no one knew more than their own part and the part of one other in the escape of the king.
Though soldiers guarded many of the cities, Sheiji somehow managed to get past every one. Sui-Tsai had spread the rumor that Sheiji had been kidnapped, rather than that he had fled for his life. There were many imagined descriptions of the kidnapper thought up by the people, but no one was actually condemned for the crime. Sheiji wondered how long Sui-Tsai would play at this game before he declared himself king.
The summer was fading into fall and soon the rainy season would begin. Sheiji hoped to be in Jiwu before that, but one could never be certain, he thought. Sheiji found himself enjoying his flight. He learned more about the ordinary people than Fa-Ying could ever have hoped to teach him. He almost wished he could stay on the run forever.