Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 4-7 2019 | Page 212

Zheng He growled in frustration, pacing around the room. He desperately wanted to believe his second-
in-command, wanted to believe that his friend hadn’t betrayed him. But he couldn’t be certain of anything.
There is a way to ascertain Wang Jinghong’s story , he realized. He turned back to the man.
“Where is the note?” he asked. “Can you show me?”
Wang Jinghong pulled out a scrap of paper. Zheng He took it and read it quickly.
“Have overheard soldiers plotting to poison water. I cannot stop them. Please hurry.”
It appeared to be authentic, at least as far as Zheng He could tell. The handwriting wasn’t Wang Jinghong’s,
and even if he were to try to disguise his penmanship, Zheng He would have seen through it. He knew him
too well to not know.
Who wrote this letter? It must have been someone high-ranking as well. He doubted normal soldiers would
have access to ink and paper, let alone this kind of high-quality mulberry paper.
He recalled something. His fists clenched, almost imperceptibly. “Executive Officer Wang,” he said, forcing
himself to remain calm, “What did you tell the guards when you entered the storage room yesterday?”
Wang Jinghong looked perplexed, but he answered readily. “I told them the truth, that I was there to see if
the food and water was contaminated. Why?”
Zheng He’s nails dug into his skin, causing blood to well up around his nails. He’d been played for a fool.
He still remembered what Lieutenant Tang had said, that Wang Jinghong had wanted to check how many
days of food and water were left.
He knew why the lieutenant had said that, of course. The act of checking was patently unnecessary, as the
ship had clear records of its food consumption. The excuse was obviously a lie, and Tang Guan knew that it
would be obvious to him. All the better to make Zheng He believe that Wang Jinghong was trying to hide
something from the rest of the crew.
He headed up the stairs to the cabins, gesturing for the soldiers to follow him as he rushed frantically to
Tang Guan’s room. The man had no reason to suspect that Zheng He had found out. He would still be
there in bed.
Zheng He barged into the room with a bang, standing aside and allowing the soldiers to file into the room.
The lamps were already lit. Tang Guan had evidently been waiting for him. A trace of a smile hung on the
lieutenant’s face as he stood in the center of the room, He didn’t seem to be bothered by the spears pointed
at him.
“It seems you’ve discovered my ploy,” Tang Guan said, his tone mocking. “A pity. I was hoping you’d
execute Wang Jinghong before you found out. Perhaps I underestimated you.”
He isn’t even denying what he’s done , Zheng He noted with fury as he stood before the despicable
scumbag.
“It’s over, Tang Guan,” Zheng He said. “My soldiers have surrounded the room. There will be no escape.”
“Who said anything about escaping?” Tang Guan asked, a crafty glint in his eyes.
He’s trying to pull something , Zheng He realized.
But what was it? There was no way the lieutenant could fight his way out of the situation, especially against
a squadron of well-trained warriors. Unless…