"Stop struggling, fool." "You were struck by a five- step snake." "His venom moves swiftly." "Most die before their fifth step." "Where is my sword?" "Taken away." "Punishment for breaking curfew." "I need to go, Sifu." "Now." "How do you revenge a snake?" "You would be a fool to think only one serpent lays in wait." "There is always a deadlier strike to come." "One should walk away." "Sifu." "Master Polo." "Save your breath." "The Khan requests that I inquire as to the Latin's health." "Will he survive?" "Father will be most pleased." "And, um, the Prince?" "Without compassion, what is there to distinguish men from beasts?" "What was your student doing beyond the walls?" "Sleep escaped me." "I thought a ride would clear my mind." "So close to your throat..." "A few inches lower, the venom would have stilled your heart." "Tread carefully, Master Polo." "Or you will find yourself a more permanent sleep." "Great Khan." "Business forces us to disturb you." "Escort the concubine out." "Leave her to her task." "Tell me, son, what news of the Latin?" "Would you rather not hear the news we carry of the Song rebels?" "I would have asked first if I had." "The foreigner claims his mind was muddied with thoughts that hindered sleep." "He hoped a ride in the grasslands might assist him." "Oh." "I wonder what disturbed him so." "The healer promised a full recovery." "What news of the Song?" "They request a parley." "To what end, we do not know." "It seems an auspicious opportunity." "They are afraid of war." "An opportunity born of what, though?" "It makes little sense with their current standing." "But the parley will give us clarity." "They request you personally, Sire." "Perhaps a ruse to take your life." "We must not be deceived." "Prepare to destroy them." "They will make do with emissaries." "The thought of a parley pleases me." "Jingim's instincts are correct." "Assemble the War Council." "She has quite a way with the boy, doesn't she?" "Caring." "Kind." "She is her mother's daughter." "Will my mother come back for me, Uncle?" "Of course." "She is simply off learning to be the best dancer in the world" " so she can teach you one day." " Mmm- hmm." "Then I will be the best dancer" " in the world." " Mmm- hmm." "'Tis odd..." "I've not seen Mei Lin since the Emperor's spirit left his body." "Where does your sister keep herself now?" "Returned to her old ways, I suspect." "Practicing her art in brothels." "Mei Lin was cared for and welcomed in her time here." "What would drive her away?" "Treasure?" "You have enough to share, surely." "I am not my sister's protector." "Why?" "Was she not yours in the days before your ascension?" "That was a long time ago, Empress." "Would such a look have escaped your face toward my husband?" "I never knew your husband to eat jonquils." "If it suited him, he would have." "And you would have worn a more esteemed look." "I am the Emperor!" "If my Emperor could eat flowers and keep the Mongols in check..." "I would gladly serve him a garden." "Let me pass." "What's your business, foreigner?" "Let me pass!" " What's your business..." " Leave him." "I need to speak with Kokachin." "Delusion is an imperfection that defiles the mind." "I must speak with her, please." "Is it the serpent's sting that has deluded you?" "I intend no harm." "You are incapable of harm, Master Marco." "You need to be more vigilant in your protection of Kokachin." "She is in danger." "Concern yourself with the danger you face." "The Blue Princess is secure in my care." "Leave now or suffer my fate." "Have you ever sampled the third sex, Latin?" "Four winters ago, I took an arrow in the back fighting the North Hordes." "I tasted blood for two days." "Great Khan bid me come and see him when I was finally able to stand." "And I'm his own flesh and blood." "You were strong and quickly saddled your own steed again." "So brave." "I heard word of a parley with the Song rebels." " Is it true?" " It is." "The War Council assembles." "In your absence?" "We wait on Father." "Where is he?" "Surely tending to his round- eyed pet." "Might you offer your Empress tea?" "Or will you continue to stand idle?" "Forgive me, Empress." "Spare the Europa no thought, Jingim." "Do not let your father doubt you the better man." "I am the better man." "The better man does not sit in the dark with his woman and his jealousies." "The better man stands erect and strong and finds a way to tilt the scales in his favor." "Easy, girl." "Sube." "A message for my brother." "It's urgent." "Follow our arrangement and make fast your horse." "Yes, ma'am." "Sidao beheaded our men not weeks ago." "Why call for peace now?" "He fears the wrath that comes and seeks to alter course." "The man is not circumspect." "Jia Sidao is too arrogant for that." "His ambition is his