“Have you ever considered that your perfume might give you away?” I muttered, keenly aware of how close he was to me.
“It would be a worthy defeat,” he said in my ear, and his low voice made my skin tingle. “If I’m to go, at least I’ll do so in style.”
I huffed against my mask. “Your vanity knows no bounds.”
“One of my many flaws,” he murmured. I could feel the heat of his gaze upon me.
I fixed my attention on the courtyard below, where the patrol guard had just turned his back on us. “Now,” I ordered, and we rose in unison, dropping to the lowest eave directly above the atrium.
From this vantage point, I recognized Prince Yuchen’s manservant, waiting with his horse by the back gate.
“He’s already here,” I said, cursing. “We’ll need to find a way inside.”
“It’s too risky.”
“I need to hear what—”
“I know,” said Lei. “I have a better way.”
Bewildered yet intrigued, I followed as he leapt up to the inner roof overlooking the rock garden, then removed a blunt tool from his robes. Chiseling out a clay tile, he created a small fissure in the roof, then inserted a thin metal rod inside the gap.
“Come here,” he said, and I bent toward the rod. Voices issued from within.
In amazement, I stared at Lei, who grinned back at me. It struck me then that this was one of the first times I’d seen him truly sober. I preferred him like this: still playful and mischievous, but sharper, clear-eyed, less volatile and prone to fits of violence. Sober, he was someone I could imagine choosing to spend time with.
But it did not matter how I preferred him. As soon as winter passed, he would depart for the treaty negotiations, and then to Ximing. And I would never see him again.
I bent my ear to the listening rod.
“Your Highness, the arrangements have already been made. But the payments you promised are long overdue—”
“I told you—the gold mine is under investigation,” Prince Yuchen snapped. “How do you think it will look if I keep funneling the funds to you?”
“Then find another way to acquire the gold,” Lord Xu said calmly. “But I cannot supply the additional troops without it. If you want me to double the numbers, I will require double the compensation.”
“I’ll repay you tenfold once I’m on the throne,” Yuchen hissed.
“Your Highness,” said Lord Xu slowly. “I appreciate your generosity. But as I’ve made clear, I need the funds first before I can provide the forces you require. I’m more than happy to wait until you can locate a new source—”
“Well, I can’t wait!” Yuchen interrupted. “My father’s health is failing. I suspect that damned Yifeng is poisoning him, so that he’ll name his successor any day now.” His voice grew bitter. “He’s never respected me, never taken me seriously as his son…No, he won’t name me his heir, and if I stage a coup after he’s announced his successor, the people won’t stand by me.”
Princess Yifeng was poisoning the Imperial Commander? I knew she was cunning, but I never imagined she’d go so far as to off her own father-in-law.
“That’s a serious accusation,” Lord Xu said. “But if you can prove it, that would provide grounds for removing the crown prince, no?”
“Damn it, don’t you think I’ve tried? The bitch has covered her tracks more carefully than a snake in the grass.”
Though I despised the princess, I couldn’t help but smile. Like an artist appreciating a rival’s work, I had to respect a job well done—even if it made my own life significantly harder.
“As I’ve said before, my loyalty lies with the winning side,” said Lord Xu. “I placed my faith in you initially, but it is now your responsibility to demonstrate that that trust was well-placed.”
There was a long silence, before I heard the sound of a heavy stone being set against wood. “Let this serve as a promise of future payment,” said Yuchen. “You may use my chop as your own.” His voice grew distant. “It is only a matter of time before I am on the throne.”
Their voices grew inaudible as they left the room, before I heard them once more in the courtyard, exchanging pleasantries in parting.
Prince Yuchen had left his name chop on Lord Xu’s desk.
Nothing was as personal as a name chop, which was used as a signature to validate your approval. If I could steal Yuchen’s chop from Lord Xu’s desk, perhaps I could use it as proof to demonstrate their secret alliance.
