At a corner of the palace's elevated veranda, the Grand Minister stood with a cold dignity; his hands were concealed within his voluminous silk sleeves, his hawkish gaze fixed upon the circular sparring ground below. The Minister of Chariots and the minister of finance stood like two shadows on either side of him, half a step behind.
At the edge of the battlefield, Hēiláng (黑狼) leaned against one of the thick wooden pillars of the canopy. With arms crossed over his chest and a gaze that dissected every movement of the soldiers from beneath his thick black hair, he observed. In the arena, the Special Guard were clashing with heavy steel swords, yet to him, their movements appeared sluggish and amateurish. Suddenly, with a voice no less piercing than a sword's strike, Hēiláng bellowed:
"Stop!"
The field froze instantly. Breathless, the soldiers lowered their blades. Hēiláng stepped out from the shadows. He snatched a simple wooden sword from the equipment table and marched to the centre of the grounds, directly into the focus of the ministers above.
The guardsmen stood in perfect, disciplined ranks. With a sharp eye, Hēiláng beckoned four men who had proven more agile during the drills. The others retreated, forming a wide ring around them.
He spun his wooden sword through the air and commanded:
"Attack me."
One of the four was a hulking soldier named bào (豹). A faint smirk instinctively touched his lips, but he composed himself immediately, looked Hēiláng in the eye, and said:
"But Your Highness... we are four armed Special Guards, and you are alone—with nothing but a piece of wood!"
Upon the veranda, the minister of finance smiled with wicked delight, addressing the Grand Minister:
"This bào is a bold lad and serves as my eyes and ears in the palace. It shall be most interesting to see him challenge this rebellious prince!"
The Grand Minister, however, offered no reaction, his eyes remaining fixed on the field.
Hēiláng's eyes flashed from beneath his dark mane. His voice was low yet razor-sharp:
"Shut your mouth and just attack!"
The veins in bào's neck bulged with rage and perceived insult. He and the other three charged from four directions with a unified roar. The scene transformed into a lethal dance. Hēiláng glided through the steel blades like a phantom. As the first man struck, He rolled swiftly beneath the blade and, in the same motion, lashed the end of his wooden sword against the man's knee. The sound of splintering bone mingled with the soldier's scream.
The second and third men brought their swords down in a cross-cut. With an explosive leap, Hēiláng planted his leather boots upon their shoulders, vaulted over them, and before his feet touched the ground, delivered two devastating blows to their cervical vertebrae, flooring them both.
Only bào remained. He raised his sword for a powerful vertical strike and lunged. Hēiláng stepped nimbly aside. The steel blade bit into the flagstones, sending sparks flying, but before he could recover his guard, Hēiláng spun with full momentum, focused his energy, and struck his wooden sword against bào's temple with such force that the crack echoed throughout the courtyard.
The wooden sword shattered completely. bào was hurled aside like a sack of sand, his head striking the wooden perimeter before he collapsed. Thick blood began to flow across the cold stones.
Hēiláng, sweat dripping from his brow and chest heaving, cast the broken wood aside. One of the guards approached the fallen man with trembling hands, checked his pulse, and said in a terrified voice:
"He is dead!"
On the veranda, the minister of finance wailed, his hands shaking:
"What?? But... how... how is it possible?!"
Without so much as a glance at the corpse, Hēiláng shouted at the remaining guard, who stood rooted in terror:
"Is this the extent of your readiness? Do you intend to protect the palace with such fumbling?"
He stepped forward, his voice sending shivers through them:
"From this day forth, rations are halved and training is tripled. I care not if you die in the process. Understood?"
They roared in unison:
"Yes, Commander!"
As Hēiláng strode firmly from the field, the Minister of Chariots, observing the situation with a more cautious eye, leaned toward the Grand Minister and whispered:
"Your Excellency, Hēiláng's presence in the palace... it ties our hands."
The Grand Minister eyes closed in heavy silence, gave a slow nod of assent. He asked:
"Were the provisions, weapons, and horses dispatched to the camp as planned?"
The minister of finance replied:
"Yes, all has been sent; however, Your Excellency, we can do no more. The Imperial Counsellor has grown suspicious of the records and inventory. I fear these discrepancies may reach the Emperor's ear."
The Grand Minister opened his eyes slowly, his gaze frigid:
"Lord Yìfēng (逸風) had mentioned nothing to me regarding the assassination of the Grand Marshal. That event shifted our calculations, and now, Hēiláng's new appointment as Commander of the Guard complicates matters further."
The Minister of Chariots said with certainty:
"Our men are ready at a moment's notice. We need only the command from Lord Yìfēng to finish this."
The Grand Minister took a deep breath and stared at the empty battlefield, where the stain of bào's blood glistened upon the cold stone.