When Grandpa escorted Zeng out, they both felt the country's unease like a chill under the skin. Zeng had been out early that morning and returned with nothing but silence...and that silence made all of them nervous. They still didn't know which of the royal consort's had died.
"Zeng, sit down... I can't stay here. We have to go together. Wait for me; I'll be right back," Grandpa said.
He didn't wait for Zeng to answer; he hurried back inside the house. When Wei Po and the others saw the way he returned, they too grew alarmed. No one could explain what had happened, and Grandpa told them simply that he was going to the Beiping empire.
Mah's hands began to tremble at those words. She sank to the floor, certain now that either Zhan or Babiy had disappeared. That morning she'd woken from a dream of Zhan crying and calling for help; now her heart only turned toward him again.
By the time Grandpa and Zeng reached the Beiping empire, the city was a boil of unrest....protests spilled into the streets and security forces blocked whole avenues. It had been difficult to get into the capital; even asking around their neighborhood yielded no news. Whoever they asked insisted no one had come by. That increased Grandpa's worry: beyond this route there was only one person to turn to....a tall friend who lived in the palace....but reaching him in the current chaos was no easy task.
★ BARRISTER ★
Despite the turmoil sweeping the country, the Barrister left that morning. He understood, better than most, how the headlines and the cases had begun to intertwine: the missing and the dead were tangling with evidence from his own investigations. The idea that a Babiy son might have been killed struck him sharply; he steeled himself and kept his appointment.
Today he didn't find Li Wuxia in the sitting room, but the man's reputation had preceded him and the Barrister received a proper welcome. After about forty minutes, Li Wuxia entered in traditional robes; the Barrister stood to greet him respectfully, and Li Wuxia returned the courtesy.
While they were exchanging pleasantries, a messenger burst in to announce the arrival of a group of honored visitors. Barrister Aas was surprised to see them...they were prominent figures.....but he masked his shock and observed them as one who knows their faces: they treated Barrister Lie Hua with deference. He smiled modestly.
"Don't worry. We stand with you; we will protect your reputation," one of them said warmly. Gratified, they began to unpack the documents they had brought.
The Barrister gave a private smile: outwardly calm, inwardly uneasy at the hidden work he'd been doing. He had never expected Barrister Lie Hua to be capable of such shadowy undertakings.
"Barister, can we rely on you?" Li Wuxia asked bluntly.
He drew a quiet breath and relaxed his shoulders. "Everything you need is within reach. But before we proceed I must say something....for reasons of strategy."
"Speak. You have our full attention."
"This case....everything I've gathered is here," the Barrister said, tapping the bag he had brought. "But because of the way I was assigned the work, I want to make a recommendation. I've seen where the weak points are, and I think we must seal certain openings before anyone can exploit them. I only mean to advise, given what I know."
Silence fell, then they turned to Li Wuxia for confirmation. He nodded, assuring them there was no problem. Together they let out a collective breath, and one by one they voiced their support.
"Barrister, we trust you. Even if you don't yet know everything about this case, we will not let any loophole be exposed. We'll back you in every corner of the country," Li Wuxia vowed.
"Thank you for your confidence," the Barrister replied, bowing.
"You have nothing to fear. You are worthy of this," another said, smiling and handing over the bag. They opened it like children on a feast day, spreading out documents and evidence. As they skimmed, their faces lit with approval for the Barrister's work.
Among the visitors was Hyun Tai....a powerful magnate in the Beiping empire, a leading gold trader whose influence had become central to the country's wealth. He was a man of big presence; everyone knew his name. At another end of the group sat a dignitary whose role was more ceremonial, yet his posture before the Barrister was formal and exacting.
"Barrister, what do you need to know now?" the dignitary asked.
"Good...that's settled. What I care about are the threads this case has exposed. I reviewed all of Barrister Aas's files, and it looks as if he uncovered where the people we thought were in your custody are actually being held. Remember: even before he disappeared he showed up near the Tian village, close to the late man's widow. What worries me is this: if someone besides Barrister Aas knows that secret, then whoever is watching the station you thought was safe will pose a threat later on."
They exchanged grim smiles. Hyun Tai shifted in his seat and folded his hands, visibly uneasy at Barrister Aas's name. "What you're saying is serious. That's why we already put contingencies in place before today. From the outset of this case we've kept a close eye on everything, so keep calm. They're not at the police station now; we moved them for safekeeping long ago. Tell me plainly....what else are you worried about?"
