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For one week after he had performed the proper rites before the restored Lin ancestral shrine, Mei Changsu suffered a relapse of the Poison of the Bitter Flame and was bedridden, fluctuating between consciousness and unconsciousness, only vaguely aware of Fei Liu’s anguished cries of “Su-gege” and being force-fed various medicinal soups, some familiar, others less so. Various faces had drifted in and out of his vision: Lin Chen, Physician Yan, Li Gang, Zhen Ping, Jingyan, Nihuang, Meng-dage, Xia Dong, Nie-dage.
When the bout had passed and he was able to sit up in bed to eat some thin porridge, a pouting Fei Liu watching hawk-eyed over every bite, he smiled wanly as Li Gang entered with a tray of yet another medicinal concoction. At the stern look from Physician Yan, who had followed behind, Mei Changsu had meekly downed the entire bowl before daring to ask for news from without. After receiving Physician Yan’s huffing nod of assent, Li Gang reported that nothing of purport had occurred: the Crown Prince was deftly handling the loose ends of the re-opened Chiyan case and restoring order at court in the wake of the thorough expunging of co-conspirators in Xie Yu and Xia Jiang’s successful incrimination of Prince Qi and the Chiyan army of treason; the Alliance had followed leads and either captured and brought back those for trial who had gone beyond the imperial reach or executed those of the jianghu affiliated with either Prince Xian or Prince Yu and Qin Banruo.
At the announcement that the Crown Prince was inquiring after Sir Su’s capability to receive guests, Mei Changsu insisted on a basin of hot water to freshen up and allowed Fei Liu to wipe his face, neck, and then hands with the damp cloth. After straightening his garments and fur throw, he nodded to Li Gang to usher in the Crown Prince.
Xiao Jingyan strode into the chamber and handed over the food carrier to Li Gang before rushing in his usual flurry of robes to Mei Changsu’s side. “How fare you, Xiao-Shu?”
“Your servant feels much more himself this morning, he humbly thanks Your Highness.”
Xiao Jingyan glowered. “If you were not convalescing, I would shove you from your bed for that, Xiao-Shu.”
Mei Changsu’s eyes twinkled with open mischief. “A sickly patient must take his amusements where he can.”
Xiao Jingyan huffed. “Well, you must be feeling better if your obnoxiousness has fully recovered.”
Mei Changsu gave a gasp of outrage, but before he could retort, a hand-held pastry was thrust into his field of vision. Fei Liu was busily biting into the one in his other hand but grunted emphatically until his Su-gege had accepted the treat.
Having bitten into the pastry and identified its maker, Mei Changsu said, “Please convey the sentiments of deepest gratitude to Aunt Jing for taking such trouble to make this unworthy nephew’s favourite treats, Jingyan.” As he sipped the bowl of refreshment that Li Gang proffered, his brows lifted in surprise. “Ah, it seems that Aunt Jing has gone to further trouble to brew medicines for me. I had recognized the flavour as not being one of the usual concoctions by Lin Chen and Physician Yan, and now I know its origins. Please ask Aunt Jing to take care of her inestimably valuable health and assure her that this useless nephew is on the mend.”
“You know Consort-Mother will not be at ease until she has checked your pulse for herself. I shall make arrangements. A reunion at the Eastern Palace ought to be safer. What say you?”
Mei Changsu nodded. “There are too many eyes and ears in the palace, plus the unsuitability of inviting the lowly strategist that has been embroiled in all the recent chaos at court. With your own men guarding the Eastern Palace, it would be both more secure and more discreet for a happenstance meeting between the Noble Consort and any guest of the Crown Prince.”
The arrangements were made and executed with the greatest care. Until they were certain that no attempt would be made upon the lives of those most precious to his royal person, the Crown Prince did not relax his vigilance. But within the confines of his palace, he was for a brief time permitted to revel in the return of the intimacies and joviality of a former life when he and Lin Shu were but young, adventurous rascals petted and indulged by a bevy of adults. Despite Noble Consort Jing being the only one present and one of few elders of the family still remaining, the trio spent a pleasant afternoon reminiscing and finding peace in having justice sought for those whose reputations had for thirteen years been maligned.
As he lay down for his evening’s repose, Mei Changsu reflected that the afternoon’s gaiety had been such that he had not dared think he would partake in again. He exhaled a deep sigh of yearning as he thought on those who had been absent.
Before drifting to sleep, he resolved to reveal his identity to the few loved ones who yet remained of this world.
