Spring, Twelfth Year of the Xin Zhuo Emperor

Eshak the Sha was tired. It had been a busy day working at the stables and gardens of Lord Buzhong’s menagerie feeding animals, watering plants, harvesting fruits, trimming leaves, sweeping paths and cleaning stalls, ending the day as he always did, drained, slightly sore, filthy, but still happy.

The Sha was always proud of what he accomplished as the head gardener of Lord Buzhong’s Gardens. A wonder of Anping, Lord Buzhong’s Gardens were the pride of their owner and a source of immense prestige among the members of the court residing in the capital, boasting a wondrous palette of colors and fragrances from flowers collected all over the known world and a mass expanse shaped like a miniature Jiangshan, complete with ponds and streams for real rivers and lakes and trees and rocks for real forests and mountains. Most extraordinary however was the menagerie, a large ring of partially sheltered enclosed stalls that held the most astonishing creatures found around the realm: massive exotic beasts of the South, some with long proboscis and tusks like swords, others cat-like but black as the night wandered or prowled about the bamboo groves, great raptors from the grasslands of the North, able to dive from the sky and pick up a human in its talons, camels and scaly creatures of the deserts of the East, sunbathing or fighting over scraps of meat. Even dolphins and carp the size of ships of the sea calmly swam about the lakes. Everyone in the capital- including the Emperor himself as well as the previous two Emperors- visited the zoo, giving Lord Buzhong great social status. The whispers in the capital were in fact that the Master of Ceremonies got his position purely because of his impressive gardens, and that emperors even housed their own special creatures there, stories that were so prevalent that wealthy and powerful individuals gave favors or even paid to hold their own exotic creatures in the garden, hoping for some of that immense glory to flow over to them as well.

Consequently Lord Buzhong threw mass amounts of wealth into keeping his garden pristine and presentable and that in turn went to Eshak, his best-treated worker and the supervisor of a dozen other garden employees. The Sha was treated well, but he also was driven incredibly hard every day to make the whole grounds run smoothly.

As the sun began to set, Eshak went back to his brick hut in the back of the gardens next to the toolshed and nursery. Two lanterns added a cheerful welcome to his doorway as he entered. Inside were two small but cozy rooms, each lit by another lantern. In the first room the stove was already toasty- courtesy of Suna the Fire-tender- while in the center of the room sat a large tub filled with hot water thanks to his friend Rouan the Water Bearer. Wiping the accumulated sweat of a day from his brow, the Sha immediately stripped off his shanku and hung it over the doorway, then climbed into the tub. It was just the right amount of warmth, and Eshak mentally thanked Rouan again-his friend knew him well to time the temperature properly. After scrubbing himself from top to bottom, the gardener finally sank to his head and relaxed, ears in the lukewarm waters.

A few minutes later, a gentle knock reawakened the Sha, and Yutuo walked in, carrying a large tray of steaming noodles and banchan, as well as a kettle of tea.

“Ah! Another long day for you, Eshak?” The young server asked brightly. “I noticed you didn’t show up in the dining room, so I bought a meal for you.”

Eshak got up with a smile. “Thank you, Yutuo. You really didn’t need to.”

The server placed the tray down upon the table, then gradually set the steaming bowl and individual small plates.

"The next time you think you wouldn't make it to dinner let me know, and I can bring out meals together and keep you company."

"That'd be very nice Yutuo, but you know that I usually don't have my meals in the dining room. I usually am just too tired. But perhaps one of these days."

Completing her task, the server gave the bathing Sha a nice smile, though perhaps with a small touch of compassion.

"Yes, perhaps one of these days. I frequently see you alone after work. Let me know."

"I'll try. Thanks."

After Yutuo closed the door behind her, the Sha got out of the tub, dried himself off, and had his supper. He always felt refreshed after bathing, and his home was clean enough that he didn't feel the need to clothe himself until the next morning. Instead after his meal Eshak went to his second room, and from a small locked chest beside his bed pulled out his most prized possession: a wooden stringed instrument with a pear-shaped body. Taking his pipa, the Sha sat upon his bed and plucked a few strings, making clear, distinct twangs that echoed through the room, before he adjusted the tuning keys. A few more test plucks, and Eshak began playing a song, a lonely tune of the deserts and mountains of the West. As he played, the Sha immersed himself into his song, and he reminded himself about his family and his homeland.

The son of a small family of Sha traders, Eshak had expected to take over his father’s caravans trading shipments of sandalwood and spices and gold across the Tocharian Basin between Jiangshan and Jaxartia after a few years. However fate intervened, and after a large shipment of goods were lost in a flash flood with their camels, Eshak’s family fell into debt, and one day while still working with his father as a teamster within the Celestial Empire, the young Sha was seized by creditors and sold into slavery. After violent fights and threats of self-harm, the only thing that Eshak managed to hold onto as his own was a pipa given to him by his mother. It reminded him of his family and his home, and no matter how tired or sick, he played it every night for the next ten years. With the instrument in his possession and little else, the Sha became a laborer of public works projects, where his diligence and energy soon got him the attention of wealthy landowners. His masters quickly learned that the boy was faithful and punctilious-with one exception: messing with his pipa or his evening time for playing it meant resentfulness, rebellion and neglect, regardless of the punishment, and most of Eshak’s owners soon learned to give him that space and time. After several years and a few owners, the Sha caught the eye of and was purchased by Lord Buzhong, who made him a retainer working on a new menagerie the wealthy baron was setting up.

In only a few years, Eshak had gotten successful enough to rise through the ranks and become a supervisor, focusing on the increasingly popular gardens. In only a few years the Sha managed to accumulate enough to pay off his debts, and to Lord Buzhong’s immense sorrow and pleas of additional compensation, he left to rejoin his family. But the old residence was empty, and Eshak could find no further trace of his family in Jiangshan. After a year of unsuccessful searching, with dwindling funds insufficient to return to Jaxartia, the Sha shamefacedly returned to Lord Buzhong to continue his former occupation. Since then, the former trader and slave loyally returned to his labors, now not quite a citizen and not quite a slave, accumulating his wealth, playing his pipa, and seemingly biding his time.

Eshak played his pipa deep into the night, the haunting tunes echoing through the moonlit air. Finally by the twelfth watch he finally stopped, letting his music fade into the darkness, before carefully putting his pipa back into the chest and locking it before going to bed. Things were comfortable here, and all things considered Eshak had a good life and did good things that impressed everyone. Yet he was unsatisfied. The Sha was homesick, missed his family and was eager for a change in his life. Somewhere, as he drifted towards unconsciousness, he hoped the fates would be kind enough to give him the opportunity to achieve his goals.

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Wu Man- White Snow in Spring (Traditional)

Courtsey of  Sidj-6

Original (NSFW): https://www.furaffinity.net/view/50546382/