The Barrister gave a thin smile, trying to steady himself. "What I'm asking is this: within the next two days we must act decisively across Beiping and round up anyone connected."
"That's understandable," Hyun Tai said. "But we can't simply rush them out and expose them; the very reason they were moved means they can be found if handled clumsily."
The Barrister hesitated....he didn't want to invite suspicion....then said, "Moving them won't solve the root problem. From my own follow-up there's a deeper issue tied to Barrister Aas's disappearance."
At that, everyone in the room leaned forward. Li Wuxia fixed the Barrister with a stare and asked, "What exactly do you mean?"
"Let me explain," the Barrister said. "If you follow the reports, you'll see... there's still no trace of human remains inside Aas's car. That anomaly grabbed me from day one. I investigated and I'm convinced: Aas is alive, but he's gone into hiding deliberately. He's capable of much more than you suspect. That's why simply killing off these people now isn't a solution. We should put distance between them and the country so they can't trace our operations, and then arrange for a public case that will expose whoever is protecting Aas....in a way that destroys Aas's reputation without his foreknowledge."
Silence followed; the room tightened with tension.
Hyun Tai wiped his brow and composed his expression into one of concern. "We can't execute that kind of public action right away," he said. "But go and prepare. You'll hear further instructions by phone."
"Understood," the Barrister replied, outwardly calm even as a private part of him smirked at the thought that a far greater power was involved than they had realized. He also noted the lavish escort the others had brought to the meeting.
★★... TWO DAYS LATER ...★★
Over the next forty-eight hours events multiplied across every front.... and the bad developments were the loudest. By now the people of Beiping had made their dissatisfaction with King Yibo abundantly clear.
What began as scattered protests in a few provinces had spread into a nationwide movement. Shockingly, some major provincial rulers and powerful local figures even sided with the demonstrators. The world's attention began to focus on the unrest and its causes.
The thing that has most inflamed the public is King Yibo's indifference. Inside the palace his council is split down the middle: some demand he step down, while others insist he alone deserves the throne.
Among ordinary people there are still a few loyalists, but they lack the power to influence the protests; most have fallen silent, reduced to spectator status.
ZHAN
Over the past two days, as the Beiping empire has convulsed, Zhan has been unraveling. The tears in his eyes won't stop. He has shut himself away in a terrible, private fury: the grief and outrage of Prince Maiqing's family and the public outcry outside feel to him like children's play. If those who lost their fathers can tear the Palace apart, then he...who has lost his whole family....sees no reason to spare Beiping empire at all.
And yet the swelling ranks of the demonstrators only inflame him further. Astonishingly, some provincial rulers have openly encouraged the calls for the King's resignation; international attention is now focused on Beiping. That validates, in Zhan's mind, the dangerous course he is bent on.
All of this fuels the fire he has stoked for his own reasons. King Yibo's absence from public life....indeed whether he is even in the country.... doesn't concern Zhan now. His single-minded obsession is finding the venomous snake poison he needs. Inside the palace he has no trustworthy allies; outside, the only person he could once turn to is Sir Fenghui, and even Fenghui is now under suspicion in Zhan's eyes because of gaps in what he's told Zhan about what happened to Babiy. If he can disappear from the Palace, how can he reappear inside?
That dilemma has gnawed at Zhan for two sleepless days. He sees no one who can relieve him; those who might help are either too shaken by recent events or implicated themselves. He has planned everything: today, after four in the afternoon, he dressed carefully in the ropes he had put on once before...deliberately neat, not theatrical. Though the empire convulses, Zhan slips out with his aides and heads to the late Prince Maiqing's quarters. He is surprised by the welcome he receives; he didn't expect such warmth. What he doesn't know is that the family's pity is mixed with the certainty that he, too, have been victimized by cruelty.
The attending physician...who had seen Prince Maiqing's wife before the body was discovered...had already told the family there was something deliberate and calculated about the attacks. That convinced them there was a deliberate campaign against Zhan's kind of life; it's why, once they heard the story Zhan had been telling, they resolved to protect him and give him the reception he did not expect.
For his part, with his grief still raw, Zhan comforted the family and dabbed his tears with a handkerchief. That cared-for, consoling presence raised his standing with them. Yet others in the palace now look at Zhan with suspicion...some even regard him as a spy for King Yibo, since he somehow survived the assassination attempt that killed others.
