Mingzhe's cells was a tiny thing. Damp and cold and square and grey. The prison at the Camelia was meant to hold the worst of the Crimson Army, and now that included Mingzhe.
The iron bars were thick, the windows only in the halls outside the cells. Sparse torches offered the only constant source of light, but they were scattered along the hallway. Guards had to carry their own to actually see the way when they patrolled or brought in visitors.
Counsel Green had seemed surprised when Mingzhe had gone quietly to his cell. It wasn't unheard of for noble prisoners to be allowed to reside in their homes under extreme guard, but the charges against Mingzhe were high, and the Crimson Army held a higher standard.
So did Mingzhe.
He had to live with his choice now, and everything that came with it.
The guards would deliver food three times a day, and he had a barrel of clean water to drink that would be refilled each day. There was a chamber bucket in the back corner and a small mattress piled with blankets. Even the criminals of the Camelia cared about their sleep.
Mingzhe measured the size of his cell, ten steps in every direction, and then shed his outer robes and sat down on the mattress.
Until the High Court finished their case, Mingzhe wouldn't even be allowed visitors. He had told Counsel Margrave he would give the confession again in front of the court, though it wasn't always required, but she'd agreed that it would be important given the reach of this case.
It wouldn't happen until after they'd searched the Yang Manor, Mingzhe had been sure to stress the importance of salvaging the evidence there as soon as possible, and Counsel Margrave had agreed. She had been moving forces there as he'd been taken to his cell, and she'd been headed to Chenzhou and Eirian.
For a member of the High Court, she'd been surprisingly understanding when he'd confessed his feelings about Chenzhou and Eirian, but firm in that even they wouldn't be allowed to see or speak to him until after the trial.
That was fair, he figured, as he had no idea what to say to them anyway.
How was he going to explain this in a way they would understand?
In a way that would make them forgive him for leaving them?
***
The young Lord Zhao was chaffing under the pressure. Lady Yang could see the rage in his eyes, even though he was surprisingly skilled at hiding it. Most people his age barely understood their own emotions, let alone how to control or understand them.
It was unfortunate he'd been born to another bloodline. If he'd been hers, she could have raised him strong enough to get over this last hurdle. The sentimentality that made emotional connections to others so dangerous.
Lady Yang had loved her husband, but it hadn't cost her anything when he'd outlived his usefulness except a momentary sadness at the loss of his steady companionship.
Lord Zhao was too inexperienced to realize the ephemeral value of romantic relationships, and Hikari was too foolish to realize friendship was the same.
He'd clearly reached his breaking point. Whether it was because of something he'd found in the manor or just because things had gone on long enough that he'd snapped, she wasn't sure.
And it didn't really matter in the end.
Hikari had tried his best, but Lord Zhao was now a threat. Lady Yang had to deal with him quickly and quietly.
She returned to her office after he left and summoned her head retainer. The man had been born into the service of the family and was, sadly, more reliable than her own children when it came to getting things done promptly and properly.
It only took a few minutes for him to answer her summons, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. "My Lady. Trouble?"
She nodded, face pinched in a frown. "Lord Zhao's usefulness has ended."
He blinked, but the surprise faded quickly. "I see. That's disappointing. Lord Hikari will be upset."
"He'll get over it." Children always got over their disappointments eventually. "We need to move quickly."
The retainor nodded. "Is he returning today?"
"Most likely. He doesn't go far these days."
"It will be difficult while he's here. Suspicion will fall on the family automatically."
"We will bear it. The High Court's suspicions are easily swayed, and no one else's matters." She frowned, recalling that all four of the High Court members she paid had quietly left the Camelia. "Lord Ye clearly has his suspicions already, but he has waited too long to act."
The retainor nodded, pleased. "A staged fight? Or a slow-acting poison, that would cast doubt on where he received it."
"Whichever, as long as it's done quickly."
Footsteps in the hallway caught her attention for a moment. Her wing of the manor was much quieter than the others, since her children and grandchildren resided in their own and rarely ventured into hers.
They passed her door and faded from notice. "We need to make sure we know what's happening with Lord Ye and the High Court. Losing our eyes inside the High Court's office is significant, and I wouldn't put it past Lord Ye to make a last-ditch effort to try to save Lord Zhao."
"Wouldn't that just look worse for him?" The Retainor frowned.
Lady Yang nodded, "It won't stop him. Too young. Too emotional." Not fit for command of the Camelia.
The door burst open. Lady Yang went still in her chair, hand darting to the sword resting next to her desk. The Retainer leaped to his feet and was immediately on the floor under the hands of two Crimson Army soldiers.
Lady Yang stood as soldiers flooded her office, but before she could demand to know what was happening, Counsel Margrave and Captain Li, the two people in their organizations that she'd failed to win over, entered.
"Lady Yang," Counsel Margrave's face was blank. "You are under arrest for treason." Next to her, Captain Li couldn't contain his fury. "Please don't attempt to resist. We have been authorized to use whatever force necessary to bring you in."
~ TBC