Chapter 3: The Path to Chang'an

Mi-Ying met Chen at his gate after dark. Chen gave her a black cloak of Mulan's to wear so they would be less likely to be spotted. He was wearing a black cloak also and he had his pony saddled already. He helped her mount once she had put the cloak on.

"I hope he can hold us both," Chen commented.

"We're small."

"So is he."

He mounted in front of her and told her to hold onto his waist. Then they set off toward Chang'an.

"Is this the right way?" Mi-Ying asked.

"I think so."

The small horse seemed to be able to handle the weight of both of them. He trotted along at a steady pace.

They entered the forest and rode toward the Imperial City.

"Keep a look out, Mi-Ying," he said, softly.

"What does she look like, Chen?" she whispered.

"She's smaller than me. She may be wearing black also."

"How old is she?"

"Eight."

They traveled through the forest quietly.

"This way," Chen heard a voice say much later on.

"What?"

"I didn't say anything," said Mi-Ying.

"Who said that then?"

"I didn't hear anything either."

Chen stopped his pony and listened carefully.

"This way."

It was a male voice and it was coming closer. Chen looked toward where the voice came from and blinked, trying to see in the dark. Moments later a figure came into view.

Chen almost laughed.

"You're the only one who can see and hear me, Li Chen. I'm your guardian."

Chen's eyes widened at that and then he did laugh.

"What's so funny?" Mi-Ying asked.

"My name is Ming," said the figure. "Your ancestors sent me to watch over you."

"Are you going to make me go home?" Chen asked.

"No. Why would I do that?" Mi-Ying asked. "I wanted to come with you."

"I am here to watch over you and help you, since you didn't listen to your brother and ran off again. Su-Tan is here and she is safe so far. Follow me and I will take you to her."

Chen steered his pony and followed the small figure.

"Do you know where you're going, Chen?" Mi-Ying asked.

"I think so."

Several minutes later Ming led him to Su-Tan, who was walking toward them. She was dressed in black. She saw the outline of the horse and darted behind a tree.

"Su-Tan, it's okay. It's Li Chen," he called out softly.

She stepped out from behind the tree. "Chen! How did you know?"

"I just did."

He dismounted.

"This is my friend Mi-Ying. She came to help me find you. Mi-Ying, this is Su-Tan."

"Hi."

"Hello."

"Su, how come you left the palace?"

"I wanted to visit you, Chen. I don't like living in the palace. There are people walking around inside the walls and I can hear them outside my room. I'm scared. And I don't have any friends. I was hoping you would visit."

"I wanted to. My brother said I couldn't without permission from the Emperor. I'm glad to see you, Su."

"Me, too."

"So, now what?" Mi-Ying asked. "Are we bringing her back home with us, or should we take her back to the Imperial City?"

Chen looked at Ming who had been silent up until that point.

"Either way, you're in trouble, kid," he told him. "It will be morning soon and your grandfather is going to know you're gone before you get back. It would be better if people in the palace did not find out that Su-Tan is missing."

"What do you suggest?"

"I don't know," Mi-Ying answered. "We're both going to get in trouble if we go to the Imperial City."

Ming spoke again. "Now that you've run off, you might as well go to the Imperial City and get Su-Tan home. Then you can tell your brother or Mulan what happened. But you should get some sleep now. The three of you should not be traveling at night. I will watch over you while you sleep."

Chen looked at him quizzically.

"And I will help you through any trouble that may come up along the way. After the girls have gone to sleep, you and I will talk in private."

Chen turned and spoke to the two girls.

"They will be looking for you in the palace when they find you gone, Su-Tan. We should take you back there. I'll stay with you for as long as I can. And Mi-Ying will be with us, too. But we should wait until the morning."

Mi-Ying looked at him.

"It will already be too late, Mi-Ying. We are already in trouble."

"You're right. Let's help Su-Tan."

Chen made sure the girls had settled down to sleep and left his pony tied to the nearby tree. If anything strange happened, the young horse would let him know. He then walked far enough away from the girls that they wouldn't hear him and sat down, facing Ming.

"My ancestors sent a little monkey to help me?" he asked, greatly disappointed. "How come I didn't get a dragon?"

"Do not be fooled by what I am, Li Chen. I was sent to you by your ancestors because of what I am and the special powers that I possess."

"Really? Like what?"

"That is not important right now. My powers will be revealed as they are needed."

"But…"

"Do not argue, Li Chen. You are already going to be in a lot of trouble."

"But Su-Tan needed my help."

"I know." Ming sighed. "Li Chen, I know how difficult it is to live with the gift that you have. You sense when something bad is going to happen to someone and it is hard not to act, especially when someone that you care about is involved. But you are too impulsive. You must learn to think before you act. Your brother has been trying to teach you that and you do not listen."

"I do listen. It's just, then something happens…"

"I know. Well now you are already on your way into the thick of things. Li Chen, Su-Tan is right to be scared in the palace. There are a lot of bad things going on there."

"I know," Chen said.

Ming laughed. "I know you know. And you may be able to help."

"Really?"

"Yes. And I will help you."

"What about Su-Tan and Mi-Ying?"

"We will make sure they stay safe as well."

xxxxxxx

The Imperial City was mobbed that day. Everyone that could had come to pay their last respects to the wise and loved Emperor.

Shang and his troops kept order as they had been instructed to do. But Shang had a terrible feeling about things. Something felt not right in his gut. It was more than the fact that the Emperor had been assassinated. Shang suspected that, as always around the palace, there was even more going on than what appeared on the surface.

He had not been able to stay with Mulan the night before, and he wanted more than ever to be with her again. He needed to talk to her about his suspicions and his worries. He wanted her insight and opinion.

