Бесплатный фрагмент - The Roman Saga. Behind The Great Wall

VOLUME V
BEHIND THE GREAT WALL

***

DEDICATED TO THE READERS

SPECIAL THANK YOU:

KOSMYNINA MARINA KONSTANTINOVNA

GUSEV SERGEY BORISOVICH

DAVID HARRIS

PREFACE

The idea for this book is based on real historical events, as well as a number of studies carried out by David Harris and H. Dubs, who founded out that in the 1st century B.C. the city of Lijiangwas built on the territory of Guansu province, which corresponds to the Chinese name for Rome. The same name appears in a list of cities dated 5 AD. This city was allegedly built by Roman legionaries, who came to China after the defeat of Crassus’ army in 53 BC.

Also, information about captured legionnaires is contained in Plutarch’s biography of Crassus, where he writes that the Parthians sent them to the city of Margiana or Merv. From Merv they came to the Xiongnu, who lived on the territory of modern Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. There, legionnaires took part in the construction of the Xiongnu capital on the Talas River, 15 km from the modern city of Dzhambul. In 36 BC. this city was destroyed by the Chinese general Tang, and the Romans were captured in China.

There is also a mention of these people in the — History of Early Han — by the Chinese historian Ban. In 1989, Professor Guan Yiquan from the Department of History at the Institute of Nationalities, Lanzhou, presented new maps, on which he plotted four more cities founded by the inhabitants of Lijiang. According to his toponymic research, the city of Lijiangwas subsequently renamed Jielu, which means “prisoners captured during the assault on the city.”

***

在随后的罗马共和国内战中，苏拉军队的三位军团将士意外地发现，在伊特鲁里亚主庙里藏着巨大的财富。尽管他们得到命令要处死教士，但是他们屈服于诱惑，通过救伊特鲁里亚人的性命来获得财富。然而，他们并没有成功地利用这个宝藏的优势。不仅仅是他们的后代，哪怕是他们自己直到生命的尽头才知道宝藏的存在。拉齐奥科尼利厄斯是三个幸运勇士之一的儿子。他幼年丧亲，很小就被亲戚收养。他生于乱世之年，和大多数贵族家庭的孩子一样，走上了战场。他参与了几场战争，多亏了他强健的身体、精湛的技能及高超的智慧，他迅速从同伴中脱颖而出。当他在高卢为凯撒的军队服役时，命运之神让他遇到了一位陌生的姑娘。这位姑娘送了他一个带有三个圆圈的徽章，碰巧与他肩膀的胎记相重合。在婴儿时期，父亲给他纹了这样的纹身，可惜他还没来得及告诉他为什么，就去世了。一些致命的巧合和资金的短缺迫使拉齐奥加盟马库斯·克拉苏的军队。这支军队为了追寻名望与财富正要去征服帕提亚和印度。拉齐奥也需要资金来恢复他在罗马贵族圈子里的地位，他还要迎娶罗马最漂亮的花魁。这位姑娘是他在筹备亚洲活动时爱上的。但是梦想很丰满，现实很骨感。暴力与杀戮往往并不能带来财富。一旦来到要征服的战场，拉齐奥面临着卑鄙的人性——背叛、吝啬和嫉妒。不幸的是，这些美女成了他最严峻的考验。他的勇气与胆识吸引着她们，但这也招致了周围的羡慕和嫉妒。命运的安排，拉齐奥去到了最遥远的国家，在罗马都没有人听说过。他对这个丝绸大国——中国，印象深刻，那里的人们甚至和罗马人长相都不同，更不用说他们的习惯、传统和生活方式。在这个国家，他成为第一个与皇帝汉元帝及四大美女之一的王昭君会面的外国人。一路上，他失去了真正的朋友，心情也越来越孤独。生活再次迫使他成为一名军人、一个仆人。他有得有失，但他的梦想依然不变，那就是重返罗马。为了这个梦，他经历了难以想象的磨难。不过，他并没有意识到，这些磨难都与他的肩膀上神秘的胎记有关。

Roman saga. Behind the Great Wall. Volume V

The siege of the Xiongnu capital on the Talas River ended in victory for the Chinese troops. The Xiongnu leader, his family, and associates were beheaded, and the city was burned. Lacius and the surviving Romans are captured by the Chinese commander, who spares their lives in order to use them for his own purposes at the Emperor’s court. Finding himself in the Han Empire, Lacius is faced with a new, incomprehensible culture and way of life. Constant intrigue and betrayal await him at every step, and Lacius has to forget about his pride and integrity for a long time in order to adapt and survive in the difficult conditions of a strange and frighteningly huge country. Here he unexpectedly falls in love and is reciprocated. However, this love has no future, and Lacius again faces a difficult choice. As a result, he makes a difficult decision, to which the death of people close to him pushes him.

***

罗马传奇

第五章：深处中国长城

匈奴在塔拉斯河的首都被团团围住，最后是汉军取胜。匈奴的首领，他的家人和亲属都被斩首，这座城市也被烧毁。拉齐奥和活下来的罗马人又被中国将军给俘虏了，之所以保留他们的性命是为了在宫廷的尔虞我诈之中占点优势。在汉朝，拉齐奥体验到了一种全新的，令他充满困惑的文化与生活方式。阴谋和背叛，时刻等待着他，他不得不在很长一段时间里放下他的骄傲和原则，以此来适应，并从陌生而可怕的大国的困难条件下生存下来。在大汉帝国，他成为唯一一个会见了汉元帝以及古代四大美女之一——明妃的外国人。在这里，他意外的陷入了两情相悦的爱恋。但是，这份爱情却没有未来，拉齐奥再一次面临着挑战。因此，他作出一个艰难的决定，因为死亡向他的朋友逼近，他必须这么做。

© Yevtishenkov Igor, 2015

CHAPTER I. TERRIBLE CAPTIVITY

Buzzz – z – z – z – z… It is a long, high-pitched, piercing whine. Now it’s getting further, now closer. This is a mosquito. It’s already very close. And silence. It has landed on… Long thin legs move from one place to another, a tiny sting continuously moves up and down, poking between frozen piles of dried blood on the skin. It is looking for the right place. Now the baked wounds end, and a gray desert appears ahead, covered with motionless dust. This is skin. The sting finds a free place and sinks deeper and deeper. The legs bend, the body drops down and becomes filled with blood.

Kill… It must be killed. Who said this? Can’t hear it. Meanwhile, the mosquito has become much thicker. It can’t even take off the first time. It is hanging in the air for some time, squeaking from satiety and the heaviness of the belly, until it is blown aside by a light gust of wind.

The strip of light disappeared, everything around became black. A spot appeared before his eyes. So it began to move in different directions, expanding, like waves from a stone, thrown into the water. The waves diverge, letting it down into the depths. He’s flying. Down into the abyss. It’s even blacker there, but it’s easy and quiet. Or not? It seems like someone’s footsteps can be heard. Smooth and soft — stomp, stomp, stomp… Someone is coming. He is going on for a long time — stomp, stomp, stomp, sneaking. It’s like he’s marking time. The hearing strains, and now another sound is heard — drip, drip, drip. Something is dripping. Very close. The sound is soft and dull. These are drops. Water? He’s thirsty.

— A – ah – h – h, — the throat screams with all its might, swallowing a dry lump of emptiness, and the ears hear only the quiet wheeze of escaping air. And someone else’s voice, too.

— Lacius? Do you hear, Lacius? Are you alive?

Who is this? Whose voice is this? He says a familiar name.

— Ah – ah – h – h, — a new scream tears through his chest. It was the head that tried to turn to the side, and the whole body responded with a sharp aching pain. No, this cannot be… This is pain. Terrible pain. Everywhere. One continuous lump of pain, as if there were no arms or legs, but only a huge ball of suffering. Hands? Legs? Where are they? Isn’t this death? Not death… Thousands of ants are crawling on him, moving their mustaches and laughing, laughing, shaking their thin paws in the air. Their red bellies are increasing in size. The red colour covers everything around, the ants are making louder and louder noise, they demand something, repeating the same word: — Chilii!” Strange, the word seems to be familiar, too. Who is this? Someone calls him:

— Lacius, get up! Get up, otherwise they’ll kill you! Do you hear me, get up! — he can hear, but how awfully painful his shoulder hurts. Someone is shaking him. Is he really alive? This thought turned into a huge bell that rang in his head with all its might, and all the events echoed loudly in his awakened memory.

— No, — he managed to whisper quietly.

— Get up, get up! At least, your legs aren’t tied. Let’s do it! — someone pushed him, trying his best. Lacius barely opened his eyes and saw a familiar face covered in abrasions and bruises.

— Lucro… — he muttered.

— Get up! — the old friend rose to his knees with a groan. — They will check, and then you may fall down again!

— Chitshuang! Shangxng! — came from somewhere above. His legs don’t obey him, but he still manages to get up…

Lacius straightened his knees with difficulty and pressed his forehead into the wet earthen wall so as not to fall. It was a large pit, where they once stored their first supplies of food and honey. Water was dripping from above, and the river flowed nearby.

In the corner, several Han soldiers came down the stairs and began checking the prisoners. Three people were unable to respond to their pushes and blows. Followed several sword thrusts into the stomach and chest to ensure death, and the lifeless bodies are already dragged upstairs. Fast, how fast everything is…

Lucro fell to the ground. His hands and feet were tied. Lacius slowly sank down next to him.

— What happened? — he asked quietly. — I don’t remember.

— All the Xiongnu were killed. Right on the square. The women and children were taken away. We were tied up and thrown here.

— Young Zeno and Mark?..

— Over there. Alive. They’re lying down.

— That’s all? And those, who gave up, what happened to them?

— Dunno. I think they killed them, too. Together with the Xiongnu. They say there were about fifteen hundred in the city. Men. They cut everyone down, — Lucro spoke in short phrases. He also had difficulty breathing. His blue lips with a white coating were cracked and could barely move. He hasn’t drunk water for a long time.

— Why did they leave us alive? — Lacius muttered, but Lucro did not hear the question and, falling back, tiredly closed his eyes.

— When do you think they will kill us? — the old friend asked quietly.

— Dunno. Maybe now…

— Lacius, it’s all your fault, — someone’s voice was heard from the other side. — Why did you bring us here? For what? Because of you, we will all die… — the man fell silent, but Lacius had nothing to answer. — Do you know what the worst thing is? The worst is dying like a rat in this hole…

— Tiberius, is that you? — Lacius asked quietly.

— Yes, it’s me… Do you remember Vargaunt? He used to say it was better to die with a sword in battle than like a worm in the ground. And no one sees this…

— Vargaunt was my best friend.

— Mine, too. But he died like a hero, and we’ll die like slaves in the quarries. Have you seen how slaves are killed?

— I have…

— And… that means you know… Where is our glory, Lacius? Where is the Rome we defended? We will die here… and no one there will know about it. Nobody…

— We will be remembered, you’re wrong, — his throat had difficulty pronouncing each word, which echoed loudly in his head.

— The worst thing is to die in the unknown… not in public, not in front of comrades with a sword in your hands, but like a frog. They step on you — and you just croak, that’s it, you’re dead, — it seemed that Tiberius was already talking to himself, not listening to his answers. — I hate it… Are you afraid, too? Are you? They’ll come now, poke you with a sword, and you’ll die. No, don’t you? Are you afraid? Then get up, show that you are alive…

The screams of soldiers were indeed heard from above, and the stairs were lowered down again. Lacius caught himself thinking that he also did not want to die and was very thirsty. Especially now, when his whole body ached in pain and he couldn’t even move to protect himself. His head and thoughts existed separately, and pain, along with thirst, defeated his former pride.

So another day passed after the battle. The second night was approaching. He had already forgotten the first one — there were just a few spots in his memory left, nothing more. All this time the Romans were given neither water nor food. This was a sure sign that they would soon be killed. The Chinese don’t waste water on corpses. Tired of looking at the sky, Lacius turned over on his side and froze. The sun had long since dropped below the horizon, and now an unpleasant coolness, along with fog, began to fill their pit like water. At first, it seemed pleasant, but then the damp earth gradually began to draw the warmth out of him. He tried to get up. A sharp pain pierced both knees, and Lacius fell face down into the dirt with a groan. There was no strength to turn over. The breath of death was already felt in this grave pit. Everyone lay motionless and awaited their fate limply, like animals. They did not resist, gradually plunging into a state of sluggish indifference.

When someone’s hands lifted him up, Lacius did not even open his eyes. He didn’t care. They dragged him somewhere, scolded him, kicked him, and then even untied his hands. The fingers did not move. He was lying near a hole in the wall. There was no one nearby. A stone was beneath his neck, the head fell back, and the stars in the eyes, at first so bright and close, began to slowly spin and go out.

The burning pain in his hands brought Lacius to his senses. Shoulders, elbows, hands and palms — everything burned and itched, as if they had been dipped in boiling oil. Thousands of needles pierced the entire skin. The gods sent him torment instead of death, which he could not endure. Was it really easier in the desert near Carrhae? Hardly. But there was no such despair and emptiness. Then there was still hope that he, as a legate, would be found, redeemed, exchanged, and not abandoned…

A cart, carrying bodies, passed by. They were taken to the city. This means they will burn the corpses. Well, that makes sense. There’s a lot of wood there. Everything will burn to the ground. They drag him there, too. This means they will also burn him. Or they will torture him first. He saw a sword. But there was no longer any strength to reach it, sticking out from under a piece of log. The fingers twitched and stopped. How his body itched and hurt! Someone’s shadow bent over him.

— Ta huojk, — a hoarse voice rang out. Lacius opened his eyes and said:

— Meyou siwang. Zai nali ni tuo wo? — he asked with the last of his strength, but the Han warriors recoiled from him in fear and began to quickly talk about something. Individual words could be heard from them, but they swirled around in Lacius’ head, without turning into meaning. Finally, he was picked up again and quickly brought to the former Chanyu’s palace. There was nothing in the servants’ room. Nothing at all. Just bare walls and floor. In the Chanyu’s room there were a table and an old carved chair, given to him by the former Emperor Yuan – di. There were lamps along the walls. He saw only yellow circles that every now and then came off the cups and flew from place to place. The whole world was spinning in his head with them. His body was lowered onto a large skin in front of the table. The entire floor around was dark and smelled of blood. This smell could not be confused with anything else.

— Is this him? — asked a male voice.

— Yes, — a woman answered briefly. Lacius recognised the voice. It was Chow Li’s.

— Oh – oh – oh, — a groan escaped from his chest, but Lacius couldn’t get up himself. They helped him by putting something under his back. It was convenient. A man, sitting on the chair, spoke abruptly and sharply, and Lacius did not understand some of the words. Chow helped. She translated almost everything into the Xiongnu language.

— Your people are no different from us. They have the same arms and legs. Inside is the same heart. And there is nothing new in their heads. The only difference is skin, — the man nodded to the side, and Lacius stared with a glazed look at several headless bodies of his comrades in the corner. They were cut into pieces. The man wanted to see what was inside them. — We’re leaving tomorrow afternoon. — Everything here will burn, — the hangu man added, and Lacius nodded his head. He correctly guessed why the bodies were taken to the city. — Chow says you built this city. She says you know a lot. Tell me why do I need you? — the stranger spat out the last phrase and leaned back. In the dim light of the oil lamps, only his mustache and beard were visible. The dark hollows, where the eyes should have been, hid his gaze, and his entire face was a semicircle of dark and light spots.

— I killed Ji Yui, — said Lacius.

— Was it you?! — there was just a note of slight surprise in the voice and that’s all.

— Yes, I… I know how to build towns and fight…

— We all know how to fight. Others know how to build. I want to cut out your tongue. You sound like us. But you don’t look like a Xiongnu.

— You don’t. I need it.

— Are you afraid of death? — followed again mockery and disdain. Lacius felt thoughts begin to appear in his head. What could he answer to this young military leader? That before him, he had already seen hundreds of people like him, and even better? No, this one is too self – confident and will not understand. You can hear in his voice that he wants to see humiliation and fear. Was it really not enough for him to kill the Xiongnu? Lacius was silent, realising for the first time that his courage had long ago given way to cunning and resourcefulness. For him, fighting was a joy, not humiliation and pain, as it was now. Maybe the gods kept it for ridicule? What to do, what to say? After all, this has never happened before. Decisions were always made quickly and correctly. Now he regretted something, doubted and all the time saw himself as if from the outside. Yes, this hangu warrior was right — Lacius didn’t want to die.

— You’re probably right. I’m afraid, — he finally answered.

— He – he, — came a satisfied laugh. — So your blind friend lied that you weren’t afraid of anything. You’re afraid. This is good. Tomorrow he will sing you the last song.

— Is Paul alive?

— Alive, alive. He sings beautifully. Hey, — the warrior called to the guards, — take him away!

— You are also afraid of death, — said Lacius, carefully choosing the words of the foreign language and trying not to lose consciousness. Strong arms grabbed him and lifted him to his feet. There were only a few moments left. — Your Emperor will kill you. You disobeyed him. I know that. There is no one higher than the Emperor, — they pulled him back, and as he walked, he uttered his last words: — Remember, Wu Zi executed one of his brave warriors. Why? Because the brave warrior violated his order, fought with the enemies, and killed all of them. But Wu Tzu said: — We all must listen to orders, — and the brave man was killed. Lacius himself did not know why he remembered this story from Chow Li, but the young general suddenly raised his hand and ordered his men to stop.

— You are cunning. How can you help me, luoma ren?

— Our warriors also sometimes violated orders, — Lacius continued, breathlessly, not believing that he was still alive. — They were also ordered to be executed. But sometimes they managed to escape.

— How? — a short and tough question sounded. Lacius looked at Chow Li. She was sitting on the floor next to the general’s chair with such an expression on her face as if everything that was happening did not concern her.

— Zhi – Zhi visited the Han Empire several times, — Lacius continued. — He was unlucky. There he made several mistakes. One day he was wearing a beautiful gold necklace. The Emperor’s wife liked it. She told this to her chief eunuch. He conveyed the words to Zhi Zhi. Zhi Zhi did not want to part with the necklace. He did not take it off and did not give it to the eunuch. He didn’t believe him. After this, the Emperor did not communicate with Zhi Zhi anymore and spoke only with his brother Huhanye. They say that the Emperor listens only to his wife.

— I took the Emperor’s two rings from your Zhi Zhi and his son. They are very expensive. With blue stones. Do you think they should be given to the Emperor’s wife?

— No, — Lacius squeezed out with difficulty.

— Then what? Zhi Zhi’s head? — General Tang exclaimed disappointedly.

— No, not your head…

— And what?

— Zhi Zhi often said that the Emperor loved large paintings of the battles of his warriors. He loves it very much.

— Paintings? Did you say paintings? — Chen Tang leaned back in surprise and froze. Then he looked at Chow Li. She was motionless and calm, like a statue. –What do you want to say? Do I need to paint a big picture? No, it’s too simple. There will be no Emperor there, there will be no his troops.

— Not one. If there are many… Many paintings? Twenty or thirty? — it was difficult for Lacius to speak. — And connect them together? The first shows an attack on the fortress… Then — on the walls… The next on — the gate on fire. And in the end… — he sighed, gathering his strength, — in the end — the death of Zhi Zhi and his family. There will be a bigger picture. Long… It will definitely surprise the Emperor. I myself have seen… such pictures… more than once. But first you should show it to Уmperor’s wife. She is first. Then she will tell him. He won’t be able to refuse. And he will go look. The Emperor listens to his wife… — there was no strength to speak anymore, and Lacius dropped his head on his chest.

— How do you know all this?! Who told you? — Chen Tang was sincerely surprised. He didn’t know that over the course of several years, Chow Li had told Lacius so many times about the relationships in the imperial palace that he even remembered some of the names of important officials. — Ha! Then at the end you need to put all your warriors in breastplates and women’s dresses that you wear. Yes, this will surprise the Emperor! You will stand next to the painting and raise your shields like this! Wow, this might surprise the Emperor! — Tang was silent for some time, wondering something in his mind. Then his face became gloomy again and he, resting his hands on his knees, asked, — You are cunning, luomaren, but who will draw such pictures? — And so quickly?

— There are several people among our warriors. They will be able to draw them in ten days.

— You’ll show me these people. Let them draw me a few small pictures. I want to see it myself!

— Of course… But… they are all in the earth pit. We didn’t drink for several days. Hands are tied. You need to untie them quickly. The hands will get over… and tomorrow they will be able to draw.

— Fine. Let’s untie them and give them water!

— Thank you, General! — Lacius squeezed out, remembering Chow’s frequent stories about the vanity of Han officials. He caught himself thinking that he did not feel humiliated. Has he really ceased to be a Roman, as the fortune teller in Syria promised him? Probably, yes. Having gathered his strength, Lacius added: — General, you are a brave and intelligent warrior. But you are also a noble and wise person. This is very rare.

There was no answer. Several short orders were heard, Lacius was taken to the steps and given a cup of hot brew. Holding it with difficulty with trembling hands, he pressed his lips to the scalding liquid. It was meat broth! When he finished it and looked up, Chow Li stood in front of him.

— Thank you, — he said sincerely.

— For what? — she asked in surprise.

— For not tying my legs, — Lacius nodded at the ropes that were still dangling from his arms. — Only hands.

— Do you think I asked someone not to tie your legs? — she laughed. — I didn’t even know if you were alive or not.

— It’s a pity. I thought it was as a sign of gratitude for the fact that I untied you there…

— No, probably the warriors simply didn’t have enough leather belts for you. They say they left you against the wall. But that’s not what I’m talking about. General Tang has ordered you to collect all the shields, breastplates, and helmets you fought with. They will give you ten people. We need to do everything tomorrow morning. Take them off even from the dead. Then it will be necessary to make them look like new in order to surprise the Emperor and his wife.

— What about my people? When will they be released?

— They’ve already been untied. Don’t worry. The main thing is that they really know how to draw.

— Wait, — he asked, seeing Chow Li turn around to leave. — What about those who gave up? Are they alive?

— Xiongnu — no, Romans — yes. They carry corpses into the city.

— So we’re alive, — Lacius breathed, and everything swam before his eyes again. He didn’t remember where or how he spent the night, grinding his teeth and groaning in pain. The dream was oppressive and heavy. The gods were silent. And only the black medallion on a thin leather strap occasionally tapped on the floor when its owner turned over from side to side.

