The Secret Cardinal

66

Tian Yi found himself once again within the red brick walls of the Zhongnanhai compound, seated inside the Qing dynasty pavilion before three of the most powerful men in China. It was a chilly fall evening, the air moist after a day of drizzle. As before, Premier Wen sat in the middle, flanked by President Chong and Minister Fu.

‘Is the matter of Yin Daoming resolved?’ Wen asked.

‘Not in the way we desired,’ Tian replied. ‘I received confirmation that Yin and three others arrived in India this morning. They are presently aboard an Alitalia flight en route to Rome. Of the team that engineered Yin’s escape, most are dead. One, the leader, has been captured.’

‘But Yin has escaped to the West,’ Fu spat angrily. ‘How do you explain this failure?’

‘Had the security at Chifeng Prison been adequate, Yin would now be dead,’ Tian replied, deflecting the accusation back at Fu, whose ministry directed the nation’s prison system. ‘Once they were at large, the difficulty in tracking the fugitives grew exponentially. We were very fortunate to intercept them in Tibet, but our luck did not extend to preventing Yin’s escape.’

‘History tends to repeat itself for those who are foolish enough not to learn its lessons the first time,’ Chong offered. ‘Yin is going to Rome. If the last Pope felt he was worthy of being a cardinal, we can assume the next will follow suit. Yin’s escape will make him as famous in the West as the Dalai Lama. And if Yin is named Pope, he will become as vocal a critic of our government as Pope Leo was of the Soviets.’

‘Can the plane be intercepted?’ Fu asked.

‘Are you suggesting we shoot down a civilian airliner over international waters, thousands of miles from our territory?’ Tian asked.

‘Something must be done!’ Fu raged.

‘Yes,’ Tian said, ‘but what you suggest would brand China a rogue nation.’

‘It would bring down this government,’ Chong agreed. ‘Of course, having Yin free in the West might achieve the same result. The first suggestion notwithstanding, I quite agree with Minister Fu that something must be done, and done quickly. Otherwise, Premier Wen, you may become the Chinese Gorbachev.’

One of you will rule, Wen recalled, the other will lead.

‘What about our Italian partners?’ the Premier asked. ‘Were not their interests in line with ours regarding Yin?’

‘They were,’ Tian replied.

‘Then explain the situation to them in terms they will understand. What is at stake here is far more valuable to them than a safe place to launder their money. The billions they earn each year from trade in Chinese opium and weapons are at risk. When Yin reaches Rome, he must die.’