Chapter 264: The Emperor, the Prince and the Jailed Minister

The pale silver and emerald halls of the Moon Palace passed by in a blur of focus, as I and Nizam followed behind the princess, my eyes scanning every bend of the hall, as though an assassin was waiting behind every corner and curtain, and the old memories of doing the same thing in a different time and place in a whole different lifetime flashed through my mind, before I then quickly shook the thoughts away like swatting away a swarm of insufferable desert gnats.

"How much further?" I impatiently whispered, as we took yet another turn.

"Not much. My father’s office is just here." She replied, slightly speeding up her pace, as we stopped by an ornate door, flanked by no less than eight master martial artists, all carrying wide round shields and brilliant silver spears twice their own impressive height.

"Princess?" The lead guard, who was the only one among the eight not carrying a spear like the rest, but instead a straight sword, asked in surprise.

"I must meet my father." She said, passing by him.

"I’m afraid I can’t my lady." The man swiftly interrupted, even sticking his hand before her, barring her path.

"It’s urgent!" Ziyi argued with a bite of rage in her words.

"I’m afraid I can’t my lady. It was a direct order from his majesty. No one is allowed entry. Not even you." He emphasized with a regretful shake of his head.

Ziyi grew cold, then ever so slightly I saw her shoulders flinch, as she wordlessly turned back around.

"What happened?" I asked in incredulity.

"Father has vanished again." She replied.

"...Are you certain?" I asked frowning.

"Absolutely." She unhesitatingly replied. "My father has never barred me from coming to his side all my life. Yet recently, he’s been only commanding his closest companions with those words whenever he’s decided to disappear."

"Damn! Do you know when he will return?" I whispered

"He’s usually only gone for a couple of hours at a time, but none can be certain." She said.

"Damn!" I cursed again. "Then take me to your brother. Quickly!"

"Yes!" She resolutely breathed, leading us through a different stretch of stairs, hallways and long corridors, till we reached another, far less luxurious and protected wooden door, with only three guards stationed at it’s base.

"This is the way into the tallest tower. The traditional training grounds of the kings and queens of old." She said with a crashing wave of those two ever torturous companions, who have ever brought sickening pain and misfortune to those they simply took residence in. Regret and self-loathing.

It’s a shame they always came too late to matter any.

Like before, the guards tried to deny us entry as well, repeating the same words the emperor’s companions uttered to us, yet Weixiao’s words were far lesser than his father’s, particularly before Ziyi’s clear outrage.

"What happened?!" The panicked voice of the east’s heir sounded from behind the door, before he quickly swung it open, as soon as he heard his sister’s wholly unsubtle indignation at being opposed yet again.

The poor boy must’ve thought a disaster had to have suddenly happened, for his ordinarily reserved twin to have exploded in such a fashion.

"You did, you idiot!" She screamed at him, even swinging a couple of well aimed strikes at him, mostly his face; which he ironically flinched and guarded against, as though her utterly formless blows, that clearly belonged only to the most untrained mortals in this world would ever harm even the most feeble of people in this world.

"What in the name of Moon Goddess is wrong with y...?!" He was mid yell when his eyes finally landed on me, and our kind’s particular gift of knowing our own struck so unexpectedly that he forgot to block Ziyi’s final slap which landed with a resounding sound as it connected across his face.

Though humorously enough, and as expectedly, it was the princess who suffered the pain of it, while Weixiao’s trained and aura reinforced body did not even register it until he noticed his sister’s eyes welling with unshed tears, as she held her stinging palm.

"Come with me." He said quickly after, moving aside to allow us passage, while he gave the guards a final, warning glare.

Unlike Ziyi who’d obviously grown hardy thorns in our time apart, he seemed to have changed barely at all. With that same easy and bright smile upon his features unblemished, and the gentleness in his features unbent.

Yet one needed only look slightly beyond the surface and the prince’s startling evolution was clear to see. With the usual betrayer being again the eyes, and their window like property of showing precisely what a man’s inner world was like.

And Weixiao’s was far pitiless and more barren of it’s previous warmth than before. He was even starting to resemble the Weixiao of my past life. No longer would he need me to point out to him the resentment of others.

This was further emphasized by the state of his training quarters. Which lacked all the pomp and comforts expected of a prince of his station. For it was as minimal in all aspects as possible.

Training equipment of all kinds and uses lay scattered all over the wide circular platform. Though by far the most clearly abused of all these tools, were undoubtedly the archery related gear. While a simple cushion for the uncommon hours of recess steadied the wall in one corner.

"I must confess I was surprised by your presence... lord." He was unsure what to call for a moment knowing the walls could not be trusted and the reveal of my identity would be catastrophic for all.

"Stubborn siblings." I lightly replied, refusing the seat he was offering, which was just a simple wooden brace, as I urgently said. "You must ready whatever you need for the journey Weixiao. We can not remain here."

"What happened?" He asked, his brows furrowing.

Ziyi and Nizam took charge of briefly retelling him all that had happened to us since our recent reunion, particularly the events in the garden.

"So that was the sudden surge of power I felt." He said in wide-eyed realization.

"Now that you know, let us be off." I declared as soon as they were done.

Yet again we were upon the hallowed halls of the Moon Palace, Weixiao and I racing to his wing this time, while Nizam and Ziyi made their way back to her own.

"My prince!" The guards who stood by the spire doors came rushing to our side.

"Dismiss them!" I hissed at Weixiao, glaring as I noticed only two from the original three. Why would one be missing? It was obvious. Another traitor.

