Chapter 102:
A Bloody Bet
THE GONG CLANGED to mark nightfall, and music swelled within the Anxi Barracks. Soldiers sounded chimes and bells, adding to the bustling atmosphere of the hall with their raucous, lively music.
An Lushan, seated on a low dais, gorged himself on meat and wine, spilling his cup all over his couch. A young eunuch quickly stepped forward to wipe him clean. His generals—uncultured brutes who had served under his command for years—roared to be heard over the music. In the middle of the hall, two warriors danced, spears twirling.
Mergen and Lu Xu were positioned on one knee on either side of An Lushan, each holding a large golden platter. Whenever more food was served, An Lushan’s attendant would deposit servings of grilled meat, roasted chicken, or fruit and vegetables onto the platters. An Lushan would point at what he wanted, and a young eunuch would bring it over, either feeding An Lushan or letting the governor take what he wanted himself.
The pair made the most of this opportunity to observe An Lushan. The governor was as colossal as a mountain, adorned with so many accessories they were practically dripping off him. The golden chain that had been around his neck the day he arrived in Chang’an was gone, replaced with a pendant with a peacock-green jewel. Massive, luminescent night pearls dangled from his ears, and a belt of white jade encircled his considerable girth.
More than three dozen officers were in attendance at the banquet tonight, as well as other military officials invited by An Lushan, including the captain of the Longwu Guard, Hu Sheng. Surrounded by animated chatter, An Lushan watched as the warriors in the center of the hall began to spar, laughing heartily as one sent the other crashing to the floor.
Mergen shot Lu Xu a look, reminding him to observe the hall. The warriors’ battle was getting increasingly heated; the music had stopped, replaced by an endless roll of the drums. The combatants moved faster and faster, until finally, one faltered from exhaustion.
“Kill him!” An Lushan roared.
The victor charged his weaker opponent. He drove his spear straight into his enemy’s abdomen, the tip piercing cleanly through taut muscle and out the man’s back. The loser fell to the ground, blood spilling from his mouth.
Such matches were a nightly occurrence in the Anxi Barracks, but it was Hu Sheng’s first time here. He paled and bit down on a cry.
The generals bellowed madly. The victor left his spear in his opponent’s stomach as he turned to face An Lushan, sinking to one knee and clasping his hands as he bowed.
An Lushan was about to rise to bestow a reward upon him when his expression changed. The loser of the battle—the spear still lodged in his body—suddenly drew the sword strapped to his leg and threw it with all his strength at the winner, whose back was toward him.
Everyone shouted. Lu Xu almost dropped the platter in his hands as the victor’s head rolled down the steps of the dais.
“Excellent!” An Lushan thundered. “Reward him, reward him!”
But the loser wouldn’t survive this, either, despite having avenged himself—not with that gaping hole in his gut and his innards spilling out. Blood splashed onto the floor from the winner’s neck, and a few servants hurried to haul the corpses away and lay down carpets to soak up the blood.
In the reeking hall, An Lushan ordered, “Unleash the beast!”
The generals cheered.
The golden platters Mergen and Lu Xu had been holding were taken away, replaced by two white jade plates piled with glistening raw mutton. Only then did Lu Xu understand what the housekeeper meant when he said they’d be holding the meat platters.
Soon after, a cage holding a black panther was dragged in from outside the hall. As the guests exclaimed over it, Hu Sheng asked, “What’s the cat for?”
An Lushan bellowed a laugh. “Just wait and see, Hu Sheng.”
Lu Xu eyed the panther, then shot a glance at Mergen. After a moment of hesitation, Mergen narrowed his eyes and shook his head minutely.
Nostrils flaring at the stench of blood, the panther turned to glare at An Lushan with a low growl. Several beast tamers followed it in and nudged the animal toward the center of the hall with spiked poles. The servants surrounded it with nets of iron links, which they connected with chains. They hoisted the nets up to the ceiling and fastened them to cage the animal in, leaving an opening barely wide enough for a person to enter.
The crisp jingling of bells heralded the entrance of four young men at the front of the hall. They were clad only in white silk pants, their fair torsos bare. Khitan script scrawled on their backs in red cinnabar marked their low status, and bells were tied to their ankles. Upon sighting the panther, all four went deathly pale.
Lu Xu gave Mergen another sharp look. Mergen shook his head slightly again.