CHAPTER II. PICTURE FOR THE EMPEROR

The next day, they couldn’t draw a picture. Their hands did not obey. Tiberius and Lucro were among those who could draw well but they were too weak to do that.

— Well, are you okay now? — Lacius asked Tiberius, who, after the first bowl of hot broth, was scratching himself and twitching his shoulders. Life was returning to his strong body, and his gaze had already become more meaningful and tenacious. — You didn’t die in the pit, so now you won’t die here either. We need to draw a battle for the Han general. For this he gave us a free hand. Can you?

— If the lice don’t chew us off at all, then we can, — said Tiberius, frantically scratching his head. — You see, the hands are numb. They need to get over.

— I’d draw this picture with my leg if I gave me more meat, — Lucro said dreamily, licking his empty cup. Lacius just grinned. They could barely stand on their feet, they were all overcome by lice, but their mood inspired optimism. The small biting creatures could be gotten rid of with a fire. To do this, they had to go get branches for the baskets. Tiberius looked up at Lacius and said with a sigh:

— Sorry, do you hear? The furies misled me… I didn’t want to say it there… OK?

— I understand, — Lacius grimaced from the bite of another louse. — You could still talk there. I couldn’t move my tongue at all. Oh! — he hit himself on the back of his head and jerked it. — It’s painful. Such a bastard! Okay, I can’t stand anymore. I need to quickly put my clothes into the fire… and also shave.

— We’ll bring some branches, and then you go find a knife, — Lucro suggested. — Nobody will give knifes to us. You can get them.

Two days later they depicted horses and people on one stone by the river, and on another a fortress and towers, but all this was done so far only with firebrands. Chen Tang liked the drawings, but he wanted to have such a drawing with him. However, there was no longer any skin or fabric of suitable size and quality in the city. So he ordered Tiberius to draw the same thing in his diary, which he kept from the very beginning of the campaign. The Roman’s huge hands seemed unable to cope with the thin stick. However, after making a few uncertain movements on the board, Tiberius was able to understand how to make thick and thin lines, and soon the first sketch of the battle on the Talas River appeared in Tang’s diary. The young general was very pleased. He didn’t even bother to admire the flames over the city walls, which quickly devoured the dry wood and the corpses, collected in the city square. The strange guide Goju, who was very afraid of the black disease, which they encountered several times during the journey, especially insisted on this.

When the first warriors with torches began to walk around the dry grass, laid out under the walls and houses, Goju threw a large light bag into the fire, which he had previously hidden in a hole near the river. In it, carefully tied into several small knots, lay the remains of a ferret that died from this terrible disease. If the siege of the fortress dragged on, the guide was going to throw the dead ferret over the wall. So the defenders were doomed anyway. But then Chen Tang would not have received Zhi Zhi’s head and the Han army would have had to retreat from the walls at the first sign of illness in the city. And then burn it, like now.

While Tiberius was drawing horses on the stone, the rest of Romans were following Tang’s orders, collecting their equipment and weapons under the supervision of frowning infantrymen. They managed to find Lacius’ helmet with a crest, an abandoned shaft with a wooden eagle, and many swords and shields. But the clothes and cloaks were nowhere to be found. Then they decided to make them from the fabrics that the Han warriors had taken from Zhi Zhi’s warehouse. There was a lot of silk there. To implement his plan, the young general allowed the use of everything necessary.

So Lacius got a red cloak. It was much brighter and better than the previous one. As a result, by the end of the week almost a hundred shields, spears, capes, tunics, sandals, helmets, and breastplates were ready. They even managed to find several chain mail shirts.

At one of the sites, Lucro learnt that Saet was alive. Someone saw her among the captured Xiongnu women. The joy of Zeno and Mark knew no bounds. They could not see their mother because the women had been taken away earlier, but they hoped that they would be able to meet her during the night stops. Unfortunately, the Han divided into two groups and did not allow the women to see the rest of the prisoners. They said that they would all be sold into slavery as soon as they found themselves behind the Great Wall, on the territory of the Empire. But everything turned out to be not so simple.

When General Tang’s warriors returned to Governor Xiao’s province, paintings, depicting the Battle of the Talas River, were already finished. They just had to be connected to each other and attached to the wall. Together with them, all the equipment for the Romans was prepared. But Chen Tang didn’t know how to send it to the capital. He found himself in a difficult situation. It was dangerous to travel alone. Sending old Governor Xiao away was stupid. Young Chow Li offered him another plan: she would go to the capital to visit her sister along with Chen Tang’s messengers, who would hand over Zhi Zhi’s head to the Emperor. There was no way out, and he asked her to remind her sister about the Empress’s letter. Tang wanted to get it as soon as possible.

In the big house of Governor Xiao, the Romans were kept in those large sheds, where they lived several years ago, when they came here with Zhi Zhi’s son to buy some equipment. One day, Lacius saw the guide Godju, who had come to learn about news from the capital and lived on the outskirts of the city.

— Harav ta romyn amid uu? — the old guide asked in surprise, when he saw Lacius sitting at the door on a large log. Looking at the two rings and the iron ball chained to his ankles, Goju walked closer.

— Yes, I am. For some reason the gods left me alive, — Lacius answered. It was really strange to him that he had not yet died. — You, old man, saved me so many times in the steppe, and now…

— This is all your black circle, — Goju pointed to the amulet, hanging over the cape.

— Maybe, — he shrugged indifferently. — Are you with them now? Why do they believe you? You were with Zhi Zhi.

— He killed my son.

— Yes, you said that then. In Kangyuy.

— I was afraid of this. I knew this could happen. So I sent my second son to Chang’an.

— Now everything is clear, — Lacius drawled. — Your son helped you.

— No, he didn’t. He doesn’t even know I’m here. Doesn’t know yet. He serves under the governor of the central province. He will probably never return to the steppe. He has a different life here…

Lacius understood the old man, who was already so old that the wrinkles on his face turned into deep furrows, and there was no black hair in his beard. Time took its tall. Life was ending, and he wanted respect and honour. They sat opposite each other and recalled the past. Having told Goju that the Romans, along with the paintings, would be shown to the Emperor, Lacius heard in response that the Emperor did not love war, nor the court, nor his wife. Most of all, he loved his concubines, and two of them have already given birth to children. The Emperor was a smart man. But his wife was much wiser…

The old Goju told him for a long time about the morals and customs of the Han Empire, speaking contemptuously about their army and military leaders, who thought more about money and the income of their families than service. In one evening, Lacius learnt so much that he probably could not have learnt if he had lived here even ten years. Much was clear and familiar, because the life of the Roman aristocracy was not very different from the life of governors in the provinces, not to mention the capital of the Empire.

Chow returned ten days later. That evening, the night lamps burned for a long time in the large house, and the servants stayed up late, awaiting orders from the master and his guests. The next day, the Romans began to prepare to move to the capital of the Empire. Getting ready was simple, and by mid – day everything was ready. A large line of people and carts left the city walls. Everyone stopped there, waiting for the governor to join them. At this time, two guards approached Lacius and took him to a small stretcher near the wall. Leaving him alone, they stepped aside.

— Come, — he suddenly heard Chow Li’s voice. Catching himself thinking that he was still capable of surprise, Lacius grinned and slowly approached.

— How inaccessible you have become! — there was irony in his voice. But he still could not understand, why Chow Li changed so dramatically, when she found herself among her Han people. At first, it seemed to him that she wanted to hide her past. But it was stupid because everyone knew what happened to her in Zhi Zhi’s family. A little later, Lacius began to think that it was all about her status. After all, she was the daughter of a rich Han man. Maybe this is what made her forget about gratitude and made her so harsh?

He thought for a long time about the changes that had happened to Chow Li, but it could not even occur to him that the young woman behaved as her culture required. She instantly adapted to the environment, in which she found herself and, having found herself in the company of General Tang, immediately gained the strength of her social position, which required appropriate behaviour. In the Han Empire, there was an unspoken rule that if a person received a new position, everyone had to come to him and get to know him again. From that moment on, the past did not exist. The same thing happened to Chow Li — she forgot the past in order to survive in the present. Permanence here was unacceptable. But Lacius did not yet know about this feature of the national culture of the Han Chinese and behaved as an equal. — Listen, maybe you can take me inside? I was your master. Do you remember this?

— I do. This happened before, though. Now you are… a prisoner.

— Well, yes, I am. And what do you want?

— I need your help, — these words sounded sincere, but if for Latium it was an appeal from a friend, then for Chow it was a cunning trick with far – reaching goals. So that others would not suspect her of affection for a white slave and would not spread rumours, she deliberately hid in a stretcher and ordered her servants to move away. No one could see them here. But Lacius was so inspired by the success of his negotiations with General Tang that he did not pay attention to such — little things.

— Help? — he was taken aback. — Help from a prisoner? Are you kidding?

— Listen, everything can end very badly, — and Chow Li told him that she had gone to the capital to visit her sister. She had not been alone. Chen Tang’s messengers had accompanied her. They had handed Zhi Zhi’s head to the Emperor. But the Emperor had not accepted it and refused to forgive Tang. The Imperial Council is still arguing about what to do with Chen Tang and Governor Xiao — to forgive or punish. Chow’s sister and her husband really hope that the huge paintings and captured Romans will please the Emperor and he will have mercy. But it’s not for sure…

— I don’t understand anything. What do you want from me? — Lacius felt perplexed.

— If the Emperor does not forgive General Tang and Governor Xiao, they will be executed. — After this, their relatives and friends will be killed along with their families up to the third generation. This means that Governor Xiao and his cousin Bao Shi will be killed. My sister is his wife! Got it? She’ll be killed. And… then they will probably kill me… too… — at that moment Chow did not have to pretend, because she was telling the truth.

— How complicated everything is, — Lacius shook his head. — I realised that they would kill everyone.

— Yes, they will, — Chow said desperately.

— It’s a pity. And what do you want from me? — he repeated his question.

Chow didn’t know how to push the Roman to do a noble deed. She wanted her sister not to get hurt. She thought that if the Emperor came to look at the paintings, then he would take pity and forgive Chen Tang and Governor Xiao. And it was Lacius, who could help with this. The rest had already used their opportunity, — they have thrown the dice and lost, — as the Emperor’s courtiers liked to say.

— Make something… something interesting to make the Emperor like it! — she said passionately. Lacius tried for a long time to explain to her that this was impossible and it was simply stupid to demand something from him, a chained slave, but Chow begged, and in order to stop this meaningless conversation, he agreed. Then she began to tell him about the Emperor’s court and all the important officials. Lacius hardly listened to her, having long since despaired of remembering the endless names and favourite complex relationships, until she remembered the Emperor’s favourite concubines.

— Stop! Can your sister talk to these concubines?

— Yes, she can.

— Then let her tell them something interesting about the Romans… Something intriguing. They need to come and see. That’s a must! Later they will start telling it to everyone. The others will tell the Emperor, and he can come. This is the only chance. Do you agree? What might interest them?

— I think… It’s difficult. But I see your point. I have to talk to my sister.

— Talk, talk. Also. We’ll need musicians. Like it was in Zhi Zhi’s camp. Do you remember blind Paul singing with them?

— Yes, I do.

— They had something with strings and timpani. The musicians must play well. Let’s try to surprise them with songs. Well, this is not enough, though. We need to come up with something scary and terrible. Something they’ve never seen before. I also need something.

— What? — Chow tensed.

— You said you knew the way to the south, to the big sea. Can you help me get there? I want to sail to India or further, — he waited for her to think about his words.

— You… you… you could be killed right tomorrow or sent to the salt lakes… I can’t promise.

— If the Emperor punishes General Tang and Governor Xiao, you will definitely not be able to promise anything. — If he forgives Xiao, everything will be different. Am I right?

— Yes, you are, — Chow Li was forced to agree, having already come to her senses and realising that nothing stopped her from lying to this naive white man.

— Then you will not allow me to be sold to the salt lakes and will help me get to the sea. — In the end, perhaps you will buy me as a slave and take me there yourself! — Lacius suggested. It seemed to him that Chow was worried. He would feel that way himself in such a situation. So he decided to wait and let her weigh everything.

— If General Tang and Governor Xiao are forgiven, I will do it! — finally came a firm and decisive answer. Lacius sighed again, but this time with relief. He wanted to believe that the gods would help him, and Chow Li would not forget his promise. However, he did not know that in the chain of events that he drew in his imagination and described to Chow, her salvation was in the first place, and his in the second. And it was not necessary for her to fulfill her part of the obligations if he succeeded.

The signal to move sounded in the distance, the guards led him back, and a long line of Han warriors, carts, and Roman prisoners moved along the dusty road towards the capital of the Empire. Only Chow Li’s stretcher turned towards the gate and slowly headed back to the city.

CHAPTER III. CAPITAL OF THE HAN EMPIRE

The city amazed Latium with its high towers on the walls and even taller buildings inside. It immediately struck him that the walls were made of logs, not stone. But the gates were double, and during a siege they could not be broken through with a battering ram. All buildings had several roofs with curved, semicircular edges. They were covered with red tiles. The buildings had not four, but six or more walls. The windows were located right under the roof, and this also seemed incomprehensible and strange. The roofs themselves were painted green or yellow. Here and there you could see dark red and even purple ones. At the edges they ended with strange figures and colourful designs. It was all carved from wood.

The endless number of little short people scurrying around was amazing. They seemed to be everywhere. Most of the townspeople, unlike other cities and villages they passed through, wore robes, trousers, and shoes that looked like closed sandals. There were even more poor people: they wore either just pants, or just some piece of fabric that looked like a loincloth or a torn tunic with one shoulder. Most poor people had no shoes.

There was another city in the center of the city. Behind the high walls it was not visible what was inside, but judging by the bright clothes of the guards and horsemen who rode along the walls, the most important people of the Han Empire lived there.

All the Romans were herded to the central square and left there against the far wall, where long one-story buildings were located. This whole idea almost ended in failure on the first day. The heat was such that, having taken clothes and equipment from the carts, they could hardly stand until noon. The musicians that Chow found, gave up even earlier — they put their instruments on a cart and retreated into the shadow of the warehouse, from where even the new chief of the guard could not drive them out. They looked ahead, mouth open, and breathing heavily. Sometimes a boy brought them water, and after taking a few sips from a wooden cup, they continued to sit like living mummies with their mouths wide open.

In the afternoon, the Romans began to lose consciousness and fall. Lacius, too, could barely stand on his feet. For ten days they were fed only rice and pods of unknown plants, beans, bamboo, soaked in water, and all sorts of other strange vegetables and plants. The Romans had long forgotten the taste of meat and by evening they could not move their arms or legs.

That day, Lacius barely held out longer than the others, but a little after noon he was forced to approach the head of the guard, a powerfully built young man named Fu Xing, and explain that they would all die if they remained in the sun. Despite the apparent external severity and inaccessibility, the young warrior turned out to be smart and sent them all under the shed.

The paintings were never unwrapped that day. In the evening a messenger arrived from Governor Bao Shi. After talking with the young guard chief, he inspected the warehouses and promised to help in the morning. It was necessary to give credit to Chow Li and those who stood behind her: at dawn, three hundred people in loincloths stood at the edge of the square. They very quickly transferred about a thousand bags from the warehouses to the carts and began to dismantle the front wall. Made of bamboo and covered with clay, these walls resembled large shields inserted between ten support pillars.

Soon the front wall disappeared, and one could now enter anywhere. Lacius estimated that three centuries could fit there. There were ten or twelve steps between the outer supports. The entire length of the barn was at least a hundred paces. Under the canopy they laid out rugs, made of thin sticks — hard and long. Large carpets were placed on top of them. Each carpet was rolled out by five people. At the far wall there was an uncovered strip of land, intended, as he guessed, for prisoners.

The Romans gloomily watched the slow work of the little people, waiting for them too to hide under the roof. Finally, the paintings were secured, and everyone began to be driven under the canopy. It was stuffy there, but still better than outside.

Having placed everyone in their places, the head of the guard, Fu Xing, once again personally checked the rings and chains on the Romans’ feet, ordering them to remove the rags that they wrapped around their ankles so that the iron would not rub the skin to the bones. Everyone was very thirsty, and Lacius asked for water. Oddly enough, the head of security ordered several bags to be brought. The water was warm, but without the sour taste like before. Judging by the bags, he shared his supplies with them. Lacius asked to leave one bag near Paul Domician and young Zeno standing behind him.

Fat flies and some insects flew under the roof, buzzed overhead, but not finding food, flew away. No one except the blind singer cared. The poor guy hated the “dirty sound” those flying creatures made.

The water briefly helped quench their thirst, but the stupefying stuffiness pressed on their heads and gradually brought the Romans to complete exhaustion: their gazes dimmed and stopped, their faces stretched out, some could not stand it and sank to their knees. At the same time, the musicians and guards, even in breastplates, felt quite tolerable in the shadows.

After some time, a short command was sounded and the soldiers began to lift the legionnaires with sticks — some important official was approaching. Ten men in blue shirts and white pants carried a large stretcher. Lacius noticed that they were all wearing shoes, unlike those porters who were on the streets of other cities.

When the procession stopped, the guards bowed. This was the arrival of the Governor – General of the central province, Bao Shi. He arrived surrounded by numerous servants to personally ensure that everything was ready to receive the Emperor. Listening to the chief of the guard’s story about the battle, he did not look up from the pictures, sighing and smacking his lips. At the same time, he kept repeating “Hen hao, hao”, and, having reached the Romans, stopped opposite Latium. He nodded to the musicians, and along with the first sounds of music, the voices of Paul Domician and Zeno were heard. It was an old Akkadian hymn, sung by several voices, and greatly enjoyed by the blind singer.

Bao Shi listened with his mouth open, and Lacius stood with an inscrutable expression, grinning in his heart. The governor did not know that, at the request of Lacius, they specially learnt two more Han songs and one melody without words. But for now, that was enough.

— Close your shields! — Lacius ordered when the singing ended. Lucro, who had to become a cornicen, raised Marcel’s horn to his lips and sounded the command. The legionnaires closed their shields. — Tescudo! — the second command sounded. The first rank lowered their shields, the second raised them up, and the third covered them from above, hiding all the legionnaires from the astonished Bao Shi. — Get back! — the last command was heard, and everyone returned to their places. Impressed by what he saw, the governor took the head of security aside sand explained something to him for a long time. Huge pleated sleeves fell down to his knees, although he kept his arms across his chest. The bright yellow collar sparkled in the sun, as if it were made of gold. The strange house at the back of the head, decorated with real walls and a curved roof, shuddered funny, when the governor shook his head. It seemed that it lived his own life, separately from its owner.

Meanwhile, the warriors and servants, who arrived with Bao Shi, lined up in two rows under the scorching sun. A metallic sound was heard from the direction of the imperial palace — two short ringing blows. They recalled the unpleasant rattling of the Parthian kettledrums during the unexpected attack of the cataphracts. The guards bowed again, and the Romans, musicians and other servants were ordered to kneel.

This time there was no stretcher. Out of the corner of his eye, Lacius saw about two dozen horsemen. They drove out of the gate. One of them was dressed in a long plum – coloured robe, and the rest were in black with yellow accents. The riders stopped near the corner of the canopy, where Governor Bao Shi and the head of the guard were already waiting for them. The man in the purple robe seemed familiar to Lacius: he had already seen somewhere this elongated face with sunken cheeks, a sharp, stiff beard, and a straight nose with a small hump, so unlike the flattened noses of other Han people. It was the Empress’s younger brother, Wang Mang. Chow Li had told Lacius about him: the man was unpredictable and harsh in his statements and decisions. Therefore, he was worth fearing. But why did he come instead of the Emperor? Lacius did not know the answer to this question.

The command “Tshii – laai” was heard, and everyone began to stir: the shields rattled, one of the musicians touched the strings, and they rattled with displeasure, until they were quickly pressed down with a hand; a servant nearby sneezed loudly and fell silent in fear. Lucro gave the command to level the formation, and at the far end of the barn, where the siege of the city began in the pictures, a purple robe with an orange stripe going down from the waist to closed sandals appeared.

The Empress’s brother walked accompanied by Bao Shi and the head of the guard, who told him in a loud voice how everything happened. They stopped only once — in front of the burning gate. But from the expression on the high – ranking visitor’s face it was not clear whether he liked this picture or not. Having reached the Romans, he crossed his arms over his chest and looked around the first rank with an attentive gaze. Lacius intercepted Fu Xing’s nod and nodded to the musicians. Everything was repeated, as with Bao Shi — music, singing and closing of shields. However, the face of the Empress’s brother remained motionless. In this way he reminded Lacius of the Luli – Prince Tai Sin.

— What is this? — the guest asked a short and very unpleasant question. Governor Bao Shi shuddered and seemed to become smaller in stature, the chief of the guard looked confusedly first at the Romans, then at Wang Mang, then back at the Romans, thinking that he had missed something, but did not speak before the governor.

— Yes, what is it? — the Empress’s brother suddenly turned to him and looked with such a naive expression on his face, as if he himself had seen the Romans with his own eyes for the first time. Yong Fu Xing sighed with relief — now he could answer.

— These are Luoma Ren, inhabitants of a distant country. They fought with the Parthians. Zhi Zhi bought them. They protected him.

— Why are they here then? — without changing his intonation, the narrow-bearded man asked the second question.

— They are very strong and skilled warriors, — Fu Xing said less confidently, not knowing what to say next. Apparently, he had no more explanations for what almost a hundred people were doing here, fighting on the side of the Emperor’s sworn enemy.

— Can they teach us anything? They have blue faces and hairy arms. They look like corpses from old graves. What can these dead people teach us, Fu Xing?

— Ahh… I don’t even know… — the young security chief stammered. Lacius could see his face turn red and a dark vein twitch on his neck.

— We can teach you how to hold a sword, — he said loudly and clearly so that the guest could understand his words. Judging by the way this formidable courtier spoke, his speech was different from Chow Li and he spoke a little differently. There was such a tense silence under the canopy that it seemed as if a thunderstorm was about to break out or someone would lose their life. Seeing that everyone was petrified, Lacius added: — And not only the sword. We know how to fight with a sword and a spear, — he lowered his chin to his chest, feeling that the torn lining of the helmet was putting a lot of pressure on the back of his head and he should take it off to fix it, but…

— Does he speak our language?! Who is this? — Wang Mang asked as sharply as the first time, looking at the servants.

