“General Xinyue.” Hongyi saluted the General, his hands clasped together around the chrysanthemum painted fan in his hands. A fine and thin jade hairpin in his hair and the immaculate robes he wore made him out to be the perfect gentleman.
“Lord Hongyi.” General Xinyue nodded to the man who had come down from the watchtower. He stood in front of her, wearing green robes layered with blue and gold embroidery. Her mind was racing to try to find a way out of this situation. While she was thankful for his intervention, she knew well that every piece of assistance would come at a price. At least it was just Hongyi, and not the Crown Prince, but the two were similar, just as annoying and cunning as each other.
“The Crown Prince sent me to make sure that your journey would be smooth,” Hongyi smirked a bit. He could sense the General’s discomfort as he mentioned the Crown Prince and couldn’t help but savor the situation. “After all, we are all old friends.”
“Yes, we are all acquaintances.” Xinyue subtly corrected him.
“So cold.” Hongyi put his hand to his heart as if he were actually hurt by the General’s words. “The Crown Prince would be hurt to hear such a formal word be used to reference your relationship.”
“I am sure that the Crown Prince would survive the hardship.”
Hongyi threw his head back and laughed. It had been a while since he was so amused. As the former playmate to the Crown Prince, Hongyi had several privileges and freedoms that other people lacked. Xinyue had seen him abuse the friendship on more than one occasion as the Crown Prince’s Second-in-Command.
“Yes, you’re right.” Hongyi continued to chuckle. “But why do you call me a lord? I never was given such a title before.”
“You are not in uniform, My Lord.” Xinyue stressed his title, drawing it out.
“Ah, yes, well. I was busy beforehand and came here after a meeting.” Hongyi shifted and adjusted the large jade that hung from his belt, which had twisted a bit when he walked. He was the son of the Grand Preceptor and the second-in-command to the Crown Prince, his life blessed and his wealth abundant. Due to his status and notoriety, Hongyi did his best not to be unkempt. Even when they worked together chasing after bandits, Hongyi had tried to keep himself well-groomed.
“A meeting at the brothel?” Xinyue smiled under her mask, Hongyi smelled strongly of a woman’s perfume, and there was the trace of lipstick on his green collar. Xinyue remembered that he always used to read scandalous books during their time together and enjoyed drinking late into the night.
Hongyi laughed again. “I’ve missed you. It’ll be fun for all of us to be together again.”
The smile fell from Xinyue’s face.
“Let’s go, shall we? I heard you forgot your invitation, but luckily you have me here to verify your identity.”
“Yes, luckily.” Xinyue’s dry response makes Hongyi smile, the canines of his teeth flashing menacingly. They were slightly longer than normal and gave the young man a slightly wolfish appearance, especially combined with his flat nose bridge and strong jawline.
“Our Crown Prince is amazing, he even anticipated any issue that could slow down your journey into our city.” With this line, Hongyi whipped the fan open again in his hand and turned on his heel. He almost skipped past the guards at the gate, waving his hand for the General to continue forward into the dragon’s lair. He waited until they were all inside the gate before he started chatting again.
“Haoran, I see you’re still here.” Hongyi barely turned around to acknowledge the soldier, but made sure not to walk too far in front of the horses.
“As are you…Lord Hongyi.” Haoran’s voice was stilted. He wasn’t sure how to address or act in front of Hongyi. Last time they had seen each other, they were equals on the battlefield. Now they were not quite enemies, but not exactly friends. As the son of a high-ranking official and a concubine, Haoran was not equal to Hongyi in standing.
“Why are you all so formal. Most displeasing, most displeasing.” Hongyi said the last part under his breath, his brows furrowed. He turned to fully look at Haoran so the man could see how frustrating he found his tone and level of formality.
“You are not in uniform, My Lord,” Haoran smirked a bit at seeing how displeased Hongyi was at his form of address. His shoulders relaxed as he realized the other man also felt awkward and displeased at meeting in such a manner. “Oh, also, this is Xiaobo.” Haoran waved at Xiaobo, the chattering young man was for once in his life quiet. He stared in disbelief at Hongyi; he knew exactly who he was and couldn’t believe he was so blessed to already meet such a famous person.
“He’s a bit of a fan of your Crown Prince, My Lord.” Haoran supplied a reason for Xiaobo’s lack of greeting. “He reads and listens to the gossip a bit too often.”
“Oh, oh, um, greetings. I am Xiaobo, My Lord.” Haoran’s voice broke the spell over Xiaobo, and he was finally able to speak. “I apologize. I’ve heard, well, I guess, I’ve read all about you, My Lord.”
“Ah, I see. A fan, we love that you appreciate our moments of valor.” Hongyi stopped and turned to bow elegantly to Xiabo, the long sleeves of his robes draping elegantly on his outstretched arms and his fan proudly displayed open toward the soldier. Just as quickly as he went into the bow, he came out of it and continued on toward the palace.
“Who is ‘we’, My Lord?” Xinyue asked, her eyebrows raised.
“The Kingdom of Long, of course.” Haoran’s wolfish smile peeked through again. “We, as a collective, appreciate your continued interest and support.”
