Mingzhe lay awake most of the night. Watching Chenzhou and then Eirian finally sleep. It took hours to pull her away from the books, and Mingzhe had to carry her to bed when she slumped over the books. He laid her down next to Chenzhou, who was already asleep.
He's tried to sleep.
He had.
But his mind was spiralling too much to get any rest.
In their sleep, Chenzhou and Eirian gravitated towards each other and then towards Mingzhe. He spent most of the night watching them as he tried to piece together a way to link the books to the Yangs that would hold up at a trial before the High Court.
The High Court prided itself on remaining completely impartial during trials. They judged solely on evidence, and their advice on whether or not someone was guilty was almost always what the final judge chose to follow. The final judge could be anyone from nobility, but the High Court members who served as the judge's advisor were professionals in the legal world. They spent all their time buried in legal books and drafting laws.
They were known for being cold and immovable.
They would not convict the Yangs when the books were found in the custody of the Wens, and there was no written record of a connection or previous ownership.
The High Court did not convict on rumor or opinion, and more than one noble lord had fallen after attempting to get them too.
The High Court faction that resided in the Camelia kept to themselves for the most part. They spent their days overseeing the military justice branch of the army and dealing with any military trials.
They would be overseeing Mingzhe's trial if it came to that.
Which it was looking like would.
By the time the sun started to rise, he was exhausted from a lack of sleep and buzzing with panicked energy. It was a strange combination that left him feeling wrung out but desperate to move.
He snuck out while Chenzhou and Eirian were still sleeping. Most of the main castle was still asleep as he made his way out to the bridge and then back to the Zhao Family manor. Normally, he enjoyed this time of the day. Birdsong had started to return with the new growth, and he stopped in the middle of the bridge to listen for a few minutes.
He'd never heard the birds sing inside the Camelia in his entire life, but he'd heard it out on the prairie. It was nice to hear the cheerful noise inside the Camelia's wall.
By the time he pulled away, the first wave of morning workers was heading to work from the barracks, and Mingzhe kept his head down to avoid having to talk to anyone.
Even his parents and brother weren't awake when he arrived, and he waved off the butler and went straight to his office.
He sat down and tried to decide what to do, but despite his whirlwind thoughts, he couldn't settle on one thing.
He didn't have to struggle long. Within minutes of sitting down, someone knocked on the door. Confused about who could have been visiting before the sun was fully up, but thankful for the distraction, he opened the door and froze.
Hikari, wrapped in a warm cloak, stood in the hallway. He gave Mingzhe a bright smile, while Mingzhe fought the urge to slam the door in his face. "Good morning."
The urge to hit him rose fast and hard. Mingzhe wasn't generally a violent man outside of the battlefield, and there had been a time when Mingzhe had considered Hikari the person closest to him outside his own family.
He pushed the urge down. He needed to play this carefully. There was no way Hikari was here to kill him. It was far too obvious, and they'd already engineered his downfall almost perfectly. It was an unnecessary risk that Lady Yang would never allow.
Which meant Hikari was here for something else.
After a moment, during which Hikari's smile didn't budge, Mingzhe stepped back and let him enter the office.
"What are you doing here?"
Hikari's smile wavered, but he seemed determined. "We need to talk."
"Oh?" Mingzhe closed the door and crossed his arms. Determined to be as unwelcoming as possible. "About what?"
Hikari studied him, then sighed. "I know you figured it out, Mingzhe."
"I'd like to hear you say it yourself."
Hikari shook his head and somehow managed to make it sound like he was doing Mingzhe a favor. "It won't make any difference if I say it now. There's no one here to hear it."
"I'm here!" Mingzhe snapped. "I considered you a brother, and you're trying to destroy me. I deserve to hear it."
"We are still brothers!" Hikari cried. "That has never changed. This has nothing to do with you."
"How can you say that?" Mingzhe snarled. "You are telling the world that I conspired to kill my own soldiers. That I am a traitor of the highest order. For what reason? I have never done anything to harm you or your family."
Hikari sighed. "That's because it truly has nothing to do with you." Mingzhe opened his mouth to start yelling, because there was no way that was true, but Hikari held up a hand. "It was just chance that your forces ended up at the northern outposts."
Mingzhe paused, surprised. "What?"
"It wasn't planned that way. The Wens were going to send a force, but you reacted before they could."
"The Wens?" The books. Mingzhe's mind raced. "They're working with you."
"And others."
"Others?" Mingzhe repeated, feeling faint. "How many others?"
Hikari frowned at him. "I can't tell you that."
Mingzhe scoffed. "Why? Worried I'm going to tell someone?" It would be Mingzhe's word against the Yangs, and it would mean nothing. The High Court despised unsupported witness statements, and the common population treated conflicts between the noble class as entertainment rather than anything serious.
Hikari blinked, surprised. "Because I don't know. Mother planned it that way."
Mingzhe stared at him, confused at his sincerity. If he thought about it, Lady Yang's plan made sense.
It was rather brilliant, actually.
If caught, one group couldn't identify another. Protecting the rest of the conspirators.
It was just like Lady Yang to be so many steps ahead.
Bile and fury rose in Mingzhe's throat. Hopelessness and rage all at once.
~ tbc