"Close the door." Mingyu's voice called out, echoing around the small study as three men entered.
The Captain of the Emperor's Guard obeyed the direct order. The latch found the strike with a clean metal bite.
Three men stood inside Mingyu's study, each choosing a different distance from the table as if that alone could tilt the outcome.
Zhu Deming took the patch of floor that faced danger head-on. His mask catching a dull crescent of lamplight as he stared forward. His hands were loose at his sides by habit, not because he was calm.
Sun Yizhen found the shadow at the bookcase and leaned into it as if the wood were an old friend that understood jokes. His trademark fan was closed, but he had the 'devil-may-care' smile on his face that was at complete odds for who he truly was.
Sun Longzi stood as if at a post. Two paces from the threshold, his heels set, the Captain's uniform plain and newly his.
Mingyu did not sit, nor did he offer them a seat.