***
As Zhan had suspected, news of his visit to Prince Maiqing's quarters to offer condolences had already reached the in-laws and those close to King Yibo...including Dowager Ruyan and Daneen.
While he was out, Daneen called him. He let the first call go to voicemail, and only after about ten minutes did he call her back.
She answered on the second ring. Zhan cleared his throat and greeted her, trying to keep his voice steady. Daneen replied with equal care. He was waiting for her to bring up the reason for his visit to late Prince Maiqing's quaters, but instead she asked something that had nothing to do with his trip.
"I called about His Majesty," she said. "I'm worried about his behavior. The unrest is spreading across the country; things are getting worse and worse. We've all tried to reach him by phone but he isn't answering. I'm beginning to suspect if he's still inside the palace."
Zhan forced a rueful smile, then lowered his voice. "That thought crossed my mind too, Mamy. But I don't know how to proceed...you and the elders aren't saying anything."
"This is bigger than you realize, son," Daneen said. "There are problems and powerful forces at work that will make themselves known in time."
"Please, Mamy...what exactly is going on?" Zhan asked, anxious.
Daneen took a breath. "I don't want to alarm you. For now I only ask you to try: see if you can find out whether His Majesty is still in the palace."
"Understood, Mamy," he answered. "It will be difficult....you told me that when he shuts himself away he hears no one. I'm not sure he will listen to me."
Daneen's laugh was soft but persuasive. "If he won't listen to us, that doesn't mean he won't listen to you. Try, and we'll see."
Zhan gave a quiet assent and they ended the call.
----
Prince Deng put his phone down after finishing a call, his face shifting from the easy expression it had worn moments before. Prince Langya looked up, noticing the change. "What happened?" he asked.
"It's going to happen," Deng said curtly, rising to his feet. Langya closed his own call and straightened. "I don't understand what you mean, brother Deng," he said.
Deng only sighed and then snapped, "Hyun Tai has reopened that old, foolish claim from the night of the explosion. He's making trouble, and now he's telling everyone that Barrister Li Hua....the one who worked that assignment they sent him on....is the one spreading the story that Barrister Aas didn't die."
"You mean they're saying he's the one who confirmed Barrister Aas survived?" Langya asked.
"That's the point that drives me crazy," Deng said. "How could someone who had a bomb go off with him still be alive? It makes no sense."
"Still," Langya argued, "their allegation deserves a second look, brother. I felt uneasy the moment the bomb exploded, but the security forces insist there were no body inside the car or near by..."
"So why did you stay quiet?!" Deng snapped.
"What do you want me to do? I told you about this possibility before: that the blast might have thrown him out of sight, that he could be alive but hidden. Yesterday's claims only cemented that worry. I begged you then to consider their theory....now look where we are." Langya received the rebuke in silence, stung but subdued.
Silence fell as Prince Deng pressed his palms to his face and rubbed his jaw, thinking back....he was certain it had happened. But this operation happening inside the palace, and the fact that King Yibo's whereabouts were unknown, pulled his attention in a dozen different directions; he couldn't settle to study the matter properly, and he didn't want to reveal everything to Prince Langya.
Prince Langya, for his part, wasn't ready to open up either. Still, both men understood they had to stop playing games. Each put his private plans aside and faced the other.
"I think if we accept the Barrister's proposal we need to move fast," Deng said. "We must get to that boy before our window closes. If Barrister Aas is alive, he will definitely won't be hiding out in a room for rest....you know how he is."
Prince Langya nodded. "You're right. So what shall we do?"
"One thing," Deng replied. "We'll let the male consort make the first move... let him step forward before the two days are up. Once you've taken the throne, we'll make a public show of seizing him wherever he is."
Langya smiled openly, though inwardly he thought, (Good....you've made my climb to the throne a little easier.)
Zhan's phone buzzed just as his call with Daneen ended.
When the other incoming call appeared, Zhan almost ignored it; he didn't recognize the number. But he answered, thinking it might be Sir Mulan....his last message had asked that Sir Mulan call if he saw it.
"Hello," the voice said immediately. Zhan heard the greeting and remove the phone from ears, curious to identify the caller. Deng straightened his voice as if he were addressing someone important, which made Zhan return the phone to his ear.
"You're speaking with Prince Deng," the caller announced. Zhan realized who it was and greeted him respectfully. Deng appreciated the deference; Zhan's tone reassured him.
