by JC Kang
Hong shrugged. “Once I am Chief Minister, and the indecisive Tianzi faces a united voice from the Tai-Ming, he will have no choice but to force his sister to marry your son.”
“You, the fishmonger, becoming Chief Minister?” Liu’s voice rose in laughter. “I can’t imagine that!”
As expected, the dunderhead missed the insinuation. Minister Hong clenched his jaw, promising retribution for the insult. It had been a mistake to make veiled suggestions to such a dense person, especially after alcohol had muddled his mind. “Then imagine this: your grandson, sitting on the Dragon Throne.”
Liu’s forehead scrunched. “How do you plan to accomplish this?”
“I have secured four of your brethren Tai-Ming who will support my candidacy as Chief Minister once Minister Tan retires.” Hong continued in a low voice, as if the walls could hear, “The Tianzi’s health has deteriorated so quickly in the last few years, I do not believe he has much more time left. His son has little interest in state affairs. He will be easy to manipulate.”
Liu cocked his head. “Crown Prince Kai-Guo is sufficiently capable, and certainly takes an active role in the council.”
“That is not the son I had in mind.”
Lord Liu burst out laughing. “What, you think Prince Kai-Wu will ascend the throne? Then you have my full support, just so I can see if you can make all those pieces fall in place. And of course, I want you to pledge that Princess Kaiya will become Dezhen’s bride.”
“You have my word of honor, my Lord. In the meantime, I need you to at least nominally support the Expansionists while we set things in motion.”
“What will be set in motion?” Liu’s eyes glazed over.
Without a doubt, in the debate between the Expansionists and Royalists, Lord Liu had little intellectual depth to consider the merits of either side. He would blindly follow the Tianzi, since his province had always benefited from imperial favor. Liu might not even know which side the Tianzi supported.
Hong suppressed a sigh. “Troop movements. Huayuan Province troops will move away from the capital and toward the northern border with Rotuvi. Dongmen troops into the Kanin Wilds. And of course, a grand invasion force to liberate Ankira from its Maduran occupiers.”
Liu shook his head. “The Tianzi will never authorize that!”
So Liu did know more than he let on, though apparently not much more.
“Remember, my Lord, we do not necessarily refer to the wise Tianzi Wang Zhishen.” Hong again stifled a groan, hoping—perhaps unrealistically—that Liu would at least remember his pledge to support his candidacy for Chief Minister.
The doors slid open, and one of Lord Peng’s men entered and bowed. “My Lords, for your safety, please come to the audience hall immediately. The Tianzi’s agents foiled a plot on Lord Han’s life, and there was another attack on Princess Kaiya here, in the compound.”
Hong’s heart skipped a few beats. More attacks he had not heard of... “Is the princess safe?”
The man nodded. “Yes, Minister.”
Hong relaxed his clenched fingers. His entire plan hinged on Princess Kaiya remaining unmarried. And still breathing.
Perhaps he should initiate the second phase of his plot earlier than he intended. Chief Minister Tan’s early retirement could not come soon enough.
But before he could do that, he would need to have Princess Kaiya sent away. It would remove her calming influence from the council, and keep her safe from whoever was trying to kill her.
Peng Kai-Long mused that his villa’s audience hall currently bore all the trappings of a council meeting. With the exception of the enigmatic elf Xu, all the Tai-Ming sat there, along with several of the Yu-Ming. As host, he relaxed on a cushion at the front of the room, just as the Tianzi would in Sun-Moon Castle. As he would, when he became Tianzi.
Then, Princess Kaiya glided in.
As protocol demanded, he yielded his seat.
Even if his blood boiled.
The incompetent assassins had foiled a plan he had in place for years. Not only that, they effectively closed the window of opportunity for killing Princess Kaiya, since the Tianzi would arrange near-impenetrable security around his family.
He might not even let them out in public at all. The Imperial Family could very well hole up in Sun-Moon Palace until the Tianzi’s spies uncovered the conspirators.
Kai-Long did not worry about himself in this matter. His funding of insurgents in the capital passed through many hands, leaving his own clean while falsely incriminating the Madurans.
