Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction 4-7 2019 | Page 55

‘Ever since that battle, the Captain became close friends with -’
‘That’s all? I thought the man who troubled our dynasty for years would be better than that!’ The boy complained.
‘Power and wealth can corrupt a person.’
The boy didn’t seem satisfied but didn’t disagree either. ‘What about that time in Java? I heard almost two hundred of
you died there. And the Emperor didn’t even-’
The pained expression on the older man’s face stopped him, he realized he shouldn’t rub his nose in others sore point.
‘I’m-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…’He mumbled an apology. ‘So what happened to the missing Emperor then? Did you
find him?’ Although he knew the answer as the missing Emperor never returned, he was too desperate to change the
subject.
But to his great surprise, the man nodded slowly.
‘It was on our third voyage. He was hiding in Kollam in India. No one knows how he got there…… ’
As soon as Zheng He marched off the ship with his troops behind him, they were greeted by the warm, welcoming
cheers of the locals. But something felt odd to him. He dismissed that feeling and kept a straight face as he walked
towards the ambassador sent by the King of Kollam at the end of the dock.
‘Greetings, Sir Zheng. It is an honor to meet you. His majesty is waiting for your arrival in the palace.’ The man said in
fluent Chinese, which surprised Zheng He as Kollam is incredibly far from China. But there was no time to wonder
where he had learnt it as he ordered most of his troops to collect resources to refill the fleet, leaving only a handful of
the best soldiers and translator by his side. Just in case.
As they walked into the stone-built city, the ambassador began introducing the local history and specialties. There was
no denying that he was a good tour guide and a diplomat, showing the glorious side of their country while
inconspicuously praising China, but Zheng He wasn’t listening to him. Instead, he was focused on the familiar chanting
that became louder as they walked on. This was what struck him as odd at the dock: the enthusiastic cheer from the
locals mixed with the calm chanting of monks.
‘May I ask what are the monks doing?’ Zheng He finally asked as they were walking by a line of those who were
chanting in unison. Although Zheng He had the same religion as them, Buddhism, he could not understand the
language.
‘A wealthy family in this neighborhood had recently lost a son, and they were hiring to chant a spell called Amitabha
Pure Land Rebirth Mantra in Buddhism. It is said to help the dead clear their karma and move on to where they
belong. They need to walk around this neighborhood for forty-nine times to complete the ritual.’
Zheng He nodded in acknowledgement, when suddenly; he spotted a familiar face in the line, a face that belonged to
Emperor Jianwen.
‘Excuse me.’ Zheng He hastily said before running towards the monks, leaving the ambassador and his own troops
behind. The suspicious monk seemed to realize Zheng He was on to him, as he ran out of the line and dashed into a
small alley.
‘Hey, you! Stop right there!’ Zheng He yelled as he chased the monk down the twisty alleys and streets, but the monk
didn’t even look back once, he just kept running.
The monk was obviously not up to such a strong exercise, so there were many times when he was almost within arm’s
reach of Zheng He, but he was all too familiar with the city that he could easy gain distance between them again with a
simple turn. There were times when Zheng He feared he would lose sight of the monk in this maze-like city.
Thankfully, the monk seemed to have tripped on an uneven stone step and fell on the ground. This gave Zheng He
enough time to catch up with him to pin him to the ground.
At this point, Wong Jing-hong, who had been at their heels the entire time, finally caught up with him? Still panting,
he asked, ‘What’s wrong?’
‘This is him, Emperor Jianwen.’
‘What? Could you have been mistaken?’
‘No! I have spent enough time around Ming Chengzu and his family to know how each and every one of them look
like! There is no mistake!’
‘Alright, alright. But at least give me something to prove so I can believe you.’
‘Take off his left shoe! There should be a black birthmark shaped like an orchid at the bottom of his left foot.’
Wong Jing-hong hesitated before saying, ‘I am sorry.’ He took off the monk’s left shoe and sock, and there it was, an
orchid-like black spot the size of a coin. He was too stunned to talk.
‘Then I guess we should, em, bring him back onto the ship? And maybe inform the King?’ Wong Jing-hong muttered,
trying not to look at the found Emperor’s face that was filled with despair.