arrogance." "But the Chancellor is not the only mind at work within the Walled City." "You see a different landscape, Yusuf?" "Have your spies received intelligence from Xiangyang?" "No, Sire." "I rely now on my own." "The Boy Emperor is but five seasons old." "His coronation day approaches." "Sidao may play the royal, but he's a pretender to the throne." "He desires power, but holds no royal position or blood claim." "There are other ways to secure power, Prince Jingim." "Are we safe to assume Jia Sidao takes such steps presently?" "Yes." "A divided empire is an opportunity." "One that must be seized upon with ruthless force." "One that can be molded to serve us." "Sidao is a peasant..." "Empress a grieving widow." "A grieving widow loyal to the memory of her husband." "The dead Emperor was always a reluctant warrior." "Which hand offers the parley?" "Either way, it is better to know what we face... and win the war with this knowledge before we consider the battlefield." "We parley." "See what the table presents us." "Perhaps there will be a dung- stuffed head of a five- year- old." "Then we will have our answer." "Ahmad... you will lead the parley with the Song ambassadors." "Depart at dawn." "Sire... might I recommend sending Prince Jingim... so the parley has some semblance of royal command?" "Prince Jingim will oversee the conference." "You honor me with this task." "Heal the battle wounds of Wuchang, Jingim... as a diplomat making peace." "Never volunteer for a stealth mission." "You might as well have a barking dog accompany you." " I need my sword." " Are all Latins as dense as you?" "I would give you a sword... but I'm afraid whose body the blade would find when the rumors reach you." "Your father has returned." "Great Khan, a rare and exotic gift from the Arabian Peninsula by route of Dunhuang." "Animal smells of shit." "It has been aboard our caravan for weeks, Great Khan." "Rise." "A caravan we humbly take through your kingdom." "A kindness we wish to continue, if your wisdom should allow us." "Prosperous business is always welcome." "We gladly gave tribute, Lord Khan." "You shall be allowed to continue your trade." "My realm is yours." "Do you have any interest in your son?" "Yes, Sire." "I am anxious to embrace him." "It has been too long." "Then turn, merchant, and behold." "You look like an Oriental." "One must adapt to survive, brother." "And Marco has." "One can adapt without forsaking his heritage... his father's heritage." "My father forsook his son." " I understand your..." " You understand nothing!" "I am sorry I had to leave you, but it is more dangerous on the Silk Road..." "Why did you return?" "To bank profits, pay tribute, mostly to see my boy." "Is that not enough?" "It is enough." "It's not believable." "There are reasons why we left you." "Reasons we must again return to the Silk Road." " Commerce." " No." "You must trust me when I say all efforts that I make are for our home... our Lord and for you." "I need your help." "Say it and it is done." "Give me your blade." "For what purpose?" "This was not an accident." " What trouble have you got into?" " It is no concern of yours." "What requires a sword, Marco?" "Someone is in danger." " Someone?" " A friend." "A woman?" "Marco, listen to me." "Despite your dress and visage, you are not one of them." "You never will be." "You get involved with them, you damage us." "You damage the family business." "I thought he would never go." "One day, he will understand." "Your chest is puffed." "In this place, that's what whores do when they want to get fucked." "The horseman with the shaved head, where is he?" "That's half of Cambulac." "This one deals in jewels he could not rightfully own." "That's the other half of Cambulac." "Now, piss off." "You know who I speak of." "Tell me where I can find him." "Did you enter my tea house unarmed?" "Answer me!" "Tell me where!" "The south end." "The shanty by the ironworks." "If you're lying, I will come back." "Please do." "Why do you threaten Kokachin?" "I saw you on the grasslands." "I saw you take the jewels." "What concern is it of yours?" "I threatened Kokachin with nothing!" "You pursued me." "I thought you the danger." "I would lay down my life for her." "What are you doing?" "No!" "Let me go!" "Let me go!" "Now!" " Let me go!" " No!" "You're making a mistake." "Tell Vice Regent Yusuf where I am." "He will tell you." "It's on his orders." "You did this." "No." "Those savages did this, though we did nothing." "Those dogs you live with, they don't know how to treat men of God." " We were..." " Smuggling." "We were smuggling." "There is no point lying to the boy." "Do you know what they do for that?" "Why am I here?" "We had to store the goods somewhere." "The coin, son." "You left me in this foreign