Since he'd broken up with me, I'd had no news, as though he'd vanished from the face of the earth. Every time I met Zhao Zhong he would tell me that he'd seen him once for sure in the Casino Lisboa in Macau, not only dressed to the nines in a Western suit and gold-rimmed gla.s.ses, but with a huge entourage, like a mafia boss. This was completely ridiculous. The false monk must have been reading the wrong scriptures and gotten his eyes crossed; he couldn't even tell who was who! And what was he doing in a casino in the first place? But that was the only news I had about Chaoquan after he left me.

Even when Zhao Zhong had been head of Number Two Department, he had never liked Chaoquan, and now that he was a wealthy boss with Mayor Liu at his back, he was more scornful of w.a.n.g Chaoquan than ever before. Actually, before he witnessed this so-called w.a.n.g Chaoquan in the Casino Lisboa, he had barely spared him a thought; he never even brought him up during our meetings together. But now Chaoquan seemed to have taken on the image of some mythical hero in his mind. I thought Zhao Zhong must have seen a ghost. In the casino, the only ghosts were bound to be the ghosts of gamblers.

When I was studying at the Administrative Academy, I heard from the teachers there that the vice-princ.i.p.al and Peng Guoliang's wife, Zhang Peifen, often said that men who liked gambling weren't lechers, and I remember one teacher in particular railing against this absurd theory in cla.s.s. The teacher felt that eating, drinking, gambling and womanising were all related sins, and that gamblers were also born womanisers. I believed Zhang Peifen had to know that her husband was a gambler, but she might not know he was a womaniser. Of course, I knew better than anyone.

Not long ago, Zhao Zhong told me that Peng Guoliang was nothing but a winter gra.s.shopper, hopping out his last few days. It was a meaningful thing to say. Everyone knew that Mayor Liu hated evil with a pa.s.sion. But a man like Peng Guoliang wouldn't go down easily, and he wouldn't go down cleanly. That's why I was so looking forward to a final showdown.

One day when I was in the office, Zhao Zhong invited me to see a show. I hadn't been in a theatre for ages, and I asked enthusiastically, 'What show?'

Zhao Zhong said, Officialdom Unmasked.

My heart skipped a beat. I had noticed that Zhu Dawei had spent the afternoon reading the very same book, and now Zhao Zhong wanted to see this show. Could it be a coincidence?

I asked him, 'Are you putting me on? I haven't heard anything like that was showing in Dongzhou.'

Zhao Zhong giggled. 'It's not a trick, I'll explain everything tonight.' I hung up the phone and couldn't help glancing at Dawei's book where it lay open on his desk.

Not long after, Zhao Zhong arrived. As usual, he practically began to drool when he saw me. While we drove, he drew out the suspense. As we pa.s.sed the Qingjiang Theatre, I saw no sign that anything was playing at all. But he was as excited as ever and I knew we were bound to see something worth watching that night. The d.a.m.ned fatty's 'carrot' might be useless, but he did know how to cheer me up.

While he often took me to the Jinchongcao restaurant, he'd never ordered grain liquor before. But tonight he ordered a fifty-year-old bottle of Maotai, worth thousands. This struck me as odd, and I joked, 'Hey false monk, have you cured your diabetes? Has your limp carrot come back from the dead?'

Zhao burst out laughing. 'Beibei, I promise that when we've drunk this bottle, the carrot will become a golden cudgel, and I'll show you how the Monkey King wars with the spirits and demons.'

'Zhao Zhong,' I said mockingly, 'you're just the landlord of a little temple. Don't start thinking of yourself as Buddha!'

He replied with a straight face, 'You wound me, Beibei. "The lost Buddha is mortal; the enlightened mortal is Buddha." "One who's true to himself is a true Buddha; one who's committed the three sins is a true devil." But it's true: though I have spent much time in temples these past few years, the stink of money is too strong on me. I'll never be a true Buddha, but a false Buddha is still a Buddha. After all those years in politics I understand "enlightenment", and with the protection of "enlightenment", at least I'm a.s.sured of never becoming a true devil.'