~*~*~*~
Having consulted with his mother upon the particulars and necessities to facilitate a reunion with Xiao-Shu, Xiao Jingyan had been impatient to begin preparations and had barely remembered to comport himself as he ingested the victuals Noble Consort Jing had offered.
Noble Consort Jing gave a fond sigh as she saw the hem of her son’s robes disappear from view. She set about gathering the materials for the foodstuff that she would have accompany her to the Eastern Palace on the overmorrow.
She had carefully combed her medical notes during Xiao-Shu’s illness to ensure that she had not overlooked a brew that would be most suitable in alleviating the symptoms of that most dreadful of poisons. It had taken her two incense stick’s worth of time to review, for her notes were extensive, collecting within several volumes the knowledge that she had acquired both from her travels across the jianghu and the medical texts in the palace’s vast repository.
When she had first been conferred the title of Concubine and permitted to supplement the Royal Physician’s care of His Majesty’s well-being with her own soups and infusions, it had been Consort Chen who had successfully petitioned for her access to the palace’s medical texts. Being a woman and not trained by the imperial academy whence the Royal Physician and his assistants had hailed, it had not been supposed that said personages would willingly impart any expertise gained from having long treated the Imperial Dragon.
She hid any dissatisfaction from having been confined to the stifling silken prison and suffering the tedium of inner palace politics.
Her good nature, however, had been sorely tested in the aftermath of the Chiyan trial. Infuriated by the betrayal, especially that of his eldest son and heir, the Emperor had been prostrated with grief, the Royal Physician unable to revitalize the Eminent Body to soundness, managing merely to dissipate the rage with strong sedatives. The Empress had summoned Concubine Jing and made barely veiled threats to have her exiled unless she successfully revived His Majesty.
Thoughts of Jingyan being at the tender mercies of the inner and outer court were the only incitements to her continued forbearance and reticence. She satisfied her healer’s heart when His Majesty gazed up at her with clear eyes and recognition a sennight after her treatment. She was rewarded with the full trust of the Imperial Dragon to oversee his recuperation and his well-being when henceforth any ailment pertaining to heart matters were inflicted upon his eminent body.
Noble Consort Jing gently shook away memories of that painful past and focussed on mixing the ground herbs into the filling of her pastries.
When they had convened at the Eastern Palace, she had hurriedly prevented Xiao-Shu from kowtowing to her, gently admonishing that he need only follow such decorum in public. “Come, sit by Jing-yi.” As soon as he neared the table, he espied the small cushion, and after having arranged his robes, he placed his wrist upon the silken pad. Noble Consort Jing nodded approvingly and examined his pulse. She gave a small sigh of relief and then caressed his careworn face as was her habit of old. “Xiao-Shu, be good for Jing-yi and try these new pastries. There are bags beneath your eyes and the skin about your jaw and chin hangs much too loosely. We must imbue you with sufficient fat.”
“Your troublesome nephew shall heed his aunt’s sound medical counsel.” He bowed his head in thanks as she placed several pastries onto his plate and quietly nibbled. As he observed Noble Consort Jing place a different set of pastries onto the Crown Prince’s plate and caught a gentle hint of fragrance from the first one His Highness bit into, he smiled and said, “Ah, Jingyan need no longer be denied his favourite treat.”
Xiao Jingyan looked at him in confusion. “I have not been denied them. Consort-Mother makes them whenever I visit.”
“Ah, but they were always absent from the food carriers that she kindly had you deliver to Su Manor.”
Xiao Jingyan’s eyes widened as he realized the implication. He turned and stared at his mother. “Consort-Mother?”
“Your mother had her suspicions, and the more she learned of his counsels and strategies, the more she was convinced.”
“Then… the Spring Hunt…”
Noble Consort Jing gave a deep sigh. “The tell-tale signs of the Poison of the Bitter Flame confirmed Xiao-Shu as a survivor from the Chiyan army and he did not deny his true identity when your mother pressed him.”
Xiao Jingyan mimicked her sigh and bit into another pastry.
“Jingyan?” Noble Consort Jing touched his fist, which loosened at contact.
“Do not fret, Consort-Mother. Xiao-Shu and your servant-son had a long conversation at Su Manor after our… summons from Emperor-Father. Your servant-son understands his strategem and has forgiven him his duplicity.”
