IN GUANGQIAN COUNTY, rain sheeted down.
Murkiness swirled above and below, impenetrable no matter where one looked. The sky and earth had merged into a single dark void, isolated from the rest of the world as they dissolved into one another. The water that poured from the clouds seemed inexhaustible, as if the heavens themselves were emptying basin after basin into the mortal realm. The flatlands transformed into swamp, and the river swelled to engulf the fields and their crops on its banks. On the horizon, the silhouettes of houses were a distant smudge.
Rong Qing waded through the mud, staggering as he went. All his surprise, fear, and confusion melted away at the scene before him, leaving only stupefaction.
Everything was done for. All the lives and families here had been thoroughly ruined.
The land beneath his feet should have been a prosperous village. Half a month ago, the village had been at its most bustling: farmers tramping in from the fields, children chasing each other as they played. Smoke wafted from every house, and passersby could smell the homely scents of cooking.
Yet now there was only water as far as the eye could see.
The torrential rain had swollen the river, and the waters overflowed their banks and rushed over the city and its outskirts. The rain refused to stop, growing heavier as the waters grew higher, until there was nowhere the floodwaters did not touch. Umbrellas became useless burdens in the face of the rain's wild laughter; it split their oilpaper canopies and streamed in through the cracks, drenching the people beneath.
Rong Qing shoved his attendant's hand holding his umbrella away, exposing himself to the rain. His head and face were soaked with rainwater, and he could barely open his eyes. He scrubbed at his face and squinted hard, as did everyone around him; they were all mourning the disaster, their tears indistinguishable from the rain streaming down their despairing faces.
"Sir!" the attendant called after Rong Qing, trying to keep pace with him as he walked off. But the rain swallowed his voice in an instant. He couldn't even hear himself.
"Young man, stop Censor Rong, quickly! We can't keep going in the rain. We won't be able to get back!" an accompanying official roared with all their strength.
The attendant Xiao-Liu jerked his head around, looking out at the rain. When they'd arrived, most of the higher terrain had been visible, but in just a short time, even that had been submerged. The land around them was like a giant turtle slowly sinking, only the top of its shell still above the water. Frightened, he ran to catch up with Rong Qing. The man tripped over a submerged stone in his haste and fell, splashing muddy water all over his face.
Just ahead, Rong Qing found himself surrounded by water on all sides, trapped with no way forward or back. The only thing beside him was an old tree, similarly stranded, creaking ominously in the floodwaters and helpless to resist its fate.
Xiao-Liu ignored the pain in his knees and roared with all his might, "Quick! You must save my lord!"
The other officials looked at each other helplessly.
Freshly arrived from the capital, on hearing about the flood, Imperial Censor Rong Qing had insisted on leaving the safer highlands of the county to survey the region himself. Everyone had tried to dissuade him, to no avail—the magistrate of Guangqian County had no choice but to send the deputy magistrate and some officials to accompany their visitor. Yet to their horror, the floods had grown more severe during their expedition, the waters beginning to encroach on the high ground. Even the hillsides that had originally lain above the reach of the flood were swiftly engulfed.
A small flotilla of wooden buckets and clothes floated on the waves. A clump of black hair drifted among them, hinting at someone submerged below. Whether they were dead or alive was anyone's guess.
The people here could barely save themselves; they'd never dare undertake the risk of saving others. Only Censor Rong Qing remained utterly fearless, apparently determined to push forward and save the person. Now, however, he found himself stranded and waiting for a rescuer of his own. The deputy magistrate, Li Yan, had already silently cursed Rong Qing a couple thousand times.
Should they rescue him or not?
If they attempted a rescue, there was a good chance they'd be swept away as well. But if they left him to drown—Rong Qing was a censor from the imperial court. They were sure to be held responsible by the higher-ups if he perished here. Still, this was a natural disaster. The censor had a death wish; surely there was nothing they could do.
Li Yan thought furiously. He knew how to swim, but a choice as simple as taking a step forward or back here might decide his fate. If he disregarded his own safety to save the censor, perhaps he would drown instead. His face filled with panic at the thought. "What should we do? I'll go find someone to rescue Censor Rong!"
But who could possibly make it in time?
A rare flash of inspiration struck Xiao-Liu. He lunged forward and clutched at Li Yan, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Please save my lord! Let's take off our belts and tie our waists together, then hold each other's hands and walk over! We'll make it in time!"
Li Yan gritted his teeth. "Even a sturdy hemp rope would get washed away in this current, let alone a flimsy cloth belt!"
As they argued, the water climbed higher. The flood was lapping at Xiao-Liu's ankles, and the waters seemed poised to rise again. Rong Qing only had a tiny patch of dry ground left to stand on; he couldn't move an inch.
Xiao-Liu's voice was thick with terrified tears. "Please wait, sir. We're coming to save your lordship now!"
Li Yan looked at the three petty officials who'd accompanied them. The rain blurred their expressions. No one was willing to risk themselves to save an unfamiliar imperial censor, and Rong Qing had already earned their dislike—he'd been accusing and criticizing them since the moment he arrived. It was one thing if he wanted to get himself killed, but now he was putting them in danger too.
After a moment's hesitation, Li Yan made his decision.
Yet in the next instant, a figure flew past, so swift he couldn't even make out the color of their clothes through the heavy rain. That smudge of shadow landed on the shrinking patch where Rong Qing stood, grabbed Rong Qing by the shoulders and hoisted him up, then leapt off the old tree back to the others. This area was no drier, but at least there was a place to stand.
"Sir!" Xiao-Liu cried in shocked pleasure.