His words were sincere, but there was an element of sophistry to them. As I saw it, Zhao Zhong was neither a false Buddha nor a true devil. He was half-Buddha, half-devil. Half-Buddha because, after he'd made his money, he'd done many good deeds. Half-devil because he'd made his money from lay followers. Some of them came to the temple out of helplessness, some out of greed. In order to part them from their money, Zhao Zhong had made up all manner of stories about the mysterious efficacy of worshipping at the temple, so wondrous that they compelled belief. On the other hand, however, all temples pull in this kind of income. Fancy incense cost more, regular incense cost less, as if Buddha were counting out how much everyone spends on him and dispensing his blessings accordingly. Thought of this way, Zhao Zhong's income seemed quite acceptable.

Ever since Zhao Zhong had tried to show me his golden cudgel and revealed a limp carrot instead, he'd treated me with great deference. Was there anything more debased than a manly man who behaves like a eunuch in front of a woman who's willing to be conquered by him? Now, no matter how I mocked him, he was all smiles.

I smirked and asked, 'So which sort of person is a true Buddha, and which a true devil?'

Zhao Zhong poured himself a cup of Maotai and drained it, smacking his lips heartily. 'As I see it, Mayor Liu is a true Buddha, one who is watching over the people of Dongzhou, and Peng Guoliang is a true devil, stricken by the "three poisons". I want to tell you the story of a true lie, Beibei. Want to hear it?'

When I heard that, I couldn't help thinking of the movie Chaoquan recommended I watch when we parted. I'd never said anything about it to Zhao Zhong because it was a secret that I felt I needed to work out for myself. It gave me a real shock to hear his question.

'I'm all ears,' I responded.

Zhao Zhong stared into my eyes, and began speaking in the cadence of a storyteller.

'They say there was an undercover detective in the Anti-Terrorism Unit of the Provincial Public Security Bureau who, because of the demands of national security, had to keep his true ident.i.ty secret from his wife, though they'd been married for many years.

'He kept this secret due to the demands of his superiors and of his job, and also out of a desire to protect his wife and avoid a life of fearful worry. In order to better fulfil his mission, this undercover detective disguised himself as a grovelling little civil servant in the Foreign Investment Bureau office. He sacrificed pleasures enjoyed by regular people, and gained some unusual joys and sorrows in return. His wife always believed that he was a run-of-the-mill minor civil servant. The greatest hope of this wife, who hoped for great things from her husband, was to gain honour by his accomplishments.

'He only ever marched in place, however, even letting his wife pa.s.s him by, and after years in politics he was still only a director-level researcher. His wife was deeply dissatisfied. When they'd been in college she had practically worshipped this brilliant, capable man who was now gradually turning into a mediocre, humdrum waste of skin.

'Still chasing her dreams, she betrayed her husband and allowed herself to be seduced by an arrogant, powerful vice-mayor, even becoming pregnant with his child. None of this escaped her husband, the special agent. After she became pregnant she was terrified, and hoped for the support and protection of her 'lover'. Once that 'lover' learned of what had happened, however, he sent his secretary to mock her and freeze her out, hoping to coerce her into getting an abortion, all while avoiding any direct contact with her. Things went on that way until she was finally obliged to go to the hospital and have the abortion, but while there she ran into her husband.

'Helpless, she could only propose they get divorced. Though he was torn apart inside, he didn't want to divorce. He knew that he'd failed her completely since they'd married, and that once they were divorced there would be no opportunities to make amends. The wife insisted on divorce, however, and right then the husband was given a special mission that would take him to Shenzhen. He had no choice but to sign the divorce papers, after which he vanished with no word. What the wife didn't know, of course, was that the husband whom she thought was a grovelling little civil servant was actually a daring hero. When he was in the Casino Lisboa in Macau leading his team as they lay a security net to catch terrorists, three figures wandered into his surveillance zone, led by a man draped in gold necklaces and jade rings.

'At first the hero thought the terrorists had called for reinforcements, but looking more closely he saw it was none other than the very corrupt official who had stolen his wife away. He never expected to see a vice-mayor of his own city here in the casino, throwing away cash in the company of his underlings. Was this a servant of the people? Clearly he was nothing but an enormous rat who had yet to be discovered. To rid the people of this vermin, he unhesitatingly ordered his team to follow this false public servant in his every move, and record the insolent faces of all three of them as they leaned over the gambling tables. Then he handed the recordings over to the Provincial Disciplinary Committee, and that's why we've got a fine rat-catching show to watch tonight!'