— This is the best warrior I have ever seen, — the chief of the guard unexpectedly answered loudly. The Empress’s brother looked at him as if an enemy was standing in front of him and he wanted to kill him with his evil, soul-penetrating gaze.

— Call Yu Lai! — he ordered in a calm voice, but from his words the crowd of servants swayed to the side with such force, as if a hurricane had hit them. Everyone whispered, turning their heads towards the horses on which Wang Mang and his men had arrived.

— Yu Lai, Yu Lai, Yu Lai… — echoed under the canopy roof, and a tall, broad – shouldered Chinese man in a black robe with yellow inserts appeared in the aisle.

— Give him a sword! — ordered the Empress’s brother. Fu Xing handed his weapon to the approaching warrior and stepped aside. The servant in the black robe, who followed him, unwound the white belt and pressed one edge to the ground with his toe. He held the other in his outstretched hand.

There was a short exhalation, and four white pieces of silk fell at his feet, and Yu Lai was already standing, leaning on his sword, smiling as if it wasn’t him who did it. And although this warrior did not allow himself to show feelings in front of his master, it was clear that he was full of confidence in his superiority over any opponent. Lacius heard Zeno chuckle in surprise from behind. A smile touched his lips, and he, trying to remain calm, said:

— We don’t kill the air. We are killing the enemy, — these words made more of an impression on the self-confident warrior than on his master. He was taken aback not only by what he heard, but also by the fact that the barbarian spoke to him in his language. Yu Lai asked the Empress’s brother something, he nodded in response, and then he approached Lacius and angrily tore the shield out of his hands. Then he threw it to the ground and cut it with one blow. Chips and copper plates flew to the sides. The shield was no longer there, and an oblong line from the blade remained on the dry, clayey ground.

— Give the sword to the slave! — Wang Mang ordered.

— My lord, I ask you, — the voice of the head of security was heard behind him…

The Empress’s brother turned his head and looked at him.

— What?

— He killed Zi Yue. He is very dangerous.

Wang Mang snorted disdainfully and shook his head.

— Give him the sword! — he repeated again and added, turning to the frightened governor: — Are your warriors afraid even of a chained enemy?

There was no answer. The head of the guard, Fu Xing, was subordinate to the governor, and Bao Shi frowned menacingly, looking at him with disapproval. After the Empress’s brother left, he could remember this self-will and punish him.

A servant named Yu Lai handed Lacius a sword and, taking a step back, leaned against the pillar, crossing his arms over his chest and spreading his legs to the sides. He nodded to the servant, who stretched the remaining part of the belt in front of Lacius.

The sword was already jagged, and with such a blade, even with a very strong desire, it was impossible to cut the hanging silk. Moreover, the servant did not pull the ribbon tight. It was loose. Lacius saw this. But he also felt that he simply did not have the strength to make four quick, deft movements.

— Well? Can you repeat it? — Wang Mang asked him calmly and without irony.

— I don’t kill the air. I already said, — he repeated.

— Then kill him! Kill Yu Lai! — the Empress’s brother nodded towards the warrior leaning against the pillar. He grinned arrogantly. It was no more than three steps away. It was impossible to overcome them in one jump. Lacius’ legs were chained. There was only one thing left to do — resort to the old proven technique.

— There are no enemies here. He is not my enemy, — he said, placing his hand on the blade. Now he held it like a spear, but no one paid attention to it. — I can’t kill a man without a weapon, — finishing these words, Lacius saw the strong Han warrior turn his head to the side disdainfully and the Empress’s brother frown, the fat governor Bao Shi shrink into a ball behind him and the chief of security Fu Xing straighten up, apparently having guessed his intention; the servants made a noise behind the shed, conveying these words to each other.

But when the “thunderstorm of silk belts” turned his face, hearing the sound of a blade piercing the wood, it was already too late. He saw the sword sticking out of the post, right between his legs. Having pierced the robe, it stuck into the wood at a palm’s distance from the source of his male power. Lacius swayed. Even such a simple throw required a lot of strength. Everything swam in a circle again in his eyes: the face of the guard chief Fu Xing, distorted with annoyance and resentment, the frightened face of Governor Bao Shi with trembling lips and a half – open mouth, the helpless and confused expression on the face of the “thunderstorm of silk belt” Yu Lai and the unexpected smile on Wang Mang’s face, the Empress’s brother.

— Good shot, — he replied, shaking his head. — Smart move. You could have killed him.

— He is not my enemy, — Lacius repeated once again. — I don’t kill people.

— Okay… Everyone can learn this. But we don’t need that. Why do we need this? Three warriors are still stronger than one. We don’t need these people, — he said again, turning to Bao Shi.

— They built a big city and stone walls, — the old Governor said not very confidently, hiding his eyes.

— We can build a thousand such cities! — Wang Mang proudly threw at him.

— But you don’t have bridges, — Lacius finally remembered what Chow Li told him. — There are no bridges in your mountains. — You can’t build stone bridges in the mountains, — he added. The Empress’s brother frowned and looked at the governor. He raised his eyebrows, as if to say “Well, yes, he’s right,” and Wang Mang immediately responded with a question:

— Can you build it?

— Yes.

— Show me right here!

— I’ll need stones and boards, — Lacius shrugged.

— Show me! Hey Yu Lai! Take out your sword and drag stones and two boards here! Dig the earth, pick the stones out of the road. If he is lying, you will put his head instead of one stone!

The warrior, red with indignation and anger, bowed and immediately rushed to carry out the order. However, there was gloating in his eyes, because in his soul he hoped that he would be able to cut off the offender’s head when he failed to build his stone bridge, as he promised his owner. A dozen servants poured out about forty stones, slightly larger than a palm, in front of Lacius, and he whispered praise to all the gods for the fact that they were not round.

— The boards are mountains. Make a bridge between them! — Wang Mang ordered.

Having laid them out so that under his hands there were stones with beveled edges, reminiscent of triangles, and the rest a little further away, Lacius took up the wood boards. He tilted them towards each other at a distance of an elbow and placed two stones under them. Then he took the first triangular stone and pressed it to the board. The second one goes to it. To the second — the third… As a result, he got an arch of stones, which rested its ends on the inclined edges of the boards. After this, he took several narrow stones and inserted them into the cracks, strengthening the first row. He placed smoother pebbles on top and added a few more pieces around the edges.

Now there was an arch below and an almost flat road above. Calling Lucro and Zeno, he asked them to hold the boards, and he, taking an iron ball and chain in his hands so as not to interfere, carefully stood with his feet on the top of the small stone bridge. If these people knew that any legion had to be able to build not only cities and roads, but also stone bridges and sewers, they would not be so surprised. However, the Han people did not know this and therefore exclamations of surprise and joy were heard from all sides. They liked the strange barbarian from a distant unknown country.

When Lacius came down, the Empress’s brother came up and took his place. Small stones supported his weight. Lacius smiled wearily.

— You will teach our people this, — Wang Mang said very calmly and evenly, as if this was nothing surprising to him. — Yu Lai, horse! — he shouted and quickly walked out from under the canopy. Everyone froze in confusion, not knowing what to do. Only Governor Bao Shi smiled and joyfully rubbed his palms, hiding them on his stomach under wide, long sleeves.

The young head of the security, Fu Xing, approached him and, bowing, asked something. The Governor patted him on the shoulder in a fatherly manner and began to explain. Lacius did not hear anything, since there were many servants around, each of whom now wanted to stand on his small bridge, and poor Zeno and Lucro were forced to try their best to keep the boards motionless. The Han people rejoiced and laughed like children, but Lacius felt that this was not the end yet. Confirmation came a little later.

CHAPTER IV. CONVERSATION WITH CHOU LI

The rest of the day passed in complete silence. The Romans lay like empty, dusty bags, abandoned on the road as unnecessary. Towards evening they were taken outside the city, to the river. This was a real reward for their dirty, exhausted bodies. On the way, Lacius noticed that dozens of carts with barrels were constantly moving from there to the city. Apparently, this was the only way to transport water to the city. It was very strange. And there were no sewers visible in this city, although it was clearly very large. Everything drained into ditches near houses or into large holes. Then barefoot poor people carried them out with buckets.

When they returned to the city, it was already dark. A stretcher and two dozen servants were visible at the canopy. Lacius’s heart skipped a beat when he noticed them. It was Chow Li. Without waiting for the guards to come for him, he, with difficulty holding the chain with the ball, came closer and identified himself. A woman’s voice was heard from inside, and the porters stepped aside.

— The Empress’s brother was here today. Terrible Wang Mang, — he said with a tired sigh, as if they were continuing a conversation they had started long ago.

— I know. Everyone in the court knows. But that doesn’t change anything. The Emperor has not yet changed his decision. He doesn’t yet know that the Empress’s brother was here.

— Everyone knows, but he doesn’t! It’s strange somehow…

Chow said that the Empress’s brother was a secretive person. He didn’t like to share his thoughts with anyone except his sister. Besides, the Emperor spent the whole day with his concubines in the distant garden of the palace, so no one saw him. In the evening, the Emperor’s wife called the senior eunuch and ordered him to prepare for her exit outside the palace walls the next morning.

— Here? — Lacius asked. — So has she managed to talk to her brother? —

— Yes, — Chow confirmed.

— You bet! She sent him to us on purpose. She was checking us out.

— You’re probably right. But now she wants to see everything for herself. The ministers’ wives will be with her. If they tell their husbands about the paintings, they can convince the Emperor…

— Chow, I’ll do my best. You need to get to the Emperor’s concubines. You say he doesn’t know anything because he was with them. This means they are more important than everyone else. Even more important than his wife!

— What are you talking about! You shouldn’t say so. You shouldn’t. The Yellow River flows slowly.

— What? Are you up to your old tricks? I can’t take in your sayings. Look, today this Wang Mang or whatever his name is, said that we’d be sent to build bridges. Do you understand there is no time?

— How come? What bridges? What are you talking about? — Chow was scared.

— I showed him how to build bridges, and he promised to send us somewhere. — To the mountains or somewhere else. You understand? If you don’t have time to get to the concubines, then that’s it, it’s over. The Emperor will not forgive Tang, and you will die. And we won’t be here anymore.

— You won’t? — she echoed, feverishly thinking about his words. Was she losing control over events? This white slave was slipping away from her influence, and there was nothing she could do about it. But he was still on her side. — Today the day is over. Tomorrow can’t be changed. Try to impress the Emperor’s wife, — she said quietly.

— Listen, I can only give commands, while standing under a canopy!

— I heard that you can do more… — a plea was heard in her voice.

— Rubbish. You and I have agreed. If I pull it off, you will help me get to the sea!

— I remember that. But it will be a miracle if we survive at all.

— I’ll ask the gods about this. You better think about how to get across to the concubines’ ears that there is something strange here. Think of it! You know them better than me. Make up a story of something horrible. Tell them we have two heads and three legs each.

— It’s been told, don’t worry. The only thing their maids are talking about is pale slaves. Just don’t tell anyone. Never, — Chow warned him.

They discussed the details of the meeting for some time. Chow wanted to know every detail — what each of the participants in the morning skirmish between Lacius and Yu Lai said and where they stood. When the stretcher set off on its way back, the huge moon had already risen above the walls of the inner palace, and the servants did not have to light the torches.

Lacius looked at the barefoot porters and put his hands on the iron ball. It was time to return to the canopy. He noticed that there were no smells in this city either. Even at night. The heat killed everything around, and only in the early morning or late evening, when the coolness descended on the hot ground, did the smell of wet dust and dampness briefly appear in the air.

CHAPTER V. VISIT OF THE EMPEROR’S WIFE

When the sun had already passed halfway across the sky, the lingering sounds of trumpets and the ringing of kettledrums at the palace gates announced the appearance of the Empress. Servants in multi – coloured robes with large umbrellas stood all the way from the gate to the barn. They created a shadow where the stretcher of the Emperor’s wife would pass. But even umbrellas could not save some — the servants fell, they were lifted and carried to the side, pouring water.

When several stretchers approached the shed, five people in identical gray robes and with identical white tower – caps on their heads came out. Lacius looked at them and it seemed to him that behind every movement, glance, gait, gesture, and inclination he saw the characters of these people, their thoughts and desires, as if he had known them for many years. And not only them, but everyone, who stood around. In general, he divided them into dark gray and light gray, as if he was now dividing them all into two parts thanks to intuition. Lined up in front of the canopy, the new guests froze.

— Paul, I think I’m going blind, — Lacius muttered. — They all became light and dark.

— No, this is a sign of the gods, — Domician’s voice was heard from behind. — You become sighted, even more sighted than everyone else. I also see only black and white spots, as if these are not people at all.

— But it seems to me that I know them all. There, standing there in worn out white sandals. Feet inward, stooped, head to one side. Cowardly, pathetic, afraid of everything, looks like a rotten fish.

— Oh! You are becoming wise, — the old friend remarked thoughtfully. — You learnt to distinguish people by their faces and clothes. Tsar Theodosius, by the way…

— Wait with your Theodosius, — Lacius interrupted him. — Another one has appeared. I see him.

— What colour is it? — Paul asked with liveliness.

— He seems purple to me, although his clothes are light…

— Yes, he’s all purple, like a ripe fig, — muttered Paul. — There is a red light coming from inside him. Watch out for him! He is very dangerous. I feel his strength.

— Yes, it puts pressure on me too, — Lacius muttered, narrowing his eyes.

A man in a light sand – coloured robe slowly moved away from the large stretcher and stopped at the first painting. A tiny shiny blue turret on his head froze and began to slowly move towards the Romans. The young chief of security walked nearby and talked about the battle. This time, Fu Xing spoke more calmly and confidently. When they came closer, everything happened again, and the embroidered long – legged crane on the robe of an important official froze, enjoying the song.

— What a freak, — he suddenly said and pointed the chopsticks clutched in his hand into Lacius’s chest. — We’ll have to take him to guard the distant tower of voluptuous mood, — his round yellow face bore no traces of paint, and there was no visible beard or mustache on him, like other servants and assistants. — By the way, — he continued, — be sure to send these two singers to us later. What magical voices! I hope they can sing like that after tshiesiong, as now.

— Yes, wise Shi Xian, you are right, as always, — the head of the security agreed with him. When they went further, Lacius turned to Paul and asked what he meant.

— They call it yange, — the blind man answered in a fallen voice. — In our opinion, this is execando virilia. Deprivation of reproductive organs. It seems that we are finished. This is the senior eunuch.

— Is the one with wisdom the chief eunuch? What nonsense!

— Don’t shout. My heart felt that this would not end well. The gods told me that the road ahead would be in the darkness of suffering… We would be castrated.

— What? Again? — Lacius remembered the city of Ecbatana in Parthia, the palace with coloured walls, disgusting fat eunuchs, and the horror he experienced when he was almost turned into one of them.

— Oh, omnipotent gods, Phoebus the patron, have mercy on me. I don’t have much left now… — Paul Domician whispered, having lost his composure, being on the verge of hysteria.

— Paul, Paul, calm down! — Zeno shook him by the shoulders. — What’s wrong with you?

— A? — he suddenly heard. — Zeno, son, and you, too! Why such injustice? After all, you haven’t seen anything in this life yet!

Lacius muttered through his teeth:

— Shut up! All is not lost yet. They also threatened to cut everything off for me. If it comes to that, I will kill you first. Do you hear? — these words brought the blind singer to his senses, but did not add joy.

— No, don’t kill me… Maybe it will work out… — he muttered and fell silent.

— Get yourself together, you’ll have to sing better than Phoebe now. — Zeno, give him some water, let him clear his throat. Paul, — Lacius took his old friend by the hand, — do you feel me?

— Yes, — he whispered. — You’re hot and… You’re all red. You are dangerous, too. There is fire in you.

— That’s good. Better think about it. And calm down. Wow!.. Look what’s happening! — Lacius even raised his helmet in surprise to better see the approaching procession. The servants formed a path from the stretcher to the shed, where the head eunuch and the head of the guard, Fu Xing, stood. Next to each umbrella they placed large baskets filled with something white.

— Is this the Emperor? — Zeno asked quietly behind him.

— It doesn’t look like him, — Lacius muttered. — We were waiting for his wife…

— Peach colour. And a little blue. There is red, but peach is everywhere, — Paul Domician suddenly whispered feverishly, but then sadly added: — This is a woman. — A worthy woman, but my heart is restless.

When a female figure appeared from the stretcher in a shiny robe of pink silk with a yellow fan with which she covered her face, loud exclamations were heard from all sides:

— A thousand years of life! A thousand years of life!

The soldiers began to hit the shields and backs of the legionnaires with sticks, shouting:

— Ditto! Ditto!

— Bu kan!

— Xialai!

Lacius fell to his knees and managed to throw over his shoulder to Paul Domician:

— She’s wearing a pink robe with red stripes on the edges of the sleeves.

— Well, I told you so! — the blind man answered with satisfaction, touching his forehead to the ground.

— How did you know this? — Zeno asked him, but received a stick on the shoulders from an approaching soldier and, screaming, fell silent.

The insinuating voice of the senior eunuch was heard in the distance, but no words were heard. Then Fu Xing’s trembling voice sounded louder:

— Mistress of the Twelve Moons, this is a gift from General Chen Tang. He killed the insulter of the great Emperor, the insignificant Xiongnu Zhi Zhi, and gives these paintings to Emperor Yuan Di as a sign of the greatest gratitude to his heavenly power, — he fell silent, and for some time nothing was heard.

Lacius clutched his helmet with his palms and slowly turned his head to the side. Now he could watch what was happening with one eye, although from the outside it seemed that his helmet and head were pointing directly at the ground. He did not hear what the Emperor’s wife was saying, but her voice seemed low and chesty to him, although all the Han women he had heard before had thin, almost childish voices. Finally, continuing to stand in a half – bent position, Fu Xing moved on to describe the capture of the fortress, and his voice immediately sounded much more confident and louder. Lacius heard every word.

The security chief’s story was more colourful and exaggerated. In the most terrible, exciting moments, the frightened exclamations of the women accompanying the Empress were heard. Finally, the tiny sandals approached the final part of the picture, and Fu Xing began to talk about the battle with the invincible barbarians from the distant country of Luoma. An impressive basket dropped next to Lacius’s head, from under which water flowed in a thin stream. He touched it with his fingers and felt that the water was cold.

— Tell me, who surprised my brother? — a low velvety voice was heard, and Lacius’s heart froze. This was the Emperor’s wife.

— This one. With a large helmet, in a red cloak, — answered the voice of the chief of the guard.

— This is interesting. Will they show us something?

— My lady, it is not safe. They are terrible barbarians. We need to put servants in front of them to protect you, — the senior eunuch addressed the Empress with caution and warning politeness, and Lacius felt that this man was really afraid of them.

— But if you install servants, I won’t see anything, — she answered dissatisfied. — Was my brother standing here? — she asked unexpectedly.

— Uh… I wasn’t with him yesterday… — the senior eunuch stammered.

— Yes, he was, — security chief Fu Xing answered for him.

— Then there’s nothing to worry about. Look, they have chains and balls on their feet! They can’t even take a step. Are they really that scary?

— Very much, my lady, — Fu Xing confirmed, but this did not make any impression on the Emperor’s wife.

— Then show them to me! — she ordered. The chief of the guard nodded to his soldiers. The command sounded: — Tshiilai!, — and the Romans saw in front of them about two dozen multi – coloured robes, the upper part of which was hidden behind large fans. Five steps from Latium, a yellow fan with dark red birds froze, flying somewhere with their long legs stretched back. He quickly looked at the basket and was dumbfounded. There was ice there. Real cold ice! The top pieces had already melted, their surface was smooth and shiny. And they also gave off real coolness.

Such baskets stood only around a woman in a pink robe. A dozen servants held them, bent double and holding the ropes around their necks with their hands. They were waiting for the Empress, ready to immediately accompany her every step with coolness. Lacius looked up at the fan and saw black hair behind it, curled at the side into a ball. Dozens of gold jewelry protruded from it, and on the crown of the head lay a gold necklace with small round medallions the size of a pinky fingernail. Two curious eyes looked at him point – blank, and neither fear nor horror was visible in them.

— What a terrible scar, — said a voice behind the fan.

— Yes, our lady, — the chief of the guard bowed and nodded to Lacius. Everything was repeated once again: the legionnaires closed, opened and reformed, while Fu Xing finished the story about the terrible battle near the walls of the distant Xiongnu fortress.

— Are they really that good at fighting? — she was surprised after listening to the whole story. –Are they all eunuchs?

— No, but in their country they shave their faces.

— Ugh, how terrible this is, — the Empress said artificially, but there was more interest in her voice than disgust.

— Which of them killed the son of the second minister? — she asked.

— This one, with the scar, — Fu Xing muttered, frowning.

— Ji Si, look, that’s who killed your son! — with incomprehensible joy the Empress called one of the women of her retinue. Multi – coloured robes and fans swayed, and next to her, the same thin and small figure with a white fan bowed. There was a sound of spitting, but Lacius did not see or feel anything. Probably, the woman’s throat was dry in the heat, and she could not spit very far. — How indignant you are! — the Empress shook her fan. — We’ll figure out how to punish him.

— Excuse me, — came the voice of another woman behind her. — This barbarian tortured Yeng Li’s sister. He made her work. He beat her and mocked her.

— Oh – oh – oh… — behind the fans there was a mixed sigh of indignation, fear, and curiosity.

— Is this true? — Empress Fu Xing asked in surprise.

— They say so, — he confirmed, without straightening his back.

— He deserves to be punished, — she said again. — Yeng, your husband is having a good holiday. Since these barbarians fight so well, we will be able to see them killed by my brother’s warriors. In a month, there will be a festival of the first harvest. Let Bao Shi prepare them, and we will watch them die.

— I am so grateful to you, madam! — a gentle voice came from somewhere on the side, and another blue fan bowed low. Taken aback, Lacius only turned his head from side to side, realising that his fate was now being decided, but did not know what to do. He realised that Chow Li’s s ister was hiding behind the blue fan, and tried in vain to make out her face. He was lucky — while bowing, the fan accidentally dropped a little lower than it should, and he saw long black eyebrows, large white spots on the cheeks and burgundy lips.

