Lady Earthquake

Lady Earthquake Chapter 25

Author's note: For some reason, this did not upload...nor did it show as 'draft' until today.  I will post another chapter tonight as an apology!

To the Fourth Prince's surprise, Meng appeared, flanked by two royal guardsmen. Sun-Sin realized, furthermore, that he recognized the man as one of the Third Prince's boon companions from the nights they caroused under his brother's guidance. He did not remember those nights very clearly except for the final one. That revelry had given him a distaste for such excesses that stayed with him, even four years later.

The guards pushed Meng down to his knees. He looked up at the king on his throne and the assembled court and held up his hands in supplication to his own prince. "Pray tell me how I am at fault that I might propitiate your anger, your highness."

T'ien Luo-Bi stepped forward, his dark silk robe brushing over the patterned tiles. "Acknowledge at once that you knew of your despicable colleague Kang's plan to assassinate the noble Fourth Prince! Acknowledge that you failed to protect the Royal House against this outrage!"

Meng put his head between his hands on the floor for a moment before sitting upright. "I knew nothing of Kang's plans. Only that he wished to revenge himself upon the one who is called Shu Ban-Li."

"Me?"

Every eye in the room turned toward him. Color mounting into his face, Ban-Li looked at his Senior Brother. Had he anticipated this line of attack? Ban-Li could only trust that he had.

Meng continued. "He felt he had been offered an insupportable insult when we first met this gentleman. I could not persuade him an off-hand comment had not been a sincere insult."

The Third Prince scoffed at the explanation. "It never occurred to such as you," he said bitingly, "to take your colleague's bitterness toward this upright young man as a sign his mind was broken?"

"He had cause. The young man is arrogant beyond his years. He made Kang lose face by his attitude. Kang was a hot-headed, impulsive fellow. If he took the notion to teach Mister Shu a lesson, no consideration would prevent him from hunting him down."

"Even when in the company of one whose person is inviolate?"

"He told me that he had information that his prey would be returning via the Gaolin lakeside. He said nothing to me about the Fourth Prince being there. I thought he wanted only to beat the boy at swordplay to take his pride down. I am certain that if Kang had known that his highness was a part of this group, he never would have done it."

"Those things of which you are 'certain' are of no interest to this court."

"Yes, your highness."

T'ien Luo-Bi faced the throne again. "Your majesty, I ask that this man be taken to the prison and there put to the question to be sure he has told all he knows."

"Granted."

Meng bowed once more. "Thank you for your mercy in sparing my life, Great King."

Lady Liu approached the throne on her proper axis. Dipping her knees, she said, "I with to offer my thanks to the Fourth Prince's companions for their service to him. May I suggest that a special commendation be inserted in the records of today's proceedings?"

"I agree," the crown prince said. "We all hope for men of such quality about us."

Even Ban-Li, unused to courtly ways, could feel the insult to the Third Prince inserted into this comment. That impassive face, however, showed nothing. "I agree also," T'ien Luo-Bi said, nodding toward Ban-Li.

"And I," the Second Prince said, lifting his hand negligently. "Furthermore, I will invite my brothers for drinks later. You too, Young Shu." It was not court-etiquette at all, nor was the smile Ban-Li had to conceal when he met Chen-Di's ironical eyes.