"You seem sure of that," Eirian commented.
Lord Yin smiled like everything he was saying wasn't making him more and more suspicious. "There is no reason not to be hopeful. There are always trying times, but no matter how hard they are, people always make it through."
So he was an optimist, that was interesting. "I suppose so." Eirian wandered further down the hall, studying the tapestries as she went, but they were all more of the same. "Do your children share your opinion?"
"Mostly." He smiled. "They have their moments, but optimism in my experience can come with age. When I was your age, everything always seemed so big, so important; the slightest failure was the end of everything. But as I survived and went on, I realized that I had survived each one, and I continued to do so. I became more optimistic with each one, and now I find it impossible not to be optimistic."
"Interesting takeaway," Eirian muttered.
"Life needs no help being interesting." Lord Yin said cheerfully and led her into a small solarium where tea and cakes were waiting. "Please, make yourself comfortable." The room was done in the family colors of burnt orange accents and black, but somehow it wasn't a terrible eyesore.
Eirian took a seat on a luxurious black couch and watched Lord Yin as he took a seat across from her. Between them, steam rose from a large teapot, and pale colored cake was already sliced.
"How is Lord Ye?" Lord Yin picked up a cup of tea for himself.
"Busy." Eirian picked up her own and took a sniff. Rose tea, a favorite of high society, even though it was easy to come by.
"I hope he finds some time to relax. Balance is important."
"It'd be easier if his court were cooperating." She watched him over the rim of her cup as she took a sip.
Lord Yin's smile fell. "Are we not cooperating?"
"I'd hardly call going after each other cooperating."
Lord Yin's frown deepened. He seemed disappointed, not that Eirian particularly cared. "Personal feelings should not be involved in this matter."
"I agree." Because Yin had overstepped as much as she was.
He seemed to agree, or at least understand, because he offered a small nod in acknowledgment.
"Do you believe the rumors about Lord Zhao?" She asked, honestly curious.
"I do not think it matters in the end."
"That's not an answer."
Lord Yin sighed. "Those kinds of things do not happen by chance."
"I agree, but the rumors are about Lord Zhao in particular."
"And there is no proof either way. Personal feelings-"
"The idea that personal feelings can be completely removed from a situation is a fallacy. That would require removing humans from the situation, and if you did that, there wouldn't be a situation to begin with." Eirian snorted.
Lord Yin didn't seem amused by her point. "One can act without emotion."
"I disagree. One can be logical, can follow established lines of action even if you don't agree with them, but there is always emotion somewhere. It's foolish to think otherwise."
"It cannot be involved in this situation." Lord Yin insisted. "If it affects the outcome, it will always be in question. It will undermine the entire system."
"The system does not matter as much as the people in it," Eirian argued. "There is no system without the people."
"Lord Zhao is not a commoner at the mercy of the system." Lord Yin remained firm. "He is a leader of the system. It is a very different situation."
"He is still a human in the system." Eirian shook her head. "Sacrificing anyone, regardless of their level in the system, is not acceptable. It does nothing but undermine everything."
"But we cannot allow the system to fail, Princess. It is the only thing that keeps order in this world. If it fails, everything falls into chaos, and even more people would be hurt." Lord Yin put down his tea. A world of chaos would see hundreds of thousands dead and even more suffering. "It may not always work, but it is successful if it works most of the time, and it does. Losing that would cost far more lives than just Lord Zhao."
Eirian sat back, recalling a lesson her Uncle Jacques had fought hard to instil in her and that her father had fought every step of the way. "The system exists to serve the people. The same as the throne. The same as every noble in society. Or at least that's how it's supposed to be. I'm sure you've been around long enough to see how easy it is for power to corrupt."
"I have. That is part of my concern now. Why are you so sure Lord Zhao had no part in what happened to his soldiers? He was the one who sent them to that outpost." Lord Yin pointed out.
Eirian pursed her lips, frustrated. She hadn't meant to make a point that also supported Lord Yin's argument. She was letting her emotions get in the way, and it was embarrassing to realize. "That was a standard deployment of troops to the area of most conflict. That location was agreed on by the entire court. Lord Zhao pushed his troops out early to support the Camelia when the rest of the court failed to be ready. One could make the argument that he was set up by a fellow noble."
Lord Yin paused. Eirian could practically see the wheels turning behind his eyes.
"If any other lord were to have readied their troops first and sent them out, they would have gone to the same location. Unless that was also part of the plan?" She fell silent, letting him think.
It took several minutes before he'd gathered his thoughts. "You are correct. That does seem to support Lord Zhao's innocence. You seem convinced it was someone on the court."
"Who else would have the resources or knowledge?"
He inclined his head in reluctant agreement.
"Who else would have the motivation?"
"There are many outside the nobility who aspire to join it." Lord Yin murmured. "Though Lord Zhao would be a lofty target for a first attempt."
"Too lofty." Eirian agreed. "Does your family have a conflict with the Zhaos? Or the Ye family?"
Lord Yin's face fell. "No, of course not." He looked perturbed by the very idea. "My family has no grudges. I have never seen much use for them; all they do is exacerbate hurt and terrible situations."
"That makes you unique among men." Eirian drawled, amused at what she believed was a lie.
~ tbc