“Who will you bet on?” An Lushan called. “Come, come! Time to place your wagers!”
The steward stepped out bearing four platters, each corresponding to one of the young men. Lu Xu’s scalp went numb as he watched the proceedings.
Even when Mergen was still with his tribe, he’d heard tales about An Lushan’s proclivity for pretty young men—yet he’d never expected him to be so blatant in his disregard for their lives, even here in Chang’an.
The court officials in the hall placed their bets, looking fearful. An Lushan announced, “I’ll bet on the third one!”
The boy rushed forward to kneel before An Lushan, sobbing, but all four were sent inside the cage soon after. The instant the spiked sticks were retracted, the panther pounced.
The boys scattered desperately, howling in fear. One collapsed to the floor as his legs gave out. Lu Xu tensed. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, screams of terror rang out in the hall, one after another.
The panther’s black fur made a deadly contrast with the doomed boy’s fair-skinned body. The bright crimson of blood spurting as the panther sank its teeth into him was horrifying to behold; nauseated, a few of the court military officials in attendance leaned over in their seats and retched.
An Lushan and his underlings were roaring with excitement. After mauling a second boy to death, the panther ignored the other two, eager to feast on its kill. The beast tamers struck it with their spiked sticks, and the animal snarled in rage.
The governor surged to his feet, and the entire hall looked to him in surprise. An Lushan walked down the steps of the dais, grabbed a fistful of mutton from the plate Lu Xu was holding, and tossed the meat into the cage. As the panther pounced on the mutton and devoured it, the beast tamers and servants hurried to drag the corpses out of the enclosure.
Mergen looked up at An Lushan’s back. His pants hung loosely on his corpulent body, revealing a glittering sliver of scarlet—there seemed to be a red jewel embedded right in the small of his back, near his buttocks.
This time Mergen was the one to give Lu Xu a look, but Lu Xu was staring at the cage, his eyes alight with fury.
Only two of the four boys remained. They tried to seize the opportunity to run for their lives as the corpses were dragged out, but the cage was sealed shut again, and another round of slaughter commenced.
The screams of terror faded as the panther mauled the third boy to death, and silence descended upon the hall. An Lushan’s face darkened—he had lost his bet.
Yet he didn’t order the cage opened even as the last boy begged, “My lord, spare me, spare me!”
Before An Lushan could respond, the panther pounced on the last boy. Lu Xu squeezed his eyes shut, the young man’s final bloodcurdling scream ringing in his ears alongside An Lushan’s unrestrained guffaw.
“Split the winnings!” he ordered.
The steward personally delivered the money to everyone’s tables. Mergen motioned again for Lu Xu to look at An Lushan’s back, but An Lushan had already turned, pulling up his pants and tightening his belt. As he ascended the stairs, he glanced at Lu Xu.
“You,” An Lushan demanded. “Where are you from?”
In the deathly silence of the hall, Lu Xu looked up and answered steadily, “Liang Prefecture.”
“Get in there,” An Lushan ordered.
Mergen’s eyes went wide.
Lu Xu had sensed that An Lushan had taken notice of him the moment his revulsion showed on his face. He set down the plate he was holding. Mergen stared in shock as Lu Xu removed the belts he wore around his torso. He gripped them in his hands as he stepped barefoot into the cage, wearing only the leather battle skirt.
An Lushan looked Lu Xu up and down, his face twisted in an evil sneer. “If you’re still alive when the drums stop, come to my rooms tonight.”
The generals laughed uproariously. Though Hu Sheng and the other military officials had never seen Lu Xu, they noted that his bare torso was not as thin as the other boys’ had been.
As Lu Xu stepped cautiously toward the cage, Mergen ducked his head, reciting an incantation under his breath. One of his seven nailhead arrows floated carefully into the hall from outside the window and hovered in the air, its sharp tip aimed at the panther.
Lu Xu turned back and cast Mergen a glance. Mergen nodded almost imperceptibly, and Lu Xu bent and entered the cage.
The panther was pacing furiously, deprived of its kills. When it caught sight of the new arrival, it retreated a few slow steps, observing Lu Xu.
Lu Xu showed no fear. He stood across from the panther and met its yellow eyes.
Facing that gaze, the panther seemed unexpectedly wary.
“My trusted generals!” An Lushan called out. “Who will you bet on—the boy or the beast?!”