144 A half brother

Second Master lay in his cot, mulling over his conversation with their host. Nothing had surprised him, his father's drunkeness, his stupidity, the fall out. No, nothing surprised him, but he knew it was down to the next generation to find a solution. 

The Mu family had been humiliated. Their only daughter, who was being escorted to meet her future husband, had been deflowered and was no longer a virgin. She had been raped by a drunken man preparing to collect his own bride the following day. They had every right to be angry with the Chen family, so why did Grandfather Chen do nothing regarding his errant son? Or did his grandfather never know? Did his father know what he had done? Did he realise he had strayed outside the horehouse and into a respectable boarding house? Did he not realise in his drunkeness that the protestations were genuine? 

Probably not. 

Second Master turned on his side. 

Then there's the humiliation for the Zhang household. With great pride and fanfare they had applauded her falling pregnant so quickly, only to discover the truth when the child was born. They had been nuturing a bastard. Not one drop of Zhang in its system; all Mu and Chen heritage. The family must have reeled at the truth when it came out. They must have endured ridicule in their social circles. But that was the only child. What to do? Kill it and try again with a second wife?

Second Master shuddered, they had even more right to be furious with the Chen family, so why did he never hear of it?

Turning again, his mind continued to race. If that had been his father discovering his beloved wife had been raped by a Zhang and..... his father would have gone on a killing spree. 

He shifted once more, becoming more and more wound up, less comfortable in his own skin.  He knew he had to do something. This couldn't continue to fester any more. Small scars once picked, grow into mighty wounds.

He started to think of his own beginnings. He, himself, had been conceived not long after his parents had been married. He was the product of a Shipao and Chen alliance which had kept the two borders stable all these years. He was probably about four when his younger brother was born and not long after that, his mother died. So father had only been with his wife for about five years at most. In a way, this was his karma coming back to him. Second Master managed a smile; 'you sow what you reap, father'.

Was his father alone from then on? 

Did he play the prostitues?

Did he have a woman settled somewhere as a kept Mistress?

Second Master remembered his drunkeness and how he would haul his younger brother out of bed to beat him. Whilst a baby, wet nurses hid him so he couldn't be killed. It was a miracle Hao had survived, and to remain kind, more than a miracle.

Second Master turned again, but sleep would evade him, he knew that. He gave up, and started pacing by the window. 

He had a half brother, but how was he to move forward on this information? Face his elder half brother? Try and make a peace between them, that was deeper and perhaps stronger than the treaty they had signed for a mutual peace and existance?

Then again, how much of this memory still burned in the Zhang's heart? His whole life had been built around the truth of it, and everywhere he went, everything he did, was tainted by his father's actions. He had only lived through the adopted family's tolerance, and their need for an heir. 

Second Master could understand Zhang's hatred would be considerable. It explained so much about how they were treated whilst at the Zhang barracks. It explained the man's complete distain for all of the Chen army, why they were treated as dogs; this would have been no more, no less than what he himself had endured.  

 Sitting at the writing desk in the corner of the room, he began sketching out a letter.  It would be one from a half brother to another. One from a brother who's father had been the hand of wrong doing and from a son who had known nothing of this affair until now. There was no pride, no guile, just heart felt sadness and humiliation because of his/their father's indiscretion. 

It was an apology for the wrong caused, but it also came with the caviat, that there was nothing he could do to right these wrongs and he hoped that as the sons grew in stature, they could rise above their shared father's stupidity.

He read and reread the letter. Rewrote it and dismissed it, starting again, in the hope it came across humble and apologetic without sounding weak and pathetic.

Reading it one more time, he placed his seal upon it and folded into a leather pouch. Calling to his orderly, he handed the letter to him and told him to get it to Commander Zhang, post haste. 

He wanted a reply. 

He wanted a face to face with his/their father. He was going to get to the bottom of this even if his father had a coronary. From now on he wouldn't take anything from his father. 

But afterwards he would wait in Shipao for Commander Zhang to contact him.

With decisions made, he climbed back into his cot and fell into fitful sleep.

 

 The next morning was busy as they prepared to move onto Shipao.

"When do you think we will get there?" Poon asked

"By my reckoning, we have one more day, a last night under the stars and then back in Shipao." Second Master turned to Poon. "You are going to head off straight away? I don't need to escort you further do I?" 

 Poon shook his head, "No, you've done a good job bringing us here. Thank you Sir, and if I have to fight in the future, let me join the Twin Hammers and fight along side."

They took each other's forearms and smiled. In the short time they had been together, they had formed a bond of friendship which both hoped would stand the test of time.

Saying their goodbyes to their host, the small band took off for the final leg of their journey. Second Master pondered the inevitable argument with his father. He wouldn't be backing down this time and he wouldn't be affording this man piety either.