Right now there were no apparent threats from across any of China's borders. The Huns had been beaten and there had been no sign of them lately. They had no trouble from their neighbors to the east, west or the south.

But Shang had learned from his father that when there was extreme conflict and corruption and in-fighting within a country, it left that country wide open to an outside attack. He hoped that this was not the direction China was headed.

It was fortunate that more troops had been recruited and were ready for battle in the event that an outside attack did occur. He had been put in charge of training the new palace guard, and there was another general that had been put in charge of training the new troops that were to defend their northern border. Their other borders had not been attacked in a very long time, so the troops stationed there had not been depleted and remained status quo at this point.

Shang surveyed the funeral procession. Everything looked okay. A division of soldiers flanked either side of the Emperor's coffin and the rest of the soldiers were stationed at the entrances to the city and around the Imperial Square. Though the city was mobbed, the people that had come to pay their respects kept an appropriate distance from the procession and remained orderly and calm.

They were well prepared in the event that a riot was incited. But that implied that someone in the crowd was involved. And Shang was sure that only people inside the walls of the palace were involved.

He thought about Shen-Li. He knew that Jiang Shen-Li had been the former Emperor's most highly trusted advisor and a close friend to him. He was still working to discover the truth behind the Emperor's death and working to keep the Emperor's sons safe.

Shang wondered how Shen-Li knew some of the things that he knew. He now knew about all the hidden rooms and the secret passages. But the place was huge. There was no way that Shen-Li could just wander those passages and rooms spying on everyone in the palace by himself.

'He has to have other people working with him,' Shang thought to himself. 'Who are they?'

xxxxxxx

Chen was on foot, leading his pony with Mi-Ying and Su-Tan mounted on him, toward the gate of the Imperial City. The entrance was heavily guarded by soldiers and they could see that the city was mobbed.

"Wow! Look at all those people!" Mi-Ying exclaimed.

"We'll never get in," Su-Tan muttered.

"The Emperor died. This must be the funeral," Mi-Ying whispered.

"We can get in the other way," Chen told them. "Mulan got us into the palace through a secret way last time."

"I know where it is," Ming told him. "Follow me."

Chen obeyed, following Ming around the perimeter of the city. It took hours before they got to the secret entrance that he remembered from last time. He tied the pony to a nearby tree, then led Mi-Ying and Su-Tan into the passageway, Ming on his shoulder.

"I found a hidden chamber behind my room," Su-Tan whispered. "I was in there and I heard someone in this tunnel. They can come into my room if they want to, can't they?"

Mi-Ying shuddered. "Ooh, that's scary."

"It is."

"Don't worry, Su-Tan," Chen told her, patting her shoulder. "We'll stay with you now until we can get help."

They reached a bend in the passageway and all of them stopped as they looked down toward the end of the long tunnel and saw a dark, robed shadow turning a corner.

"Who was that?" Mi-Ying whispered.

"I don't know," Su-Tan answered, softly. "Maybe he's the one I heard outside my room."

Chen had a sense of who it was and he wasn't afraid.

"Come on," Chen whispered, leading them toward the end of the tunnel.

"We're not going to follow him, are we, Chen?"

"It's alright. He is a nice man. He won't harm us. And we need to try to find Su-Tan's room before anyone sees that she's gone."

"I don't know how to get there from in here, Chen."

"Well," Ming muttered in his ear, "just find an exit and have her lead you to her room from outside. You can't stay inside the walls of the palace forever."

"We should get out to the hallway, then you can lead us to your room from there, Su-Tan," Chen said.

Chen found a door along the passageway and opened it quietly, slowly. The room was empty. He went in and the girls followed him. Then he went to the door at the other end of the room and closed his eyes, listening. The room was empty and he slowly opened the door leading out. He peered out and saw that it was clear, then stepped out and gestured for the girls to follow.

They stepped out into the hallway, which was empty.

"Do you know where we are, Su-Tan?" Chen whispered.

Su-Tan looked around, then began to walk down the hall. Chen and Mi-Ying followed. There was a balcony at the end of the hall and she looked out.

"Now I know."

She led them to her room and they went in, shutting the door behind them. She opened the panel to the secret chamber next to her room and showed it to them.

"There are bad things going on in this place," Chen said.

"I know," Su-Tan answered. "I'm really scared here. Can you stay with me?"

"Yes. For a little while," Chen answered.

"I am going to be in so much trouble," Mi-Ying muttered.

"So am I," Chen said.

"But I'm glad I can help."

"So, you can both sleep in here with me. I'll get you food, too."

"Can you get some for us now? I'm starving." Chen asked.

"Yes, it's been hours since we ate anything."

Su-Tan nodded. "I'll get us some food and water."

"So now what?" Mi-Ying asked.

"We need to find Mulan. Su-Tan, do you remember her?" Chen asked.

"I'm not sure."

"If we can find her, she can help us."

"What about your brother?" Mi-Ying asked.

"He can help, too, but he will also kill me. I'd rather find Mulan first."

"Maybe I can go with Su-Tan. I would recognize her, even if she doesn't."

"I don't know, Mi-Ying."

"They'll probably just think I am a friend of hers. I can keep my hood up so I am not recognized if you want."

"Yes, please come with me, Mi-Ying," Su-Tan pleaded. "I don't want to go looking around for her by myself."

Mi-Ying looked at Chen. "I'll be okay, Chen. We're kids. What would they do to us?"

"She'll be okay, Chen," Ming told him. "It would be a good thing for her to go. You'll find out why eventually."

Chen looked at him, completely bewildered.

"O-kay," he said hesitantly. Then he turned to the girls and nodded. "Okay, go ahead, Mi-Ying. It will be better if Su-Tan is not alone."