"What are you staring for? Get moving!" the rescuer said harshly. Now that he was closer, they could see he was clad in blue robes. His voice was somehow able to penetrate the curtain of rain because they could hear him clearly.
No one dared to tarry any longer. They rushed to higher ground, and Xiao-Liu staggered after them, supporting Rong Qing.
The heavens smiled on them—the rain gradually receded and the waters slowed their aggressive climb. Everyone finally had a chance to catch their breath as they crested the hill. They saw the gates of the city beckoning to them in the distance, and their hearts, which had been ready to leap out of their throats, settled back in their chests.
They'd long since lost their umbrellas, and everyone was so spattered with mud it was impossible to guess what colors they'd originally been wearing. It was all they could do to trudge forward one step at a time toward their destination.
Xiao-Liu's legs went weak. He collapsed, dragging Rong Qing down with him. Their blue-clad rescuer snorted derisively, then gathered his strength and leapt away, bounding toward the city without looking back. The attendant would normally have complained, but at the moment he lacked the energy to say anything. Rong Qing's state was little better.
Two hours later, everyone had finally straggled into the city. Rong Qing declined Deputy Magistrate Li Yan's invitation to rest at the county office and returned to his lodgings at the relay station. Li Yan didn't bother trying to persuade him. His attitude toward Rong Qing had cooled considerably: The enthusiasm with which he'd greeted him upon his arrival was nowhere to be found.
Soaking in the relay station's bathtub, Rong Qing washed the grime from his body. Then he wolfed down his meal, feeling his strength gradually return. In the quiet of the room, he realized how close he'd been to death. He was gripped by a lingering fear. The imperial court had dispatched him to Guangqian County to assess the flood damage and provide disaster relief. Dying like that would have been too great a humiliation.
Not long after, Xiao-Liu came to his room, hanging his head in apology. "Sir, I nearly failed to save you! Li Yan stalled on purpose!" he complained. "I'm telling you, he was about to push me into the water too and silence us both—he just wanted to absolve himself of the blame!"
Rong Qing didn't share the intensity of his grudge. "I insisted on going out in person," he said calmly. "His anger is understandable."
Xiao-Liu would have liked to say more, but instead he changed the subject. "That man who rescued you looked familiar."
"If I'm not wrong, he came with Cui Buqu."
"They're here already?" Xiao-Liu said in surprise. "Then will Cui… Will Cui-xiansheng blame you?"
He'd hardly finished his question when the porter tapped on the door with an invitation. It read: Lord Cui cordially invites the censor to a meal at Yi'er Teahouse.
Speak of the devil.
Rong Qing smiled thinly. "He saved my life. Even if he wishes to censure me, I must turn the other cheek."
This incident had begun ten days ago, when a report had arrived in the capital from Guangqian County. The county was suffering unexpectedly heavy rains, which caused the river to swell and overflow its banks. Much of the commandery had been swept up in the subsequent flood, and the seat of government, Guangqian County itself, had been hardest hit. Displaced, starving victims of the disaster were everywhere—they pleaded for the court to distribute grain as disaster relief.
Guangqian County suffered floods almost every year during the rainy season, but this year, the flooding was especially severe. The imperial court agreed to send grain, and the emperor sent an imperial censor, Rong Qing, along with it to supervise the relief efforts.
Only on the day of his departure did Rong Qing learn that Cui Buqu, the reclusive chief of the Zuoyue Bureau, would join him on his journey. Cui Buqu held a missive personally issued by the empress; Rong Qing read it three times before confirming it was the genuine article. But this arrangement was too strange. According to rank, Cui Buqu should have been in charge of this assignment, yet the emperor hadn't said a word—instead, the order had come from the empress. When Rong Qing considered the duties of the Zuoyue Bureau, he couldn't help thinking the empress had sent their chief to keep an eye on him.
Rong Qing had been an official of the Sui court for some time, but he had never interacted with organizations like the Zuoyue and Jiejian Bureaus, which navigated the gray areas between righteousness and deception. In his eyes, Cui Buqu was nothing more than a lucky opportunist who'd managed to claw his way to the top—a sentiment shared by many in the Sui government. There was no issue when they stayed in their separate spheres, but now that they'd been asked to cooperate, Rong Qing felt deeply conflicted.
They'd first met in Baoqiao, on the outskirts of the capital. The encounter had been tense but not hostile, superficially courteous. Rong Qing had politely deferred to Cui Buqu for instructions, at which point Cui Buqu had explained that Rong Qing would be in charge on this mission, and was free to do as he saw fit.
Rong Qing took this as permission to drop his false obsequiousness. He had his carriage readied and set off for Guangqian Commandery without waiting for Cui Buqu. He was vehemently opposed to any interference from the Zuoyue Bureau on principle. He rushed to Guangqian Commandery, only to find the reality far more horrifying than he'd anticipated—he'd never before witnessed a disaster of such magnitude. As an imperial censor whose job it was to regulate other government agencies, Rong Qing was driven by a fervent desire to aid the populace. He tirelessly conducted surveys of the damages, even venturing out to the submerged villages themselves. Ignoring the dangers, he pressed on toward the outskirts of the county, where the flooding was at its worst. His reckless bravery had nearly cost him his life. Yet to his surprise, Cui Buqu—whom he'd assumed to be still en route—had not only arrived, but sent someone out to rescue him.
When Rong Qing came to the teahouse and spotted Cui Buqu, his complexion even paler than it'd been a few days earlier in Baoqiao, he was overcome with shame. A hot flush crept up from his neck to his ears, and he was compelled to bow deeply before Cui Buqu. "Chief Cui, I can't thank you enough for saving my life."