However, even these ridiculous colours could not hide the correctness of the features, which had nothing in common with Chow Li’s face. Especially the eyes and nose. Large, wide eyes with black pupils and long eyelashes were not at all similar to Chow’s narrow slits. And Chow’s nose was flattened, small, with nostrils turned to the sides. And here it’s straight, like a Roman matron’s, only very thin… No, it couldn’t be her sister! Lacius blinked, and her face disappeared behind the plates of the fan.

— They can do a lot, not only fight, — the head of security added carefully.

— Oh, yes! I heard that they can build bridges, — the Empress answered with a laugh. — As if our servants couldn’t build them. This is funny.

— They can sing, — Fu Xing said less confidently, not knowing what reaction this would cause in her, but the yellow fan suddenly trembled and froze.

— Sing? This is interesting. I only heard a terrible sound from the pipe. Is this their music? Ha-ha. And what can they sing? Are they really better than our court singers? I think they’re faking it. I hear someone playing a yu, — she said with curiosity and at the same time incredulously, but only the head of security answered her:

— Our lady, your wisdom is limitless, but let these slaves show what they can do, — catching Fu Xing’s approving glance, Lacius nodded to the musicians and looked at Paul. He and Zenon were waiting for this moment and took a deep breath.

Then Fortune decided to have mercy on Latium, and the Parks put the scissors aside from the thread of his fate. From Chow Li’s stories, he remembered that Empress Yu Wang loved music and songs, but he could not imagine that she would listen to them until sunset! When Paul and Zeno sang two hymns and moved on to previously learnt songs, the senior eunuch ordered small chairs to be brought to the Empress and the ladies of the court. They sat around the musicians, and now that all the women were sideways to Lacius, their faces were better visible. To the surprise of the senior eunuch, the Empress sang the second song together with Paul Domician and after that ordered the musicians to play again and again. Paul and Zeno realised that they needed to sing melodies with their voices, and, feeling that their talent was truly appreciated, they tried to show everything they were capable of.

— Oh, what a pity to kill such wonderful singers! — the Empress said wearily, leaning back in a small chair. — No, we will leave them. These two. They will sing to us on holidays and during long trips. It’s decided! Hey, you, — she called the chief of the guard, — make sure that they are not killed and are well fed. — I really enjoyed everything. I haven’t said such words for a long time. You are a good storyteller. It’s a pity that General Chen Tang is not here. Oh yes, he would have already been decapitated! I forgot! Who painted these pictures?

— Masters of the arts, — Fu Xing answered so quickly that even Lacius was amazed at his intelligence.

— Let them draw me several of the same pictures tomorrow. But a smaller size. I want to see them in my rooms. And let Zhi Zhi’s head be drawn there. I want it! — the Empress waved her fan and said in a tired voice: — I feel bad! — Phew, I remembered how awful it smelled! — the wide fan made several waves and, swaying, headed towards the stretcher. Tired ice bearers and servants with umbrellas jostled, trying to keep up with her. The rest of the women in multi-coloured robes also tiredly reached out to their stretchers, surrounded by eunuchs.

— Tomorrow Tiberius and Lucro will have a lot of work, — Paul noted joyfully.

— Yes, — Lacius drawled. — But nothing is clear for us yet.

— It’s good that at least they won’t cut anything off, — Paul added. — And we will sing. And they will feed you. That’s good.

— It’s good for you, your blind head, — Lucro interrupted him. — And in a month, they’ll put us in a slaughterhouse. — Did you hear her words?

The blind singer fell silent, feeling the absurdity of his joy. Lacius lowered his shield and sat down on the ground. All the other Romans began to sit down after him. Evening was approaching. And no one knew what awaited them next.

CHAPTER VI. CONCUBINES AND EUNUCHS

In the morning, Chow Li’s servant came. He said that everything remained unchanged and his mistress was sad. But perhaps two more people would come later. Two old ministers. That’s all. Lacius couldn’t find out anything else. He understood that Chow did this for a reason. She was afraid of something. Probably, this idea with paintings did not arouse the Emperor’s interest, and now the fate of General Chen Tang hung in the balance. So was hers, along with his. So far there have been no hints of changes. Lacius felt sad and unpleasant.

Just yesterday, hope for some turn of fate, the mercy of the gods, and the curiosity of stupid courtiers helped him resist despair and terrible thoughts. Now it was the other way around. He remembered the face of the narrow-eyed eunuch with prominent cheekbones like plums. His yellow, well-fed eyes were lazy and motionless, like those of a well-fed tiger. It was an obsession…

Having taken a sip of water, Lacius looked around at the sad faces of his comrades, lying side by side along the back wall, the musicians and the chief of the guard, Fu Xing, who was sitting opposite. The young warrior took off his helmet and leaned his back against the pillar. Lacius did not notice how his eyes closed by themselves and he fell asleep. The inflamed imagination again began to draw pictures, one more terrible than the other, where he resisted, fought, struggled, screamed and even bit… But everything always ended the same: a terrible eunuch was approaching him, with the long sleeves of his robe pulled forward, and small, hooked fingers appeared from them holding a sharp knife… The funny house on his head trembled nervously, a wide smile froze across his wide, semicircular face… This eunuch didn’t like something. He twitched his shoulders, raised them to his ears, waved his arms, and reached out to Lacius with trembling fingers. For some reason, Fu Xing stood next to him. He was all stretched out, frozen, listening. The cheekbones were compressed, the eyes did not blink, the lips did not move. He knitted his eyebrows and looked at the eunuch carefully. He looks and also waits for something…

An unexpected blow to the shoulder brought Lacius to his senses. A guard with a stick stood at arm’s length. Seeing that the Roman had woken up, he moved on. Lacius blinked several times, not understanding why the senior eunuch had not disappeared. Moreover, now behind him stood two dozen decorated servants, somewhat similar to him, only in different clothes.

From somewhere off to the side, Governor Bao Shi appeared, wearing a shiny black robe with yellow stripes on the edges of the sleeves. All those weird people gathered around the head eunuch. Lacius looked at them and stupidly asked himself, “Is this a dream? Or not… It looks like it’s not a dream.”

He slowly turned his head to the side, looked at Zeno and Paul, and extended his hand to the bag. The water was just as warm and rotten as before. The faces of everyone around were gray and swollen. For some reason, Paul seemed to him like blind Mercury.

— Hey, hurry up, hurry up! — the head of security hurried to the musicians, who continued to sit on the ground, leaving their instruments aside. — Tell your people to form up! — he said to Latsius as he walked.

— Emperor? — Paul asked from behind.

— Hardly, — Lacius answered in a hoarse voice. — Why does he need a eunuch?

— Yes, you’re right, — agreed the blind singer. — But today it’s a different colour. — Yellow and brown. Oh, gods! It changes colour so quickly! I don’t like it…

— Me too, — Lacius answered quietly and turned his head to Lucro. — Stand up! — he squeezed out the command with difficulty and leaned on the new shield. Swaying, the Romans began to straighten their ranks.

Soon, a pair of pink stretchers with white flowers and birds on the sides appeared from the direction of the inner palace. The stretchers themselves were small, but they were carried by eight people in shirts, trousers and closed sandals. At this time, the head of security, Fu Xing, approached Lacius.

— You have to sing well, — he said, putting a sour smile on his face. — This is very important…

— Who is this? — Lacius asked.

— The Emperor’s favourite concubines, — Fu Xing answered, lowering his voice slightly.

— Favourite women? Concubines?.. That’s it! Now it’s clear why they are here, — he nodded towards the eunuchs.

— Yes, — he confirmed with a sigh, adjusted his helmet and, waddling from side to side on his short legs, went to meet the stretcher. His square body resembled a piece of marble carved from a rock, from which a human figure was to be made. But it has not been finished. “He could be a good plowman,” thought Lacius and looked towards the crowd of eunuchs surrounding the stretcher.

The two female figures were half covered with fans, and only their yellow robes and belts were visible to the Romans. They moved slowly and carefully, like living statues that glided smoothly above the ground. But Lacius immediately noticed the difference between them. One of them seemed to him “gentle and kind’, and the other “wayward and cunning’. Paul Domician seemed to have overheard his thoughts and said quietly:

— Two women. One is like an olive and the other is like a cypress.

— Yes, they are, — he answered in a whisper. — You’d better clear your throat! Now you have to twitter.

The chief of security, Fu Xing, once again began to talk about the siege of the city, but this time the guests did not listen to him. They rushed to the end of the barn, where the Romans stood. Looking at their movements and changes, they laughed and exchanged funny jokes. Occasionally, their eyes were visible from behind the fans, but their faces did not appear completely. When the first sounds of music were heard and Paul and Zeno sang the first hymn, the Emperor’s concubines froze and stood motionless for some time. Then they called the head eunuch and said something to him. He immediately ordered everyone to be silent. The music stopped. So did the songs. And then an unexpected command sounded:

— Tuo yifu! Tuoxia!

— How come? — Paul Domician asked stupidly. The legionnaires began to whisper, not understanding what they had to do.

— So these are eunuchs! It looks like they will castrate us right here, — Lucro’s voice rang out, and the Romans fell silent, frightenedly squeezing into their shields, as their only protection from the danger that threatened them. Lacius also felt everything inside shrinking and trembling. The guards repeated the command and took up their sticks. The shields slowly lowered to the ground, and the legionnaires began to remove their helmets and breastplates.

— Now sing! — the voice of the senior eunuch ordered. The musicians began to play a folk melody out of tune, and Paul and Zeno began to sing in the Han language. The concubines, surrounded by eunuchs, came closer and began to discuss something, peeking out from behind their fans. It seemed to Lacius that they were dissatisfied with Paul. And they liked Zeno. Then they approached him, and now their words were heard better. They said that he could be used every day because he had a lot of power even though his face was very scary. Pink flowers on yellow silk swayed, and the robes with fans moved on, assessing each Roman in turn.

— Are they looking for eunuchs? — asked Lucro, moving closer to Lacius.

— Yes, — he nodded without thinking. In fact, it turned out that these two concubines were assessing their manhood, as if choosing suitable slaves for carnal pleasures.

— What a problem! — Lucro sighed. — The gods are angry with us… Omnipotent Mars, kill me here with your lightning, — he begged, raising his eyes upward. Lacius turned his head in his direction and was about to interrupt his friend, but at that moment something quietly plopped right on his head and Lucro fell silent, amazed by such a sign from above. A gray-black spot spread right on his forehead. Lacius raised his eyes. Behind the thick log of the roof was a small nest of birds. — Thank you, Mars! — Wiping his head, Lucro said with sincere gratitude.

— This is a sign! — Lacius agreed. — Wait! Now something will happen.

But time passed, Paul and Zeno were already singing the third song, and the concubines continued to examine the Romans: the eunuchs, at their command, turned those they liked, brought them closer or forced them to squat several times. Having reached the end, the women suddenly decided to go back. They pointed at him, and Lacius realised that now this crowd would head towards him. His heart beat faster, sweat appeared on his forehead, and mhisy knees began to tremble. Intuition suggested that this was not without reason.

— This? — the senior eunuch asked the concubines as they approached Lacius.

— Shi, ta, — was heard from behind the fans.

— When were you with a woman? — the face with plums under the eyes turned directly to him.

— Does he understand you? — asked one of the women.

— Yes, — confirmed the senior eunuch, which caused great delight in both concubines. — Well, when? — he asked again.

— A month ago, — answered Lacius, and joyful chirping was heard again behind the fans.

— Every day? — came the next question. Lacius’s heart beat even faster. If they need him only for this, then hope remains, remains… Then they can find a way out, just not to fall into the hands of the eunuchs!

— Every day, — he confirmed. The women began to talk about something. Everyone around was waiting patiently. Finally, they asked the head eunuch something again. He turned to Lacius.

— Show me what you can do! Hey, bring the woman! — he shouted to his servants. But it was not an easy task because there were no women around. Lacius noticed that in the cities they passed through, there really were no women visible on the streets. There were only men everywhere. Even in this big city they did not see them either near the river, or near the walls, or near the houses, as if it were a city of men. However, the servants ran somewhere, and it became clear to him that now he would have to pretend to be a loving male in order to please the Emperor’s concubines.

— I can show these women another thing. I can do good things, — he tried to pronounce correctly, hoping to attract their attention. His ploy was a success.

— What things? — the senior eunuch dissatisfiedly conveyed the question of the concubines.

— I need a basket of fruit, — Lacius asked. Seeing the master’s nod, the servants immediately brought the basket. — Paul, the story about the peach, — he quickly whispered over his shoulder and shouted to the musicians: — Taozhi! — they nodded willingly and, grabbing the instruments, began playing a slow, barely audible melody.

The blind singer began to soulfully recount a short story about a girl whom God wanted to make his beloved, but she refused and asked the main god to save her. And then the main god turned her into a peach tree, the fruits of which would remind people of her youth and beauty.

Lacius saw out of the corner of his eye that several servants of the senior eunuch had appeared in the distance, followed by a small figure in a gray robe. This means that they have found a woman, and now no one will listen to the stories of Pal Domician. This upset Lacius, but there was nothing he could do about it. However, everyone else listened so carefully to the story of the blind singer that they did not pay attention to the approach of several horsemen from the direction of the palace.

CHAPTER VII. AN UNEXPECTED MEETING WITH THE EMPEROR

— On your knees! On your knees! On your knees! — suddenly there was a loud scream. Lacius did not see where it was coming from. But from the intonation of the screaming servants he realised that something unpleasant was happening. — The Son of Heaven is coming! Everyone on your knees! — the rider, who appeared from behind the stretcher continued to shout. The sound of hooves could be heard behind the far wall of the barn. There were at least three horses. The menacing words were still echoing under the roof of the canopy, and the servants were already lying prostrate.

The Romans had never seen anything like this before — all the eunuchs, servants, guards and musicians lay prostrate, resting their foreheads on the ground. And even two concubines sprawled in the dust, having managed to place their wide fans under their foreheads. Lacius waved his hand to his comrades and was the first to follow the example of those around him. The Romans also hastened to get on all fours. Soon the clatter of hooves was heard approaching, and the same exclamations came from all sides:

— Ten Thousand Years of Life! Ten Thousand Years of Life! Ten Thousand Years of Life!

Out of the corner of his eye, Lacius saw small clouds of dust, along with the words, burst out from under the foreheads of the courtiers, grown into the ground, and slowly settle on their ears and tufts of hair. He listened to his heart. But it was beating evenly and calmly, as if nothing was happening at all. The excitement, caused by the appearance of the two concubines, completely disappeared. Squinting his eyes in the other direction, he saw the bare backs of his comrades. A little further away one could see the gray clothes of the musicians, who had merged with the dust, either out of horror, or as their custom required.

The cheers died down, and then the thin voice of the senior eunuch was heard. He was answering someone’s questions. Lacius carefully turned his head towards the sound. The creaking of footsteps was heard on the bamboo flooring. Dark brown closed sandals passed before his eyes. On top of them was visible a narrow edge of white fabric, and above them blue silk pants were tied with yellow thin ropes. The lower edge of the robe was bright yellow. Nothing else was visible.

— Here they are, — the senior eunuch’s voice rang out again. — Your slave looked after them regularly.

— Should you have come here, Feng Yuan? And you, Fu? — soft, even tone, without flinching and squealing, like the senior eunuch, and without long hissing accents, like Governor Bao Shi. Lacius immediately imagined a man with an open face and a calm gaze. And he also seemed tired.

— Your slaves came to see the barbarians, Wise Ruler, — answered one of them.

— The Wise Ruler asks you, do you like these barbarians?

— No, Holy Emperor, — the women answered loudly. Then one added: — They are scary and terrible. — Especially the big one with the scar.

— Where is the chief eunuch? Shi Xian, we are wondering, who divided them? Was it you? — now the voice was addressing the frightened eunuch.

— Yes, your slave did it, Wise Ruler, — he answered with fear in his voice. — Your slave wanted to select new eunuchs for himself to guard the Tower of Voluptuous Mood.

— You should teach cunning. You wanted to guard our concubines in the Tower, right, model of wisdom? — the Emperor’s voice changed for the first time. There was irony in it. Without waiting for an answer from the kneeling eunuch, he approached the concubines. — We are wondering what you liked here. Show us this! — Lacius could see two small black heads swaying above the fans. — What are these, peaches? There are no peaches in the palace?! — the Emperor was so sincerely surprised that everyone was even more frightened. But Lacius felt that, in addition to surprise, there were cheerful notes and condescension in his voice. — You are like little children! You need fun and sweet fruits! — the peaches flew to the ground, and one almost rolled to Latium. — So many pictures and colours. What is this? — he asked again. His brown sandals and yellow stripe on his robe walked towards the Romans and stopped near the trembling Fu Xing. The head of the guard literally pressed his stomach into the ground, as did the musicians, lying nearby, when the ruler’s voice ordered him to stand up:

— Get up and speak! Are you the one who brought the paintings here from the land of the Xiongnu?

— Yes, it was brought by your slave… It’s a gift from General Chen Tang, — he replied, rising, but still not daring to get up.

— Then show us what was there, since we are already here, — the Emperor unexpectedly ordered. — The whole court talks so much about this that even my concubines were seduced by your stories.

— Wise Ruler, — came the cautious voice of one of the courtiers accompanying him, — no one should see the Son of Heaven!

— No one can see not the Son of Heaven, but his face! Isn’t that right, Shi Xian? Are we speaking correctly?

— The Thousand-Year Master is right always and everywhere, — the senior eunuch bent even lower in a bow.

— Then we want you to take the concubines and go to the palace. And we will take their fans so that no one can see our face. By the way, Shi Xian, make sure their rooms are full of peaches tonight! Since they love them so much…

— Your slave will do everything, — the answer followed.

— We’re ready. Start telling us, — the Emperor’s voice rang out, addressing Fu Xing. He, still not daring to look up, walked to the very beginning of the picture and, resting his palms on his knees, began his story. The Romans were ordered to quickly dress and wait for the command. The musicians sat sideways to the aisle so as not to be suspected once again of daring to look up at the Master of Heaven. When the rebuilding ended and Paul Domician sang several songs with Zeno, the Emperor tapped his fan and said:

— They sing very well. Hmmm… sometimes it’s worth looking at a person differently. We have never heard such voices. We enjoyed listening. But we don’t understand who is standing in front of us, — a yellow robe with golden dragons on the chest and shoulders approached Lacius a few steps when Fu Xing’s voice was heard:

— Wise Ruler, be careful! This is a very dangerous barbarian! — there was so much genuine fear in his voice that he involuntarily stopped and turned his head towards the head of the guard.

— How can he be so dangerous for our invincible warriors? Moreover, he is all in chains. If our warriors captured him, then he cannot be dangerous. If he is so strong, then our warriors are stronger. Are we speaking correctly?

— The Buddha of our days is always right, — came the voice of the same courtier, who warned the Emperor the first time. — But I heard that he is not only strong. He knows how to throw swords and kill from a distance, — after these words there was silence, and two attentive eyes from behind the fan stared intently at Lacius’ scar. He was a small, short man in a robe, like everyone else. The upper half was not visible, the lower half was solid silk. And there was no threat, just complete calm, characteristic of those, who know that there is no one higher, neither in heaven nor on earth.

Lacius was hampered by his helmet, which sank to his very eyebrows, so he looked from under his brows at the bizarre structure on the Emperor’s head, similar to a small round cap, from which three golden dragons protruded. Each of them had a small pearl in their mouth, and in front of them was another, very large one. Interpreting the Emperor’s long silence as doubt, the courtier added: — And he’s also smart. Very smart.

— This is really dangerous, — the ruler of the Han Empire unexpectedly agreed with him. — A smart enemy is always dangerous. Always.

— I’m not an enemy, — Lacius couldn’t resist. Something told him that now he could speak without fear and his words would be heard. — I am a prisoner. I was a prisoner of the Xiongnu. Your enemy Zhi Zhi has been killed. Your general killed him. And I was the same prisoner of Zhi Zhi. That’s all…

— Do you understand us? — the Emperor was sincerely surprised.

— Don’t you dare talk to the Emperor himself! — hissed some courtier next to Lacius. He mincedly approached him in small steps and, without straightening, tapped him on the back. — Say “the slave knows, the slave listens’!

— Leave him, — the Master of Heaven interrupted the old official. — He is a slave of a slave and does not know how to talk to us. — So do you understand everything? — he asked Lacius again.

— Yes, I can speak and understand, — he answered briefly. Behind the fan there was a strange sound, like a surprised grunting and clattering.

— Okay, we want to know if you’re honest or not. Do you know why you are here?

— Yes. We were taken here so that you forgive General Chen Tang, — Lacius said without looking away, and from the silence that suddenly hung in the air, he realised that he had said what everyone was thinking about, but were afraid to say out loud.

— He-he, — a condescending cough was heard again. — This is true. You are not deceiving us. Then tell me, why do we need you? I heard you could build bridges and threw swords. But this can be learnt. What do you know and can do that we can’t? Surprise us, and then you will live.

Lacius had to think it over but he had no time to mull it over. His throat felt sore. But not from excitement, but from stuffiness. He couldn’t remember anything worthwhile. If everything could be learnt, then how were they different? Only the colour of his skin… Nothing else came to his mind.

— Rome, tell him about Rome! — Paul Domician whispered from behind, wanting to help.

— Your blind friend can speak louder. We can’t hear him! — said the Emperor. And then Lacius remembered what happened at the peasants’ festival in the Xiongnu camp!

— The singer says he can sing, — he said quickly and added: — But that’s not the most important thing. — I can show you what we can do, but you can’t. We can speak very quietly and understand each other. Look! Hey, Lucro, move away, — he asked from a comrade standing next to him. — Ten steps. Now turn your back. Listen to me and show me what I say, — Lacius whispered “Thumbs up’ and Lucro raised his thumb up. Then he whispered “Helmet’, and Lucro raised the helmet above his head. Then there followed “Right hand’, “Left foot’, “Chain on the feet’ and “Jump’. Lucro repeated everything flawlessly. — You see, — Lacius said with a smile and turned his head towards the large fan, — he understands everything. — But in your language this is impossible.

— Possible! — there was a cry of indignation and disbelief. Lacius smiled because the Emperor was clearly hurt.