“Ah, I see. It would not be the Crown Prince, My Lord?”
“No, of course not, General. How could His Highness, the Crown Prince, have the time to read over such things?”
“Right, it doesn’t fit his royal image.” Xinyue felt like no time had passed at all between the time that she and Hongyi had met last. He was the same as he was all those years ago.
“Make way!” Guards ran up ahead of the caravan as they made room for the party to go through the crowded streets of the city.
The city itself bustled with life, the rich economy of the Long Kingdom obvious. The well-maintained stone streets and the goods that were being sold by different shops showed that the city was prosperous and vibrant. Children ran along the stone pathways, shrieking in joy as they held paper dragons while chasing one another. All the buildings were painted a deep blue with dark grey thatched roofs, their doors and windows open. The air was filled with the smell of fish and seawater as vendors tried to sell a variety of seafood to customers. Flower shops and perfume shops added to the smells that permeated the air, making for an interesting combination.
“This must be the market, the busiest section of the city.” Xiaobo wondered out loud, his eyes trying to take in all the thatched roofs and the dragons that were perched on top of them.
“Not at all.” Hongyi looked at Xiaobo in shock, his fan waving to try to stop the offensive smells. “This is one of the least occupied markets and places of the city. Doesn’t it look a bit run down?”
Xiaobo sat back in his saddle, his mouth open a bit. He had never considered just how much more prosperous the Long Kingdom was compared to the Wu Kingdom, but now in front of him, the differences were evident.
“I wasn’t planning on taking you to the busy places, we don’t have the time. However, if you do have time, there is a lovely stream that goes through the city and a beautiful statue of one of our first kings. But, unfortunately, time is of the essence. The Crown Prince is impatient to meet with old acquaintances.” Hongyi smirked up at Xinyue, but the General ignored him, only watching him out of the corner of her eye. She pretended to focus on their surroundings. She watched as some of the children flew paper kites high into the sky, their ringing laughter bright.
“Yes, it is important to get the princesses to the palace,” Xinyue replied, and Hongyi started a bit. He had totally forgotten about the carriages and the princesses. It hadn’t really crossed his mind the reasons why the General was coming to the capital of the Long Kingdom, after all, everything else was irrelevant.
“Ah, yes, yes. Important.” Hongyi flapped his fan and waved it about. He fussed with his hair and patted it into place. “We are about to make our way to the South Gate of the palace.”
“The South Gate?” Haoran cocked his head to the side. Just how many gates were there into the palace?
This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
“Yes, I wanted to take you to the less populated gate. The East Gate and the North Gate are annoyingly popular, and I don’t want to deal with the eunuchs there.”
“Or you are avoiding someone.” Xinyue guessed.
“I would never. I don’t know why you would think that of me.” Hongyi put on an affronted tone and gasped. He snapped his fan closed and tapped it into the palm of his other hand. “And here I was saving you from having to use the portal again.”
“Hm.” Xinyue acknowledged. She would not push the issue, he was correct that he had saved them from the less-than-savory process of dealing with a kingdom’s bureaucracy.
As they followed Hongyi, he chattered endlessly about numerous pieces of gossip in the Long Kingdom.
“And as you know, our Crown Prince has been terribly busy guiding the kingdom, or else he’d come and greet you himself.”
Xinyue heard Princess Lihua's shocked gasp at this revelation. All of the Wu Kingdom knew that the General and the Crown Prince of Long interacted with each other, but they couldn’t have suspected that they would be so close as to forgo proper procedure.
“It is of little importance. I thank His Highness for his sincerity.”
Finally, they reached the South Gate of the Palace. The doors were large and a deep green, so that they almost looked black. Pieces of gold lined the doors, and at the center of the keystone was the face of a gold dragon, but its eyes were a bright sapphire.
At their arrival, Hongyi flashed the jade at his belt to the guards. The doors opened for them to enter the outer section of the palace.
“Lord Hongyi.” A servant came forward to first greet the Crown Prince’s Second-in-Command and then to greet the party. His deep green uniform and blue collar, and inner-wear were unadorned with gold embroidery, he was a simple servant.
“Yes, yes, I ask you to escort the Princesses of Wu to their rooms for their stay.” Hongyi gestured impatiently for the princess’ servants and carriages to follow after the servant before he turned back to the General. “General, if you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to where you and the troops will be staying. His Highness figured you would want to stay close to your soldiers.”
Xinyue felt a small bit of shock at the fact that His Highness remembered her preference. After all, it had been a few years since they had last met, but she supposed it would fit his character to remember. That was one of the bigger arguments they had had back at the camp.
The carriages were being led away when Princess Yuyan spoke up, her voice polite and measured. She didn’t dare to speak out of turn in front of someone who was so close to the Crown Prince. “Lord Hongyi, would you not escort us instead? We are the Crown Prince’s future wives.”