The princess nodded as she slithered by, wearing the slippers that should’ve sent her tumbling to her doom. He smiled at her. His cheeks hurt from smiling so much.
No matter; he was safe from scrutiny. Many layers of disinformation insulated him from those pathetic Ankiran boys masquerading as Maduran Scorpions. Indeed, for all the surviving assassin knew, Kai-Long himself was the target in the teahouse. The convincing interrogation performed by the Tianzi’s agents would implicate Kai-Long’s gardener, a spy for the insurgents whom Kai-Long had hired years ago, just to be sacrificed at a time like this.
The only weak link was Minister Hong, who now tottered in and creaked to his knees. Did the wretched old man still serve a purpose? Kai-Long looked over to meet his supposed ally’s gaze. Minister Hong glared daggers at Young Lord Zheng, the heir to Dongmen Province.
Zheng Ming, in turn, repeatedly exchanged winks and grins with Princess Kaiya.
Kai-Long ground his teeth. Hong had given assurances she would reject Zheng Ming, but that certainly didn’t seem to be the case. Kai-Long cursed every orc god and goddess he could think of. Cousin Kaiya was not only alive, but maybe even one step closer to finally choosing a suitor and pushing out an heir.
He consoled himself with the old adage of finding opportunity in disaster. Even if some of his plans crumbled around him, at least other aspects of his scheme were working. With the failed attempt on Lord Han’s life, the Tai-Ming would make a scene during tomorrow’s council meeting. After the princess’ own brush with death, even she wouldn’t object to punitive action against Madura.
The princess lived, but he would still get the war he wanted.
CHAPTER 11:
Unwelcome Bedfellows
From inside the narrow confines of her palanquin, Kaiya heard five hundred imperial guards marching in tight formation. Like a funeral procession. Perhaps she’d died and now took her last journey in a coffin to a funerary pyre. The walls closed in around her. Her brush with death wove in with the terrifying childhood memory of being locked in a cabinet.
The pitching roiled her stomach, confirming she still lived. A deep breath of hot, stuffy air reassured her of the fact. At least the palanquin allowed for privacy. In the first hour after the attack, she’d forced herself to project an undaunted image. Now hidden from prying eyes, she allowed salty, hot tears to trickle unchecked down her cheeks.
The procession lurched to a stop. Kaiya used Zheng Ming’s kerchief to dry her tears. Her eyes felt heavy and swollen. Outside, a herald called, and large gates swooshed open. They had arrived at the palace.
“Dian-xia,” Chen Xin called from outside. “We have passed the palace’s front gates. Would you like to alight?”
Her act must have worked, for him to think she’d want to walk the rest of the way to the castle. Not tonight. The white moon neared full, ready to cast her vulnerability in its bright light. “No.” She cleared her throat. “Take me to the Jade Gate. No need to rush.”
Kaiya shuddered. The cracking of her voice revealed weakness. At least the trip from the main gate to the imperial family’s residence would provide time to regain her composure. In a way, the ride felt like déjà vu, like the time she’d faced Father after trespassing at the Temple of Heaven with Hardeep.
Just like then, when she had coped with the prospect of certain punishment, she now emotionally distanced herself from near assassination by envisioning the path: Past the Hall of Supreme Harmony. To the
Dragon Bridge between the palace grounds and the castle. Through the winding alleys of the castle compound.
The porters stopped and lowered the palanquin to the ground. The doors slid open and a hand—the chamberlain’s, from its phoenix feather-like smoothness—took hers and helped her out on to legs as wobbly as a newborn foal’s. Imperial guards by the gatehouse dropped to one knee, fist to the ground.
The chamberlain released her hand. “Dian-xia. The Tianzi will receive you immediately.”
With a nod, Kaiya forced herself into a semblance of grace as she crossed the covered stone bridge from the keep to the imperial family’s walled-off, hilltop residence. Moonlight sparkled off the gold leaf of the one-story pavilion’s tiled eaves. Surrounded by moats, the building was further protected from magical intrusion by an ancient ward.
As she approached the gatehouse connecting the bedrooms to the rest of the residence, her entourage of guards and handmaidens halted and knelt. Ahead of her, eight imperial guards stepped aside to reveal a familiar face.