A brief silence followed the greetings, then Deng cut to the chase. "Son, I've been waiting to hear from you, but there's only silence. Are you sure you believe what you saw?"
Hearing that question struck Zhan in the chest; tears came back to his eyes. He wiped them away and replied, "It isn't about belief, Your Highness. I just want to understand why you did what you did, to me. If I remember correctly, you are Uncle to King Yibo....how could you choose me over him? You could have confronted him yourself, if you were acting on principle. Why didn't you approach one of the late royal consorts with this task when other royal families lost children in that tragedy?"
("Smart boy," Prince Deng thought.) He cleared his throat and, with composed dignity, looked eyes with Prince Langya across the room, who had been listening. "You'll get the full explanation in person. I'll send a time and address...we should meet."
Zhan hesitated, then nodded. "Alright. I'll be there." They exchanged farewells and hung up.
Prince Langya let out a short laugh. "That boy will cause trouble once he gains a foothold in the palace. Listen to his tone....he's fearless and bold."
"Exactly why we must finish our business quickly," Deng replied. "He clearly has the nerve to enter the palace and the kind of resolve to go after a king. Boys like him are rare, and when they attach to power, they can become dangerous. I don't plan to lose him as an ally...he's precisely the kind of bold pawn we need, and if not that... I will probably make him my concubine in the future."
Langya chuckled and looked at his brother. "So you haven't given up, Deng? I thought you were done with this lust."
"You don't understand, Langya, the boy was so beautiful and handsome with perfect structure like he created himself" Deng said, smiling as he leaned back. The image of Zhan....fierce, composed, not a boy to be underestimated....kept tugging at his thoughts. Langya, too, admitted to himself that ever since he'd seen Zhan when he spar with King Yibo, the boy had been on his mind. He just composed himself after he married Jasrah, but now his attention still kept drifting back to Zhan.
Quick note for readers... a little background before we continue. (Earlier the feud between Prince Deng and Prince Langya was public and bitter, especially compared with their rivalry with King Murong...but some years after Murong's accession they patched things up on the surface. Their hatred, though, simply went underground.
Their alliance actually grew out of the same kind of brutality. At certain ritual festivals they'd send their people out to lure young girls....not by invitation, but by force or trickery; girls were taken, abused, then hidden where no one would see them. After they'd wreck the girls' lives they'd discard them. When news finally reached King Murong his outrage led to tighter protections for women in the kingdom and a reworking of the ritual rules.
Deng's temper boiled over; by then they start abusing palace's commoners children, and the situation spiraled. Each tried to outdo the other in displays of power and ownership. Shockingly, Deng and Langya even agreed to share one girl between them.... a barbaric arrangement born of equal arrogance. They ruined her life and left her dead. The palace hushed the scandal; officially she'd been "lost" during the festival. That shared culpability is what bound Deng and Langya together behind the scenes - Deng, it should be said, is the more ruthless of the two, the one Prince Langya took instructions from.)
If you understand fine...if not, then just skip ahead. 😅
★★ BARRISTER ★★
Meanwhile, Barrister Li Hua was waiting for a call from Hyun Tai. They had a long conversation: the plan involved taking Babiy and Huan out of the country and intensifying the search for the people who were sheltering Barristers Aas, their enemy....the disguise operation Barrister Aas himself had proposed.
What thrilled Barrister Aas most was being trusted with the task of getting Babiy and Huan out... though in reality he presented himself as only advising. The others insisted he was the right man for the job, and that they would assign no one else for fear he might disappear on them. After some hesitation, Barrister Aas accepted. They were pleased: in their view, if things get out of hands, they'll remove their hands and leave him with everything.
When Barrister Aas understood their motives and promises...despite their brutality....he could only smile, a little stunned by the selfishness of the world. He thought:
Self-interest is the root of so much ruin in this world.
The ruler only knows his own power.
The rich know only their advantage.
The commoner only knows his need.
The learned man only knows his books.
The ignorant man only knows his ignorance.
Parents only know their desire than the children's.
Young people only know themselves.
A child only knows his happiness.
Everyone views the world through their own need. The passions that govern lovers, parents, children....all of them can make people commit atrocities. Selfishness builds envy, cruelty, hypocrisy, betrayal. It corrodes trust and destroys compassion. Once selfishness sets the tone, truth itself recedes from hearing and sight.
Zhanxianyibo💚❤️💛