Shang Qinglou stood on the wooden deck in front of a large white tent, as he looked out over the large yard before him. He wore simple training clothes that showed his fit physique, and his goatee was recently trimmed. His image was domineering and imposing, and all who saw him were immediately over powered by his strong aura. In the yard, a dozen rows of soldiers trained in unison, wielding their swords and moving swiftly and powerfully. The strength of their steps made the ground vibrate and created loud thuds, this being their technique for intimidating the enemy and appearing stronger.
His Captain stood beside him and yelled out the numbers for certain positions for the soldiers and watched as they were executed. He smiled and then looked to the general for approval. Shang Bulou nodded without looking at him, his eyes focused and watching every move. His goal was to see how well his army was doing, and how strong they were growing.
It turned out, they were doing far better than he expected and he felt more powerful than before. He, Shang Bulou, was a legend. The country's mightiest general and the emperor's right hand man. He had served the court since sixteen and sacrificed all he had to be in the position he was today. Now, looking out over what he'd created, he knew his time was coming.
"My lord," Tian Hui approached his master from behind and whispered in his ear. "Ning's steward confessed."
Those words said, General Shang glanced towards the ground before gesturing to his captain. The round shaped man quickly approached and saluted.
"Yes general."
"Continue inspections for me, I have matters to deal with." He spoke quietly then turned to follow his servant back inside the tent. It was his sleeping quarters as well as where him and his officers discussed battle plans.
It was simple, with a bed along the backside seperated from the rest of the room with a sheer curtain, a table with a sand table dotted with flags, and a rack of weapons. In the corner was his suit of armor, shined and clean, waiting for when its use was needed.
"When did this happen?" General Shang growled. "Why didn't I hear about it immediately?!"
Tian Hui fell to one knee and brought his hands up in a salut, "My lord, our spies in Wei Heping's prison has just informed us. I brought the news to you as soon I found out." He spoke calmly.
Shang Bulou sighed and closed his eyes while folding his hands behind his back. The steward's confession was a liability to his plan, he knew it would happen eventually. Suffering almost two months in a dungeon as vicious as the fourth prince's, made even him avoidant of Wei Heping.
"Don't kill him yet. He'll still be usefull." The general thought of a better way to use the steward.
"Yes my lord." Tian Hui came to his feet. "About the other matters-?"
"Keep them on plan. Wei Rongxie is too close to discovering me. And if he does, then no one will be safe."
As much as he disliked Wei Heping, he was only brutal and skilled in solving cases. The fourth prince was intelligent, but he was no match for the second prince. Between the three sons who competed for the throne, Rongxie was incredibly meticulous and scheming. If it hadn't been for the emperor's distaste with his mother, the empress, he would have been chosen as the crown prince. Now, instead, the eldest prince, Wei Nanying held his father's favor, making his chances for the throne greater. Besides that, the eldest prince was a social man who spent his days networking and searching for allies. With his father's support, he'd gained the support of many officials.
With two talented younger brothers, Emperor Wei had requested in private, that general Shang keep things in his eldest son's favor. Though the emperor could choose his heir, the public also needed to be convinced.
"One last thing, my lord. Yan mansion has sent invites out to all other higher ranking officials. You recieved one as well." The servant pulled an invitation card from his robe and presented it to the general.
"Oh?" Shang Bulou accepted the card and opened it, reading the contents. He mused for a moment while he considered the words. "Official Yan? Yifeng doesn't normally associate with other officials in private. This must be his wife's doing." He smiled.
At the end of the card, a special invitation to his son Qinglou was written. His brow raised. He then dismissed Tian Hui with a wave of his hand, sending him from the tent. The general then wondered why his son was specially mentioned. Yan family. He considered them while tossing the invitation on the table and exiting the tent. They were a good family, wealth and influential to some degree. And there were three daughters. Shang Bulou smiled as he guessed the reason behind the sudden gathering at the Yan mansion
...
Wei Rongxie released the arrow and watched as it sunk deep into the center of the target. After that shot, he went on to shoot a dozen more arrows, each hitting the mark, before setting his bow against the tree. He practiced his archery in the woods just outside the capital city, as his only way of letting himself relax and enjoying the moment.
His horse was grazing nearby, birds sang and the breeze was gentle on his sweating brow. The second prince made his way to the makeshift target, a painted log, and retrieved his arrows, placing them in a quiver.
Yet no matter how he tried to relax, all his mind could think of, was the royal struggle taking place. It wasn't what he wanted, there had been a time when the brothers had all gotten along and were good to each other. But now that the throne was involved, it had turned blood against itself.
Mainly, his older brother, Nanying. The eldlest prince had once been his closest companion, but now plotted against him. Rongxie returned to his horse and hung the bow and quiver on its saddle, before grabbing a gourd flask. He found a quiet spot by the nearby river and sat beneath a tree, before sipping the plain rice wine, watching the water ripple and flow. It's movement was almost hypnotizing and the prince felt lost in its murky depth.
A couple hours later, Wei Rongxie's eyes flew open. The sun was descending in the west but still high in sky. He focused his hearing to a spot a couple hundred feet away, where someone made movements. His years in the military taught him to sleep lightly and to always be prepared for the enemy to attack. Without having to think, he slowly came to his feet, still using the tree as cover. He listened as the person drew closer, cautiously. Reaching for the knife he kept in his boot, he prepared himself to face whoever the attacker might be.
"Your highness?" A voice called, but still somewhat secretly.
The second prince was relieved, though not because he was scared to fight, but because he preferred to avoid violence. In the army, he had quite the reputation for being one of the deadliest fighters, and even personally killed several of the enemy generals of nearby countries. He smiled as he recognized the voice of his attendant and slid the knife back into his boot.
"Here, Da Ming." He stepped out from behind the tree and swung the gourd on its long string handle.
A thin young man rushed up and saluted, his tall form bending at the waist to the prince. "Your highness, there's news that fourth prince has managed to get a confession out of the steward."
This was good news, and bad at the same time. However his first question, since two months ago, had been why Mr. Ning had been killed in the first place. Now his steward was the only witness and partner to a crime that went much deeper. The situation seemed... manipulated.
"Also, the empress sends a message. Her majesty hopes that you'll consider a few of the consort candidates she's picked." Da Ming glanced at his master's sudden sour expression and smiled. "Her words."
Rongxie sighed, "I'll speak with mother myself later." His face turned serious. "Tell me all we know about the confession."
"Yes your highness. Fang Ruobin was the partner along with being Mr. Ning's steward. He was the only man involved with the illigal activites Ning did, and kept a ledger detailing everything done. The ledger was never found, despite him telling the location."
Things made better sense now. "So they never really needed Mr. Ning, only someone who's word could stand to testify." Rongxie though aloud. "And a mere steward would be much more easier to control and get information out of then the head of operations."
"Correct. That's why I suspect his fourth highness to have killed Mr. Ning on the street two months ago."
"Do you have a copy of his confession?"
The attendant nodded and pulled a folded peice of paper from his sleeve and presented it to his master.
The second prince took it and read it over once, then twice, frowning. The testimony was simple, truthful, and perfect. Exactly what every detective and judge wants when dealing with a case, whether major or minor. It was clearly false. He crumpled the paper in his hand and let the wind take it.
"Your highness?"
"It's nothing." He headed to his horse, passing his attendant. "We need to figure out what fourth brother is up to. I don't think its that simple."