Every word he spoke rocked me. Obviously I was the 'wife' he was referring to, and the 'rat' was Peng Guoliang. But how could the 'husband' be Chaoquan?

I stared at Zhao Zhong as though poleaxed, hardly knowing where I was. His story was convincing and I couldn't help but believe it, but if it were true then I was the stupidest, most wrong-headed woman on earth! But everyone students and teachers, from elementary school to college had always praised me for my intelligence. I had become a foolish, blind, vain and grasping woman!

Suddenly I grabbed Zhao Zhong by the throat, tears standing in my eyes, and asked, 'You fat b.a.s.t.a.r.d, was that the truth?'

Zhao Zhong calmly pressed me back into my seat and said evenly, 'You'll soon see for yourself, Beibei, whether it's true or not.'

He'd hardly finished speaking when the mobile phone he'd placed on the table rang. He hurried to answer it, first saying, 'Beibei, after I take this I'll tell you the result. The show has just begun.' He pressed his phone to his pig's ear and asked with some anxiety, 'What is it, Daoming?' Then his piggy little eyes opened wide as his head nodded continually, as if he were hearing sensational news. The phone call lasted a full ten minutes.

After hanging up, Zhao Zhong drained another cup, as though he were congratulating himself on some ill-gotten gain. Then he leaned close, his little eyes boring into me, and said with almost sensual relish, 'Beibei, the "rat" who hurt you was just detained by the Provincial Disciplinary Committee. Wen Huajian, Chen Shi and Huang Xiaoming were detained with him. That was Song Daoming who called. Believe it or not, but w.a.n.g Chaoquan's true ident.i.ty is Deputy Chief of the Anti-Terrorism Unit of the Provincial Public Security Bureau. The "hero" I was talking about just now is none other than your ex-husband w.a.n.g Chaoquan.'

I stared at him expressionlessly and kept staring until he grew uncomfortable and asked, 'Beibei, are you all right?'

I lowered my head and said, 'Take me home!'

He smiled obsequiously and said, 'I wouldn't feel right leaving you alone like this. Let's stay a little longer. We should drink a toast to Peng Guoliang's detention!'

I surprised even myself by shouting, 'Take me home now!'

Zhao Zhong had never seen me on the verge of hysteria. Fl.u.s.tered, he said, 'All right, all right! Home it is!'

When the car reached my house, Zhao Zhong wanted to see me upstairs. I turned him down flat and he crawled sheepishly back into his car. The car horn sounded once, and his Benz disappeared into the night.

I went inside, feeling as though my soul had left me, as though some great wrong had been done to me. I threw myself onto my bed and burst into sobs. After crying for a while, I instinctively got up and opened my dust-covered photo alb.u.ms, pulling out Chaoquan's photos and tearing them up. After I'd torn up most of them, I had a change of heart. I found some tape in a drawer and began piecing them back together again, and once I was done, I examined Chaoquan's handsome, smiling face. Disgusted with myself, I tossed the photographs on the floor, then kicked the photo alb.u.ms off the bed.

I curled my legs up, held my head, and began crying once again. I didn't know why I was crying. The divorce had been my idea and I'd practically forced him to sign the papers. Now he'd suddenly transformed into what a detective? A deputy chief? What did that have to do with me? Of course it had something to do with me, how could it not? If I'd had eyes to see, I would never have mistaken the treasure in my hands for mud, and cast it aside. It was heaven's will that Peng Guoliang should blunder into Chaoquan's surveillance net. Heaven was using him as an agent of its justice. There was nothing pitiful about Peng Guoliang paying for his crimes. What was pitiful was my own confusion.

I would cry no more. I had no right to cry, and certainly had no courage to keep crying. I needed to think carefully about what it was I really wanted.

Secretary to the Standing Vice-Mayor, Huang Xiaoming I WAS CONFINED to a standard room on the third floor of the hotel attached to the Provincial Military Headquarters. Before he left me, Deng Hongchang clapped me on the shoulder and told me to have a good hard think about my problem, and then he was gone, leaving two men behind. I did have a problem but what exactly was it? I spent three days thinking about it. My guards were changed every two hours, but no one came to interrogate me.