Noble Consort Jing caressed his cheek and smiled. When she turned toward Mei Changsu, she noticed that he had obediently emptied his plate and cup and set about refilling both. As she continued to ply him with food and drink, she was careful to hide her sorrow at beholding the solemn man before her, so altered from the rash and exuberant boy that had always had a ready and cheeky smile to offer when caught once again misbehaving, the wheedling whine and glib tongue attempting to evade punishment as he had tugged at her sleeves.
When the boys had eaten their fill, she passed each a drink to aid digestion, gently admonishing them when they gulped too quickly and attempted to wipe their mouths with their sleeves. “Still the childish manners, both of you. How often has this Noble Consort told you that the napkins can be cleansed after use?”
“At least your nephew managed to keep his outfit neat and dry at the plum blossom appreciation luncheon, Jing-yi.” Mei Changsu’s eyes twinkled as he glanced at the Crown Prince.
Xiao Jingyan’s eyes flashed. “That is because you pushed me into the lake!”
“You know full well that you tripped on the hem of my robes like the clumsy Water Buffalo that you are.”
“You!”
As Noble Consort Jing watched her son and her nephew argue and recall other old grievances, other childhood adventures, other fond memories, some of the heartache eased when sharp retorts or teasing comments better recalled the Xiao-Shu of old.
At the end of the rare and pleasant afternoon and having extracted his promise to place his well-being at the forefront now that he had accomplished the intricate plan under whose yoke he had laboured for almost half a lifetime, she allowed him a low bow before his return to Su Manor.
Alone with her son, Noble Consort Jing held him close and stroked his hair, murmuring words of gratification that at long last, proper closure was found and the festering wound could begin to heal. She smiled in relief when assured that Jingyan did not retain any lingering outrage from the necessary dissemblance that Xiao-Shu had enacted to keep her son’s heart untainted by doubt and quandary.
She returned to her quarters with a lightness of heart that she had not felt ever since stepping foot through the palace gates.
~*~*~*~
The Grand Princess Liyang sat as one stunned. Beside her, an equally stunned Xiao Jingrui had collapsed to his knees, his hands still loosely entwined about her forearm as he had priorly supported her in greeting their guest.
Upon the ground before her was the prostrate Sir Su, who had just now identified himself as her insolent nephew, Lin Shu, and had afflicted misery and sorrow upon his yimu. Said nephew deserved naught but contempt for having so ruptured his yimu’s comfort and happiness for his own aims. He could only plead filial obeisances toward his late Marshall-father’s final strictures to stay alive in memory of the Chiyan army by holding fast to his indignation that said army’s reputation had been so inexplicably besmirched.
Xiao Jingrui recovered first and crawled toward the prone figure. “Lin Shu-gege, please… I… that letter that my… that Marquis Xie wrote… I do not…” He took a deep breath and released it slowly. “Lin Shu-gege, thank… thank you for providing us with the truth. I have been remiss… thank you for preventing Jingrui from perpetrating the sin of paying obeisances to a thief pretending to be his father.”
Sir Su grasped Xiao Jingrui’s hands. “Jingrui, Lin Shu-gege apologizes for so cruelly tainting your birth date with his desire for vengeance.”
Xiao Jingrui sobbed and pressed his forehead to their conjoined hands, whispering, “Lin Shu-gege is the one who should be receiving apologies for the calamities visited upon his family and the Chiyan army who gave their lives to protect Da Liang. I cannot… The indignities the Chiyan had to endure these thirteen years: being branded traitors, bodies left to rot, souls set adrift…” He gulped and stuttered, “Lin Shu-gege, Jingrui cannot even fathom what pain… what abuses you must have had to bear in silence for thirteen years.”
Finally alerted to the sobbing from the two prone bodies, the Grand Princess Liyang gathered her wits and her strength and slowly made her way to them, gently clasping Sir Su’s head in her hands and easing it upwards until she could peer into his eyes. She exhaled a shuddering breath. “Yes, your eyes, my royal-sister’s eyes. That same haunted expression that last time I saw them before… before…” With a sob, she enveloped him in a tight embrace. As fresh tears fell, the Grand Princess kept murmuring as they swayed in tandem, “Xiao-Shu has returned! Huangjie, our Xiao-Shu has returned to us!”
When they had been revived by some hot tea, Su Zhe humbly thanked his yimu for taking the risk to beseech the Emperor to re-open the Chiyan case.
She sighed and shook her head as she patted his hand, stating firmly, “It was the right thing to have done. Your aunt had been turning a blind eye to her husband’s actions, despite knowing in her heart that he could not be trusted.” She glanced at Jingrui, eyes full of regret.
