Free The White Mountain by David Wingrove Page B

have no time for comparisons. Or for the kind of values expressed in the simplicity of this dish. No time for craft, control or discipline.’ He lowered his voice a fraction. ‘And I find that disturbing, Li Yuan. Dangerous, even.’
    Li Yuan studied him a moment, then gave the barest nod of agreement. They had covered much ground that morning, but nothing yet of true significance. On the matters of the stewardships and the new immortality drugs he had bowed like the reed before the wind, not pushing his ownviewpoint, merely ensuring that these matters were not finalized. Let them play their games of evading death, he thought; death would find them anyway, wherever they hid. As for the other, there was time enough to force his view on that.
    â€˜How deep is this feeling?’
    Tsu Ma considered a moment, then leaned towards Li Yuan. ‘Deep, cousin. Deep enough to trouble me.’ He looked past the younger man, out beyond the window glass, seeing how the space between the bowl of hills was plugged with the white of the City’s walls. ‘They would do away with certain restraints.’ He stretched his long neck, lifting his chin, then looked directly at Li Yuan. ‘You’ll see. This afternoon…’
    The early afternoon sunlight fell across Li Yuan’s arm and shoulder. ‘It is the illness of our time. Change and the desire for change. But I had not thought…’ Yuan smiled and broke off, seeing Chi Hsing, the T’ang of the Australias, approach.
    The two men nodded, acknowledging the newcomer.
    â€˜Are you not eating, cousins?’ Chi Hsing smiled and turned, summoning the waiters, then turned back. ‘Before we resume, there is a matter I must raise with you. A change has been proposed to the scheduled itinerary.’
    â€˜A change?’ Li Yuan said, raising his eyebrows slightly, but heavily emphasizing the word. Beside him Tsu Ma kept his amusement to himself, staring back mask-like at his fellow T’ang.
    Chi Hsing was known for neither his intelligence nor his subtlety. In that regard he was much more his mother’s child than his father’s. He was a father now himself, of course. Two young sons, the eldest barely two, had blessed his first marriage, changing him considerably. He was less rash now than he’d been, and though he had secretly applauded Li Yuan’s purge of the Ping Tiao , he also had misgivings about such actions. He feared for his sons, remembering what had happened in the War with the Dispersionists. Vengeance was fine, but now he wished only for peace.
    Peace. So that he might see his sons grow to be men. Strong, fine men, as his father had been.
    â€˜Wang Sau-leyan has made a request,’ he began, his eyes searching both their faces. ‘And there are others here who wish to speak on the matter.’ His eyes grew still, focused on Li Yuan.
    â€˜Go on, cousin.’
    Chi Hsing bowed his head slightly. ‘He wishes to discuss the arrests. The action you took in league with Wu Shih against the young sons.’
    It was clear, by the way Chi Hsing stood there, that he expected Li Yuan to refuse. Indeed, it was within Li Yuan’s rights to refuse Wang’s request, as his father had done once before. But Li Yuan only smiled politely.
    â€˜I have no objection to that. Do you, Tsu Ma?’
    â€˜Not I.’
    Li Yuan reached out and touched Chi Hsing’s shoulder. ‘It is best, after all, if these things are aired between us. In the open.’
    Chi Hsing nodded, still hesitant, as if he expected Li Yuan to change his mind at any moment. Then, realizing he had achieved his end, he smiled.
    â€˜Good. That’s very good, Li Yuan. As you say, it is best. In the open.’ He nodded again, this time decisively, then turned and went across to where Wang Sau-leyan and their host, Hou Tung-po, T’ang of South America, were standing. Wang listened a moment, then looked across at Li Yuan, bowing