The Qing Dynasty: Exposition-Climax

Chapter One
“Goodbye,” Sun whispered in Ayan’s ear, lightly brushing her fingertips against his cheek. He did not look at her; he only frowned. She stood up, also frowning, and turned to walk out of the door onto the streets of Guangzhou. It was dark outside, clouds covering the moon so that no light came from the sky. The pattern on Sun’s red dress was barely visible, but you could see the frays at the bottom and at the ends of the sleeves. She walked briskly, taking long strides as she passed building after building. Lanterns hung from the roofs, their light shining on the cobblestones below. Sun could hear doors shutting and men packing up their shops for the night. A familiar lullaby drifted down from a house above the market. It reminded her of the day she first met Ayan—a day exactly the opposite of this one. It had been a great day. It might have been the best day of her life. The sun was shining, and people had been crowding the streets, preparing for the market to open up. People lined up for food, clothing, and other items. You could find anything in this market. Sun had been walking with her sister, Lan, holding a basket full of vegetables they were going to sell. Lan had wandered from Sun’s side to line up at the fruit market, and Sun was left alone. A man had then walked up to her. He was tall, handsome, and dressed in military gear. He looked about a year older than she. She looked up and had seen him smiling at her. There was a small badge on the left side of his chest, indicating his status. He was a Manchu. She quickly looked away, and the smile had faded.
“Hello,” he had said. She did not want to respond. The Chinese were not supposed to speak to Manchu. Their contact was forbidden. “Hello,” he said again. He paused, a little smile crossing his face. “Do you speak?”
“Yes,” Sun had replied before she could catch herself.
“Okay,” he said. “My name is Ayan. What is yours?”
“Sun,” she said.
Sun shook her head, snapping out of the memory. It was once again the starless night, and a handsome man was no longer standing over her. It had been almost two years since that day, and a lot had happened. She had fallen in love with that handsome man. Their only problem was that their relationship was forbidden. He was born a Manchu, and she was born a Chinese. The rulers of China, the Manchu, wanted to keep their people separate from the people they ruled, and they would do anything to keep it that way.

Chapter Two
Sun awoke the next morning with a scowl on her face. She sat up on her mat, yawning and stretching her arms. Her sister walked in, holding a basket of clothing.
“Good morning Sun,” Lan said, placing the basket on the floor. “How did you sleep?”
“Not very well. I had nightmares,” Sun replied. She stood up and yawned again.
“Again?” Lan said. “How long has this been happening?”
“Ever since Ayan and I began fighting,” Sun said. Lan was the only one who knew about Sun and Ayan. She was the only one Sun knew she could trust with her secrets. “He doesn’t want to end this.”
“But you’re afraid you might have to,” Lan finished. She began to unfold the laundry in the basket and put it into the closet. “It is dangerous, Sun. I have told you this before. Manchu and Chinese are not supposed to mix.”
“And they could kill me if they find out. I know. But don’t you think love is worth it?” Sun brushed her long black hair out of her face so that she could see her sister.
“Not when it’s between love and your life, Sun,” Lan said, glancing up from her folding. She gave Sun a stern look.
“But what if it’s the love of your life?” There was a long silence, and Lan seemed to have nothing to say to that. She folded the last of the laundry and left the room. Sun dressed and made her bed solemnly; she was thinking about the past few months. So much had happened. She was lying to her family, her friends, even her own country—only for a man. Was he worth losing everything? Was he worth losing her family? Was this love worth betraying everything she knew and leaving it behind? She did not know. Her sister said that love was everything. But Lan had given up love for her family. She was in love with a man, but she was already arranged to marry another. She had chosen family. She had chosen Sun. Should she, Sun, choose Lan?
Sun’s thoughts were interrupted by her sister, who ran into the room, looking flustered. “Sun, two police men are here, and they want to see you,” she said, trying to be calm. The sisters walked out of the room together, hand in hand. They reached the entrance room, where two men in uniforms were waiting by the front door. Sun’s mother stood across from them, her face blank. Sun let go of her sister’s hand
“Sun Li Zou,” the shorter man said, looking at Sun.
“Yes,” Sun answered, staring back at the man.
He broke their gaze. “You need to come with us.”