Xiao Jingrui encouraged her to not take Xie Yu’s wrongdoings upon her shoulders, comforting her that her willingness to confront His Majesty meant that there would now be no further threats upon her life. Su Zhe exclaimed at this, and when he learned of the particulars, he swore to his yimu that he would send out an order to the Jiangzhou Alliance to conduct regular surveillance and safeguard her life and that of her two children. He then informed her that he had received a report from Alliance members that Xie Bi had reached Ningzhou safely; he was overheard stating his intention of travelling along the southern borders of the kingdom.
In the wake of the outcome of reopening the Chiyan trial and the role the Marquis Xie had played in the deception, Xie Bi had begged his mother to allow him time to decide how he might best make reparations for his father’s crimes and had fled the capital, wandering aimlessly along a road that had led him to the west-most reaches of the kingdom.
The Grand Princess thanked Xiao-Shu for upholding his promise to safekeep her family, recalling how, even as a young lad, he had always taken care that the younger children never came to harm, even if they had entangled themselves into his and Jinyan’s war games.
When pressed to learn of how he had survived the massacre and of the ordeals that had left him so weakened, he evaded by saying, “Your nephew’s fall from the cliff had left him disfigured. The Master of Langya Hall rescued your nephew and undertook to perform the surgery to alter your indignant nephew’s looks so that he would not be recognized as he sought the truth about the events upon Meiling.”
“My poor Xiao-Shu, wandering alone in the wilderness all this time. Yimu will visit the temple tomorrow and give thanks for your safe return to us.”
“Xiao-Shu thanks his yimu for her kindness.”
The Grand Princess reached over to stroke his head, smiling sadly. She then asked, hesitantly, “Yimu would like to also give offerings before your mother’s spirit tablet, now that she has finally been laid to rest. Will you permit this?”
“Of course, Yimu. Mother would be overjoyed to hear your voice once more.”
“And whenever you are at leisure, if you might spend some of it visiting with Jingrui? He has missed his Lin Shu-gege’s company.”
Su Zhe smiled and nodded at Xiao Jingrui before replying, “Your nephew will, most certainly. And if Yimu would permit, Xiao-Shu wishes to request the occasional invitation to visit with her. He has missed the sweet soups he used to consume.”
A smile graced the Grand Princess’ features, the weariness from recent events momentarily eased. She bid Xiao-Shu to send word ahead when he intended to call upon her so that she might have the dishes readied; she remembered that he had preferred the almond one. She patted his hand, grateful for the thoughtful nephew she had now acquired.
After Xiao Jingrui had seen Su Zhe safely into his carriage, he returned to overhear his mother give instructions on preparations for her visits, both to the temple and the Lin ancestral shrine. She smiled when he inquired if she had any commissions for him to assist in her arrangements and gave him a list of items to purchase from the market.
~*~*~*~
As soon as the servants had laid out the tea things and departed Marquis Yan’s study, Mei Changsu rose and knelt before the Marquis and kowtowed, thanking him for his assistance in the investigation of the Chiyan case and apologizing for his blatant lies when asked if he had been a member of Prince Qi’s household.
Marquis Yan quickly raised Mei Changsu to a kneeling position, stating firmly that there was no need for such a grand gesture of humility, that had it not been for Sir Su’s cleverness in seeing through the Marquis’ ill-formed plot and saving the Yan family from the infamy of sending the court into the chaos that would have ensued, Da Liang would have fallen and the Marquis would have been unable to face his ancestors in the afterlife.
Mei Changsu replied that if he had failed to convince Yan-shufu to turn back before it was too late, he himself would be unable to face his Marshall-father in the afterlife.
Marquis Yan had blinked in surprise at being addressed as “Yan-shufu” and had trembled to his very core when he heard the term “Marshall-Father”.
“You… you are Xiao-Shu!”
“This naughty nephew hopes to find his shufu in excellent spirits,” Mei Changsu said in a shaking voice, reviving an old greeting that had not been uttered for many years.
“Y-you are Lin Shu-gege!” cried Yan Yujin, and he scrambled to wrap his arms about Mei Changsu’s torso.
Marquis Yan grasped Mei Changsu by the shoulders and sighed, closing his eyes briefly before intoning, “Xiao-Shu, you are truly Lin-dage’s son. To have survived the Poison of the Bitter Flame for so long in order to exact vengeance.” He shook his head ruefully, murmuring, “And to think that this slow-paced uncle thought that he had hidden the tracks of his ill-conceived plot so well. How it must have pained you to lie in wait for the right moment to set things into motion.”