During those three days I went over my every act of selfishness since the beginning of my political career, but selfishness alone is not a crime and I would need to confess real crimes to be of use to the investigation team. So back I went once more, poring over the things I'd said and even thought, and after a fierce internal struggle I concluded that not only had I committed a crime, but it was a very serious crime indeed.

Before the investigation began, Peng Guoliang had given me that package, saying it was spending money he wanted me to keep safe at my home. From its size, if it contained notes of Chinese yuan it was somewhere around forty or fifty thousand. If it were US dollars, it was certainly worth several hundred thousand yuan. My G.o.d, if that's dirty money, then aren't I an accessory to the crime?

I was getting nervous. But I thought of Confucius's words: 'If a man's father were to steal another's sheep, should he report his own father? If he did, that would be unfilial.'

Confucius also said, 'The father conceals the wrongs of his son, and the son conceals the wrongs of his father, this is Righteousness!'

Well, Peng Guoliang may not have been my father, but he was the next best thing. Giving up the package wouldn't exactly be 'unfilial', but it would certainly be bad faith. Even the sainted Confucius believed blood is thicker than water. Could I really bring myself to sell out my leader, to kick him while he was down? This 'blood is thicker than water' was no different than the Westerners' concept of 'tolerance', one of the highest expressions of humanity. To me, convicting someone for being an accessory to a crime because they won't give up a relative was the grossest inhumanity. Peng Guoliang was not my kin, but I was his personal secretary. You could call us relatives with no blood connection, close enough to demand we cover for one another. I made a firm decision that I would not sell him out.

Soon my terror began to ebb, and shortly thereafter an unusual calm came over my panicked mind. Even so, I hadn't seen the sun for a week. I spent all day lying in bed, reliving my political career as though in a waking dream. I had gone over every detail of my actions and behaviour, no matter how insignificant, and I had to conclude that my only real problem lay with that package. I wondered why Peng Guoliang might have given it to me before the case broke, and only one answer presented itself: Peng Guoliang was prepared for the worst. If he went in for good, all his wealth and property would be confiscated, so he'd left me that 'spending money' to give to his son! In that case, my responsibility was even greater. But I was quite aware that the safety of the money depended not just on me, but also on Peng Guoliang keeping his mouth shut. I also asked myself, if this money came from questionable sources, what would happen to me if Peng Guoliang buckled and confessed? I began to get nervous again, but no matter what, I was no Judas. I'd rather Peng Guoliang let me down than I let him down.

After breakfast on Monday, Deng Hongchang and Shang Xiaoqiong came in. Deng asked me how my reflections were coming along. I said I'd thought about everything I was supposed to, and he said, so let's talk then. I asked what about, and he said, let's start with yourself. I told him the whole story of everything I'd done since I entered politics. Shang Xiaoqiong took notes as I talked. When I was done, Deng Hongchang was silent for a moment, then laughed and said that my soul-searching still hadn't touched my soul. What I had done looked like self-examination, but was actually self-praise. Given my att.i.tude, I needed to continue with my reflection. I said no thank you, I've been at this for a week, I truly have conducted a self-examination and exposure of my inmost soul. Scornfully, Deng asked, 'Have you? And you found no problems at all?'

He may have been sitting in front of me, speaking calmly, as a leader might to an errant subordinate, but every word he spoke bore the weight of absolute power, and every time he opened his mouth I shook with fear.

That's why I had turned the confession and self-criticism I'd prepared into self-praise at the last minute. I painted a rosy picture of my actions not to protect myself, but to protect my dignity. But I could tell that if I persisted, Deng Hongchang would a.s.sume I'd secretly yielded. To him, anyone who put on a show of strength was revealing their cowardice by instinctively relying on deception to get them through. I felt that righteous indignation would carry the day. I couldn't trot out my character flaws as if they were sins, nor could I manufacture sins for myself. And as for the business of 'keeping it in the family', I wouldn't breathe a word unless it really came to the very end. I would abandon everything before I abandoned my humanity.

So question by question, answer by answer, I began to find a strange and crafty pleasure in the interrogation. Never mind that to Deng Hongchang this pleasure was merely a laughable sort of fear. He seemed to understand me well and didn't spend too much time on me. His primary target was still Peng Guoliang. I could sense that from the thrust of his questioning. In the past week he hadn't gotten anything of real value out of Peng Guoliang. I was young compared to Peng Guoliang, Wen Huajian, Chen Shi and Hu Zhanfa. He was picking on my youth and trying to get me to break first!

