A/N: Next chapter finally up!

oooOooo

The King of Qin

It was a relief to take shelter and rest in the shade of the large tree after riding for hours in the oppressive heat and humidity of that summer day. Noon had come and the sun had risen to its peak in the sky, blazing down on them as their horses moved along lethargically. Having watered the horses at the stream, they now sat in the shadow, leaning against the trunk and sipping water. Mulan reached into her pack which she'd removed from her steed's back and withdrew rationed out portions of rice and dried meat for them to lunch on.

Their armor was in their packs and they were traveling as a plain married couple. They had discussed it before they departed from the Imperial City, and had concluded that this was the best way to appear. Unfortunately their mission would involve putting together scattered pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, many of which were missing no doubt, in order to create a full picture, and would involve thorough searching. The search was to begin with the King of Qin, and that meant finding out as much as they could about a king who lived over seven hundred years ago.

Xianyang, a city to the north of Chang'an, had been the capital of the State of Qin, and of the unified country under Qin Shi Huang. Shang felt that it was as good a place as any to start. Perhaps they would find remnants of the first Emperor's existence, a tomb with his belongings for instance, which would include his sword.

If only it was that easy, Shang thought with a sigh.

The location of the first Emperor's tomb was kept a secret for a reason. Rumor had it that even the many artisans and builders involved with creating the tomb were put to death and buried inside it in order for it to remain so. Shang was hoping that maybe stories had been passed down word-of-mouth; though it wasn't a completely trustworthy source to rely on, it would at least be a place to start.

He glanced at his wife, who was thumbing through a book that he'd given her, one of the classics that he'd had to memorize in preparation for his exams.

"You had to memorize this whole book?" she remarked looking up from the pages now.

"That and many others."

"Ugh. It's an interesting read, but I don't think I could memorize all of this."

"If you had to you could. I have no doubt of that, Lady General Hua."

She flashed him a playful smile.

"I started learning and memorizing that stuff in school when I was eight."

She shuddered visibly and Shang began to laugh.

"Well," she remarked, flipping through the pages again. "I can see the similarities and why the Emperor is so interested in anything that belonged to Qin Shi Huang."

Her brow creased with worry suddenly.

"But this is quite a task we've been given."

"I know. My guess is that the sword would have been buried with him, but the place of his tomb was kept as a highly guarded secret."

"Well, his capital city is certainly a good place to start."

He nodded. "Mm. I'm hoping that maybe rumors were passed down, just like any other fairytales and stories that are passed down through generations."

"Still, if we're going to talk to people we need to be discreet."

"I was thinking about that. We are sent by the Emperor; I could say that I've been ordered to collect and document a history for him."

"That's an idea. And I'm the historian's honorable wife," she answered wryly.

oooOooo

They reached Xianyang after two days of travel, stopping in a hostel at sundown to rest for the night. In the morning Shang went to the prefect's office to speak with him and advise that he was doing research for the Emperor. The prefect was a middle-aged man with greying hair and a solemn demeanor; but he was very pleasant and helpful. After inviting him to have tea with him, they conversed for an hour.

"After I passed my civil service exams I was made a government official. I'm originally from the Henan Province, near Luoyang, but I was assigned to this district."

"I'm from Shanxi," Shang answered after taking a sip of tea.

"I've always had an avid interest in history. I'm very happy to speak to anyone who shares my interest."

"Thank you. This province is part of what was the State of Qin so I figured it was a good place to start."

"Agreed, although I'm not sure that the city is the place to be. You may have better luck out in the smaller villages."

"It was suggested to me that there would not necessarily be written records of anything, but perhaps there are stories that have been passed down."

The prefect nodded. "And not so much in the cities. You see, I'm descended from the Han Chinese; but many of the people in this area claim to be descendants of the Jong, a tribe of the steppe. There are certain traditions and a certain pride of ancestry that has lingered, even after so many centuries and generations. I think you'll encounter that in the smaller towns rather than here. As I'm sure you already realize, at the time the State of Qin was deeply mistrusted because of the ancestry of her citizens as well as their king's aggressiveness."