land... and now you have destroyed me." "Do you not see that?" "You're a coward." "All my life" "I have waited for the great adventurer to offer me a place at his side." "I finally got what I wanted." "Sidao is not here?" "With regret, no." "Surely, the same regret the Great Khan offers for not attending." "I am his son and heir and I speak with full authority." "And I, Prince, speak with authority from the Walled City." "And from whose authority does that flow?" "The child, the old woman, or the pretender?" "I speak on behalf of all the Song dynasty." "You mean all that remains by a shred of silk down by the Han River." "We take your request for parley with seriousness." "As a gesture of such, the Great Khan releases our prisoners of war from Wuchang to you." "Your gesture is greatly appreciated." "So was yours." "Though returning our prisoners without their bodies was an interesting prelude for peace." "A regrettable circumstance of war and one we wish not to repeat." "We are in agreement." "And my father's minister will capitulate." "Of course." "Provided suitable terms and tribute payments are offered." "We are prepared to offer..." "Five hundred thousand taels of silver." "Five hundred thousand bolts of silk." "And three of every five grains of rice you sow... for 10 years." "This is beyond reason." "We called for this parley in good faith." "You called for this parley in fear." "If you do not wish to engage in honorable terms," " we will return to..." " Ambassador, this rate is unwarranted." "We will find a suitable figure." "And Minister Ahmad will wait with the convoy by the horses." "The Great Kublai Khan is interested in peace with South China." "All he demands is that your leaders surrender the Song dynasty to history." "Become unified with the North in a new dynasty under a new emperor." "This message is a burden of royalty." "One better suited to myself than the Minister." "Your respect for Chinese ways and culture is known to us, Prince." "We are still new to the ways of your kingdom." "Value is the first thing you seek." "Risk, the second." "The silk worm is sacred, more valuable than gems and gold, Master Polo." "Its theft is punishable by death." "Please... we did not know..." "Enough." "What is their origin?" "They were not procured by us." "A man in our caravan acquired them." "Where is this man now?" "He did not survive the journey, Lord Khan." "And I'm quite confident neither shall you." "A dispatch has arrived, Chancellor." "From your sister." "I've just received word that the great and noble Kublai Khan will not be attending my peace parley." "What parley?" "What have you done?" "You no longer hold a place in the Royal Court." "Old woman, you have no authority to dictate or declare my place." "My ambassadors were instructed to secure an accord with the Mongols at all costs." "When they return, I will have every authority and you will find yourself a lonely warmonger." "Your currency is the fear of war." "But it is spent and you are nothing without it." "The Song shall not share rice with that bloated Mongolian cur." "The Council will embrace peace if offered." "The people of South China will do their Lord's bidding." "And so will you." "Unchain him." "Leave us." "Tell me of your father." "He..." "He is a well- regarded trader." "His shipping contacts have remained loyal through the years." "I ask of character and you tell me of his profession." "Do you have any of your colorful language that speaks to the man or not?" "It would be artful color, My Lord." "A mirage." "I grew hearing tales of the Great Genghis." "I knew him only as a small boy, but the man my eyes saw was not big enough." "Genghis of my mind... he was a giant." "Our imaginations outrun us, Sire." "When you made your way to Cambulac and your father left you to me, you had gone no further east, had you?" "No." "These silkworms... they are native to the Jiangxi province." "A region you have never visited." "But your father and uncle have since traveled there." "It's the cocoon that gives the silk." "Comes out like sweet milk, then hardens." "Ugly worm turns into an ugly moth, but... leaves such treasure behind." "Then some child somewhere crushes the moth, but... the silk is still mine." "The worm... the silk... the child..." "All mine." "You will be spared." "Your father and uncle will be sentenced." "Artful color will not alter their character." "What is their punishment?" "It is on this that I dwell." "You've been fighting." "A spy, he tracked me." "Who was it?" "A foreigner." "A round eye." "He is no threat." "The Imperial Guard arrested him." "You did not need to set the snake." "If the Guard have him..." "He knows nothing." "He thought I was trying to hurt you, to steal from you." "And he tried to defend me." "Why would he do