Yan Yujin had disentangled himself and now demanded, “Father, what do you mean ‘Poison of the Bitter Flame’? Lin Shu-gege, you have been poisoned? When did this happen? What treatment have you sought? Do you think the Royal Physician can cure it? I’m sure if you asked Jingyan-gege, he would tell the Royal Physician to treat you!”
Mei Changsu sat quietly as Marquis Yan explained his ailment to Yan Yujin. He knew that, with the Marquis’ wisdom garnered from years of travel and study, there was but a slim chance that Yan-shufu would fail to discover the truth about his condition; he had hoped that the discovery would not be so soon. He then mentally admonished his stupidity in treating the Marquis as he would one of the Alliance’s underlings. Had not the Marquis seen further than any other when he had posed the question as to Mei Changsu’s affiliations to Prince Qi?
At the end of the Marquis’ explanation, Yan Yujin seized Mei Changsu’s arm and repeated in distressed tones, “Lin Shu-gege what do we do? There must be something that can be done!”
Mei Changsu grasped Yan Yujin by the shoulders and said gently, “Jinjin-ah, do not cry, it is fine. Remember how I had fallen from the tree and sprained my ankle and my knee so badly that I had to lay in bed for weeks? I bounced back and we rode our ponies to the hilltop to see the sunrise! Or did you forget?”
Yan Yujin hiccuped and wiped his tears. “That can hardly be compared to this mother-of-all-poisons, Lin Shu-gege!”
Marquis Yan asked quietly, “What prognosis had Master Lin given, Xiao-Shu?”
“Master Lin, Father?”
“Under the Heavens, only the Master of Langya Hall had the skill to control the Poison of the Bitter Flame sufficiently to allow your Lin Shu-gege to plan and execute his revenge and seek justice for the 70,000 fallen comrades and Qi-er’s household.”
“Your nephew does not have much longer on this earth. Young Master Lin has put forth all his skills to sustain this frail body thus far so that your nephew might realize his plan. Yet there is no cure, so your nephew can only count each day as a blessing that he does not merit but was given him by the 70,000 who perished.”
“Xiao-Shu, what you have accomplished in clearing their name will be weighed in your favour. Your suffering, too, shall propel your soul into a favourable rebirth. Your uncle knows you, nephew: you would never be content to live your afterlife in the blessed realm. Therefore, your uncle hopes that you will always have a worthy cause for which to utilize your talents, whether to further Da Liang’s prosperity or another kingdom’s.”
“Thank you, Yan-shufu,” Mei Changsu said, his voice choked with emotion. “This dim-witted nephew will do his utmost.” After a moment’s hesitation, Mei Changsu said, “Might your nephew make a request of his venerable uncle?”
“Of course, Xiao-Shu.”
Mei Changsu told Marquis Yan and Yan Yujin of the true identity of the Crown Prince’s young ward, Tingsheng. “Your nephew asks that Shufu help safeguard Prince Qi’s flesh and blood so that he may reach adulthood in peace.”
Marquis Yan closed his eyes and nodded, murmuring, “The Heavens have shown mercy, that Jingyu’s essence has not been completely eradicated when he perished. Fear not, Xiao-Shu: so long as the Yan household remains standing, Tingsheng and his descendants need never fear any harm to their persons.”
“You can count on the Yan family, Lin Shu-gege!”
~*~*~*~
Still wary during this time of shifting powers, despite having rooted out the key players and their confederates, Mei Changsu felt that a visit to Prince Ji’s residence was ill-advised. Therefore, he contrived to issue an invitation from Miaoyin Court for a special performance by Gong Yu. As before, Yan Yujin had carried out the deception with astuteness and acumen.
Prince Ji had shown surprise at finding Sir Su also in attendance but had soon fallen into congenial conversation with both Sir Su and Yujin once the wine had been poured. After two of Prince Ji’s favourite pieces as well as a new composition by Master Shisan had been performed, Yan Yujin and Gong Yu carried out their tactical retreat in the guise of selecting an unusual variation of the next piece of music.
Taking another sip of wine, Prince Ji turned to Mei Changsu and said in a low voice, “So, Sir Su, what new game have you set up this time, hm?”
Mei Changsu smiled and replied, “What does His Highness mean?”