"Of course," Shang answered smoothly.

Prefect Qiao certainly knew the subject well, Shang realized as they continued to speak about it. An hour later, he took his leave of him.

"Good luck to you, young man."

"Thank you. And thank you for your help. I appreciate it."

He bowed to the elder man and left, returning to the hostel and Mulan.

"Well, you've had a difficult morning," he remarked with a grin, gazing at his wife who was still lounging on the bed under the blanket, one of her small feet peeking out from underneath. He moved forward and went to tickle it but she was quicker than him and immediately snatched it back underneath the covers the second she realized his intention.

"Missed," she teased.

He laughed and moved around to the side of the bed. She smiled and stretched but made no move to sit up.

"So, how did it go?"

"Fine," he answered, taking a seat on the edge of the bed beside her. "Get up and get packed. We're leaving."

"What?"

"It was suggested to me that the city is not the place to be. We're riding out into the smaller villages today. Come on. Up," he ordered playfully, slapping her shoulder lightly.

With a playful grin, she sat up slowly and eased herself out of bed, her moves painstakingly lethargic on purpose. He folded his arms with a smirk.

"Always have to have the last word on things, don't you."

She inched closer to him and put her arms around his neck, pecking his cheek. He tried to resist responding to her embrace, but she giggled at his attempt to remain stoic and he gave in, snaking his arms around her waist.

"You're incorrigible, Mulan."

"Oh, you're just mad because I got to sleep in and you didn't. I offered to go with you, you know…"

"I know," he sighed. "I'm just teasing you."

He planted a deep kiss on her lips then released her and patted her on the shoulder, coaxing her to move.

"Come on. Let's get going. I'll tell you about my discussion with Prefect Qiao when we're riding."

oooOooo

They didn't ride very far that afternoon. It was another unbearably hot and humid day and the horses were still somewhat fatigued from the previous day's ride. After passing several farms and smaller communities they arrived in a village and decided that it was best to stop for the evening.

After settling into a hostel there, Mulan sat before the already-made bed and brushed her hair. They had bought meat for dinner in town and she had put it in the pot on the fire to boil. Shang was at the door grooming the horses.

As they were occupied thus a perfect stranger rode up to the door on a horse and dismounted. He was tall and lanky, with a very young face, and he was dressed in a plain tunic and trousers. With a nod at Shang as he passed him by, he just walked in and casually settled himself before the fire as if he wasn't intruding on the abode of perfect strangers. Mulan exchanged glances with her husband, whose expression was a mixture of fury and disbelief.

"May I help you?" he demanded curtly.

"What's in the pot?" the stranger asked, completely ignoring the question.

The stranger's rudeness and boldness was almost laughable.

Shang stalked over to the man, looking like he was going to lift him off the ground by his collar and literally throw him out the door. Mulan wordlessly gestured for him to remain calm. She didn't want her husband to get into trouble for killing a man just like that, and at the very least she was intrigued by this bold rascal.

"Lamb," she told him.

"Great. I'm famished," the strange man answered.

Mulan stifled a laugh.

"Who are you?" Shang demanded.

"My name is Zhang. I understand that you spoke to Prefect Qiao about the King of Qin. We may share an interest and perhaps we can help each other."

"Li is my name. I've merely been instructed to write a history by the Emperor," he answered cagily. "What is it you are trying to do exactly?"

"Locate his tomb."

"His tomb?" he repeated, his suspicion piqued. There was a good chance that this man was in search of the very sword they were after.

"Yes. Much can be learned from a tomb and what is found inside of it. Any king, any Emperor; those possessions in life that were most prized by them are no doubt buried with them when they die."

Taking a seat beside him, Shang continued to eye him suspiciously. "Are you a historian as well?"

"I'm a student. With an avid interest in this particular period of time and this king."

"And with very little money, no doubt," he remarked cynically. Just what they needed, he thought. A poor student looking for free meals.

