‘The situation has changed. Now raids happen in broad daylight. Forget the police chief, even the emperor cannot capture them. What can I say? Even the walls have ears. If someone overhears us, I will be in trouble.’
‘Sethji, you are talking in riddles. I’m a foreigner, to whom would I tell the story? Please tell me why the situation is so bad. I had gone to the cloth market, which was totally desolate. Even coarse materials were being sold at double the price.’
Madhav looked around him cautiously. ‘It’s a month now since Raushanuddaulah assumed supreme power. All this is a consequence of his bad management. Before him, Raja Bakhtaavar Singh was our master. While he was around, no one dared to do any harm to the traders. Everyone respected his authority. He kept a close eye on the firangs. His standing instruction was that if a firang visited the market, a soldier was to be employed to keep an eye on him. It is for this reason that the English were annoyed with him. Eventually, they conspired with Raushanuddaulah to arrest Bakhtaavar Singh and send him to jail. Since then, the market has turned into a lawless place. The government officials are also indulging in the looting. The English are a cut above them. They pick up from the shops whatever they want. If you ask them to pay, they threaten you. If you complain to the court, you get punished. Only a couple of days ago, all of us had gone to see the emperor to lodge a complaint. In the beginning he was very angry, but then he took pity on us. Well, the temperament of an emperor is always uncertain. He listened to all our complaints and reassured us that he would look into the matter. But the looting is still going on.’
In the meantime, three men dressed in Rajput-style shawls came and stopped before the shop. Madhav Das became alarmed. Often, the soldiers of the imperial army dressed like this. The trio stopped when they saw the trader, but he looked at them in such a way that they walked away. Then the trader asked Madhav Das, ‘Why were you so afraid?’
Madhav Das replied, ‘They’re the soldiers of the imperial army. Since Bakhtaavar Singh has been made prisoner, no one has any control over them. They wander around in the market looking for prey. They have not been getting their salaries, and manage their livelihood through loot and plunder. If you please, come to my house. I’ll show you the goods.’
‘No, brother, not at this moment. I’ll come in the morning. It is late and I’m rather scared now that I’ve seen the situation.’
Saying this, the trader walked off in the same direction as the three Rajputs before him. A little later, three more individuals entered the market. One of them was wearing a tunic as pandits do. There was a round turban on his head and a gold embroidered shawl hung from his shoulder. His two companions were wearing servants’ clothes. They were looking around as though they were searching for somebody. They took a look at the shop and passed on. The Iranian trader had walked about a mile, glancing about cautiously. He had reached a small orchard. There was an old mosque too. The trader stopped there. A moment later, the three Rajputs came out of the mosque and said, ‘Sir, you were sitting with the jeweller for a long time. What did you talk about?’
The trader had not yet answered when the pandit and his servants appeared. The moment the trader saw the pandit, he said reproachfully, ‘Raushanuddaulah, I’m so angry with you at this moment that I feel like having you thrown to the dogs. You’re an ungrateful traitor! You’ve ruined the kingdom. The entire city is mourning because of your oppression. I realized today why you have got Raja Bakhtaavar Singh imprisoned. I had lost my wits and was influenced by your glib talk. I’ll punish you so severely for your betrayal that people will learn a lesson from it.’
Raushanuddaulah said fearlessly, ‘You are my emperor, that is why I respect you. Otherwise, I would have punished you for this misbehaviour. When you are enjoying yourself with your ladies in the palace, why should others work hard for the state? Why should we shed our blood while you are making merry? Only fools would do that.’
Shaking with anger, the emperor ordered, ‘I command that this traitor be shot dead right away. I don’t want to see his face. And go and take over all his property right this moment. Not a single member of his family should be left alive.’
Raushanuddaulah was unfazed. ‘And I command you to arrest this person who is the enemy of the country and the community, who is a sinner and an oppressor of his people. He is not worthy of the throne and the crown.’
At this, the five Englishmen who were in disguise captured the emperor and dragged him towards the Gomti river. Then the emperor realized that it had all been part of a conspiracy to arrest him. He looked around him, but there was no one there. It was pointless to raise an uproar. He tried to understand the reality. It is in distress that a man faces his real image, shorn of all trappings. Such situations reveal how there are layers of artificial thoughts that cover the human mind. In a moment the emperor forgot all his arrogance and pride and became humble. He said, ‘I have never said or done anything against you for which I should be punished. I have always regarded you as my friends.’
Raushanuddaulah replied, ‘Of course. Whatever we are doing now is also for your good. We are freeing you of the burden of governing the state. Now you can indulge in your luxuries without any interruption. You can enjoy your life with your beautiful ladies without a care in the
