Zhao Mingzhe went to his death on a clear autumn afternoon, and Lady Yang was arrested on a dreary autumn morning with the smell of blood still in the air.
Mingzhe's execution was a quiet affair. Attended only by his family, the High Court, and Chenzhou and Eirian, who had refused to allow spectators out of respect. The Vermeer sisters and Kai Low had acted at the official witnesses and carefully looked away when Mingzhe's mother whispered something to him and held him for longer than she was legally allowed.
She had failed to come up with anything to change his fate, though she had ended up confirming everything he'd said about the Yangs, alongside the High Court.
Mingzhe wasn't the only one to die that afternoon. Chenzhou had handed down the sentences for many of the guards and Crimson Army soldiers involved in the thefts from the Vaults, and while he'd spared most from death, he hadn't spared them all.
Instead of an executioner's blade, Eirian's fire took them all, one by one. Only Mingzhe had faced death without faltering.
There had been no hesitation in his steps, no moment of panicked pleading when he realized there was no way out.
For the first time since his arrest, and probably a few weeks before that, his eyes immediately sought out Chenzhou and Eirian, and he smiled.
He'd kept smiling even as the flames took him.
Eirian had poured her magic into it, burning as hot as she could make it, and making it as quick and as painless as she could for Mingzhe.
The entire thing only took a few seconds, but the empty feeling that followed would linger for the rest of their lives.
Captain Li had locked down the Camelia on Chenzhou's orders. Every single guard was on duty; no one was allowed in or out until dawn broke the next morning, when the High Court took one of the Crimson Army's most elite units and Eirian to officially take the entire Yang family and household into custody. Chenzhou had watched with Yuze, Kai Low, Ran Orlo, the Vermeer sisters, and Zhao Zhuli and Marabell as they were brought out one by one.
He, and almost everyone else, were concerned about the absence of Zhao Linlin, but Zhuli had insisted his mother was looking after their father, whose heart wasn't doing so well after Mingzhe's…
The people who worked for the Yangs were in varying states of shock and panic, though there were a few who remained defiant even in chains.
The Yang family was another matter.
Every single one of them came out cold and silent.
Only Hikari showed anything else, and it wasn't something that gave them any sense of victory. He almost seemed sad, and when Kai Low had asked one of Li's senior guards why, the guard had shaken his head, lips pursed.
"Word of Lord Zhao's execution came out while they were taken into custody. Apparently, Lord Yang was unaware it had already happened." The guard paused, debating what else to say.
"Go on," Chenzhou ordered, gently.
"He did not take the news well. It seems Lord Yang harbored some belief that he would be able to save Lord Zhao's life despite… everything that happened."
Kai Low snorted. "The delusion runs strong."
The guard snorted. "In the whole family. It's been nothing but how wrong we are, how much trouble we'll be in once this 'farce' is over, how insulting this is, on and on." He rubbed his temples, then froze, suddenly remembering his audience. He straightened. "They are adamant that this is a mistake that will haunt us all. Expect Lady Yang." Chenzhou glanced at him sharply. "She hasn't said a word."
"She hadn't." Captain Li's voice made them turn as he approached. "Everyone has been arrested. I believe we've maxed out the available cells in the jail."
"No house arrest," Chenzhou ordered, then faltered. "Except the children. We need to find someone who can take them in."
"The High Court wants to establish that they had nothing to do with the family's activities first."
Chenzhou frowned. "They're underage."
"Some of them are close enough to their age of majority that there is precedent for treating them as if they are."
"No." The strength of Chenzhou's answer made everyone jump. "Children are children. No matter how close they are."
Li frowned, "The High Court-"
"I'll deal with them," Chenzhou stated.
Li relaxed, nodded. "I'll have them brought to the main castle. Marian can look after them until…"
Chenzhou nodded. "Thank you… Have the whole family brought there, but keep the children separate. I want to speak to Lady Yang before the High Court begins its interrogation."
Li didn't argue.
***
Chenzhou ordered the main hall emptied when they arrived at the main castle, and everyone kept out while the Yangs were there.
Marion swept the children away before anyone could see them, and Eirian was a bit surprised at how many there were. Lady Yang had thirteen grandchildren, most of them a few years from fourteen, and being old enough to be considered adults by the High Court and join the Crimson Army. The older children were the ones everyone was concerned about. Not yet adults but old enough to have been indoctrinated by the family's beliefs. Whether or not they could be saved from those beliefs remained to be seen.
Lady Yang and her four sons and their spouses were the only surviving members of the main family. There were cousins and other distant relatives, but the Yangs had drawn a clear line between ranks in the family.
Lady Yang was apparently off foot enough that she couldn't even hide her fury at being dragged into the main hall in chains.
Of her children, only Hikari showed any remorse. Well, that was what Eirian assumed his forlorn expression was. That, and the guilt over Mingzhe.
His three siblings were as defiant as their mother, and at least one of their wives was as well.
The two spouses of the youngest sons, a female member of the Yin household, and a young man from a well-off common family, seemed too stunned to understand what was actually happening.
~ tbc