I knew all about Peng Guoliang's gambling escapades abroad, as well as some other illegal behaviour on his part, but I'd never taken part directly. Every time he went to Macau, he left me behind in Shenzhen, and what I knew came from the mouths of the so-called foreign trade representatives he was in contact with crumbs they dropped unwittingly that I'd carefully pieced together.

To be honest, before becoming Peng Guoliang's secretary I'd looked up to him as a hero, but after I fell in with him I regretted it and blamed myself for being too eager for advancement. I was even more distressed that I'd chosen a con man as my leader, one who would ruin all the political ideals and aspirations I'd so carefully nurtured. Every time I recalled this, I was seized with resentment. He had abandoned his responsibilities towards me, even more so towards his parents and family. He had no sense of loyalty, filial piety or justice!

Nonetheless, from the moment I was shoved into that black Audi, I had determined not to cause harm to anyone. Whatever evil he got up to was his own business. The sum total of my responsibility had to begin and end with my actions as a human being. I needed a clear conscience later in life. I had done nothing I was ashamed of, at any rate.

Deng Hongchang was patently uninterested in my clever tricks. He was only waiting for me to slip up or drop a clue. I had just begun to praise Peng Guoliang's political achievements when he stopped me. Apparently Peng had also started out by praising himself, but Deng only wanted to hear about Peng's problem. He said that the organisation was setting a test for me. If I actively co-operated, they might take that into consideration and allow me to continue my reflection at home. If I tried to be smart, I could keep doing it here. I wanted to get home as soon as possible, of course. I had disappeared with no warning, my wife and child were no doubt worried sick. My mother, in particular, was nearly seventy and in poor health, and I hoped that my brother and his wife had told her nothing. But it's impossible to keep the cat in the bag.

It mattered little that the investigation team had set our arraignment in a military headquarters and made a big mystery out of everything stuffing us into cars, circling around for two hours in order to disorient us. These days the more mysterious a thing is, the more certain it is to be known to the whole world. I guessed that at this very moment Peng Guoliang's detention was being discussed in every alley and lane of Dongzhou, and as they gossiped about Peng, they'd be sure to touch on his secretary. Seeing as the secretary had been swept up along with Peng, well, who could doubt his guilt? Not only would they not doubt it, but they would a.s.sume it was guilt to a heinous degree, guilt requiring instant retribution. No need to ask questions or verify facts, just take him out and shoot him. It's what he deserves!

I often think that while people's lives may be better these days, they're also angrier about more things: angry about the rich, angry about the powerful, angry in particular about corrupt officials. As the saying goes, 'hate me, hate my dog', and in this case, of course, I was the dog.

After a long bout of intense thought, I finally came up with a way to both co-operate with the investigation team and avoid hurting those I didn't want to. That was to shunt Deng Hongchang's attention onto Wen Huajian and Chen Shi. I went on at great length about my unfavourable impression of those two, but everything I mentioned involved things they'd done at Peng Guoliang's behest. I spoke with great indignation for three hours that morning, but never touched the heart of the matter.

After Deng Hongchang and Shang Xiaoqiong left, I learned from the two guards watching me that Shang Xiaoqiong's boyfriend also worked in the Munic.i.p.al Government, in the combined affairs department that served Peng Guoliang. I asked what his name was and they told me it was Zhu Dawei. It was stupid of me to ask, as he was the only unmarried man in Number Two. I learned that Shang Xiaoqiong worked in the Sixth Office of the Provincial Disciplinary Committee, and had been sent undercover into the Munic.i.p.al Government Janitorial Brigade. That meant that more than a year previously, just after I'd taken over from Hu Zhanfa, the Disciplinary Committee already had their eye on Peng Guoliang, which meant in turn that Zhu Dawei knew at that point what was going on.

No wonder he hadn't competed that vigorously with me for the position of Peng's secretary, later giving up the fight altogether and putting on a show of yielding to a superior opponent. He really had his strategies mapped out well! I had always thought of myself as someone with abilities and strong moral fibre, as well as a certain subtlety, but here I was, defeated before I even got a chance to compete, all because I'd followed the wrong man.