“Ah, but you are not his wives, you are candidates. The General is an old friend of the Crown Prince, so excuse our parting.” Hongyi’s light brown eyes flashed with amusement and lacked sincerity. Although his voice was sweet, it was tinged with a deeply acidic undertone. Hongyi could smile in anyone’s face and then stab them in the back when they least expected it. This was the Hongyi that Xinyue remembered from the battlefield. “Also, due to the terrible incident of the invitation, you have only a small amount of time to get ready for tonight’s greeting of the Long Royal family and the banquet hosted by His Highness. You don’t want to be late.” Hongyi half-bowed toward the carriage, and with a wave of a fan, the servants led them away. He dismissed them with no further thought and turned to look at the General.
“But, My Lord!” Princess Yuyan tried to argue, but the servant that Hongyi had waved to was moving at too fast a pace and had no intention of stopping. Hongyi didn’t even pretend to care about the parting carriages.
When the carriages finally moved away, Hongyi turned with a swish of his sleeves in the opposite direction from where the princesses had left and led them to where they would be staying for the trip.
The palace of the Long Kingdom was expansive and gorgeous. The high walls were a deep, dark blue; occasionally flowers of various species grew in large golden pots, and unlit lanterns with tassels hanging from them swung from wooden perches along the roofs. Every third tile beneath them had small engravings of various ocean creatures. Even in the outer palace, the Kingdom of Long was beautiful and unfit for words.
“I assume Zixin gave you an update on the State of Long before you left the Kingdom of Wu,” Hongyi asked flippantly, breaking the comfortable silence that had blanketed the group.
“Hm.”
“You openly are admitting to spying on the Kingdom of Long?” Hongyi’s voice was sharp and had an edge to it. The question was asked with a hint of a smile, but his eyes were cold and distant. Xinyue had been present when he had been in the midst of battle, and knew that Hongyi could be as dangerous as the Crown Prince.
“And what of Bowen?” Xinyue raised an eyebrow, reminding Hongyi of the spymaster of the Kingdom of Long and one of the close men to the Crown Prince. She knew that Bowen was active in the Wu Kingdom, and had even caught some of the secret messages from the Long Kingdom before they were able to leave Wu territory.
“Ah, well, I guess we’ll have to call it even.” Hongyi looked back and smirked. The moment of coldness had passed, and he was back to being his friendly self. “I did so miss you, General. You bring such amusement, and you’ve only been here for a brief amount of time.”
“Hm. I’m sure.”
“Oh, here we are. These are the barracks for the soldiers.” Hongyi gestured to the buildings and the large courtyard. Functional and spacious, the space was obviously used for training and for the soldiers’ comfort. There were racks for weapons on different ends of the courtyard and thick targets made of hay for archery practice. There were no excess adornments on the buildings, but everything was well-maintained.
“Thank you, Lord Hongyi.” General Xinyue saluted and got off her horse. All the other men followed her, and she handed her horse over to a servant who came forward to take it to the stables. She gave it one last pat as it was led away.
“Disperse and rest. Tomorrow we will train.” The General’s voice echoed off the walls in the barren courtyard, and the soldiers quickly went to their quarters, happy to rest.
“Lord Hongyi.” The General saluted and turned to one of the various buildings, planning to bathe and rest before the banquet tonight.
“Oh, you misunderstood.” Hongyi smiled and put his arm out to stop the General. Both Xiaobo and Haoran stood to her left and right, their hands on the hilts of their swords. Haoran raised an eyebrow at Hongyi, and the Second-in-Command of the Crown Prince returned it.
“Oh?” Xinyue raised her voice in question. She wasn’t necessarily surprised that there was a turn of events. It was something that the Crown Prince enjoyed doing; changing tactics suddenly and surprise attacks were his forte.
“Yes, well, your quarters are close to the barracks but are not directly in the barracks with the rest of the soldiers.”
“I do not-“
“Yes, I know, I know. If you hate the quarters set for you, you can, of course, come back here. But in the Long Kingdom, we have seperate quarters for our generals.” Hongyi waved at her to follow him back out of the barracks. He expected her to follow him. Over his shoulder, he said, “We also don’t have enough beds for you.”
“You don’t have one more bed?”
“Unfortunately, no.” The back of his shoulders shook with amusement, but he choked on his laughter so the esteemed General wouldn’t hear him. “Budget cuts.”
Xinyue sighed, resigned to the fact that she would have to play Hongyi and the Crown Prince’s game. “Xiaobo and Haoran, stay here for now.”
“Yes, General.” The two saluted and waited for Hongyi and Xinyue to leave the courtyard before they joined the other soldiers to rest.
“Do you think General Xinyue will be okay?” Xiaobo asked as soon as Hongyi and the General had left the barracks.
“They’ll be fine. Lord Hongyi may seem eccentric, but there’s a reason why he’s the Crown Prince’s Second-in-Command.” Haoran smiled a bit, thinking about the time they had all spent together. While out of uniform, Hongyi was a lord; in his uniform, he was a soldier like everyone else. Haoran had spent a lot of his time back with the Lord, and knew that he may seem crazy on the surface, but beneath it all, he was wise. If Xiaobo thought that Hongyi was odd, he couldn’t wait until he met the Crown Prince; the man was far from what those in the Kingdom of Wu would consider normal.
