16 years later
General Ānníng Zhànshì followed the eunuch and two palace guards through the winding private garden of Lóng Palace. He had barely returned to his manor from another skirmish on the edge of the kingdom when he was summoned for an urgent meeting with King Rénlóng Jūn. He sighed again at the dreaded prospect of turning right back around and returning to battle.
General Zhànshì was from a long line of commanders, each serving their king with steadfast loyalty and honor. Through this loyalty, his family had enjoyed a kinship with every ruler other servants of the crown rarely achieved. He would lay his life down for his king and kingdom. He would eagerly answer any call without complaint, but he was exhausted.
The fighting with outlaw mercenaries had begun to intermingle with an underlying effort to overthrow the crown. He knew it, the king knew it, and most of the officials knew it.
Considering King Rénlóng was a wise and benevolent ruler loved by his people, the threat to him had to be from an unscrupulous faction. If these rebels won, the kingdom would see the rise of a dark period ruled by anyone malevolent enough to consider peace and prosperity as the enemy.
The eunuch brought General Zhànshì to the bridge over a large lotus pond, where King Rénlóng threw food to the colorful fish as he waited.
“General Ānníng Zhànshì, your majesty,” the eunuch announced.
King Rénlóng turned and waited for the venerated general to complete his respectful bow before he spoke.
“How was your journey?” the king asked.
General Zhànshì smiled as he took the handful of fish food he was handed.
“Tiresome,” was his weary answer.
King Rénlóng smiled in return and watched General Zhànshì toss the entire handful into the water.
“Let’s sit,” the king offered.
General Zhànshì followed his king and the guards to the pavilion beside the bridge. He watched as King Rénlóng motioned for other guards to form a perimeter a distance away for privacy. He began to suspect this was no ordinary summons.
Once King Rénlóng was certain their conversation couldn’t be overheard, he sat at the stone table with the general.
“By the look you’re giving me, I believe you know the reason for bringing you here is serious,” the king remarked.
“I’m ready to follow whatever order my king commands,” General Zhànshì replied, “but I am curious about your precautions.”
King Rénlóng took a deep breath as he looked around one final time.
“My secret investigation into the rebellion has discovered another plot,” he revealed. The general leaned forward and paid closer attention. “This one is closer to me than the others.”
He poured a cup of tea for them both and looked around again before continuing. General Zhànshì had never seen his friend so distressed.
“You know that I’ve never trusted my sister’s husband,” King Rénlóng said, and General Zhànshì nodded. “Every path of the investigation leads back to him, from theft of funds to fraud and questionable deaths.”
General Zhànshì sat straighter at the last remark. “Have you found evidence to prove he was responsible for the death of Princess Bái Quán?”
King Rénlóng shook his head regretfully. “It’s there somewhere. It must be. It’s been eleven years, though, and anything can happen to evidence in that time. The only witness was too young and is now too fragile to give me answers.”
“Your niece,” General Zhànshì replied as he recalled the incident clearly.
He was one of the first to arrive at Princess Bái Quán's courtyard when the fire broke out. Staff was running around trying to douse it, but there was so much oil and kindling in the storeroom. It spread too quickly.
Her husband was missing and found later that night at a tavern. He was hysterical when he was told his wife had perished. The act seemed genuine. He was certainly in shock. It was his anger when he learned his four-year-old daughter was safe that made everyone question the incident.
It was no secret that he didn’t like the little girl. He was angry when his wife gave birth to her instead of a son. After the difficult childbirth, Princess Bái Quán could no longer become pregnant.
It would have made sense if he had set the fire to kill his wife, giving him the opportunity to take a fertile wife. In doing so, however, he would give up his direct connection to the throne.
The general and the king speculated more than once that the intended victim was the child and that the mother had rescued her and perished from her efforts. That would make the girl the only witness, but she was never the same after that night.
“She’s why I summoned you,” King Rénlóng was saying as General Zhànshì shook himself back to the present day.
“Pardon me, your majesty?” he asked the king, unsure if he heard correctly.