After two more sessions with the investigation team, they finally released me from detention.

Before I left, Deng Hongchang delivered a half-hour political lecture, mostly about the political situation in Dongzhou. He asked me to keep mum about everything I'd heard, seen and experienced at the Provincial Military Headquarters. This was for my own safety and to keep Peng's people from interfering with the case. Furthermore, it was to avoid negative influences on the progress of reform and opening up in Dongzhou. It was political probation. If they discovered that I'd let slip something I should have kept secret, I'd be right back inside. Since I was the first person related to the Peng case to be released, my return to freedom was bound to cause a stir, so the investigation team had arranged time off for me. Until the case had wrapped up completely, I could rest at home. But I had to stay within their immediate reach and could not leave the province, not to mention the country, without permission.

Deng Hongchang arranged a car to bring me home, where I promptly lit a cigarette and collapsed exhausted on the sofa, feeling like my brain was thoroughly empty. Lifting my head and seeing my wife's fashion photos on the wall, I suddenly realised that she'd had no news of me and must be mad with worry. I needed to call her right away and tell her I was out!

To my surprise, when she answered the phone she didn't sound anxious, as I'd imagined, but was quite calm. She was happy to hear from me, of course, and said that the night we'd all been taken in, many friends had called the house to ask what had happened and how I was. Just after she'd heard the news, she was beside herself with panic, but after she'd called my brother she was much more at ease. My brother was particularly calm, feeling confident that I would be okay, and he told my wife not to worry. When my father died my brother became the pillar of the family tradition dictates that the eldest son has the authority of the father. My brother urged my wife not to tell our mother the news of my detention, and also to use our connections to get word of my condition. My wife therefore knew early on that I was being held in the Military Headquarters.

When my wife mentioned my mother, my eyes grew wet. Though my wife, my brother and his wife didn't say anything, my mother still learned from our neighbours what had happened to me, and she'd been worried sick about me, terrified that I'd gotten involved in some illegal business with Peng Guoliang. She hadn't had a single night's sound sleep since. I told my wife I'd take a taxi to her office to pick her up, and then we'd go together to see my mother.

After hanging up I called my brother's mobile phone and told him that all was well. He was elated to hear my voice and said he'd take me out that evening to soothe my nerves. From his voice I could tell he was full of confidence in me, but I still felt a weight like a boulder on my chest. My wife didn't know it, but I'd taken the package that Peng Guoliang had given me before the case broke and, without her knowledge, had hidden it in the kitchen, in a cabinet near the sink. Though I had been freed from detention, that package could very well send me back in again. Despite the risk it posed, I resolved to keep it a secret and keep it safe, so that I could keep my promise to Peng Guoliang.

At dinner that night my brother could tell I still had something on my mind, and when our wives went together to the bathroom he poured me a drink and told me that I shouldn't keep anything to myself. I insisted repeatedly that nothing was the matter and he finally, albeit sceptically, joined me in a toast.

Vice-President of the Munic.i.p.al Administrative Academy and wife of Peng Guoliang, Zhang Peifen I SPEND MY days tormented by worry. We've transferred all the family cash and savings accounts overseas, but the house itself is still full of things. Our ten golden Buddha statues alone are worth nearly a million. It's impossible to transfer several truckloads of stuff on a moment's notice. Luckily I called Guoliang before I left work and he said that all was well, and that he was sleeping at home. Only then did I begin to relax a little.

When I got home after work, however, Guoliang wasn't there, and the nanny said that he'd left after getting a call from Mayor Liu's office. Apparently he'd been asked to host a dinner for the Minister of Finance. Suddenly my heart began pounding once more. I called my younger brother and asked him to drive right over. We could at least move some of the most valuable things out of the house.

My brother and I worked until ten that night. A friend of Guoliang's in the Provincial Disciplinary Committee gave me a call on the sly to tell me that Guoliang was in trouble, that he'd been detained immediately after the dinner. Incredibly, he'd been picked up straight from Mayor Liu's office.

To be honest, I'd always felt terribly anxious that something like this would happen. Now that it finally had, I was able to relax a little. I was actually surprised at my own calm. I hadn't expected to feel quite so fearless in the face of danger. It's true that the larger a crisis, the more one needs to remain calm. I needed full control.