— How can you contradict the Wise Ruler! — the courtier intervened again, trying to contrive and hit Lacius from a half-bent state, but instead the Emperor sent him to Lucro, where the unfortunate man had to turn his back and straighten up to hear the voice of his master.

The old man did everything in his power, even turning his head, but it did not help. The Han people did not know how to speak in a whisper. Their words had different meanings because they said them with different intonations. And without intonation they all turned into incomprehensible sounds. Therefore, no matter how hard the Emperor tried, nothing worked for him — his whisper merged into a quiet, monotonous sound and the unfortunate courtier did not hear anything. Trembling with fear and wiping his sweaty palms on his robe, he turned his head first one way and then the other, trying to hear at least one word, and even tried to repeat Lucro’s movements, hoping that the Emperor was saying the same thing, however, in the end, he could not stand it and shouted at him:

— You are apparently completely deaf! We tell you: Step back. Don’t you hear?

— Your slave can’t hear, — the courtier bleated in a squeaky voice.

— Shi Xian, take his place, — the Master of Heaven turned to the senior eunuch. — You’re not that old yet and you should hear us.

But nothing worked out with the eunuch either. Then the Emperor ordered the concubines, who had not yet left, to be brought from the stretcher. They happily returned, but they didn’t hear anything either. Throwing out their hands in confusion, they looked around, but could not repeat what their Master was whispering. After that, tense silence hung under the canopy for some time. The Emperor frowned and thought. Finally, he turned to Lacius and said:

— You can live in peace. But… — there was some doubt in his voice, bordering on curiosity. — But can you say what surprised you most? If this surprises us again, the rest of the slaves will also live.

— What surprised me? — Lacius felt that now his heart was beating faster and from the side where the Romans stood, a wave of fear and horror washed over him. He forgot that the rulers of fate cannot be trusted and they can change their minds in the blink of an eye, he forgot that the Emperor’s wife was going to see them die at the holiday, yes, he forgot, because the desire to help his comrades was stronger than all other feelings.

Lacius feverishly turned over in his head everything he knew, but these were events from his world, which was alien to this strange man. He could only be surprised by what he knew himself. But what could he know? And then he remembered Chow’s stories about her family, the ancient generals and eunuchs who ruled instead of Emperors, writing on silk and bamboo sticks, and the great Emperor, who built a great wall. And he made up his mind. — I’m not sure you’ll be surprised. But it struck me, — he began and coughed. His throat was dry, but Lacius couldn’t afford to ask for water. — Sorry… my throat… it’s hot… — he shook his head, holding his neck. The Emperor remained motionless. Swallowing non-existent saliva, Lacius continued: — One person surprised me most of all. — He lived a long time ago and wrote the history of all rulers since ancient times. He wanted to write down all the names and all the actions, all the wars and all the betrayals. But he lived in difficult times. One official suggested that the Emperor change taxes in the country. And this historian supported the official. Then the Emperor got angry. He ordered the historian to cut off his reproductive organs. Usually this meant loss of face. The historian had to kill himself to avoid disgrace. But it was possible to stay alive, cut off your balls, and continue to live in shame. This man chose a life of shame to finish his work on the history of your people. He emasculated himself by saying that the history of the great Empire is more important than his unborn children. That’s what surprised me, because I’ve never met such people. Nowhere, — Lacius finished his short story and heard a thoughtful voice from behind the fan:

— Sima Qian! It was Sima Qian! Yes, he was a strong man. He did a lot. We know about this, — after these words, the Emperor fell silent again, and none of the servants, bending in a bow or lying on the ground, dared to break the silence while he was thinking. — Alright, — he finally said in a calm voice, — you reminded us of the past. Once upon a time this surprised us too. Let your people live! Call Bao Shi!

— Your slave is here, — came a voice from somewhere on the side, and under the canopy showed up the governor, doubled over, wearing an expensive robe stained with dust. Unable to stay on his feet, he fell to the ground and touched his forehead to the ground three times.

— Take them. Let them live for now. Feed and water. We’ll think about what to do with them. Make sure they don’t die! And we think they need water.

— Your slave will do everything, the Wise Buddha of our days! — Bao Shi once again poked his forehead into the dust. The Emperor, without looking at him, turned around and walked towards his servants. They also stood bent in a deep bow. Lacius wondered how long they could stand like that without moving. After all, it was much harder than standing on all fours. He was torn from these thoughts by a blow to the legs with a stick — Bao Shi’s servants again reminded the Romans that they should lower themselves to the ground and not look at the Emperor. At the same time, they also did this in a half-bent state, which is why they hit the legs, and not the heads and shoulders, as before. But the Romans did not need to be forced; they immediately fell down, as if on command, and after some time began to take off their breastplates and helmets.

It seemed that in the chaos that had arisen, no one cared about them now. The Emperor disappeared as quickly as he had appeared, the stretcher with his two concubines, surrounded by a large number of eunuchs, was already approaching the gates of the inner palace, and the servants under the canopy still continued to fuss and run, carrying some sticks, barrels, water and bags. They brought a lot of water to the Romans. Other servants were collecting shields, breastplates, and helmets at this time. Soon happy time came — the governor allowed them to be taken to the river. Even the chief of security, Fu Xing, was surprised that Bao Shi would condescend to do such an act. Although everything was clear without any explanation — the officials of the imperial court were still near the canopy and could then tell the Emperor how the governor behaved after the departure of the Master of the Celestial Empire.

— Tell them to thank the governor loudly! — said the head of security to Lacius.

— Why not the Emperor? — he was surprised.

— “Bo Le appreciated the horse’, but you are the governor’s slave.

— What?.. Which horse? I don’t understand anything… Why are you talking so strangely? First Chow Li, now you…

— Shut up and thank the governor!

— But why didn’t we thank you when you took us there at night? — Lacius smiled slyly.

— Don’t say that! — Fu Xing was scared. — I am the governor’s servant, — and added louder: — Long life to the governor! — Don’t make me “give you three instructions and explain to you five times’!

— Why three… — but he didn’t have time to finish, receiving a blow with a stick from another guard. Kneeling, Lacius conveyed the order to the others, and the Romans in discordant voices began to shout out words of gratitude to Bao Shi, who was condescendingly listening to them in a black robe with yellow peacocks on the back and sleeves. Two servants were already bustling around nearby, shaking off the remaining dust from the luxurious silk.

CHAPTER VIII. UNPLEASANT NEWS ABOUT THE HOLIDAY OF THE YEAR

After the river, the Romans were taken to the outskirts of the city, where rich people lived. The house of Governor Bao Shi was located there. They were all pushed into a large empty barn and left overnight. They spent several days there without going outside. On the fourth day, at dawn, Lacius was awakened by two servants and taken to an outbuilding, near which four servants stood. They were barefoot and shirtless, wearing only pants. He was clearly not being taken to the governor or the Emperor. This thought immediately made him feel better.

Along the walls there were two benches and several bundles of brushwood. Everything was carefully cleaned. There was a beautiful screen hiding in the corner. A lake with thickets of reeds and flying birds were drawn on it. In this miserable and gray room, it looked very strange and seemed like a random object, as if they had forgotten to put it away after some special occasion.

However, everything soon became clear. Sitting behind the partition was Chow Li. Next to her were two eunuchs and two maids. Chow spoke in the Xiongnu dialect. She did not want her compatriots to understand her. The news was different, but not all very good: the Emperor ordered an urgent gathering of ministers to talk with them about Chen Tang; the Emperor’s wife was angry that two concubines saw the paintings given to her; yesterday five eunuchs were punished for this; everyone began to prepare for the holiday of the year, and the Romans were supposed to be shown to the entire courtyard during that show. This meant that Governor Bao Shi would have to prepare them for exhibition stick fighting.

Lacius knew that stick fights usually ended in a fight with swords and spears. So, it was necessary to come up with something so that they would not be killed in the very first minutes of the holiday. Although there was no joy in the fact that they would be killed a little later. At that moment, he remembered with regret that no ruler had ever kept his word.

The second bad news concerned Chow’s sister named Yeng. She wanted Lacius to be killed in any case. It didn’t matter where. She said this was her revenge for the fact that Chow was his slave. And Chow could not explain anything to her older sister. She didn’t believe her. At least that’s what Chow Li said, trying to make her words sound sincere.

Lacius also learnt that all the Xiongnu women were taken away from the city. There, beyond the wall, they worked in the Emperor’s distant gardens, waiting until he decided what to do with them. But the most unpleasant thing was that peasant unrest began in the south of the country and none of the merchants wanted to go there. Therefore, Chow could not help Latium disappear unnoticed from Bao Shi’s house and end up in the cart of merchants carrying salt and silk to the south. Moreover, her father, the former chief censor, demanded that she return to the province, since she was now an unmarried woman. The father himself lived in a small provincial town, where the unrest had just begun, and Chow was soon to go to him.

Everything was turning against Lacius again. The escape plan could not become a reality and remained just a dream. He could not imagine that someone was leading him up the garden path. So he naively believed that other people and external circumstances were to blame for everything.

— You promised to help, — Lacius said thoughtfully after listening to her. He did not understand how he could now escape from this city and get to the sea.

— I’ll help, but later. Now you have to stay here. We have to wait. Let everything pass. I’ll let you know.

— How?

— Through Fu Xing, the head of security.

— Can you ask him to bring us more food? We can’t eat just rice and beans. They also give us lentils, but they are tough. We need meat. I understand that it is difficult, but without food we will die.

— I don’t even know… Even Bao Shi’s servants don’t eat meat. — It’s very difficult, — Chow answered carefully, trying not to sound rude about her refusal.

— Okay, can you tell Fu Xing to send us to work? We can carry water, build, dig. Then it will be easier for him to feed us.

— You speak wisely. Okay, I’ll try. That’s it, go, I have to go. There will be guests in the house today.

— Wait, tell me, why are you and your sister so different? — getting up, he asked.

— Have you seen my sister? — there was surprise and confusion in her voice.

— Yes, when the Emperor’s wife came.

— Oh… But this is impossible! Have you seen her face? Erm… Did you like her? — questions rained down one after another.

— Dunno. She’s just not like you. At all.

— No, she isn’t. We have different mothers. She is the elder sister. But she is dearer to me than all the other people in the house.

— Who are the rest? Do you have many sisters and brothers? And you… — but Chow did not listen to him and called the servants. They took Lacius out of the outbuilding and brought him to the barn, where he, with relief, threw the iron ball on the ground and sat down next to it.

All his comrades lay there, staring blankly at the low ceiling. Flies were buzzing everywhere. The walls were made of the same bamboo as in the barn, where they had stood for several days. Lacius came up and pulled the stick in the wall. It didn’t give in. Then another, one more, until in the corner, right next to the pillar, he was lucky enough to pull out a thin bamboo three fingers thick. Such a stick was lighter than a sword and lay a little awkwardly in his hand, but Lacius was pleased.

— Get up, — he called to Mark and Zeno, who were throwing stones on a small area near the door, trying to knock them out of the middle of the circle. — Let’s get down to business.

— You came back changed, — came the quiet voice of Paul Domician. — The red colour comes from you.

— Yes. The gods don’t want to let me go home, — Lacius smiled wryly. — The Fates are playing their weird games again.

The blind singer just shook his head and said nothing. Dissatisfied, Mark and Zeno each pulled out a stick from the wall and began fooling around with Lacius. But, having received several strong blows to the legs and even to the stomach, they realised that he was not joking.

In the evening they were joined by Lucro and three people from his former group. The next day, Tiberius and his people came. They did not believe that they could be killed after the Emperor’s forgiveness, but Fu Xing, who sometimes came to check on their condition, gloomily confirmed Lacius’s words.

Now they began to be taken out to work in the fields and in the yard. The Romans’ ability to work with stone was useful when building a new cellar on the other side of the house and laying out wells. For this, they began to be fed better. However, in the evenings, Lacius still forced everyone to remember close combat techniques, although from the outside it looked like artists performing on a small stage, especially Mark and Zeno: they could not take even two steps, and were forced to dodge Lacius’s blows and crouch and twitch from side to side, like trees in a strong wind.

Thus, began the training of all surviving legionnaires. And the more they worked, the more thoughtful Lacius became. He saw that the young men who were with the old men became faster and more agile, but he seemed to have lost his speed. He lunged forward a little slower, was just a little late to dodge the blow and, quite unexpectedly for himself, felt an incomprehensible slowness throughout his body. It seemed like it didn’t listen to him and did everything late. He weakened and began to get tired faster. All this made him despondent, which he tried to drown out with new exercises. But there was no strength. The body gave up before the mind, and the arms fell limply down, aching from overload and fatigue. And he was sadly forced to admit to himself that he was beginning to grow old.

CHAPTER IX. THE EMPEROR’S DECISION AND GOJU’S HELP

At this time, completely different events were taking place in the palace. Two opposing opinions regarding Chen Tang’s campaign again forced the Emperor to choose, which party to give preference to. Neither concubines, nor musicians, nor the stories of court historians and astrologers pleased him. Then he remembered his wife and ordered the senior eunuch Shi Xian to bring her.

— Ten thousand years of life, Wise Ruler! — Yu Wan greeted him, kneeling down. — Long life to you for the benefit of the entire Han Empire…

— Get up! — Yuan Di interrupted her discontentedly, — my father used to say that the peasants, when the Emperor was driving past them, first shouted “Ten thousand years of life’, and then they said among themselves that “Even the Emperor cannot buy himself a thousand lives’.

— Sad thoughts have visited you, our lord. Are you sick?

— No!

— Fine. But I’m glad that your thoughts returned to me again. My love will help you…

— Love, love, what does love have to do with it? You scared Feng and Fu so much that they don’t even go out into the garden!

— My guilt is limitless, Wise Ruler… But I follow you in all joys and sorrows, I see my fate together with yours, I do not complain about injustice and do not demand seven men a week when my master does not come to me, — she said with feigned sadness, hinting at the lascivious Feng and Fu.

— Yes, we agree. They are like that. But they are concubines.

— They have children from my master, — Yu Wang added more harshly.

— Alright, we’re tired of these eternal arguments and complaints about each other! Enough!

— What worries the Son of Heaven? — she said again with humility and affection.

— Everything! What should we do with Tang? — he blurted out, no longer able to contain the tension that had accumulated for so many days. After listening to all his doubts, she looked away and pursed her lips. The Emperor Yuan Di knew that he needed to wait a little and give her time to think. But this time, the beautiful Yu Wan spoke immediately. Apparently, she has thought about this problem more than once and has long come up with a solution. The Empress saw that her husband “doesn’t know where to put his hands and feet’, and thought about how to lead him to the right decision in a shorter and gentler way.

— Chen Tang helped the entire Han Empire, — she spoke slowly. — Awful Zhi Zhi’s death is good for everyone. But he violated your order. And that’s bad for you, my master.

— What should we do?! — the Emperor asked impatiently.

— We need to reward and punish him at the same time, — Yu Wang answered calmly, as if it was so simple that it did not even require explanation. But Yuan Di froze and frowned, which said something completely different: he did not understand her. So she continued: — May the Wise Ruler forgive him. After all, he killed a terrible enemy, for many he is a hero. Everyone is talking about “Tian Ji races”. He surprised many. Moreover, Chen Tang did not sell a single slave. They all belong to the Emperor. And the warriors again stand guard over the Great Wall, obeying the orders of the Master of the Celestial Empire.

— Okay, forgiveness is a reward, but where is the punishment? — he asked impatiently, not understanding what to do next. A faint smile touched his wife’s lips, but Yuan Di was so immersed in the picture she painted that he did not notice it.

— May the Buddha of our day show wisdom and appoint him to command those warriors, who were with him on this campaign. They listen to Chen Tang, consider him a hero, and will be glad to have him back. From Chang’an to Danhuang is a thousand miles. And there are no people, no cities, no women, no children, except the Xiongnu tribes on the other side of the wall. Let him continue to defend the Han Empire with the same zeal as he rushed to behead Zhi Zhi. Could there be a more honourable reward for a warrior than serving his Emperor? — she fell silent, waiting for her husband’s answer. He smiled slyly, hiding his hands in the sleeves of his robe, walked around the room again and muttered:

— Let’s make sure that “this horse doesn’t ruin the whole herd’, … — he said quietly and then loudly called the senior eunuch: — Shi Xian! — when the man knocked his forehead three times at the entrance, the Emperor added: — We will spend the evening in the Tower of Voluptuousness. — Let our wife be there after sunset!

This was a sign for everyone to leave the room. Left alone, Yuan Di ordered the three chief ministers to be summoned to him. It was time to tell them about his decision.

Lacius already felt better. Now all the Romans could already practise strikes and dodges. The strength returned, but the fear, driven inside, still reminded itself from time to time, when he was unable to quickly perform this or that movement. One late evening, the chief of security, Fu Xing, and several other warriors came to see them. Among them were two people, who seemed unfamiliar to Lacius. However, when he was taken out of the barn, he recognised one of them as the old guide Goju. In the light of the moon, he looked the same as many years ago — it seemed that he had not changed at all.

— I want to talk to you, — the old man said quietly and looked at Fu Xing. To Lacius’s surprise, the man bowed and stepped aside with the guards. — There will be a big holiday soon, — the guide said somehow strangely and fell silent.

— Yes, there will… — Lacius tensed internally.

— And you’ve already managed to find yourself an enemy, — Goju added just as quietly and outwardly indifferent.

— Is this your enemy, too? — he guessed. The old Xiongnu paused and answered briefly:

— Yes. He is the enemy of my friends, — then he turned to Lacius and continued: — You will be dressed in white shirts and pants. Opposite will be Wang Mang’s warriors in black robes.

— Who are they? Security?

— No, these are the servants of the Empress’s brother.

— Ah… Well, everything is clear, — he answered with understanding. — I remember them very well, — but it was not clear what the old man wanted from him. — Do you think we can defeat them? — it was impossible to hide the mockery, but Goju did not seem to notice this.

— No. This is impossible. They are good warriors. They will have sticks. But you can’t beat them. Even the weakest. You will have chains on your feet. All Romans will have it. They will hit you on the head. Like this, from above, — he showed movement with his hands. — Terrible hits. I saw them pierce right through the skull. But you won’t be hit hard. It’s a holiday. Should be fun. Therefore, at first, they will hit you weakly so that you fall.

— Oh, gods omnipotent! What are you saying? After all, the Emperor promised us… — Lacius paused, feeling that his words sounded ridiculous.

— What did you promise?

— He promised us life. But why are you saying this? What do you want from me?

— Not much at all. The Empress’s brother has many warrior servants. The eldest’s name is Yu Lai.

— Yes, I heard that name. He is good with a sword.

— Not only that. He wants to kill you. And he will kill you if you don’t do it first, — the old nomad lowered his voice: — One of your slaves survived. — Her name is Tertia. She’s pregnant. If you kill Yu Lai, I will save her and find her a man. The child will live, — he fell silent, waiting for Lacius’s decision. Lacius stood there, realising with horror that he had no way out.

— Well, have you buried me yet? — he asked quietly, but the nomad did not answer, continuing to wait for his decision. — After all, even if I kill Yu Lai, others will finish me off. Right? — silence was more eloquent than any answer. — Okay, — Lacius nodded his head, — but you’ll have to save two more people. There are two young men here. Their names are Mark and Zeno. It’s too early for them to die. Take them with you now!

— This is impossible. I can’t take them. It’s dangerous. If they survive, I’ll take them after the holiday.

— Alright, if they survive, will you definitely save them? Their mother’s name is Saet. She was also among the prisoners. Find her!

— You’re asking for the impossible. I will only help these two if they survive. Got it?

— Yes, — Lacius was forced to agree.

— Now listen. This warrior will have a sharp stick at the end. Not bamboo like others. This is solid wood. No hole inside. Very hard. And flexible. Doesn’t break. You will have bamboo. When they bring it to you, cut the edge so that it is sharp. Like this, — the old guide picked up a piece of bamboo from the ground and in one motion cut off the edge at an angle. The bevel was not sharp, but it could easily enter the body with a strong blow. Lacius shook his head doubtfully.

— How can we cut it? Are you kidding? No knife, — he tried to make out the expression on Goju’s face, but in the pale light of the moon nothing was visible — only the outlines of the beard and cheekbones. The old nomad suddenly handed him an object wrapped in leather. Lacius unwrapped the package and shuddered. It was one of those black knives that he had once made for himself. Zeno had the last of them! How could it be here?

— Where did you get it from? — he burst out.

— Found it in the city. Someone killed a strong warrior on the wall. With the knife in the neck. Deep, — the old man said this so calmly, as if he had accidentally tripped over it in the dust in the market square. — Everything could be found there.

— I see. If not with a stick, then with a knife? — Lacius guessed.

— Yes. You know how to throw a knife. Kill him anyway.

— Wait… but if I kill him, I’ll stay alive? Right? What’s next? — he asked carefully.

— You won’t stay. Others will kill you. No one is allowed to kill a Han warrior during the festival. Holidays are joy. You will be beaten and you will accidentally die. But you can’t kill him.

— Are you kidding? I have no choice?

— No. They’ll kill you either way. That’s why I brought you this knife. Fu Xing saw it. Chen Tang saw it. There are a dozen more warriors, who know that a very famous warrior was killed with this knife. So I give you your knife back deliberately. And if you kill Yu Lai with it, no one will think of me.

— Can we survive? — Lacius finally asked the old man, just in case.

— Hardly. Nobody needs such slaves. Nobody will buy you, — Goju paused. — You are needed for the holiday. You can defend yourself from a stick. You can fight for a long time. Until they take your head off. You can also put thick leather under your shirt. Buffalo’s skin. So you can last longer. Do you want to try it?

— You bet! I do! I wish I could live longer, — Lacius said slowly, thinking about the guide’s words. — Will you bring it?

— Yes. I’ll tell Fu Xing. Tomorrow, they will bring you the leather, but you’ll cut and tie it yourself in the barn. Don’t take it outside. And keep quiet. Make backless and sleeveless shirts like those worn by bearers.

— I understand you. If the gods help me, I won’t forget you. I promise! — Lacius said hotly.

— Well, well, — the old guide muttered something unclear. — Don’t forget about the senior warrior named Yu Lai! This is very important. He must die, — the guide said gloomily and slowly walked towards the Han guards. This ended their conversation, and Lacius, hiding the knife in his bosom, with difficulty dragged the iron ball back. Having reached the barn, he lay down right at the entrance and could not fall asleep for a long time, tossing from side to side and reflecting on the words of the old Xiongnu nomad, until Paul Domician, who was lying nearby, asked him:

— Has Morpheus deprived you of sleep? Is it really that bad?