that?" "I do not know." "But I know your mind." "I turn my heart to no other." "The gems have traded well." "We should go." "Patience." "War is coming." "We will find cover for our escape within it." "The Song have agreed to cease their raids in the west and pay tribute to you, Father." "Peace without bloodshed is upon us." "Was there a sense of where the parley offer came from?" "Who is the administering hand?" "To this end, the Minister was wise to inquire." "They artfully evaded a direct answer." "But it would be safe to assume the Walled City is caught amidst a power struggle between the Chancellor Jia Sidao and the Empress Dowager." "Let the yellow birds battle over their defeat while we celebrate the well- crafted victory of Prince Jingim." "Yes." "Such an ugly little creature." "Yet men will kill for it." "Risk my wrath." "Betray their blood." "Because to them... it is fortune, not legacy, that changes a life." "Come to me." "What is wrong?" "I'm simply surprised." "By?" "Your attention these days seems to be occupied with..." "Chinese matters." "Ah." "Yes." "These Chinese, they... require careful attention." "Well, I should..." "have to watch her close." "Not something the Great Khan should be troubled with." "Let me find you someone more exotic." "An Indian." "A Zanzibari." "Perhaps, a Slav." "It's her..." "Her prowess is evident, yet simply not harnessed in the... proper manner." "Something that should be remedied with much practice." "You worry without cause, my lovely, favorite wife." "You have a place above all others." "Ceremonially." "Chabi... you have my devotion." "It is time to honor Jingim's Mongol triumph over the Chinese." "Your mother sent a message today." "An important message that arrived too late." "It cost me greatly." "But luck was with me." "I turned your mother's failure to my favor." "Still, mistakes demand correction." "I have a tale to tell you before sleep." "It's the Cricket Minister." "It's the Cricket Minister." "Look how they leap." "Look how they leap." "A victorious son!" "Ahmad!" "Long ago... the consort Yao Niang was the favorite of Emperor Li Yu." "She was a dancer, like you." "Emperor Yu believed that a woman's feet were the very essence of feminine beauty." "This is why he liked Yao Niang." "Her feet were small, delicate, perfect." "Women with such feet became coveted." "Measures had to be taken to keep their feet the perfect size." "Three inches long." "They had to be bound." "That is not how that happened." "I congratulate you, brother, on a fine accord." "You are now proven in battle and politics." "Warrior and diplomat." "And I beg forgiveness if I, at all, overstepped at the parley." "It was your hour, not mine." "Your aggression weakened the Song." "Wolf and crow, Ahmad." "I am just a bookkeeper." "I tally, I account, I serve." "It was our day." "Were we born of the same mother, we could not have worked together better as brothers." "A piece of linen... is wrapped over the four small toes... pulled under the instep and behind the heel." "Come." "Now, this linen... is tightened daily until the toes break, fold under the foot and flatten themselves against the sole." "The heel becomes slender over time." "And finally... the heel shifts forward to the ball of the foot, breaking the arch and forcing it upward." "My Lady." "The Khan is dissatisfied." "I am pained to hear such news." "As well you should be." "Show me." "Empress?" "Show me how you move." "I will remedy your flaws." "Do you think you would like to be one of these hallowed women?" "Like the beautiful dancer Yao Niang?" "Chancellor?" "Yes?" "Your mother should have started this years ago." "She causes you this pain." "Be still, my Sunflower." "Be still." "We are your ambassadors." "Please!" "Mercy!" "We are Song!" "I expect that sacrifice was a ruse the Great Khan had intended." "Hmm." "Do you worry for your father?" "My father brought his plight upon himself." "I know this." "It keeps sleep at bay, hmm?" "A persistent affliction since I was a boy." "And is it this affliction that sees you roaming at night on horseback?" "The canals called to me at home." "Here, the grasslands." "It is a demon like no other." "One who sleeps wherever he lays his head can never understand the beast." "You, too, My Lord?" "The distractions of rule occupy my mind when I should sleep." "You are a thinker, Latin, as am I." "This is good." "Amends must be made for your father's crime." "I understand." "You will decide his fate." "My Lord?" "Left to my vice regent, Yusuf, or myself, your father's punishment would be certain." "His thief heart would now be still." "I know the pain this will cause you." "I know compassion." "And you know our laws... our customs." "You will choose your father's punishment." "And then you shall find sleep."