I put down the phone, gathered my strength and decided without hesitation that I would simultaneously defend Guoliang and attack Qi Xiuying, who I knew was behind all this. Corrupt officials are as common as sparrows.

Hey! Qi Xiuying! What right do you have to single out my husband for punishment? And you, even if you've got no real dirty laundry, I'll bet there's something in the basket that still stinks! I'll take you on, 'Iron Maiden'! You may be the 'Iron Maiden' but I'm the 'Steel Maiden'. You may be the 'Female Bao Gong' but I'm the 'Empress Dowager'. Let's have a battle across the ages, and we'll see if heaven stands on your side.

Our friend in the Disciplinary Committee told me that Guoliang was being detained in the guesthouse of the Provincial Military Headquarters. We would be unable to meet face to face for the time being. It was crucial that I remain in contact with him, but that would be impossible unless it were through one of the investigation team members.

After making extended enquiries I learned that Peng Guoliang was being held on the sixth floor of the guesthouse. The whole building was locked down by armed police, with two guards watching the elevators at each floor, and everyone was required to sign in and out, even to go from floor to floor. The investigation team consisted of two people per shift, changing shifts every two hours, watching Guoliang by turns. He was like an animal in a cage now, and couldn't even leave the room. The weather was so hot. Would they have given him air conditioning?

In a flash, it was nearly two weeks since Guoliang had been detained, and I hadn't had the slightest news from him. The day they'd taken him he had been wearing a suit, with only one shirt underneath. He usually changes his shirt every day. After so many days of hot weather, he must have been desperate for a fresh one. But no one came on behalf of the authorities to speak with me. During that period, I visited Liu Yihe's office and wept as I said to him, 'Mayor Liu, Guoliang's in detention, and I dreamed of him in there, telling me that only you, Mayor Liu, could save him. Mayor Liu, I believe it was a true dream, and I beg you to save him! You are the Mayor of the city, you must know about his situation. Please tell me, how is he? Whether or not he's guilty, please tell me, and I'll repay the debt though it means I'm reborn as a beast in my next life.'

My eyes and nose were streaming; even a stone would have been moved by my plea. But Liu Yihe said, cold as ice, 'Zhang Peifen, don't forget you are Vice-President of the Munic.i.p.al Administrative Academy. Look at yourself! This case is in the hands of Qi Xiuying, Secretary of the Provincial Disciplinary Committee. It was not I who went gambling at the casino. The authorities have not directed me to go in to see him, so how would I know his situation? This is not something I can help with.'

If he wasn't going to lift a finger, then there was no point giving him face, so I stopped my tears and said rudely, 'You think I don't know you're in cahoots with Qi Xiuying? You've lit the fire, now be careful you don't burn yourself! Justice is evident for those with eyes to see. Guoliang has done so much for Dongzhou. You had better believe heaven will see it.'

I could tell my words had given him goose b.u.mps. I wanted him to know that Guoliang and I would give him no peace, even after our deaths.

A few days after that conversation I received an unexpected phone call from Yang Hengda, head of Number Two Department. He told me someone from the investigation team had visited him, and he instructed me to prepare a change of clothes for Guoliang. I realised that if Yang Hengda were speaking with the investigation team then he must know about Guoliang's situation, and as head of Guoliang's office, he should be firmly in Guoliang's camp. Furthermore, he'd once been secretary to the Old Leader. Why not try to reach the Old Leader through Yang Hengda, get him to speak on Guoliang's behalf? The Old Leader was a heavyweight not only in Dongzhou but also at the provincial level. If he were to make an appearance, all the old cadres in the province were likely to go along with him. That would put enormous pressure on the Provincial Party Committee and Disciplinary Committee. I doubted even Qi Xiuying could stand up to the Old Leader.

I prepared ten sets of clothing for Guoliang, and Yang Hengda came to collect them. I reminded him of the debt of grat.i.tude he owed Guoliang, before asking him to speak with the Old Leader. He agreed but surprised me when I asked him what news he'd had from the investigation team. He said only that Huang Xiaoming had already been released, and that he'd heard nothing more. I sensed that he was putting me off. He was already beginning to forget about Guoliang.