— It seems so, — Lacius sighed. — The gods are playing their games again. —

— They always do like this. Do you remember Vargont and Atilla? Poor guys. The gods have their own entertainment. But if you don’t sleep, you won’t help anything. You’ll just get tired.

— That’s for sure, — Lacius agreed and closed his eyes. The sleep was heavy and long. He dodged right and left from blows to the face, but for some reason his hands did not rise up to help fight off the sharp end of the stick, which was aimed right at his eye. His inquisitive mind, as always in moments of mortal danger, looked for a way out and did not give up, trying to use every opportunity to survive. But death came closer and closer.

CHAPTER X. STICKS AGAINST SWORDS

The holiday in the capital of the Han Empire began early in the morning. The Romans understood this from the noise outside the walls of the governor’s house: cattle drivers shouted, carts creaked, mules lowed, horses neighed occasionally, and it was felt that there were much more people on the streets than on ordinary days. Lacius lay with his eyes closed on an old rug, made of thin straw, and for the thousandth time imagined protection with chains on his feet. There was little space in the barn, and they were forced to stand against the walls, practising blows and dodging them, first in different directions, and then back and forth. It was impossible to move here, but the Romans tried their best.

Finally, Lacius stopped and turned to Paul Domician to offer a prayer to the gods with him. The old singer agreed, and they spent the rest of the afternoon praying and talking about the help of the gods. Other Romans joined them, everyone prayed to different gods, so they often asked Lacius if they were right to ask the gods for help and whether they would listen to them if they did not make a sacrifice to them. Everyone was very worried, and it was surprising that no one blamed each other for their terrible situation.

Closer to noon, the chief of the guard, Fu Xing, and about two hundred servants came for them. All Romans were given whitish, washed robes, made of simple fabric and pieces of rope instead of belts. They quickly put on sleeveless leather shirts with a piece of board that Lacius had thought of attaching at the very bottom so that it would cover the groin. Goju helped with this too. Then everyone began to pull their white capes on top. They were of different lengths and widths, so they didn’t suit many people. Lacius and Zeno had it worst of all — their sleeves were longer than their arms and at the bottom they dragged along the ground. They had to cut them right here.

Finally, everyone was ready. Paul Domician was ordered to stay in the barn. The rest, right in chains, were brought to the first gate of the inner city and, after being counted, were brought inside. Some kind of performance had just ended there: people in red shirts were collecting yellow and red ribbons, bringing out large masks with predatory smiles and large pieces of fabric that looked like fish tails. From the entrance to the steps at the first building there was a wide, flat road lined with round white pebbles. On either side of it there was a large space with nothing but trampled earth and a row of stone benches. It was similar to a gladiator theater, only the seats for spectators were located not in a circle, but on one side.

Some important people in bright robes sat in the front rows, servants held umbrellas above them, and about a hundred courtiers crowded behind them. On the other side there was only a wall. There were thirty steps to the first row of spectators. The Emperor was not visible among those sitting. Lacius figured that, given the opportunity, it would be easy to throw a dart or spear there.

The Romans were lined up along the wall and began to distribute long bamboo sticks. Lacius looked longingly at his comrades, realising that he would not be able to use the knife and help them now. He was afraid that he would not be able to help even himself. The chains turned them into living targets for beatings. At that moment, a large stretcher with a fringed roof appeared in the distance. All the courtiers fell to their knees. The Romans were also forced to bury their faces in the ground. It was the Emperor. His stretcher was placed right in the center, moving apart the places, where important dignitaries sat. After this, the Romans were ordered to rise.

— Don’t get too close! Two steps! Follow me! Hit only in the groin! As you were taught! — Lacius shouted to Marcus and Zeno, when the drums began to sound. The officials became agitated, began to discuss something and point to the Romans. Some nodded to the side — there, from behind small buildings, on the steps of which there were also spectators, people in black robes began to emerge. Lacius immediately saw among them the servant of whom Goju had spoken. His name was Yu Lai, he remembered. Kneeling before the Emperor, the black warriors touched their foreheads to the ground three times and greeted him. Then they crawled back and stood up. Several servants with sticks ran up to them. Lacius could see that these sticks were different from theirs — they looked like thick nuts.

— Listen, my stick is broken! — Lucro suddenly exclaimed in fear. He leaned on it and the wood cracked in the middle. Lacius pressed his and saw the same thing. Zeno and Mark also pressed sticks to the ground and saw cracks.

— Break it in the middle! — Lacius ordered briefly, finding the membrane and pressing on it with his foot. Throwing away the broken part with a crack, he tossed the other half in his hand and sighed with relief — it was much more convenient, because. when shortened. they looked more like swords. Soon all the Romans followed his example, and they had short bamboo sticks in their hands.

— Now it’s easier. It’s good that there is no one from behind. We’ll fight back, — Lucro remarked joyfully, feeling more confident. There was a dissatisfied noise from the spectators, but Lacius could not see what was happening there. However, from the angry faces ten steps away from him, he guessed that the black coats did not expect such a turn of events.

The beating of the drums sounded again, and the Han warriors began to approach the Romans, holding sticks outstretched like spears in front of them. They were longer and more dangerous than their bamboo counterparts. Lacius quickly looked around. It looked like they weren’t going to be herded into a bunch or forced to run around holding a chain with a ball in one hand and a stick in the other. This was much better. And besides, there was no one behind either, nothing but high walls.

The first blows fell like hail, but they could still be repelled, because the attackers were clearly playing around and did not take them seriously. Therefore, the Romans were able to evade and repel their blows without difficulty. It was more difficult when they hit my legs — it was impossible to dodge with chains on their ankles. But here it was possible to at least put the bamboo in the way of blow and reduce the force of it.

So far, as far as Lacius could see, no one had been hit in the head. Yu Lai, who was standing in front of him, was clearly playing around and hitting half – heartedly, grinning and showing that he was having fun. For him everything was already clear. After some time, the black – robed warriors stepped back and stopped. From the audience, the loud voice of the Empress’s brother, to whom they obeyed, was heard, and now his servants had to show something different.

Lacius almost missed the first blow, although he managed to lean back with his whole body. Yu Lai struck it a little earlier than he expected, and the sharp end stopped three fingers away from his forehead. Then the warrior began to make lunges one after another. Just like everyone else. The attackers tried to hit the Romans only in the head or chest. Several times Lacius heard dull sharp blows and groans, and he realised that these were accurate hits from soldiers in black robes. But no one of the Romans was lying on the ground yet.

The strong Yu Lai, oddly enough, began to get tired. His strong blows lost their speed, he tried to put all his strength in each of them as if he was hitting for the last time in his life, so soon the first drops of sweat appeared on his face, his eyes narrowed, and his mouth opened slightly. He began to breathe heavily. The short beard shook funny as it moved, and Lacius wanted to grab it and pull it with all his might. However, it was impossible to reach Yu Lai.

A sharp scream from the left made him look in that direction for a moment. Mark received a strong blow to the head and was now sitting on the ground, holding his chin. The satisfied Chinese raised his stick to finish him off from above, but collided with Lucro, who had come from nowhere. Now the boy managed to repel the attacks of two attackers. It was incredible.

Lacius jerked towards him to help, and he himself received a blow to the chest of such force that he immediately fell on his back, dropping his stick. Everything swam in his head; he felt nauseous in his throat and had an unpleasant taste in his mouth. Yu Lai, without hiding his pleasure, leaned over him, but, not seeing the blood, he frowned sharply. Tugging at the hem of his robe, he saw a leather breastplate and froze for a moment.

— A – ah – ah! — there was a hoarse cry. — Protection! You are protected! — fury flashed in the warrior’s narrow eyes. Turning his head to the side, he shouted to his comrades: — Hit them in the head! They have bibs! — at the same time, he looked in surprise at the sharp end of his stick. It had to break through even such skin. The enemy must be dead! And then he noticed the medallion. Only this piece of wood could stop such a blow. Yu Lai pulled it from Lacius’s neck and shook it above his head. — This is his defense! — he shouted loudly. — Now he has no protection! — I’ll kill you, — he added angrily, putting a leather strap around his neck. Lacius did not have the strength to answer. Feeling for his stick, he stood up and hit the man with all his might on the leg just above the knee. The warrior screamed in pain and jumped back. This gave Lacius time to get up.

The omnipresent Lucro was nearby again. He had just fought off two warriors attacking him, hitting them exactly in the groin, and while they were crawling back under the dissatisfied cries of the spectators, he barely reached Lacius, dragging his chain behind him. Swinging, he wanted to hit Yu Lai on the head, but Yu Lai was an experienced fighter and managed to substitute a stick. The second blow, a little weaker, landed between his legs. Gasping, Yu Lai doubled over and stepped back.

— Hit between the legs! Weak point! — Lucro shouted to Lacius and hurried to the aid of Mark, who had come to his senses. Out of the corner of his eye, Lacius managed to notice several white coats on the ground. This meant that the long sticks of the Han people got to the Romans. Not everyone had time to dodge their attacks. Strange, but many continued to fight as before. No one stopped the battle, the Emperor and his servants kept silence and did not order to remove the leather breastplates from the Romans.

— Drop the medallion! — he shouted loudly to Yu Lai, who, holding his crotch, apparently was not yet ready to attack. — You can’t wear it. You will die! Trust me! — the man stopped, smiled wryly and stepped back. Instead, two other warriors attacked Lacius. They were not so fast and experienced, and he managed to snatch the sticks from them with his bare hands, and then deal two blows to their heads.

Yu Lai stepped over the bodies of his comrades writhing on the ground and raised the medallion to his eyes. His lips stretched into a predatory smile, and hatred froze in his narrowed eyes. Pressing his chin to his chest, he rushed forward. However, his attacks now no longer seemed to Lacius as fast and terrible as before. He saw all the movements and dodged before he could throw out his stick for defense. The rest of the black-robed warriors were also tired, but most of the Romans still continued to stand in front of them like invulnerable shadows.

Finally, Yu Lai stepped back and shouted something, raising his hand above his head. The audience fell silent. The Empress’s brother Wang Mang approached the imperial stretcher and, kneeling down, also touched the ground with his forehead three times. Yu Lai crawled behind him on his knees. The Emperor asked them something. It was mainly Yu Lai, who answered.

Lacius saw him remove his medallion from his neck and hand it to one of the servants. After some time, it was returned, and Yu Lai put it around his neck again. Then they both crawled back and stood up. Warriors in black robes stood with their backs to them. The Empress’s brother ordered something to Yu Lai, making a decisive gesture with his hand. Servants with short sticks at the ready appeared again in the distance.

— Take the swords! — a loud command sounded. Silence hung in the air. The Romans realised that they would now be killed.

— We didn’t agree like that, — Lucro said with fear for the first time in a long time. — He glanced at Lacius, but he himself saw that the situation was becoming hopeless.

— Wang Mang! — Lacius shouted loudly, addressing the thin official standing behind the servants. — The Emperor promised us life. Everyone. You are breaking the Emperor’s order.

There was an awkward silence, and the warriors began to turn to their master in confusion. He slowly approached Lacius and, stopping two steps away, calmly answered:

— The Emperor believes that your strength was in the medallion. Now the Wise Ruler wants to see how you can fight without it, — his words were accompanied by an even, calm look, without anger or irritation, as if they were talking about the colour of the clay under his feet.

— This medallion cannot be worn. He brings death. Your warrior will die, — Lacius tried to tell the truth, but not a single muscle moved on Wang Mang’s face. He just shook his head, as if agreeing with some of his thoughts, and stepped back.

— Kill them! — the order sounded, and a long black line moved forward.

— Give us the swords! — Lacius shouted in despair, but in response there was a satisfied laugh from Yu Lai. His warriors easily beat off the Romans’ sticks with their swords and knocked them down. But they didn’t kill them. And they didn’t even try to hurt. It was like a mockery to show the weakness and infirmity of the unarmed prisoners.

Lacius has also been on earth three times already. Getting up with difficulty once again, he saw that the enemy was ready to hit him again with the flat of his sword on the head and push him with his hands in the chest so that he would fall. Yu Lai was too close, and smiled joyfully, anticipating a quick end. Lacius pulled forward a stick, which he had already split with several previous blows, and swayed on bent knees, feigning fatigue and helplessness. Believing in his impunity, Yu Lai lost his vigilance and casually struck the stick with his sword, trying to knock it out of Lacius’s hands. But the sword met no resistance and fell into the void. The warrior momentarily lost his balance and fell to one knee, still holding the sword in front of him. Lacius hit it from above with all his might and knocked him out of his hands. The second blow of the split stick landed right on the knot of hair on Yu Lai’s head, and although he did not lose consciousness, he unexpectedly fell on all fours and froze. When he raised his head, a sword blade touched his neck.

— Don’t move! — he heard Lacius’s voice, who pulled off his medallion from him and quickly returned it to his neck. All the warriors stopped and stepped back hesitantly. They looked at the tall slave, who held the sword at their comrade’s throat. — Hey, Wang Mang! The medallion didn’t help him. But he is not my enemy. I don’t want to kill him.

There was some excitement near the Emperor’s stretcher. Several servants ran up and fell on their faces, then crawled back and ran up to Wang Mang.

— The son of heaven saw everything, — he said gloomily, turning to Lacius. Let him go! — he waited until Yu Lai angrily pushed Lacius away from him and returned to him. Then he continued: — Our warrior did not kill you. Our warrior could have killed you. You didn’t kill him. But you could have killed him. The Emperor says you will fight again. Hey! — he clapped his hands, calling the servants, — remove the chain from him and give him a stick.

— This is unfair! Give me the sword! — Lacius shouted, feeling that he had been deceived again.

— Let your medallion help you, — the Empress’s brother answered mockingly.

— I can’t fight with a medallion! Give me the sword!

— You know how to build bridges from stones. Make yourself a sword! Ask your gods to help you, — Wang Mang advised just as calmly and gave the command to the warriors to disperse in different directions. Two servants were already removing the iron ball from his feet, placing stones under the chain and hitting it with hammers, but Lacius still felt the tension. The black knife was securely attached under the leather breastplate, which had already become wet and was beginning to rub the skin under his hands.

When the chains were removed, he lowered himself down to rub his legs and to transfer it unnoticed to his belt. Then everything ceased to exist. He remembered only the feeling of extreme tension, when the body relaxes and the eyes follow only the movements of the enemy standing in front. Yu Lai was younger than him and stronger. And although Lacius was a head taller in stature, the warrior was broad – shouldered, fast, agile and, perhaps, in no way inferior to him, except experience. In addition, he was very angry and burned with the desire to humiliate and trample the rebellious slave.

When the command was given, Yu Lai immediately rushed forward, furiously swinging his sword from side to side, struck from above several times, then began to wave it in front of him, as if he was trying to cut a silk ribbon, but his blows did not reach the target. With pleasure and surprise, Lacius felt light in his legs and very skillfully moved to the right and left, avoiding the furious attacks of his angry enemy. From time to time, he had to deflect the dangerous sword with a stick, but he tried not to expose the bamboo to a direct blow, because the blade would immediately cut it in half.

For the spectators, this running in a circle looked boring and monotonous, and only the Romans, who understood what he was doing, stood motionless, leaning their backs against the wall and without taking their eyes off, watched his deft movements. Yu Lai began to get tired and stopped a few times to catch his breath.

— Help him! — ordered the dissatisfied brother of the Empress, noticing the sign of one of the servants near the Emperor’s stretcher — the Emperor yawned. The Wise Ruler loved joyful holidays, but not long and tedious journeys. Now he was starting to get bored. A hundred warriors sat down on the ground and began to knock their swords, lingering on the last movement: one, two, three! One, two, three! The pace of the blows increased, the Han warriors themselves began to experience nervous excitement, and Lacius noticed that this support gave his enemy strength. It was necessary to withstand this final onslaught at all costs. He did not intend to kill Yu Lai. He lost a lot of strength and soon had to fall to the ground from fatigue. It was necessary to play along with him, and Lacius again used the technique that he had caught Yu Lai before: he began to move a little slower, stopped in place more often, breathed heavily and with his whole appearance showed the enemy that he was tired.

At this moment, the drums began to sound. It seems that the Han people also believed that the end was near and decided to support their warrior with all their might. Seeing that Yu Lai’s blows had become very slow and long, Lacius began to let him closer and at some point, paid for it — the man chopped off most of the stick with one blow, leaving only a short stump in his hands.

— Glory… to the Ruler… of Heaven… — he tried to shout out, barely catching his breath. But it would be better if Yu Lai did not do this, because his breathing became unsteady from those shouts and, when he lunged forward, Lacius easily pulled his sword aside. However, the blow was so strong that the piece of bamboo stick flew out of his hands and fell to the ground. Yu Lai, unable to resist, jumped forward, their bodies collided and both, taken aback by such an unexpected movement, jumped back a step. Lacius dropped to one knee to raise his stick, continuing to watch his opponent out of the corner of his eye. He was breathing heavily, but his eyes burned with such fire that if he could, he would have incinerated him with one glance.

Seeing Lacius so close and still on his knees, Yu Lai completely lost his mind. He grabbed the sword with both hands to deliver the final decisive blow from above. However, Lacius guessed his plan. They were separated by only two steps… And instead of moving away, he stepped towards the Han warrior…

Yu Lai swung, already seeing how he would cut the stubborn enemy in half, but he suddenly appeared right in front of him — his face was at a palm’s distance and he could even feel his breathing, hot and even, as if the shaved fair-skinned slave was not at all tired… A desperate cry of rage broke out from Yu Lai’s dry throat, he tried to lower his hands to complete the blow, but could only push Lacius in the chest. Unable to resist, he began to fall back. Joy flashed in the eyes of the Han warrior for a moment; he already saw himself as a winner, because the slave in a white robe was falling on his back and was about to die… But something was in the middle of his chest, preventing him from breathing. And it was also very painful. It hurt so much that he couldn’t even move. And the slave looked into his eyes so calmly that…

Yu Lai did not have time to understand this. He fell with all his might onto Lacius from above and froze. For some time, both bodies lay motionless on the ground, as if they had died by the will of the gods at the same instant — black and white, with small spots of red…

Everyone around fell silent. The drums stopped, the black-robed warriors lowered their swords, and the Romans leaned forward, trying to see what would happen next. A dark red puddle began to blur next to the bodies. But then they moved, and the body lying on top in a black robe slowly rolled to the side. A slave in a white cape stood up, holding a bloody piece of bamboo stick in his hands, and coughed from the dust. The fabric on the chest and shoulders of his robe was red. He stood up, and at that moment everyone came to their senses.

The Romans shouted joyfully, and the Han rushed towards him with cries of rage. They surrounded Lacius, who was forced to raise the enemy’s sword and defend himself from the blows raining down on him. He was lucky that the attackers got in the way of themselves, so he could knock off two or three swords extended in his direction with one blow. In his heart, Lacius once again thanked the gods for the fact that he did not have chains on his feet. Now he feared only one thing — the spear. He could be pelted with spears, and then he would not be able to fight them off as well as swords.

A step back and a lunge forward, a step back and a strike on the swords, and then a lunge forward again — he delivered only stabbing blows, trying not to let the attackers go behind his back. One too-hot warrior rushed forward and immediately fell, holding his side, then another grabbed his thigh and sank to one knee, unable to stand on his feet. When the third, having received a blow to the lower abdomen, fell face down into the dust, the others retreated back for a moment and stopped.

— Stop! — the Empress’s brother raised his hand. He again, fearing nothing, approached Lacius and looked intently into his eyes, then returned to the body of his warrior and sat down next to him. He turned him over and put his hand on his chest. Blood oozed from a wound right in the middle of his chest, between his ribs and stomach. Returning to the Emperor’s bier, he knelt down again and touched his forehead to the ground three times. Lacius did not hear what they were talking about; there were many short warriors in black robes around, who could not understand, why the invincible Yu Lai was lying dead, and this disgusting tall slave with a scar on his face was standing in front of them alive.

Sharp, guttural commands were heard, and the courtyard servants ran up to the Romans. Without explaining anything, they began to take them out of the gate. The sounds of music were heard from behind, stretchers in the shape of ships and boats appeared from somewhere, hundreds of barefoot people with sticks raised above their heads carried decorations, others carried ribbons of blue fabric depicting water, and all this began to float in in an endless stream, as if into a large mouth fish.

Bao Shi’s guards, along with a frowning Fu Xing, led the Romans back to the governor’s house. It seemed impossible. There, they again put the chain with the ball on Lacius and took away the bloody robe. In the barn, everyone began to shout and ask him how it all happened, especially Paul Domician. The blind man, with the rights of an injured and deprived spectator, sat next to Lacius and held his hand throughout the evening, while the others exchanged impressions.

However, the incomprehensible silence of the guards did not bode well, and the Romans gradually began to speculate, realising that all this would not end just like that. When, having taken off their leather breastplates, everyone lay down in the corners and there was silence in the barn, Paul Domician quietly asked him:

— How did this happen? Did you really kill him with a piece of bamboo?

— Of course not. With a knife. But before that, the medallion saved me. It should have pierced me right through, but it hit him. Like once in Emilia…

— Yes… — the blind singer said thoughtfully. — Tell me, do you want to return to Rome? — Lacius shuddered in surprise and turned to him, although he knew that the old singer still couldn’t see him. — I feel like you do, — he added with a smile and firmly squeezed his shoulder with his hand. — The gods protect you. I see the spear of Mars that has pierced the enemy. He was the one who helped you.

— Thank you, Paul, — Lacius whispered in response and took a deep breath.

Today he survived, although Chow didn’t believe it. But the next day everything could be different. This country was dangerous for him, for all Romans. The people here did not say what they thought, and they did not think at all what they did. And Lacius understood that no one could be trusted. Although in his heart he really wanted Chow Li to keep her promise.

CHAPTER XI. UGLY GUARD FOR THE LAST CONCUBINE

In the concubines’ rooms that evening it was fun and festive. It smelled of musk and sandalwood, which was incompatible for the emperor in other circumstances, and which his wife would never have allowed, as she distributed the fragrances among the different rooms, leaving only a light scent of “lan”, a delicate lily, for the bedroom.

