Meimei was the wife of the second youngest Yang and a cousin of the Yin family. As well as the most recent marriage in the Yang family, having only married in a few years before. Like her brother-in-law, she was still settling into the family, and most of her time was focused on her two very young children.
But she feared her husband and his family a bit more than Bo Malin.
"If someone in the family will testify that you were not involved, I will let you take your children and return to your families." Chenzhou offered gently. He didn't actually think any of the Yangs would do it. Not that the veil of greatness had been lifted from the family, they all seemed rather petty and self-absorbed. Chenzhou couldn't make himself feel anything other than contempt for them.
But….
He was not so angry, not so betrayed that he could make himself blame the children. And there were many to take into consideration now, since all of Lady Yang's children had children of their own.
He didn't think Eirian could either, no matter how much she said she could. He'd finally figured out what it meant when her eyes and her lips pinched at the same time. She was lying to herself, and she knew it, but couldn't admit it.
Meimei's husband scowled, and Bo Malin sneered. So maybe those marriages weren't as happy as they'd always seemed.
"They weren't involved." Heads snapped around at Hikari's words. His siblings' faces were outraged. "They never actively participated. We considered them… too new to be fully trustworthy." His own wife turned a furious glare at him.
Lady Yang's face went tight and still. Her eyes, blazing, locked on her son. Her heir. "Enough, Hikari."
For once, he didn't look to his mother. Ignoring her completely. "The children didn't know either. We never told anyone until they were over the age of majority, old enough to understand what could happen if they told the wrong person."
Eirian and Chenzhou shared a surprised look.
"Traitor." Hikari's wife hissed, but her husband ignored her, too.
"Why didn't you trust the adults?" Eirian asked.
"Bo Malin and Yin Meimei had family ties that were too strong, and neither of their families was an ally of the Yangs."
Eirian's eyes flicked to Yin Meimei. "I thought you were allied with the Yins?"
Hikari blinked. "Yes, but not in this. The Yins have never been part of… our family goals."
Meimei's relief was obvious. When her husband reached for her, she slapped his hand away.
"You're my wife." He hissed. "You're supposed to be at my side."
"Not when you're a traitor." She hissed right back.
Chenzhou motioned to Li, whose guards peeled Bo Malin and Meimei away from the other Yangs immediately.
Hikari was the only member of his family who didn't watch as they were escorted from the room. His eyes stayed on the floor in front of his feet, where they'd been since he'd been brought in.
Chenzhou took a step forward, eyes locked on the Yang heir. Yuze, Kai Low, and Li stiffened, poised and ready to intervene if this was the moment Chenzhou lost control. "What's wrong, Hikari?"
The Yang heir's eyes finally shifted, coming up to meet Chenzhou's.
"You've never been this quiet before." Chenzhou didn't mean to mock.
Well, maybe he did.
Mingzhe was dead because of Hikari and his family. Because they hadn't seen anything wrong with manipulating a child into betraying everything he believed in.
Hikari looked broken, now that Chenzhou could see him. But it had taken too long to be of any reward. "He wasn't supposed to die."
Chenzhou blinked. Eirian, incredulous. "You thought he was going to survive committing treason?"
"We- there was a plan." Hikari tripped over his words. "He wasn't supposed to-"
"Hikari, shut your mouth!" One of his brothers snarled. Li's guards swept in and pulled him back.
"You set him up to take the blame for everything," Eirian's voice rose, her magic leaking out. A few of the Yangs flinched. "And you thought, what? At the final hour, you'd just decide he wouldn't die?"
"He- You love him. You were supposed to save him."
Chenzhou and Eirian fell silent in shock.
"I thought you loved him enough."
Yuze was about to step in when Kai Low caught his arm and stopped him.
"Princess Soliel and Lord Ye have responsibilities as leaders of this estate." Teyla Vermeer broke in. "No matter how they may feel about someone personally, they must follow the law. They do not have a choice." She added the last part mostly for Chenzhou and Eirian, a brief moment of mercy.
Hikari's eyes were bleak. "I thought-"
"You thought I was a terrible leader." Chenzhou finished, defeated and victorious at the same time. "You thought I would put my personal desires above my responsibility to this estate."
"That still wouldn't have saved Mingzhe." Eirian shook her head. "The High Court would have recommended death."
"All you had to do was save his life… once we took control, I was going to return him to his former position."
The sureity of it all took Chenzhou aback.
Eirian scoffed. "And you thought what? Everyone would just forget everything that happened because you said so? What world do you live in, Yang Hikari? Mingzhe would never have been able to walk down a street, into a single room, without someone whispering. What kind of life is that?"
Hikari's expression didn't change, and Eirian realized that even though he'd heard her, not a single word had gotten through. It had taken Mingzhe's death to shake his loyalty to his mother, and there was clearly no one else he cared about enough to jar him again.
Eirian reached out and pulled Chenzhou back, letting Yuze and the others relax. "Your belief in your family is impressive, Hikari. I hope you carry the realization that that belief cost Mingzhe his life for the rest of your very short life."
Lady Yang snarled.
~ tbc