As predicted, Yuze was not happy when Chenzhou told him what had happened at the council, but he agreed without being asked to help Kai Low with the investigation.
"How enlightened these tribes must be," He'd joked. "Not to be plagued by rumor and opinion."
"What a paradise," Chenzhou had laughed with him. It was the first time Yuze had laughed since the Crimson Army marched out the gates all those weeks ago. It wasn't really a long time if he stopped and thought honestly about it. Not in the greater span of life and existence, but it was far too long to go without his brother's laughter.
"Where is Eirian?" Yuze asked, relaxing back into the pillows. "I imagine she wasn't happy about this."
Chenzhou shook his head ruefully. "Not at first, but she agreed it was the best course of action out of all of them. I think she plans to keep a close eye on the investigation herself. Finn is still beside himself with worry."
"They haven't reported in yet?" Concern wrote itself across Yuze's face. Emmy and Patrick were not experienced as spies, but they were soldiers of the Camelia. They weren't helpless. And Emmy at least had demonstrated enough common sense and promise that simple information gathering should have been relatively safe.
"Rat and Eagle should be back soon." Yuze winced as he shifted, pulling newly healed flesh more than he should. "I'll have them find the two fools. They're probably chasing ghosts and got caught up."
Chenzhou frowned. He couldn't help but worry; it had been in his nature since he was a child. "You think so?"
"I think it's well known they are Finn's friends," Yuze said, wryly. "And it's even more well known that Finn is a favorite of your wife. The kind of balls killing them would take…who is stupid enough to take that kind of risk? Especially now that your wife's power is even more obvious?"
"It's not obvious to the court," Chenzhou muttered sourly.
Yuze snorted. "They are used to games of power with people who are stronger than them. No doubt they assume this time is the same." He paused. "You cannot depend on her magic for this, Chenzhou. If you force an ending that does not come from the proper place, it will never be accepted, and it will follow you for the rest of your life. And probably shorten it as well."
Chenzhou's face turned petulant, resembling those few times as a child that he threw a fit over something he couldn't understand. Or did and just didn't like it.
That was the case now, Yuze knew.
"I know," Chenzhou admitted, not sounding happy about it. "It's such a joke. All the gold and time that are going to go into this, and someone always ends up hurt. Harmless secrets always come out, relationships are always destroyed, and someone always wants something they could live without just because they find out someone else has it."
"Which is always easier for someone else to say." Yuze pointed out in amusement.
Chenzhou scowled. "I am aware. This is the first time this has happened, and I have a…personal stake? An interest? I don't know. But I do know this is not going to be as simple or straightforward as it has been in the past." The melancholy air that had so often surrounded Chenzhou in the past years reappeared.
Not that Yuze blamed him. Anna had always stayed clear of anything related to Chenzhou's responsibilities and the court. None of the court members had ever even been introduced to her, and she had never attended a single council or very few official events. And those few she had, she had come as a guest, not accompanying Chenzhou.
Eirian hadn't been to many since her arrival either, but so much had happened that it was excusable. Mingzhe, at least, was well experienced with the court and would know what to do and how to act as the investigation went on, but he'd never been the subject of one before.
And there was no doubt that the majority of Kai Low's attention would be on the rumors about Lord Zhao and the ambushes.
"This is all ridiculous," Chenzhou ran a hand through his hair, trying to calm himself. "We should be focused on healing and rebuilding what we can in the borderlands. In strengthening the peace, not picking at each other."
Yuze shrugged. "This is part of governing. Isn't that what Regent Colfax always used to say? The price of being a good leader is that sometimes you have to do what the people want, even if you know it's not the best choice. Otherwise, you're nothing but a tyrant."
~ tbc