Sandalwood and aloe reigned in the preliminary room, personifying the strength and power of the Son of Heaven.

The concubines did not know how to do this. Just as the eunuchs who served them did not know how. However, he did not come to them for this.

The Emperor spent with them the third day in a row. Everyone was talking only about the death of the unfortunate Yu Lai, whom all the women considered handsome and noble. The concubines pleased the Emperor by telling him incredible stories and their fears about the huge white slave, who scared them to death.

— He is so terrible that he must be sent to guard “the last concubine”. They suit each other! — Fu said with a laugh, hinting that the last concubine was always the ugliest girl in the Emperor’s harem, whom he usually never visited. Such concubines always ended their lives either as old maids or by drinking poison, unable to bear the torture of loneliness.

— There are also such terrible Xiongnu women working in the garden that we are afraid to go out there, — Feng complained, pouting her lips offendedly. — They say they hate us because we killed their husbands.

They talked all sorts of nonsense for a long time, entertaining the Ruler of the Empire with jokes and old funny stories, then played musical instruments and sang. Another night passed pleasantly and unnoticed. Everyone was happy.

The next day, the Emperor announced his decision to General Chen Tang and Governor Xiao, who had arrived in the capital shortly before. Both were surprised and could hardly mutter words of gratitude. But if Xiao was glad not only that he was alive, but also that nothing had changed in his fate, then Chen Tang, encouraged by pleasant rumours about the Emperor’s favour, was depressed and gloomy.

— You are young and do not value life, — sighed the old governor, tired of explaining to him what the advantage of living in a distant province is. — There you are free to do whatever you want, but in the center or in the east — you aren’t! In the center, informers of the chief ministers are everywhere. But the most important thing is that you are alive! So rejoice! Such an opportunity may never arise again.

— I’m afraid, it won’t, for sure, — Chen Tang said gloomily, realising that they had simply gotten rid of him. The enemy was too strong, and he could not do anything.

In the evening the emperor suddenly felt a vague anxiety. After some time, without warning, he stood up and went to his wife in the women’s half o the palace. His wife, Yu Wang, greeted him with a reserved smile, she was unhappy as she had expected him to spend the night of the holiday with her. But he was gone for three whole nights. She already knew everything he talked about with the concubines, but she waited for her husband to start the conversation himself.

Several times Yu Wan tried to remind him about his son, asking him to meet with him more often, at least once a week. However, all her requests only irritated the Emperor. The eunuchs were involved in raising the young man, and Yu Wang saw that they did nothing except have fun. It was easy to play because their son liked it and he did not get upset, as he did during the meeting with the numeracy and calligraphy teachers.

— We sent Chen Tang to serve in the province with Governor Xiao. But now we began to worry about these Xiongnu women, who work in the gardens. They’re disturbing us… — the Emperor fell silent, thinking of what else to say. His wife was also silent, with her head down. A barely noticeable smile touched her lips, since she knew, who really cared about this problem, but she waited for her husband to offer her a solution. The problem was so insignificant and stupid and was not worthy of his attention. But he was a man and wanted to please his soul. She kept waiting. However, Yuan Di remained silent, walking from corner to corner.

— Maybe we should send them away, too? — she suggested carefully. The Emperor stopped and looked at her with an attentive gaze. He was waiting for the continuation. She added: — Along with the pale slaves. They are also not needed here. By the way, that year the water destroyed all the bridges and many villages on the Wo River. Let Bao Shi send them all there. There’s a lot of work for them there. Men need women, so they won’t disturb the locals.

— Perhaps, it can work. We’ll think about it.

— The Son of Heaven solved the problem with General Tang so wisely, but Zhi Zhi’s brother is still alive. He can become dangerous, too… Not now, but one day…

— Huhanye? But he signed the agreement and is now our servant, — the Emperor objected dissatisfied.

— You’re right, Ruler of Heaven. Previously, his older brother held him back. Now he’s gone. And Huhanye is free. During this time, the Xiongnu tribes had many children. One of them may attack the Empire, which is protected by the Wise Ruler.

— It might attack… — Yuan Di frowned in puzzlement and sat down in a chair. Yu Wan waited patiently. Two days ago, when the maids informed her that concubines Fu and Fang reminded the Emperor about the last concubine, she was seriously scared.

It was a terrible secret. And now she was threatening her directly. When two years ago a fifteen – year – old girl named Wang Zhaojun was brought into the Emperor’s harem, Yu Wang was one of the first to hear and appreciate her playing the seven – stringed qixianqin instrument. Even then, this girl made a strong impression on the Empress. This young creature was the ideal of harmony and beauty.

Unable to restrain herself, Yu Wan told her about this with moved feelings. Apparently, taking the Empress’s words as the highest praise, the girl flatly refused to pay the senior eunuch Shi Xian a large sum for helping him present her to the Emperor. Everyone paid, so such behaviour was an unheard – of impudence and violation of the unwritten rules of the harem. And, naturally, punishment had to follow.

It so happened that after a few days the Empress cooled down and realised the threat that the beauty of the new concubine posed. And the offended senior eunuch Shi Xian was seething with anger, coming up with one punishment more terrible than the other, but they were all too straightforward and ended in death. However, there was one maid in the harem who, as if by chance, complained that no one depicted her beauty in paintings, and yet she was in no way inferior to this new young concubine. And if she were an artist, she would definitely disfigure her face.

Shi Xian was distinguished by a cunning mind, so a plan of insidious revenge immediately arose in his imagination, and he was sure that he had come up with it himself. He immediately visited the court artist, who, according to custom, painted pictures of all the new concubines for subsequent presentation to the Emperor. He drew the young beauty Wang Zhaojun with moles on her cheeks and neck. Therefore, when the senior eunuch brought her portrait to the Emperor, he turned away with disgust and never again remembered “the last concubine”. She was given the name Mingfei, after which she was completely forgotten. The girl did not know about this, but she was so pride that did not tell anybody of herself and did not turn to the eunuchs to correct her situation, believing that the Emperor would sooner or later remember her. The Emperor’s wife sighed with relief and also forgot about her. And now, having heard about the “last concubine”, she was afraid again.

— But Huhanye doesn’t bother us yet, — the Emperor finally said and turned his gaze to her.

— The Son of Heaven is right, as always, — Yu Wang answered tenderly and bowed her head. — The last time Huhanye came here, he asked to become related to the Emperor…

— Yes, we remember.

— Why not give him one of the concubines as a sign of highest gratitude? — – her cooing intonation did not lull him to sleep, and Yuan Di immediately asked warily:

— Who do you mean?

— Mingfei. “The last concubine.”

— Let them bring her portrait! — he ordered and, waiting for the eunuch with the picture. As the paining was brought, he grinned disdainfully. — Huhanye will not be very happy about such a gift.

— A gift from the Emperor is always a great honour. Especially the concubine from his harem, — Yu Wang added in tone with him, with slight irony.

— By the way, that ugly barbarian with the scar suits her face very well. — There’s a threat coming from him. I can feel it. He killed your brother’s servant… and I don’t like him. Like those singers, who sang under the canopy. Blind and young. They are strangers. And unpleasant ones. Yes, you are right, all these terrible slaves are similar to each other and may appeal to the Xiongnu. The Xiongnu love everything scary, — Yuan Di laughed for the first time in a long time, and his wife decided to remain silent so as not to influence the decision made.

Immediately after this conversation, a messenger was sent to Governor Bao Shi. He was ordered to take all the slave women from the gardens of the inner city and remove them from the capital Chang’an along with the pale slaves. A second messenger was sent to the Great Wall, to the north, to notify the new Chanyu Huhanye about the great gift from the Emperor.

CHAPTER XII. MEETING CONCUBINE MING FEI

The Romans were glad when they learnt that they were being sent to build a city. The news that all the surviving Xiongnu women would be brought there, among whom they hoped to find their wives, caused indescribable delight — everyone excitedly told each other where and when they left women in the capital of Zhi Zhi, who they saw during the transfer, and life now seemed to them not as terrible as a few days ago.

About thirty people were unable to move due to wounds received in the inner city, but no one was killed. This also seemed like a miracle. However, a day later another news came — Lacius, Paul Domician, and Zeno were left in the capital. They were supposed to be sent to the new Chanyu Huhanye. Nothing more was known yet. However, that same night the old guide Goju appeared again. He told Lacius what awaited him.

The Emperor’s order stated that he would give a slave with a scar and two singers to the new Chanyu of the Xiongnu along with one of the concubines, as a sign of the greatest mercy. The woman will have to become Huhanye’s wife and strengthen the peace. There were many rumours about this, but they were all strange. One thing was clear — the Emperor wanted to bring the new Chanyu closer and avoid attacks on the Han Empire. But why he gave three Romans along with the concubine, no one knew.

The old nomad could not help yet, because at the request of the governor he was leaving to the west, to the valley of the wayward river Wo. There it was necessary to find a convenient place to build a city. But he promised that he would find out where the three Romans would be taken and where they would live behind the Great Wall. Then it will be possible to buy them back, so he said. The young brothers were so upset by this news that they burst into tears and hid in a corner.

Lacius was also worried. He could not talk to Chow, he did not know whether his Saet had survived, and if so, how she would put up with the separation from her son Zeno. It was difficult for him to understand why Fortune had first lured him with hope, and now decided to punish him again.

Blind Paul Domician took this blow of fate steadfastly. He understood Lacius, but he hoped that the new Chanyu of Xiongnu tribes would like his songs and he would be able to survive there. He did not believe the old nomad Goju, considering him a traitor. Young Zeno cried and tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. Mark reassured him, but it was not easy for him to comprehend this thought, too.

Lacius heard all this and could not fall asleep for a long time. Only at dawn did he fall into a short, anxious sleep. He dreamt of Zhi Zhi with an arrow in his nose. Chanyu laughed all the time, gurgling blood bubbles from his open mouth, and the arrow was twitching in time with his laughter. Then the senior Han eunuch appeared, he was replaced by the dead warrior in the black robe with surprise frozen in his eyes, he was replaced by Emilia, but for some reason her face was covered by a cloud. Lacius heard her crying. Her figure floated past and disappeared. The last to appear was the chief of the guard, Fu Xing. But he never disappeared. He just shook his shoulder harder and harder, repeating some words with displeasure.

Finally, Lacius woke up and realised that the chief of the guard was not dreaming and was trying to wake him up. Saying goodbye to my comrades was difficult. Lacius and young Zeno dragged their iron shackles as if doomed to death. Paul held on to the rope tied to Lacius’s belt. The Romans lowered their gaze, many had tears in their eyes. Their chains had already been removed and replaced with ropes that did not rub their legs as much as iron. Mark and Zenon hugged and could not part for a long time. They were forcibly torn away from each other and hit several times with a stick.

Lacius did not remember the way to the palace gates. The old barn immediately gave way to a small room, where they spent the whole night and the next morning. In the afternoon, the eunuchs came and ordered to follow them. Lacius checked the knife tied under his belt and thought that ending his life by killing several eunuchs would also be a good idea. Though, it was stupid and not as honourable as in battle, with a sword in his hands. Probably, dying at the hands of the strong warrior in the black robe would be much better than in a dimly lit room, where they were going to be made sexless creatures, but there was no choice.

However, no one was going to emasculate them. The eunuchs showed where to wash and what clothes to wear. Then they stepped aside and began to wait. After the Romans had washed, they were led through strange narrow streets between high walls and out into a small garden. There were about ten trees that looked like cherry trees. The eunuch bowed to the figure dressed in a light green robe on a bench under a tree and turned to Paul Domician.

— You will sing together with impeccable Mingfei. She will tell you what to do. And to your son. And you, — he turned to Lacius, — will have to stand and listen. — If they ask you, you must answer. If not, shut up! — the eunuch went to the bench and sat down behind the girl. The second eunuch stood on the other side. Five or six more were sitting under the trees. They were holding in their hands some musical instruments with strings, small tambourines, copper cymbals, bells, and flutes. There were flowers nearby. Quite fresh. Lacius suddenly realised that for today his long road to an unpleasant future was over.

— Come closer, please! — a ringing voice rang out with a slight tinge of sadness. Paul and Zeno approached. Lacius stood behind them. Mingfei turned out to be a very pretty girl with incredibly regular facial features, a small nose, and thin eyebrows. Only the eyes were different from the eyes of other Han women, they were wider and larger, attracting the gaze. The black eyelashes further enhanced this impression, and they seemed to take up most of the face. A small nose and neat lips did not spoil, but complemented this beauty. There were two earrings hanging in her ears, to which two translucent balls made of aqua-coloured gemstone were attached to the bottom. The hair was gathered on the head in a fancy hairstyle: the knot at the back of the head was fastened with three gold knitting needles. Two tufts of hair extended from it in different directions, which, without touching the ears, flowed further down in smooth semicircles, to a thin, delicate neck. The upper part of the hair from the back of the head to the forehead was covered with a beautiful composition of golden flowers with stones and pearls. On the forehead, it turned into a thin mesh of tiny shiny stones and ended in the shape of a triangle, directed between the eyebrows to the nose. There, at the very edge, a small oval medallion with a red stone was fixed. The collar of the robe was raised and went around her neck in an even, smooth line, emphasizing the contours of her face. “A precious bird in a golden cage,” thought Lacius. The girl raised her fan and made a sign to a eunuch. The fat man immediately brought her a long instrument with several strings. — Sing me your songs, — she asked, and Paul and Zeno began to sing what they had learnt during the transition to the capital. Mingfei played along with them, finding the right sounds, and soon they were trying to sing together. Lacius was bored and silent.

A few days later the girl began to ask them about the Xiongnu tribes and Parthia, Asia and Rome. At the same time, listening to the stories of Lacius or Paul, she drew strange drawings of lines on long strips of paper, which attracted the attention of Lacius more than empty talk about an incomprehensible harmony.

— Beauty is always associated with the strength of the body and the flexibility of the mind, — Paul once answered her when Mingfei asked him to describe this word. — A strong man is like a big tall tree, but a strong wind can break him. — And an intelligent person is like a blade of grass, it is not afraid of the wind, but any animal can step on it or eat it, — he said with inspiration, flattered by her attention. — That’s why it’s important to be strong and flexible.

— It’s quite interesting. I believe that beauty is the harmony of the four principles, — answered Mingfei. — The first is rhythm. This seven – string qixianqin helps to understand the whole world and all people. It reflects the strings of their soul. The second is an understanding of the symbols and colours of nature. To do this, you need to be able to draw and read the paintings of others. Third is harmony. Harmony helps you perceive every day in a new way and find something new in it. What was big yesterday may become small today. And small is big. But they will always be together at the same time. This is what calligraphy teaches. We learn to write from childhood. The fourth is the ability to think and reason. Thought is endless, it cannot be interrupted or stopped. To understand this, one must constantly guide it between two opposing forces, of which there are many in nature.

— And a man should be able to do all this? — Lacius asked, unable to bear it.

— No. For what? A man does not need to own beauty. — He needs to own a woman, — the concubine answered with a naive smile, as if she were teaching him simple truths.

Returning to the room in the evening, Lacius called her the Han Cicero, to which Paul and Zeno heatedly objected that he did not feel her words and thoughts, which were like beautiful birds in the blue sky.

— Right, I don’t know half the words she says! — he was indignant and added with irritation: — And I don’t want to know. Why do I need them? Do they help you sing? It’s good for you, you don’t have chains on your feet. You can walk from place to place. And for me it’s hard.

— You’re right, — Paul agreed. — Well, one of the eunuchs said that she has “a mouth like a crystal waterfall”, but to me she sounds like a mountain stream…

— Shut up, you, little creak! — Lacius could not stand it. — I can’t stand it! It’s so hard for me…

— Sorry… but it’s not very hard for me, — Zeno suddenly interjected and blushed. — She is so kind and beautiful.

Paul Domician sighed and muttered:

— Maybe this beauty will pity our gods and save us from death. How do you think? The Xiongnu won’t just feed us for nothing. Who will share the herd with you now? Only singing will feed you. The people there are wild, you know it better than me.

In such cases, Lacius would wave his hand and lie down in a corner to rest his tired legs. Zeno would stay with the blind singer, and they used to discuss the words of the imperial concubine until late at night.

One day she asked Lacius what he would like more than anything in the world.

— Go back home, — he answered immediately. — It’s just a pity that the gods don’t want to help me.

— Don’t the gods give you happiness? You’re alive, so you can easily find what you can enjoy, — she was surprised.

— Maybe they give it to him, — Lacius nodded towards Paul. — He lives by his songs. He is always happy when people listen to him. But I have no life here. I can’t sing. There are only pain and torment here. It hurts…

— And you, young man? — she turned to Zeno.

— I don’t know, — he hesitated. — It’s hard for me to judge, I’m still young. When I sing here, I feel good. But when I go back to the room, it’s bad, — he lowered his gaze and blushed again. Lacius sighed with understanding and, grimacing his face, turned away. The teenager clearly liked the beauty, but that didn’t make it any easier for him.

Time passed, and the new Xiongnu Chanyu, named Huhanye, Zhi Zhi’s brother, was soon to arrive. Therefore, Lacius wanted this time to either fly by faster and he could finally understand how to live further, or something would happen that would change his fate again.

— You have never seen the harmony of the stars. Today you can return here in the evening, and I will show you their beauty, — said the concubine one day. Zeno and Paul were beside themselves with happiness. Only Lacius remained dissatisfied.

Soon they were brought some food. Having swallowed his portion and washed it down with water, he smoothly slid under the tree and immediately fell into a deep sleep, not listening to the concubine’s conversations with his comrades. Noticing this, the next day Mingfei invited him to stay in the room where they were kept at night. Lacius was pleased with this offer and sincerely thanked her.

A few days later, literally on the eve of the arrival of the Chanyu’s ambassadors, an incident occurred that Lacius did not tell his friends about, but which made him wary. When the three of them were in the wash room, his knife suddenly disappeared. He was so used to having it always tied under his shirt on his belt that he even forgot about it. Only after getting dressed, he suddenly realised that he did not feel the usual heaviness on his side. He rushed to look for it under the bench and behind barrels of water, but the knife was nowhere to be found. Nobody said anything, the eunuchs didn’t ask any questions — everything was as usual. Only there was no knife.

All day Lacius puzzled over this, but he could not remember whether he had the knife before they came to wash or not. And in the morning, when it was just dawn in the sky and the sleep was so sweet that he didn’t even want to move, Paul unexpectedly woke him up.

— What are you doing? — Lacius asked displeasedly, blinking in bewilderment and trying to understand what happened. A streak of light was not yet visible on the wall, which meant that the sun had not even risen yet.

— Hush, hush, — whispered the blind singer in a pleading voice. His words reminded Lacius of yesterday’s disappearance. The sleep suddenly vanished, and his chest immediately began to ache with an unpleasant feeling.

— Found it? — he asked in a whisper.

— What? — Paul was taken aback. It was clear that this was not what he was going to talk about.

— Did you find the knife?

— The knife? Ah, that’s it! — he raised his eyebrows and shook his head thoughtfully. — Now it’s clear.

— What’s clear?! Speak quickly! What’s happened? — Lacius looked at Zeno, but the young man spread his arms to the sides in confusion.

— We sang in the garden. I fell asleep. Then he woke me up and told me to go back. That’s it.

— Be quiet, — Paul interrupted him and told Lacius what happened. The two of them stayed with concubine Mingfei to listen to the night harmony and poems about the beauty of the night. She read to them for a long time until she got tired. The eunuchs escorted her to the inner rooms. And Paul and Zeno approached the very edge of the stone fence, waiting for the guards. The young man wanted to look at the stars not through tree branches. Usually the warriors and eunuchs returned immediately, so they calmly waited for them at the fence.

However, time passed and no one was there. Zeno sat down on the ground and fell asleep. When the voices were heard, Paul first wanted to wake him up so that he could rush to meet them, but something in their intonation alarmed him. The men were acting too nervous. They were a senior eunuch and two women. Shi Xian showed them where the concubine sits, where the slaves stand, what they sing when they leave, and who takes them away. They talked about Concubine Mingfei and the big slave with a scar on his face. The two women constantly reminded the senior eunuch that the concubine should be given the same scars as Lacius in order to spoil her beauty. He told them that he had a knife that could do this. And there is a person who will do it. In the end, the slave with the scar will be to blame, as he said.

The senior eunuch had his own scores to settle with Mingfei. She never paid him and his servants, so he wanted to punish her. The two women were glad to hear such words. They wanted to know where they could hide to see what would happen. But the senior eunuch Shi Xian said that this was impossible at night. It will be dark and they won’t see anything. But the main thing is that they may be missed by the female half, and then troubles will not be avoided.

Lacius sat, staring blankly at the spot of light that appeared on the wall. His face did not express anything, but his thoughts were already there, in the garden, where at night Mingfei’s face was to be cut with his knife. Everything was clear and understandable. People were the same everywhere. He told Paul about his suspicions and the missing knife. The blind singer immediately understood everything.

— Maybe it’s better to tell her? — Zeno asked with pity in his voice.

— Wait, let me think, — Lacius muttered without looking at him. Paul only sighed, realising that the young man was driven by his love for his beautiful concubine. But now they had to think about their salvation, and not her beauty.

The next day, they were not taken out anywhere. Towards evening, everything got clear — the ambassador of the Chanyu Xiongnu arrived in the capital and announced that Huhanye himself should arrive the next day. For half a day this news was reported throughout the palace until it was brought to Mingfei. This required words of gratitude and appreciation from her, which were to be written down and conveyed to the Emperor. On that day, she was supposed to spend her last evening “in the quiet harmony of souls” with two singers.

— Look, how can you blame me if I’m there? — Lacius asked.

— Only if they kill you, — Paul answered thoughtfully. — Or give you some wine to make you fall asleep, and then put the knife in your hand. — Well, how else? I don’t even know…

— It turns out that I need to stay here so that they don’t hit me on the head or poison me, — Lacius lamented. — But they could kill me here, and then drag my body out into the garden.

— Yes, the gods have confused our paths in an impossible way, — the blind singer remarked philosophically.

— You can tell her to hide, and Paul will sit in her place. His voice sounds like hers. No one will notice. Especially if you sing to the strings, — Zeno suggested.