"I wish to be left alone for a moment." Weixiao said back to them.

A flimsy excuse, considering we were still walking with him, and those guards knew it too.

"But my prince..." They wanted to argue, yet the future master of the east showed his metal then, as he shifted from his foolish blunder, loudly commanding with his voice empowered with the essence of the divinity he’s ben relentlessly training.

"Leave!" A pulse of divinity equal to a fourth rank’s might blew out of him, as his silver hair and eyes grew brighter, like the moon’s light when fully released after being unobscured by heavy clouds.

The guards jumped back as though electrified. We did not give them a second glance.

Once within his wing, he rushed to stuff a few things into an already ready bag laying hidden within the floorboards of his bedroom.

"I see you were almost ready." I said approvingly.

He merely smiled in return, as he then turned back to me.

"What about my father?" He asked, flinging the bag upon his shoulders.

I froze for a moment, as I came closer to him so that his eyes could not wander from my own and asked. "Weixiao. Do you know where your father is and what he’s been doing?"

"Not the slightest clue." He instantly shook his head, sounding as confused about everything as I was. "But regardless of my father lord," He then said gravely. "we can’t simply leave, yet."

"What do you mean?" I asked, frowning.

"We must aid Uncle Weiguo before we do." He declared.

"And what’s wrong with him?" I questioned.

"He’s been unable to leave his residence for the past month now." He turned to me with pointed look. "Too ill to leave his bed, apparently."

"A man of his calibre and power? Ill? They couldn’t be bothered with decent excuses any more?" Nizam’s voice then echoed as he strode with Ziyi close behind

"Already done?" I asked, surprised.

"There wasn’t much to pack." The princess resolutely said with slightly flushed cheeks, while clutching in her hands a small bag that looked to be carrying but a few miscellaneous objects and a few pairs of spare clothes.

I didn’t bother thinking more on the subject for now, as I turned back to the crown prince, who was staring at his twin sister with an odd expression across his face.

"Weixiao." I called out, breaking him from the odd trance he was suddenly in, as I asked "Dead or shackled?"

"Shackled. I hope." He answered a moment later, though his tone was dripping in uncertainty.

’A waste of time then.’ I coldly thought, but I also knew that I must make sure.

"Nizam." I turned to look at my brother. "Go to the second rendezvous point we agreed on. Find Isaac there."

"We will be seen." Ziyi quickly warned.

"Let them." I ruthlessly spat, my eyes beginning to drown in my escaping madness. Now incessantly fuelled by my repeated frustrations. "I’d like to see what strength your fractured home can conjure against the blades and daggers of my empire’s most bleak shadow."

The twins froze at the sheer arrogance and sanguine thirst in my tone voice. Before they then realized I was speaking of the one who must handle all my shady dealings. The invisible monster who serves the dragon who brought armies to heel and nations to ruin.

They could only lament at the weakness this whole mess has dragged their once great empire of theirs to. They wondered how their ancestors would be looking at them now.

The two quickly moved to the door, but my brother remained.

"You will go alone?" He asked, worry lacing his every word.

"And you don’t know the path, do you?" Weixiao asked at that moment, suddenly realizing as he was half way out the door.

"I’m not alone." I declared, smiling lightly. "I have one who knows every nook and cranny of this place. Now go!"

Nizam’s eyes inadvertently snapped to my shadow, as he made haste to lead the two imperial offspring to the specific location.

"So now you mean to tell me the Minister of the Left is imprisoned? And we need to arrange his escape?" The exasperated voice of Eve echoed in my ears, as soon as they had gone beyond earshot.

"More or less." I shrugged, beginning to leave the room as well.

"And we can not leave him be for now, and make him our underlings’ headache later on, why?" She asked.

"Don’t act spoiled my love." I chuckled. "You know full well that that old man is a main support pillar of this realm, and an even more necessary one in the coming state when this nation tears itself apart."

"A civil war then?" She asked, as I imagined her cocking her eyebrow at me.

"Most definitely." I nodded. "And even if they somehow manage to impossibly steer this sinking ship out of the immanent threat, I will make sure it sails eventually point back into the infernal chaos of civil war."

"A bleeding east could give rise to more fanatical factions. Or allow more unsavoury foes to make their way in to previously impervious places." She warned me. Referring to how the Heretics would absolutely love the devastation of the massive Yue Dynasty, with it’s many peoples; while more dangerous eyes, those who look coldly from the north in the day, while peeking into the future in the night would be allowed much easier access to the riches of the east with the empire more preoccupied killing itself, instead of guarding it’s borders.

"A powerful enemy is preferable to an incompetent, or even worse, a traitorous ally." I told her.

"...You want the civil war to clearly separate the two sides into two clear camps, instead of how they are now. Like a tangled mess of yarn tearing at each other’s fibre." She said.

"Exactly." I smiled.

"Civil wars are never so clean Alexander." She said, gravely. "You, more than most, should know this."

"Of course I know my love." I sighed. "But the long and many benefits of this would prove incalculable for when I face that northern bastard."

A heavy air descended on us then, before she then said, trying to lighten the mood, as I kept following the shadows leading me towards the jailed minister. "And here I thought you were doing all this for your ’spoiled sibling’?"

"You heard that?" I asked, smiling once more.

"I was making sure to keep an eye on you." I could imagine her casually shrugging as she spoke those words.

I briefly chuckled, as I stopped before another guarded room, stinking of incense and medicinal concoctions.