Prince Ji frowned and said, “As I watched the alacrity with which the re-investigation of the Chiyan case was conducted, I began thinking.” He gave a self-deprecating chuckle. “I know: I am not known to be a clever one. But,”—He took another sip.—“it is no mean feat to push my brother into such a tight corner that he has no choice but to comply with the request. For over ten years, no one has dared make mention of the name ‘Chiyan’, and yet, you show up out of the blue, this unknown from the depths of the kingdom, and in the span of two years, the court has seen more changes and upheavals than when the Chiyan conspiracy was first made known.” He waved his cup at Mei Changsu. “Who are you, Sir Su? What is your connection to Chiyan and Jingyu?”
“His Highness has always cultivated an air of obliviousness, and too many have erroneously concluded that His Highness is a mere simpleton. What they have failed to understand is that His Highness is the only one of The Late Emperor’s surviving children to have lived a peaceful and blessed life. His Majesty has been on constant alert for usurpers of his power and is haunted by a past that has now returned for retribution; the Grand Princess Jinyang died prematurely; the Grand Princess Liyang has had her family torn asunder from Marquis Xie’s treachery.
“Perhaps His Highness has already guessed Su-mou’s identity and merely wishes to hear confirmation from my own lips?”
Prince Ji snorted. “Sir Su gives me too much credit. Since Sir Su seems to have figured me out, then he should know that I do not play games. If I knew who you were, I would have called you by name.”
“That is true, Your Highness. Forgive me my impertinence.” Looking Prince Ji solemnly in the eye, Mei Changsu said, “Xiao-jiujiu, I am Xiao-Shu.”
Prince Ji’s cup fell to the floor with a clatter and he stuttered, “X-x-x-xiao-Sh-sh-shu? Y-y-y-you are X-x-x-xiao-Sh-sh-shu? B-b-but… h-h-how…?”
“Marshall-Father’s last command to me before he let go and I fell to the bottom of the cliff was that I live. I have lived. The Chiyan 70,000 lost their lives so that I might live. I owe it to them to clear their names and give them a proper burial so that they may finally rest in peace.”
Prince Ji breathed a long, deep sigh. He sat lost in thought.
Finally, he turned to look at Mei Changsu with a small chuckle. “Well, Xiao-Shu, it seems you have successfully pulled another one of your pranks and gotten Jingyan stuck in the centre of it. Never were there a greater pair of makers of mischief.” Uncle and nephew shared a smile. “You chose well. Jingyu would have been a great emperor, but the obstacles he faced were insurmountable. You and Jingyan have learned from his limitations and in typical fashion have removed them with the ruthless efficiency of soldiers rather than attempting to reason and compromise, which had been Jingyu’s preference.
“Tell Jingyan to be patient. I shall go and speak with my brother, show him how easing some responsibilities onto Jingyan’s shoulders will afford him more time to play chess and go riding. Tell Jingyan also that while finding resolutions is the mark of a good ruler, he must also live long enough to see them to fruition, so he must needs seek enjoyments as well.”
“Perhaps I should tell him to join you in admiring Gong Yu-guniang’s musicality.”
“You are asking Jinling’s most eminent musician to play to a water buffalo and expecting him to appreciate it?”
They laughed. Mei Changsu retrieved the fallen cup and filled it. He then excused himself, stating that he would return Gong Yu to her rightful place.
As he headed toward the door, Mei Changsu heard Prince Ji call out, softly, “Xiao-Shu.” He turned. Prince Ji said, “She was my favourite. Your mother. I miss her.” Tears welled, and Mei Changsu stumbled into Prince Ji’s embrace, muffling his sobs against the broad shoulders that had always been sources of comfort when he had been young enough to need it.
When Mei Changsu had regained control of his emotions once more, he disentangled himself. “Thank you, Xiao-jiujiu. I shall ask Gong Yu-guniang to play some cheerful tunes.”
Prince Ji gave a smile and a nod. He patted Mei Changsu on the cheek. “Also tell Jingyan that Tingsheng is now under his care, so I expect him to fulfill his paternal duties properly and be a good father to the boy. Princess Consort Qi should not also have given up her life in vain.”
Mei Changsu gave a low bow.
~*~*~*~
As the army marched out of the gates of Jinling toward Meiling to once again face Da Yu in battle, Mei Changsu was suddenly overwhelmed with memories of the last time he had made the same journey to the north. At the crest of the hill, he paused to briefly look back at Jinling and give a moment’s thought to those he was leaving behind. There were fewer of them, but not any less beloved. He sent a silent vow to them that he would do his utmost to ensure Da Yu never arrived at the gates to threaten their peace.