The Emperor's Tomb

“This matter is now over,” Pau Wen calmly called out.

NI STOOD WITH THE SWORD IN HAND.

He stared at Pau Wen and said, “Explain yourself.”

“You and I spoke in Belgium. You believed I lied to you there. I did not. Everything I said was the truth. China must change. What that change is to be was the question. A return to strict Legalism? Autocracy? Or something gentler? Confucianism? Democracy? I confess that, in the beginning, twenty years ago, I thought a return to Legalism the answer. But I no longer know that to be certain. What I do know is that both the decline and the glory of a state can arise from a single source.”

“Those are Confucius’ words,” Ni said.

“That they are. He was a wise man.”

“Strange talk from a Legalist.”

Pau shook his head. “I am no such thing.”

MALONE LISTENED TO THE EXCHANGE BETWEEN NI AND PAU, but kept his gun ready, his eyes searching the hall.

“Decades ago,” Pau said. “I removed all of the Confucian texts from Qin Shi’s buried library. Those words had to survive. It would have been criminal to destroy them. Now they are ready for your use, however you see fit. Those ethics may be precisely what China needs to help counter both corruption and the growing inequality in our society.” Pau hesitated. “Minister, the Ba has not been a party to this battle between you and Tang. We influenced nothing, we took no side.”

“Tang was one of yours.”

Pau nodded. “That he was. But that does not mean I wanted him to succeed. The battle had to occur, without interference, and it has. You have now prevailed. From this day forward, the Ba pledges its allegiance to you.”

“Why would I believe a word of that?” Ni asked.

Malone wanted to know the answer, too.

“Tang’s discovery of infinite oil changed everything. The power of that discovery became too much for him. His ambition took hold. I came to fear that he would be no better than those who came before him.”

“Yet you allowed my life to be threatened. You allowed all of us to be captured by Tang.”

“And brought here, Minister. I made sure that happened.”

Ni did not seemed impressed. “You are a murderer.”

“Four men died in Belgium. But was that not self-defense?”

“Not the one you tortured, then shot in the head.”

“Where’s Sokolov?” Cassiopeia called out from above.

“He is safe,” Pau said.

Malone decided to keep quiet about the actual location. He wasn’t necessarily buying Pau as an ally. Instead, he kept his gun aimed and asked, “How will Tang’s death be explained?”

“He will suffer a car crash, here in the mountains,” Pau answered. “He had come to clear his head, refresh his spirit.”

“And the bullet holes?”

“Tragically, the car caught fire, the body burned to a cinder.”

Ni stood silent a moment, holding the sword.

Malone kept the gun trained, but Pau never moved. “It’s your call, Minister,” Malone said to Ni. “What do we do?”

“I believe him,” Ni said.

“Why?” Cassiopeia called out.

“Lower your weapons,” Ni ordered.

Malone wondered about the strategy but realized they were stuck in a mountain stronghold with an indeterminate number of men surrounding them and little in the way of weapons besides a sword and a few rounds in his gun. He decided to trust Ni’s judgment and lowered the gun.

He glanced up, asking Cassiopeia, “You okay?” Thank God she was alive.

“I’m okay. How about you?”

“Shoulder took a hit.”

“You both risked your lives coming here,” Ni said to them.

“And Viktor gave his,” she said.

Pau faced Ni. “You asked me in Belgium why I care. I told you then the explanation would take too much time. I also told you that my only interest was what would be best for China. I was speaking the truth.”

Ni remained silent.

“The Ba,” Pau said, “was created to ensure a strong political system that guaranteed a collective safety. In the early dynasties, force and violence worked best to accomplish both goals. But over time, those have become less effective. Today, as you know, they are counterproductive. The Ba is about the preservation of China, not the preservation of itself. What is best for the nation is what we support. The battle between you and Tang was inevitable. No one could stop it from occurring. But we could be there when it ended.”

“Why not just tell me?” Ni asked Pau, anger in his voice. “Why not just help?”

“I did,” Pau said. “I told you things you never knew existed. When you came to Belgium, and I saw how little you knew, I realized my task was to drive you forward. You had to face the coming challenge, but to do that you had to know its extent. Be honest, Minister. You knew nothing of what I told you.”

Ni’s silence served as his answer.

“Do not fault me for choosing to show rather than tell you the problem,” Pau said. “The appearance of Vitt and Malone helped me to do that. If I had not opened your eyes, Tang would have bettered you. You and I both know that.”

“You lied to me, and murdered a man in cold blood.”

“I saved your life.”

“Are all of the brothers in agreement with what you are saying?” Cassiopeia asked.

Pau nodded. “They have sworn their allegiance and will do what is best for China. Minister Ni has emerged as the stronger. The Ba respects strength.”

“What am I to do?” Ni asked.

“Make your move for power. Tang is gone. Achieve elevation to first vice premier, then have responsibilities gradually transferred to you. The premier respects and trusts you. I know that for a fact. The Ba will support your policies, whatever they may be. We realize the government will evolve, become a reflection of its new leader, as it has many times before, and we are prepared for that change.”

“The government will change,” Ni declared. “We shall have a new constitution.”

“And we can help obtain approval for that,” Pau said.

“What about infinite oil?” Malone asked.

Pau turned and motioned. One of the brothers disappeared into the open wall panel.

“An unexpected by-product of this battle,” Pau said. “To his credit, Tang realized how that discovery could be wielded, if held close.”

The brother reemerged holding an object, which Malone recognized.

A dragon lamp.

Like the one in Belgium.

Pau presented it to Ni. “This is yours. A sample of oil from the fields in Gansu, extracted from the earth 2,200 years ago, stored in the tomb of the First Emperor. Hopefully, this will prove Lev Sokolov’s theory.”

Ni accepted the lamp.

“Minister,” Pau said. “You realize that I could have simply given the lamp, with the oil, to Tang. Or given him one of the many that are here. I did not do that. Instead I kept it from him.”