The old nun from Praise Spring Temple raised a light bauble lamp to Kaiya’s face. To guard against magical disguises, like the illusion bauble from Wailian Castle, she spoke in the Imperial Family’s secret language to verify Kaiya’s identity. “Where did the Founder come from?”
“Great Peace Island.”
“What was the Founder’s motto?”
“All Under Heaven Swathed By Might”
The nun nodded. “What was the name of his castle there?”
A trick question, since he’d had many. “Which one?”
“The last.”
“Peaceful Earth Castle.”
The gatekeeper turned around and rapped a code—changed hourly—on the heavy ironwood doors. They slid open, revealing nine bowing nuns who straightened and formed up around her.
With them as an escort, Kaiya walked to the Tianzi’s quarters. Like her imperial guards, the protection had always seemed like needless formality. Before today.
Her brothers, both kneeling on cushions, met her gaze as she stepped into the bedroom antechamber.
Eldest Brother Kai-Guo motioned her to a cushion. “Doctor Wu is attending to Father.”
Kaiya knelt and bowed. Safe! Truly safe, for the first time in hours. A spring breeze off Sun-Moon Lake wafted in through open windows, cooling her down and calming her nerves.
Father’s wheeze rasped from the other side of the gold-painted sliding doors. From her place in the anteroom, she tried listening for his heartbeat. Her own pounding heart drowned out the sound of his.
Sick fathers, assassination attempts. Kaiya looked up to focus on something else. Lanterns with bloodwood frames around paper-thin white jade and dangling red silk tassels hung from the ceiling, providing a soft light from Aksumi light baubles. The ceiling was coffered, with jade insets carved to depict scenes from the Wang Dynasty’s glorious history. Lacquered wooden panels with mother-of-pearl inlay adorned the red walls.
The doors to the bedchamber slid open and Doctor Wu emerged. She cast a reproachful glance at Kaiya. “The Tianzi is weak. Worrying about his headstrong daughter riding exposed on a horse taxed him further.” She passed a scroll to Eldest Brother Kai-Guo. “Have him drink a decoction of these herbs twice a day.”
As Kai-Guo withdrew his hand, the old doctor snatched it up and pressed fingers to his pulse. She then beckoned Second Brother Kai-Wu over, who offered his right wrist as well.
Doctor Wu’s brow furrowed. “The same toxin courses through all of your veins, though it affects the Tianzi differently. I don’t know why I didn’t feel it in your pulses until today.”
Kaiya gasped. A toxin. How, with all the precautions?
Eldest Brother Kai-Guo frowned. “Doctor, I thought you knew everything about the body.”
The old woman shook her head. “There is no one thing that could cause this ailment, and I suspect most of the ingredients come from abroad.”
Lowering her voice so Father wouldn’t hear, Kaiya asked, “What is the Tianzi’s prognosis?”
The doctor answered in a low whisper. “The stresses of state tire him. He must rest, if he is to see the cherry blossoms bloom next year. You must ensure he does not hear any startling news.” With a stern glance at Kaiya, she bowed and slipped out of the room.
Eldest Brother Kai-Guo sighed. “With the New Year’s Festival fast approaching and the capital falling into chaos, we must share the burden of Father’s duties.”
Second Brother Kai-Wu pursed his lips. “We have to convince him to rest, first.”
Their eyes turned to Kaiya, prodding her to go speak to him. Her eyebrows knitted together, but her silent refusal was met with chin jerks in Father’s direction.
He broke the silence with a throaty voice coming from his bedroom. “My children, enter.”
They all rose and approached the entrance to the dimly-lit sleeping chamber, heads lowered.
Father eased himself up into a sitting position.
Hurrying over to help, Kaiya propped him up with cushions and pulled fur blankets to his gaunt chest.
“My children, I am very concerned about your safety in light of tonight’s events. I have decided you will have, in addition to your complement of imperial guards, an adept from the Black Lotus Temple accompanying you at all times. This is a secret order known only to a handful of the most senior imperial guards and Praise Moon nuns.”