"I've come uninvited," the stranger said, stating the obvious. "Do you have any wine? If not, I will be happy to share mine with you in exchange for dinner."

"As it turns out, we don't have any," he answered.

The student stood up and went out to fetch the wine.

"No money for food, but he has wine," Shang muttered, folding his arms across his chest.

Mulan reached over and stroked his back. "Be calm. He's pretty skinny. Between the two of us I'm sure we can take him if he turns out to be something other than what he says he is."

"Hmm. I have no doubt that he will."

Zhang returned with the bottle of rice wine. When the meat was cooked, Shang withdrew it from the pot and began to cut it with his pocket knife, dividing it in three portions. Mulan brought out flat bread for everyone and they dined together, raising their cups of wine in toast before sipping from them. As they drank more wine they relaxed somewhat and conversation became a little bit easier.

"There's a scroll that may be buried with the king," Zhang began. "I'm looking for it."

"What kind of a scroll?" Shang asked. Though he had relaxed somewhat his mistrust of this man remained quite obvious.

"That's what I want to find out. No one has ever seen it, but there are stories about it and of a secret society of martial arts masters who used it."

Mulan was eyeing Zhang curiously and Shang glanced at her, realizing in an instant what his wife was thinking. This man didn't look like someone who practiced any form of martial art.

"It may just be a tall tale," she remarked.

"True. But I think it's worth looking into. I'm from this province and a descendant of the people of Qin."

"Really?" Shang retorted dubiously, folding his arms. "That's a happy coincidence."

Zhang ignored his sarcasm. "I know my way around very well. I could act as a guide for you. I ask for no money; I will work in exchange for meals. Finding the location would be beneficial to both of us."

"It's an interesting offer," Shang answered, appearing to mull it over. "Where are you staying in town?"

"I'm camping. But if you're interested in accepting my offer, I will be waiting on the bridge outside of town, to the south. Meet me there in the morning."

"I was hoping to interview some of the people in town before moving on to the next place."

Zhang frowned for a moment and scratched his chin. "Well, it may be worth doing that. Either way, meet me at the bridge in the morning and let me know if you have accepted my offer. If you haven't arrived by noon I will continue on my way."

After dinner was finished Shang stood by the door, watching the stranger disappear into the night.

"Well, that was interesting to say the least," Mulan remarked as Shang shut the door and returned to sit with her by the fire.

"Martial arts scroll my eye," he remarked, rolling his eyes. "Qin had great wealth, just as any king would have, and that wealth only grew after he became Emperor. I'm sure that his treasures were buried in the tomb with him. I expect that this man will turn out to be nothing more than a common thief and a grave robber."

"What do you want to do? He seems to know things. There may be information that we could learn from him."

"Yes. It certainly may be worth it to travel with him for a little while. But we have to be careful and keep a close watch on him at every moment."

She nodded. "Why would the king have a scroll that belonged to a secret society of martial arts masters buried with him, anyway? If it was something he didn't want anyone to read, he would have had it burned I would think."

"Mm," Shang responded, taking her hand and gazing at his wife with admiration and affection. He would never stop marveling at her astuteness and sharp mind. "After he became Emperor he did supposedly burn many scrolls that were written by scholars of the time. And he put those scholars to death as well. It was part of his effort to unify the written language, the legal codes, and every other aspect of the running of the country."

They sat in silence for a few moments, holding hands and gazing into the fire, each following their own train of thought.

"Do you want me to go with you in the morning when you go to meet him at the bridge?"

"Sure," he answered with a laugh. "Unless you're intent on sleeping in again."

"Well, you know that's always my preference."

"Sorry, but actually I think you should get up early and come with me. If we're going to make a pact with the devil we will need to watch each other's backs while we're in his company."

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A/N: More to follow shortly. Note that the stuff in this chapter regarding Qin Shi Huang and the people of Qin being descended from the Jong is based on historical fact. There will be other things woven throughout this fic that are based on historical fact and I will provide notes as they come up for those who are interested.