A soldier lifted the tent flap, and Xue Feiyan and Ling Yan stepped inside. A fire burned in the center. The Left and Right Pillars of State sat on either side, and in the center sat the new Yanyun Khan, Moke.
Xue Feiyan stood tall, a smile on his face as he looked at Moke. Moke returned his gaze, making no move to rise.
"Insolence! Why do you not bow to our Khan?" the Right Pillar roared, leaping to his feet.
Ling Yan took a step forward. "Setting aside the fact that my master is a prince of the Dragon Bloodline and will not bow to the leader of a remote tribe, it was you who asked for these peace talks. Your Khan should be the one greeting my master."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it cut through the air with a clarity and authority that stunned the gruff general into silence.
"Ling Yan," Xue Feiyan said with a soft laugh, pulling her to his side. "You're forgetting your manners."
She glanced at him and lowered her head, silent.
"I will take my leave then," Xue Feiyan said, turning to Moke. "Since the Khan has no sincerity for peace, there is no point in my staying. I wish you well."
"Stop! Do you think you can come and go as you please in Qishi Town?" The Right Pillar strode toward him, eyes bulging.
"What do you intend to do?" Ling Yan stepped in front of Xue Feiyan, shielding him.
"Hah! A man hiding behind a woman? What a joke!" The Right Pillar laughed.
A flash of anger lit Ling Yan's eyes. She sneered. "You are not worthy to be my master's opponent. You wouldn't even last ten moves against me."
"Big words!" The Right Pillar raised a fist the size of a ham. "One punch from me would snap that twig of a neck."
The tension in the tent was palpable. The Left Pillar glanced uneasily at Moke. They had heard of the Seventh Prince's military exploits, but they had assumed he was just a pampered noble with a few tricks. But after seeing him split an arrow at a hundred and twenty paces in a gale…
Moke just smiled and shook his head, watching.
Ling Yan coughed softly, a frown touching her brow.
"Since the Right Pillar is in such high spirits," Xue Feiyan said lazily, "Ling Yan, why don't you entertain him for a moment?"
"Yes, my lord." She bowed, though she was surprised.
Xue Feiyan stepped back, a smile playing on his lips. Since she hated being the weak one, why not let her be the protector? He would be watching. If there was any real danger, he would step in.
"Careful now!" the Right Pillar roared, swinging his fist at her head before the words had even left his mouth.
The wind from the blow brushed her face. She simply turned, letting the massive fist sail past, and kicked him in the knee. He stumbled.
Before he could recover, she had circled behind him and hooked his ankle. Using his own momentum against him, she sent him crashing to the ground, narrowly missing the central fire.
"Alright, Ling Yan." Seeing she had won, Xue Feiyan relaxed. He walked over and pulled her close. "You haven't forgotten your footwork."
"I dare not claim credit. It was your teaching, my lord," she said, her eyes fixed on the Right Pillar as he scrambled up. The implication was clear: if the student was this good, the master was untouchable.
"Hahaha! wonderful! Wonderful!" The Left Pillar stood, clapping. "The Seventh Prince truly has dragons and tigers hiding in his shadow. Even a delicate girl is so formidable."
"My apologies. I have failed to discipline her," Xue Feiyan said politely. He turned to Ling Yan. "Apologize to the Pillar of State."
She smiled and bowed. "I apologize for the offense."
"What offense? I lost, fair and square. I didn't think a woman could have such skill." The Right Pillar was a career soldier, one of the best wrestlers in the tribe. To be thrown by a girl…
Ling Yan raised an eyebrow and glanced at Xue Feiyan. He just smiled at her, clearly pleased.
Moke watched it all in silence. He knew this woman was Xue Feiyan's weakness. But the trouble was, this weakness had teeth.
"Seventh Prince, please sit," Moke said, finally rising. "I have been busy with affairs of state. I hope my men have not neglected you."
"Not at all." Xue Feiyan returned the courtesy and sat in the guest seat. Ling Yan stood beside him, head bowed.
"Sit," he said, tilting his head toward her but not looking at her. "Save your strength."
Hm? She realized he was speaking to her. She hesitated, then sat beside him. He's doing this to make them think I'm his weakness, she thought, her eyes dimming slightly.
"We invited you here to ask about our terms. Has the Seventh Prince considered them?" the Left Pillar asked.
"Two million taels of silver and ten thousand bolts of silk, every year?" Xue Feiyan laughed. "The Pillar of State has a big appetite."
"We are willing to retreat to the grasslands and return Qishi Town to the dynasty," Moke said slowly. "A small price for such a strategic fortress."
"The dynasty is vast and rich. Such things are nothing to us. But I must have value for money if I am to return and report to the Emperor." Xue Feiyan spoke calmly, his smile unwavering.
The Left Pillar glanced at Moke. "Seventh Prince, surely decades of peace on the border is value enough?"
Xue Feiyan sneered. "Does the Left Pillar think I am ignorant of the situation here because I am new? After the assassination of the Khan, the Yanyun tribes fractured. The factions supporting the Second Prince and others have split off, crowning their own leaders. If the Khan were to go to war with the dynasty now, he would be attacked from front and rear. And Moke's faction alone… may not be enough to withstand the dynasty's armies."
Silence fell over the tent. Moke and his generals were stunned. Since Xue Feiyan's arrival, they had locked down all information. The Yanyun lands were far away, news traveled slowly. How could he be so certain?
"I know Khan Moke is a man of both civil and martial virtue," Xue Feiyan continued slowly. "Unifying the tribes is only a matter of time. So why insist on a stalemate with the dynasty?"
Moke hesitated, then laughed. "I didn't expect the Seventh Prince to know us so well."
Xue Feiyan rubbed his nose. "One must be careful when dealing with a man as shrewd as the Khan. Since you are preparing to unify the tribes, why not let the dynasty lend you a hand?"
"Oh? And how would you help?"
"For this year only: two million taels of silver, ten thousand bolts of silk, and fifty thousand piculs of grain." Xue Feiyan's voice was crisp. "If we agree, our two nations will have peace. If not… Qishi Town may have many soldiers, but it may not be enough to keep me here."
Moke considered this. Xue Feiyan was right. His bluff had been called. Better to take the deal now and deal with the unification first. Besides, that matter was nearing its conclusion.
"Good. Since the Seventh Prince is so straightforward, I agree." Moke stood. "Please, stay a few more days. I will have my men prepare the ceremony."
"Thank you, Khan." Xue Feiyan rose and bowed. "Farewell."
"My lord, it went so smoothly. Is it a trap?" Ling Yan asked as they walked back to their tent.
"Moke never expected to get that much from me. He was stalling for time," Xue Feiyan said. "I just gave him a way out. Besides, a civil war in the Yanyun lands will give Sushen time to recover."
"Stalling for time?" She didn't understand. Shouldn't he be rushing back to quell the rebellion?
"If I'm not mistaken, he's waiting for an elite force. I've seen strange soldiers entering Qishi Town these past few days." He fell silent, deep in thought.
Ling Yan walked beside him, her mind full of questions.
"Ling Yan."
"Yes, my lord."
He stopped and turned to her, his expression serious. "Send a message to our people in Sushen. Tell them to investigate the troops in Qishi Town."
"Yes."
"And tell them to pass the results to Li Yan, and have Li Yan give them to the Fifth Prince."
"The Fifth Prince?" She stared at him. "If they find something, it will be a great merit. Why give it to him?"
"Throwing a peach to get a plum," he said, looking up at the sky. "We are brothers, after all. Even if we fight for that chair, we both care about the safety of the dynasty."