Kaiya’s childhood friend Tian had been sent to the Black Lotus Temple. Mention of it usually tempted her to bring up the taboo subject. However, the idea of a man—even a celibate monk—watching over her sleep invited protest instead. What was the benefit in having a scholar or accountant as a protector? “Father, Chen Xin and Zhao Yue have protected me since youth, and they are unparalleled swordsmen—”
He raised a hand to silence her. “Yes, the imperial guards are the most skilled swordsmen in the nation. However, the Moquan adepts can recognize potential threats before they happen. I have one with me at all times, yet you have never even noticed.”
“Moquan?” Kaiya twirled a loose strand of hair. Perhaps the legendary thieves in the night were more than a mother’s tool for controlling unruly children. Maybe the Moquan guards explained all the times something sounded out of the ordinary around Father. Or the unexplained bumps in the night. “So they are real.”
Eldest Brother Kai-Guo nodded. “Yes, they are a secret only the Tianzi and his heirs know of.”
Male heirs, at least. So they existed. The strange shadow at Cousin Kai-Long’s teahouse. Perhaps a Moquan had rescued her. Even so, the idea of one watching over her sleep... She shook her head. “I don’t want one in my bedchambers.”
Father’s brow furrowed. “We suspect these recent attacks are the work of a renegade Moquan. You need those who understand their methods, even in your room. Your new guard will remain silent unless ordered to speak, or if there is imminent danger.”
It made sense. Still, the thought of someone besides her one familiar nun attendant violating the sanctity of her personal space... As if this night couldn’t get worse. Father clapped twice as Kaiya started to protest.
Three shadows dropped from the dark ceiling corners, landing soundlessly on the sablewood floors. They sank to one knee, fist to the ground. All were small, wispy figures, wearing black utility suits and masks.
As Father spoke, each of the dark shapes bowed their heads in silent acceptance of his order. “The Crown Prince and Princess will be protected by One. Two, your duty is to Prince Kai-Wu and his wife. Three, you must safeguard the Princess Kaiya. My command supersedes any they might give you.”
Kaiya scowled at the Moquan assigned to her, but Three’s body language showed no signs of intimidation. She tried to keep the irritation out of her voice. “Goodnight, Father. Let us speak again about this in the morning.”
With a curt bow, she spun on her heel and fled the room, closing the door before Three could follow.
After a quick jaunt through the halls, she
came to her sleeping chamber’s anteroom. Her usual nun attendant bent at the waist as she entered. Kaiya quickly shut the doors, just in case Three hadn’t gotten the message earlier.
With dexterous fingers, the nun untied Kaiya’s sash and eased the outer robe off her shoulders. Later, she would take it, and the inner gown, to the private dressing room just outside the restricted bedroom wing.
Kaiya’s gaze swept across the room to the stand where her plain white sleeping robe hung. What was that? A flash of black? She turned back.
A girl in black clothes sat in the corner near the door.
The nun gasped and interposed herself between Kaiya and the intruder. She raised her hands in a defensive position.
How had someone slipped in? Kaiya glanced toward her bed where she kept a curved dagger. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”
The girl bowed her head. “Forgive me, Dian-xia. It was not my intention to surprise you. I am...Three...whom the Tianzi assigned to protect you.”
Kaiya studied Three carefully. The girl had seemed little more than a tangible shadow in Father’s dimly lit room. Now in the bright light, she didn’t look to be much older than a young teen, short and lithe. Her dark hair was pulled back to reveal a slight point to her ears and particularly large eyes, belying a hint of elven blood. Though pretty, the girl lacked the ethereal exquisiteness of elves.
And the voice. It sounded so familiar. “Three, how did you get in?”
“I was right behind you, Dian-xia.”
Maybe the myths about the child-snatching Moquan were true. “Impossible. I closed the door right behind me.”
“Yet, I am here.” Three’s tone was blunt as a chopstick, with a hint of amusement. From behind her back, she produced a long knife—Kaiya’s own.
The nun snapped back into a defensive position, only to tentatively receive the blade when Three handed it to her.
“Remove this from the bed chambers,” Three said. “It is something that could be used against the princess. As long as I am here, no harm will come to her.”