I was unable to reach Huang Xiaoming. He'd been locked up for more than two weeks and of course had to know what was going on inside, but the moment he was detained, his mobile phone was confiscated by the investigation team, and incoming calls were being monitored. He probably didn't have his phone with him now, his wife's phone was off and no one answered the home phone, so all I could do was send a text message to his wife's mobile phone, asking her to contact me soon.

Since Guoliang got in trouble, I've been worried about my own mobile phone being monitored, so I dropped the old number and got three new ones. I used three separate phones to send text messages to Huang Xiaoming's wife. Sure enough, Huang himself called back, and we arranged to meet at the Jingyesi Teahouse. I got there early to wait in the private room.

Huang Xiaoming hadn't been Guoliang's secretary for that long, but the moment I saw him I felt choked with emotion and couldn't help the tears running down my face. Huang's feelings must have been strong as well. His eyes were wet. But he was as wary as a wounded fox. I had no idea what had happened to him during those two weeks, but I could be certain of one thing: he, like Guoliang, had been cast from heaven to h.e.l.l in the s.p.a.ce of one night.

I said a few words of comfort then told him in a firm tone: 'Xiaoming, Guoliang's been unjustly accused. We've got to think of a way to save him!'

His face turned grave and he asked earnestly, 'How?'

I held nothing back. 'It was Liu Yihe and Qi Xiuying who did him wrong. You don't need to worry about Qi Xiuying, but in Number Two you've worked under both Peng and Liu. You know both of them. Now do something for me, quick as you can: find proof of Mayor Liu embezzling, taking bribes or womanising, write up what you find and give it to me. I'll take it to Beijing and get justice for Guoliang.'

I spoke with the fervour of outrage, but Huang Xiaoming stayed silent for quite some time before speaking. 'I may have to disappoint you, sister. I can tell you anything you like about work-related matters, but beyond that I really know nothing.'

Huang Xiaoming's refusal surprised me. He was different from Yang Hengda he was Guoliang's personal secretary, after all and I had expected to get something out of him. But talking to him was even more disappointing than talking to Yang. I asked him what the investigation team had asked about when he was inside, and he told me they hadn't asked anything. Then he looked at his watch and said, 'My mother's ill, I've got to go see her. If there isn't anything else, I'm going to go.' Then he left.

From the window I could see his brother Huang Xiaoguang standing next to a white Toyota, smoking. When Huang Xiaoming emerged, the two of them exchanged a few words and then got in the car and drove off. I felt like my heart had been dipped in ice water. The sense of abandonment knocked the wind out of me. I drained my teacup, steeled myself and left the teahouse.

I wiped away my tears as I drove. My phone rang. I picked it up.

It was Xu Zhitai, who I had just been thinking I should speak to. Here he was calling me of his own accord. There is a heaven.

Xu said, 'I've been vice-head for more than a decade, sister, in the service of many standing vice-mayors, and only Mayor Peng ever appreciated me. I'm loyal to the death and can't just sit by while Qi Xiuying ruins such a diligent, hardworking, capable mayor. My old colleague and friend Lin Yongqing has an unusual relationship with Qi Xiuying, and it shocked him to hear that she has had Mayor Peng detained. Your husband has been good to old Lin the 150-square-metre split-level apartment where he lives is thanks to him and as they say, he won't forget the hand that's fed him. Lin wants to meet you. He says he'll do everything he can to save Mayor Peng.'

I felt warmth spread through me when I heard that. Some people will kick you when you're down, but I guess others really do remember who their friends are. I'd heard Guoliang mention this Lin Yongqing before. He was Qi Xiuying's college cla.s.smate and an old lover to boot. Before Guoliang was detained, he'd talked to me about making good use of Lin, and now Lin was in a position to repay a debt. If only we'd known, Guoliang could have promoted him to head editor of the Qingjiang Daily, and Xu Zhitai to deputy director of the Munic.i.p.al Government. Now I knew what it was to have had power but not used it. If we ever overturned this case and restored Guoliang to his rightful position, we'd be sure not to forget our friends.

I arranged a time and place with Xu Zhitai, then withdrew a large sum of money from the bank. I meant to turn Lin Yongqing into a time bomb, under my control. Qi Xiuying had better behave herself, otherwise we'd be meeting our makers together!