“No!” Sun’s mother cried. She grabbed the man’s arm. “Why are you taking my daughter? Where are you taking her? She has done nothing wrong!”
“Actually she has,” the policeman said, talking more to himself than to Sun’s mother.
“What has she done? Surely it was nothing than could make you send her to jail. She is only a girl.” She let go of his arm and fell to the ground. “You cannot take her away,” she wailed, tears beginning to run down her face.
“Lady, don’t start crying. It’s nothing; really, we just need to take her with us for a little while. I promise. Everything will be okay. She will be okay.” He patted her on the back, looking awkward. But his shallow words seemed to have an effect.
She began to wipe her eyes, and stuttered out some words between sobs. “Thank you. You are a kind man,” she said, waving to him as he opened the door to leave.
“No, Mother, don’t,” Lan pleaded. “Don’t let them take her.”
Her mother ignored her. “Have her back by dinner, sir,” she said jokingly.
“We’ll try,” the taller man responded, adding a fake chuckle before he shut the door behind him.
“Where are you taking me?” Sun asked, trying to pry her arm from the man’s grasp. “What did I do?”
“We’re taking you down to the jail. We’ll tell you more there,” the taller man said. She noticed that on his badge (which also indicated that he was a Manchu) the name Wang was indented.
“Wang,” she said. He looked up at her, surprised that she knew his name. “Please tell me where you are taking me. I need to go home. I have a family to take care of. My father is very sick. My mother must work to keep us from getting thrown from our house. I have a little brother, and he is physically disabled. I am trying to go to school and get an education so that I can make money for my family,” she pleaded.
“Nice try, kid,” the short man said. His badge said Bao. “Close that mouth of yours or we can press more charges.”
Sun quieted down. The men took her to a carriage, pulled by two horses. ‘Guangzhou Police Department’ was printed on the side.
“Get in,” Wang said. He pushed her up the step and into the carriage, following in behind her. He shut the door, and Bao climbed in the other side. A poor looking man sat on the front of the carriage holding reigns and a whip. He snapped both and the horses began to trot down the street. The ride was long and silent; they passed shops and houses for fifteen minutes, and finally entered downtown. The carriage stopped with a jerk, and Wang opened the door to get out. He reached out his hand for Sun, but she brushed it away and got out on her own. As soon as she was on the street, Wang grabbed her right arm and Bao came around to grab her other arm a second later.
“This way,” Wang said. He seemed to be the leader of the two. The men led her toward a large building with bars over the windows.
“Is this a prison?” Sun said, struggling with the men to stop them from taking her into the building. They did not answer her. “Is this a prison?” She repeated, her voice growing louder and more high pitched.
The men were too strong, and they dragged her into the building. They threw her into an empty cell and went to stand across from her on the other side of the bars. “What am I charged with? You cannot just throw me into this cell and not tell me what I have done.”
There was another long pause before the two men spoke. Bao broke the silence. “You have been charged with treason. We know about your romance with the Manchu boy.”
Sun’s eyes grew wide, but then she caught herself and pretended to not understand what they were saying. “What are you talking about?” She worried that her voice was unconvincing.
“Don’t play stupid with us. We have a witness,” Wang said. Bao smirked at him.
“A witness to what?” Was she playing the stupid act too strongly?
“Someone knows. I don't know how, but they came to us and turned you in. They saw you two together,” Wang said. He seemed to be getting a kick out of playing along with her.
“Manchu and Chinese are not allowed to be together,” Wang continued. “You do not talk to us unless we talk to you. It’s the rule and the law.”
“I know. But I haven’t broken the law. I promise.”
Wang and Bao chuckled. “Right,” Wang said, a little bit of sarcasm in his voice. Then both of the men walked to their desks and pretended to be focused in their paperwork.
How did they know? Sun thought. They were careful. They did not go out in public. They did not let anyone see them. They did not tell anyone except for Lan. Sun cleared her mind for a moment. She sat and stared at the ground, and then it came to her. Lan. The only one who knew was Lan. But she would never do this to her. She would never betray her sister! Unless she was jealous. Or maybe she wanted what was best for her. A tear dripped off of Sun’s chin, running down her chest. It stopped and soaked into her dress, leaving a dark spot on her collar. Lan would never, ever do that to her. Or did she not know her sister as well as she thought she did?