“My spies in Minister Chú Sōngshù’s manor have reported to me that she is being mistreated,” King Rénlóng replied. “This isn’t something that only began recently. She’s always been at the mercy of his abusive outbursts. Everything she does seems to break one of his absurd rules, rules I’m certain he created as an excuse to punish her.”
“She’s your niece,” General Zhànshì noted almost curiously. “Why don’t you simply bring her to the palace to live with you?”
“There are a good many things I can do as the king,” he answered. “Every one of them would provoke Sōngshù into moving against me faster. I could seek justice for her, but if pressure from the officials he has under his thumb leaves me no choice but to return her, he’ll punish her for my actions.”
“What can I do?” General Zhànshì asked. “Are you planning on invading his manor? If you wish it, say it. I’ll take her and bring her to you by force.”
Hearing of the innocent girl’s mistreatment angered the general, but he was unsure what more he could do from his position than to wage the war on the official that the king had just said he had to avoid.
King Rénlóng took a long sip of his tea before answering. He knew his Tiger General would do anything he commanded, but he feared this order might cause a bitterness that would harm their friendship.
“I received word just before you arrived home that Sōngshù is seeking to marry her off to a salt merchant,” the king revealed. “He’s three times her age and has the same temperament as her father. He’s one of the men we suspect of helping Sōngshù with his coup. He’s gone to great lengths to move up through the ministry. A collaboration with the highest merchants in salt and iron would make him untouchable.”
“You’re thinking she’s a bribe?” General Zhànshì wondered in disgust.
King Rénlóng nodded. “The merchant is Shāngrén Yán. The Ministry of Justice discovered he’s been funding a good portion of the rebellion. I suspect he’s threatening to withhold any more money unless he gets some grand show of good faith.”
At the mention of Shāngrén Yán, General Zhànshì’s brow furrowed. The merchant had a reputation of killing without mercy those who crossed him. It was, also, rumored he favored young girls and even boys in his bed. He held the largest stockpiles of salt, however, and had his hand in other important areas of trade and commerce.
Even though Minister Făguān of the Ministry of Justice was the most loyal to the king, he had to watch his words and actions for fear of angering Shāngrén Yán. If the young princess were ever at his mercy, she wouldn’t be alive for long and would suffer every day begging for that death.
“You’re the king,” General Zhànshì reasoned. “He can’t marry her to anyone without your approval. She’s your niece and royalty. To marry a merchant, regardless of who he is, would need your permission.”
“Yes,” King Rénlóng agreed, “but if I push his hand, he’ll push mine.”
“Meaning?” General Zhànshì questioned. He had an uneasy feeling building in the pit of his stomach.
“He needs Shāngrén Yán’s continued support,” the king began. “If I forbid the union, he’ll find a way to give me no other choice but to make it an order.”
“Are you saying he would put her in a situation that makes Shāngrén Yán take responsibility for her?” When the king looked away with an angrily set jaw, General Zhànshì shook his head in disgust. “Would he really do that to his own daughter?”
King Rénlóng looked directly at the general. “He tried to kill her once. He beats her mercilessly if the weather is unfavorable. Why would having her raped to achieve his goal be where he draws the line?”
He watched General Zhànshì take a sip of tea as he looked across the pond. He knew if the general were in his place, he would charge into Minister Sōngshù’s manor with his Tiger Soldiers and take the girl. He would probably behead the official in his own courtyard on his way out.
“I must look like a coward to you,” the king said softly and General Zhànshì stared at his monarch and friend. “I can’t even protect my family.”
“It isn’t your choice,” General Zhànshì tried to comfort him. “If you make a move against him right now, he would have leverage against you with the other officials. He would say you’re over-stepping to control them, and it would raise suspicion about your ability to lead without emotion corrupting your decisions.
This is hard for me to say, Jūn, because I feel for your niece after all you’ve disclosed. She's, also, Bái Quán's daughter. When weighing the needs of one young girl over that of the kingdom, you know the only choice that can be made. You cannot give him anything he can use to help him and his rebels overthrow your crown. This kingdom ... these people would be ruled by tyranny and destroyed.”
“I know,” King Rénlóng responded. “That’s why I’m left with only one option.”
General Zhànshì looked at him in question and stared back into the king’s nervous gaze.
“I want you to marry Mĕilì.”
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