— Well, you exaggerate! Mine doesn’t! A little like that… I just imitate, — the flattered singer became embarrassed, — only when we sing together, well, you know, sometimes it works, yes. She is perfection…

— Wait! — Lacius interrupted him. It dawned on him what to do. — Come on, tell me again about this beauty and harmony! — he demanded from Domician and grabbed him tightly by the shoulders. The blind singer began to confusingly explain to him everything that the Emperor’s “last concubine” had managed to tell them in two weeks. After listening to him, Lacius pondered what he had heard for some time and then briefly told him his plan.

CHAPTER XIII. RESCUE WITH UNUNDERSTOOD CONSEQUENCES

In the afternoon, the eunuchs, as always, lazily led the Romans out of the room and up the steps into the garden. It was clear from the beardless faces of the Han servants that they were very tired of this whole ceremony and were clearly bored. Instead of seeking benefits and receiving gifts from other concubines, the guardians of the harem were forced to stand or sit, listening to the same thing day after day. Lacius guessed that these people clearly did not participate in the conspiracy of the senior eunuch. With them, he would hardly have risked attacking his concubine. This meant that the attack would be carried out at night, when it would be dark around and everyone would be sitting half asleep by the trees. Or they would leave. Therefore, there would be little time…

They greeted Mingfei, who informed them that this was the last day of their meeting. Tomorrow the Chanyu should arrive, and they will follow him to the lands of the Xiongnu tribes. Paul sang several sad songs with her, then he and Zeno sang her favourite polyphonic hymn, and only Lacius did not share their touching farewell mood, all the while looking at the shadows and the sun. As soon as the orange circle approached the horizon, he coughed and Paul suggested Mingfei to rest a little.

Lacius immediately pushed the blind singer back and asked the concubine about the Han theater. Only men were allowed to play in it, and this seemed to Lacius a violation of the harmony about which she spoke so much. While Mingfei sincerely told him about theater and music, actors and scenes, he pretended to listen, and then, seizing the moment, suggested:

— Do you mean the theater is part of harmony?

— Yes, it is! — she immediately confirmed.

— And you said that in every part of beauty it is important to see yourself from the outside. The way we see nature, right?

— You understood everything correctly. After all, “the outer picture is generated by the heart.”

— Erm… I didn’t quite catch the last words, but no matter! You know, I so often confuse your voice with the voice of my blind friend. Sometimes he imitates you and becomes a part of you.

— Does he? Perhaps his soul is beginning to feel harmony…

— Could you ask the eunuchs to give him a woman’s robe and a long – sleeved shirt to look at himself from the outside? —

— From the outside? — she asked in surprise.

— Yes, from the outside. You’ve just said that it is interesting and important to be able to see yourself from the outside. Paul will sit in your place, and you will listen to him sing in your voice. As you called it… “the outer picture”, right?

— Oh, yes! We might even switch songs. This is so interesting! — his words got her juices flowing with excitement. Mingfei was excited with his idea. She immediately called her maid and sent her and the eunuch to get necessary clothes.

Lacius watched the other servants closely. They sat in their places and nodded their heads half asleep. This convinced him once again that these people knew nothing about the plot — their dark, bag-shaped shadows under the trees continued to lazily listen to the playing of a musical instrument, gradually merging with the darkness.

Along with the robe, the maid brought two lamps. They were placed next to the bench. The shadows were already beginning to dissolve in the approaching twilight, and the first stars appeared in the sky. Zeno pulled a shirt and a long robe on Paul, and he looked like Mingfei. The resemblance became especially striking when he sat down on the bench and picked up the multi – stringed instrument.

Following Lacius’s plan, Paul began to offer her those songs that the girl loved most, and tried to repeat her intonations — sad or cheerful — which constantly aroused her sincere delight. Mingfei hasn’t been this happy for a long time. It was quite dark, and although the moon was bright that night, Lacius constantly looked around, trying to see or hear the approach of danger. But everything was quiet. This made him more and more nervous.

Trying to cope with his excitement, Lacius suggested that Mingfei go to the edge of the stone fence in order to better see the stars. In fact, this is how he wanted to avoid attack from at least one side, from the wall. It was easier for him to look in one direction than to turn his head around.

The young man took the blind singer by the elbow and helped him walk, as if he were a concubine. She followed them in two steps and already behind her, yawning and swaying, were walking two maids and two eunuchs. Lacius was moving quietly a little further, a few steps behind them. He constantly looked back at the slumbering figures of the eunuchs and the black shadows of the trees, feeling the tension growing.

A quiet rustle and a barely audible thud on the ground forced him to turn his head in the direction from which these sounds came. To his horror, it was right in front of Paul and Zeno. Mingfei stood a little to the right, and Zeno deliberately walked in such a way as to cover her. Lacius saw the figure that had jumped from the stone fence, rise and take a step forward. Zeno got in his way and was immediately hit in the stomach. Groaning, he fell to the ground. Everything happened so quickly that no one even had time to understand what it came about. Lacius was just taking the first step towards him, cursing the heavy iron ball, and the stranger was already standing in front of Paul Domician.

— Zhe shi siwang? — asked the blind singer in a trembling voice, and the black shadow, shuddering, froze. The stranger realised that in front of him was a man, not a woman.

— Who are you? — the attacker asked in confusion and immediately received a blow to the head. It was inflicted by Lacius. The two maids finally came to their senses, and their wild screams woke up the other eunuchs. They immediately surrounded Mingfei, and instantly, as if he had been waiting for this moment, the senior eunuch with other servants appeared in front of them. They had torches in their hands, and Lacius noticed that everyone except Shi Xian looked sleepy and was tucking in their dressing gowns as they walked.

Crouching next to Zeno, Lacius examined the wound, but it seemed that the blow was not strong and passed tangentially without touching the insides. The attacker was immediately captured and taken away somewhere. The concubine Mingfei, accompanied by maids and several eunuchs, was also sent to her room. Only Lacius and Paul Domician and the wounded Zeno remained at the wall. The senior eunuch walked silently in front of them. It was clear that he was indecisive. Stopping in front of the blind singer, he suddenly saw a woman’s robe on him, and his face was distorted in a grimace of anger.

— We sang… — bleated Paul Domician, but there was no answer. A spark of rage flashed in Shi Xian’s eyes, but he restrained himself and stepped aside. Lacius realised that he had guessed everything. So now this sexless avenger will turn his wrath on them. And it was dangerous.

— Take them back! — the senior eunuch angrily said to his assistants and quickly walked towards the far entrance. Raising the iron ball on the chain, Lacius stepped slightly to the side while Domician said something to the eunuchs, who were taking off his woman’s robe. Near the fence itself, almost flush against the wall, an oblong object was visible. Having lowered the ball, Lacius crouched down and carefully covered it with his palm. It was his knife! Without raising his head, he straightened up and, repeating the same, unchanging words “hao, hao” to the cries of the eunuchs, followed Paul to the nearest entrance. Nearby, on a piece of cloth, the servants carried the wounded Zeno.

When the door was closed and silence reigned in the room, the offended voice of Paul Domician was heard:

— They took the robe… It smelled so gently of rose petals!

— You could have been killed. What are you talking about? A robe? — Lacius muttered displeasedly, blaming himself for not walking next to his blind friend and entrusting this to Zeno.

— Ah, what is death? It’s only part of the beauty, — Paul said dreamily. –Where did they take Zeno?

— I think they’ll bring him back. He is the Emperor’s slave. They’ll see what’s wrong with the wound and return him. Believe me.

Zeno was indeed soon brought back. They cauterized the wound, but did nothing more. The young man quietly moaned in the corner from the burning pain, and Paul Domician sighed dreamily for a long time, remembering the smell of the magic robe of concubine Minfei. Lacius alone looked sullenly ahead, warily listening to rustling sounds in the darkness. Anything could happen before morning, and he didn’t want it to happen while he was sleeping.

CHAPTER XIV. “PEACH GROVE” IN THE HOUSE OF GOVERNOR BAO SHI

The entire next day they were kept in the same gloomy room as before, without being taken outside. Eunuchs and a doctor came to Zeno several times. First, he examined him, and then applied some ointments. The wound was not dangerous, but it was hot, and dirt could get in there. The knife cut through the muscles on the stomach and side, above the thigh, without touching the insides. There was no fever, and Lacius hoped that in a week it would begin to heal. They spent the day in short conversations, unable to discuss the same thing for the hundredth time, and only in the evening they learnt that at that time the Chanyu of the Xiongnu tribes named Huhanye arrived to the palace.

Throughout the night, Lacius slept intermittently, feeling danger and afraid to relax. He fell into a deep sleep only in the morning, when Zeno and Paul woke up. But already in the afternoon he was awakened, and the eunuch ordered all three to leave the room. Without saying anything, they were taken to the gates of the inner city and handed over to the head of the Governor’s guard, Fu Xing.

— What’s happened? — coming out of the gate, Lacius immediately asked him. The young warrior looked at the guards and answered, as always, briefly and simply:

— You will be taken to the house of our Governor Bao Shi.

— Why are we being taken there? Can you say anything? Is there Goju there? No? Then what happened? Why so many guards? There are about twenty people here… — Lacius and Paul Domician asked vying with each other, and the blind singer for some reason believed that the head of the security was more favourable to him than to others. But Fu Xing did not answer them until the governor’s house.

— Take them off, take the chains off them! — Bao Shi suddenly began to fuss when they just entered the gate. It was unheard of — the governor was waiting for them on the steps of his luxurious home! Lacius stopped in disbelief and looked around the courtyard. — The Emperor is truly omnipotent and kind to us! He is the luminary of the day and night! Our gratitude cannot fill the cup of his wisdom, — he sighed, rolling his eyes to the sky. Officials from the palace handed him some kind of scroll, he accepted it with a bow and exchanged the necessary ceremonial bows and words with them for a long time.

Surprised and a little frightened, Lacius and Paul sat on a bench at a small forge, watching all this, and did not understand anything. Zeno lay next to them and was silent. The servants knocked down their chains, trying not to damage the skin on their legs, and this was also surprising, as if the Romans had suddenly turned from slaves into long-awaited guests.

But when the Emperor’s envoys left, Bao Shi turned around and went into the house without even looking at them. Lacius, Zeno and Paul were led into the same barn where they had recently been kept with the rest of the slaves. They also brought water and some food there. On this day, they only managed to find out that for some reason concubine Mingfei was able to convince the Emperor to leave them in the capital and not send to the Xiongnu’s camp.

The next morning the situation became clearer. Two eunuchs came from the inner city, where the celebrations were going on. The governor was out at that time, he took part in the festive reception in honour of the departure of the Chanyu of the Xiongnu tribes. The eunuchs said that they needed to see a slave named La Tzy. The servants respectfully led them into the backyard. Lacius was incredibly surprised by their appearance, but tried to keep his face calm, and Paul Domician, on the contrary, greeted them as if he had been waiting for them for a long time. The eunuchs said that Mingfei sent them with the following words:

— Big La Tzy has nothing to do in the Xiongnu’s camp. His power interferes with his mind, and he can destroy himself and others there. La Tzy wants to go home. But the Xiongnu tribes live in the steppe, from which there is no way home. The Middle Road begins in the Han Empire. The great voice of the blind man won the heart of the beauty, but the Xiongnu had not yet learnt to appreciate such a gift. The mistress will teach them, but does not want the blind singer to be left without the attention and honour that he deserves more than others. Moreover, out of envy they could kill him, and this would be the greatest violation of harmony and beauty. Therefore, it is better for the blind singer to stay in the Han Empire, where his voice will be listened to everywhere with respect and honour. Young Ze Noah is not worthy to become a shepherd of sheep and buffaloes behind the Great Wall. He is young and strong, but his eyes betray his feelings. Therefore, as soon as he reaches the Xiongnu’s camp, he will be killed for the feelings of his heart. The lady understands Ze Noah, she reads his heart, but her destiny is to serve the Emperor, who takes care of all the people of the Han Empire. The lady will always remember the three brave “luoma ren” who saved her beauty and stood in the way of envy and anger. The mistress asks to accept these words from the lips of her servants. She can’t write these words on paper.

Having said all this, the eunuchs stood up, bowed, and left. Lacius looked at Paul in bewilderment, but the blind singer was in the clouds with happiness. Zeno lay next to him with a sad face, staring lostly at the wall.

— She’s beautiful, — he whispered and sighed.

— It seems that everything is clear to you, and I’m the only fool here, — Lacius said indignantly.

— You “saw little, but was surprised at much,” as they say, — Paul Domician answered him with such an important air, as if he had been appointed the governor. Lacius began to swear, cursing all the Han people and their strange expressions, but no one else listened to him. In the evening, when the governor and his wife returned from the palace, the talkative servants reported many other gossips.

When the Emperor saw who “the last concubine” was indeed, he was very upset because he realised that he had been deceived. The court artist was executed that same evening. The Emperor asked Mingfei what wish he could grant for her before leaving. The concubine asked him to release three Roman slaves. She said that they would bring more benefit and glory to the Han Empire if they stayed here. Everyone was surprised by this request. But the Emperor’s word is law.

They also said that a murderer had sneaked into the palace the night before. He wanted to harm the Emperor’s beloved concubines, but was killed. Hearing this, Lacius glanced at Zeno and Paul. They smiled with understanding, and Domician even sighed, feigning surprise and fear. They knew very well that this killer was hired by the senior eunuch to ruin Mingfei’s face, and when nothing worked, the man was simply killed, accused of something completely different.

The next day, a maid was assigned to each Roman, and the girls began to talk about the rules and procedures in the house, about the governor’s servants, about officials and reception times, about work and holidays. By evening, Lacius realised that they would have to accompany the governor on a trip along the large river. There they will be shown to minor officials from local districts. Eventually, they would reach the place where the rest of the Romans were at that time to join them in building a new city.

When darkness fell, the maids did not leave. They stayed in the large room where the three Romans lived and began to prepare a bed for them, if you could call it that. A mat, a roll of compressed straw tied with a string, and a cup of water to drink at night without leaving the house. Having done all this, the girls sat quietly at the entrance. Then three elderly women came, one of whom, after talking with Zeno’s maid, left the room, while the other two remained. Having erected low partitions, the old maids divided the room into three parts and gave the young girls fans. Then they placed small lamps with tiny lights near the partitions, which illuminated almost nothing, and sat on the floor against the wall.

— Why are they here? — Lacius asked his maid in bewilderment, nodding towards the old women and sitting down on the mat. — Are you going to be here too? Why?

— My master must learn all the laws of this noble house. My master must feel very good to be happy in this house. The senior maids must make sure that my master likes me, — she answered.

— Wha – o – o – t?.. I don’t understand anything. Paul, can you hear me? What do they want from us? — he raised his voice, asking the blind singer, who was two steps away on the other side behind the partition. There was also a maid next to him.

— It’s luck, my friend. Great luck. Rejoice and listen! For us this is “a peach grove”. They say so. The gods send us happiness after many years of torment and wandering. “A plum branch in a jade vase”! And I’m not going to give it up.

— Are you serious? — still fearing some kind of trick, Lacius said, but Paul Domician no longer heard him.

— Thank you, Cupid and Venus! I didn’t even think that I could do this… — the blind singer praised the gods for some time, after which he clearly indulged in carnal pleasures with his maid. At the same time, the old woman at the entrance carefully watched everything that was happening behind the partition.

Lacius turned to his maid. She was already lying next to him, covering her face with a fan. “The overseer”, sitting near the wall, said something to her, and the girl, putting her fan aside, began to take off Lacius’s long shirt. He had no choice but to help her. Taking advantage of the darkness and a convenient moment, he managed to hide the knife under the mat so that it was at hand. After this, Lacius calmly stretched out to his full height and turned towards the young slim body. It was the way his new life began in the house of the Governor Bao Shi.

CHAPTER XV. SKINS AND CARDS — RANDOM DISCOVERY

In the morning, another “very important” servant came and told them that he was the manager of this house. All servants obeyed him. He had to dress and shoe three Romans, give them servants, although at the same time they still remained servants of the Governor Bao Shi. Lacius asked the manager what they would do. The man readily told them that the governor was leaving the capital in a few days and traveling to the southwest of the province to look at a site for a new city.

— You, La Tzy, will help him build a city there, your blind friend will help you with his songs, and young Ze Noah will work together with the others. This is the will of the governor, — the “important man” said, smiling.

— Is there a sea nearby? — Lacius asked.

— The sea? Ha, what sea? No, there is no sea there. Why do you need it? There are many rivers there. Good rivers. Not as dangerous as the Great Yellow River. They don’t flood cities. It’s good there.

— How far is it from there to the sea? — he asked again, and the manager looked confusedly at the other servants and the blind singer, as if seeking confirmation from them that he had already explained everything clearly.

— Excuse us, my friend asks whether those rivers lead to the sea, — Paul Domician came to the rescue.

— Ahh… I don’t know that. It’s thirty days’ journey to the sea, — the most important servant in the house shook his head and took out black and white sticks. — Yes, thirty-three days’ journey on horseback, — he added proudly, counting something.

Before leaving, Lacius walked around the house with the manager and asked questions about how the house was built, what it was made of, what tools were available, and where they got water. The man explained everything willingly. Lacius was especially surprised by the fact that the floor in the house was always located above the ground at a distance of two cubits, so that it could not be flooded by spreading rivers. And you couldn’t leave the house at night. The floors in the hallways were always made to squeak and you could hear an enemy trying to sneak in undetected. For needs at night, low jugs were used, which were taken out of the rooms in the morning by special servants.

— Why not make holes in the floor? — Lacius asked naively.

— Then in a week you won’t be able to sleep there, — the manager smiled in response. — Bad smell! And there will be flies, there will be flies. This is not possible. This is bad!

Paul Domician was not seen before his departure. He was so popular with all the residents of the house that he sang for them almost the whole day — from sunrise to sunset. Sometimes he was invited to the Governor’s wife, but she always sat behind a screen, so Paul and Zeno, who had already come to his senses and could also sing, performed for her the songs that they had sung for the beautiful Mingfei. Judging by Paul’s stories and his impressions, the wife of Governor Bao Shi wanted to be like her.

Lacius tried to collect more information about the place where they would go, because he was afraid that there might be neither maps nor people there. However, in the entire governor’s house there was not a single person who had any idea about maps and could even show where the part of the province, they were going to go, was located.

Oddly enough, the maid, who was from a village in that district, turned out to be more useful than the others. Her father was a fisherman, and she could tell about the rivers on which he fished. Having learnt this, Lacius began to spend time with her more often near the forge, where there was a lot of sand on the ground and it was easier to draw rivers.

The day before leaving, they sat there and again talked about roads and rivers. Lacius already had a good idea of their location, the number of villages around this place and the distance to the capital of the Han Empire. The only thing left to do was to find a piece of leather or fabric on which he could draw all this.

Lacius was about to ask the girl about this when he heard a familiar voice not far away. Somewhere very nearby, Paul Domician groaned and moaned. Walking around the forge, he saw an unusual picture: a completely naked blind singer was lying on the boards, and his maid was sitting next to him. On the other side, a small, lean man was scurrying around with a bunch of thin sticks in one hand and a small bowl in the other. He dipped one end of a long needle into some liquid, and then carefully stuck it into the body of unfortunate Paul. The blind singer cried out in pain and asked the gods to send him patience.

— Cecus, do you have a headache? — Lacius asked ironically, guessing that Paul had decided to recover from some illness. They have heard and seen more than once how the Han people inject needles into the body, believing that this way they can get rid of any ailment.

— I hope the gods will forgive me for this. I shouldn’t have agreed, — Domician groaned through his teeth.

— Are you kidding? Are you sacrificing yourself to the gods? — Lacius became cheerful. He could not imagine what kind of trouble could force his friend to strip naked and voluntarily agree to such torment. — Maybe you want to tell fortunes on your own liver?

— Oh no! Not this! Don’t joke like that! — Paul abruptly changed his intonation. — I know it looks strange, but… not so strange as to sacrifice me to the gods! It’s just… — he hesitated and gritted his teeth again, receiving the needle just below his navel. — This woman said she could help me… how should I put it…

— You’re definitely sick! — Lacius laughed.

— No, I’m not sick. It’s just that she can do so much at night, and I don’t have the patience to learn all her abilities.

— A – ah, that’s it! Phoebus, you’re Han Phoebus! — Lacius became even more amused. — Are you not having enough love pleasures with this girl? Cecus, Cecus, you are acting like a child. I understand if Zeno was doing this, but you…

— Zeno doesn’t need this yet, he’s young, — Domician muttered displeasedly. — I have nothing to lose. She said that many men did this and the night lasted until the morning.

— See that the gods do not deprive you of this power at all, — Lacius shook his head. He returned to the house and tried to find out where he could get a piece of thin leather. But this turned out to be impossible.

Later, the manager explained to him that the thin leather was of great value and was kept by the clerk in a chest under lock and key. Any text written on it or on paper was considered sacred, and no one could burn it without special permission. Lacius remembered the words of the eunuch, who said that Mingfei could not write her message on paper. She understood that no one should have seen such words, and the law, which considered calligraphy sacred, did not allow them to be burned.

In the evening he came into the room a little later than usual, and found Paul Domician crying there again, and the wizened old man was again performing a spell with needles over him.

— What’s happened? Are you having trouble turning into a young stud? — Lacius asked laughing.

— Oh, gods, I know that I asked for the impossible, but I’m weak, I’ve never asked for anything extra in my life. I was always content with little and was modest. Don’t I deserve at least a little mercy? After all, all the gods know how nice it is to be strong with a woman! Why couldn’t I ask for the same?

— Stop wailing! Tomorrow we will make a sacrifice to the gods, and they will return your male strength to you.

— You are sure? — Paul asked hopefully. — Wait… What are you talking about? — his head turned to the girl. She showed him to turn around and lie on his side. — Oh, how painful it is! — he screamed when another needle pierced his sacrum. — Wait, wait! Could you stop? — he shouted to the doctor and waved his hand. — It seems to me that I’m getting better, — the girl also said something to the old man with the needles, and he leaned over Paul to better examine the result.

— Hao, jeng hao, — Lacius said, seeing the old man get up and hide his needles in a small drawer. At the same time, the needle in Paul’s lower back swayed as if alive. Apparently, no one was going to take it out. The doctor left, and his maid began to arrange partitions.