Part of Sen still suspected that this was all part of so vast, elaborate, far-reaching trap. Except that the ti to spring the trap had co and gone as far as he could tell. He still really wanted it to be a trap, though. If it was a trap, then he’d know what to do. He’d gotten pretty good at dealing with traps. If Gao Kangrui and the rest of them were serious about this surrendering thing, he had no clue what should co next. He was usually executing nobles who lacked the sense to remain silent at this point. That or he was doing his level best to intimidate recalcitrant cultivator sects. Not his favorite parts of conquest, but they were familiar.
Instead, he was mostly standing around and trying to radiate an aura that scread things. Helpful things. Things like, “Don’t speak to ,” or, “I’m feeling very murderous right now.” It was working. Mostly. The throne room had been transford and was now hosting a kind of impromptu reception. The local nobility were chatting with Sen’s generals, who still looked a little suspicious. The local sect elders were still hanging back after a failed attempt to approach him. He supposed that failed might be overstating it. Master Feng had intercepted them. It was clear that they were all positively terrified of Sen’s teacher. An attitude he thought was probably conducive to much longer lives. On the whole, though, people were heeding his uninviting aura. All of them save for one person.
Sen did his best not to groan at the look of bright excitent that Gao Kangrui was directing at him from a re two feet away. That expression made Sen profoundly uncomfortable. He was less uncomfortable with the entirely opaque expression that the woman who accompanied the forr king everywhere was directing at him. It turned out that she was Gao Kangrui’s aunt, Li Qiu Yue. She had served as regent for so ti before his ascension. Sen was honestly finding it impossible to get a sense of what she thought about anything.
“Can I assist you with sothing, Lord Lu?” she asked in a cool, controlled tone.
I must have been looking at her for too long, he thought. It was just better than dealing with her nephew.
“No, Lady Li. I was just lost in thought,” he answered, and turned his gaze back out to the crowd.
“My aunt isn’t married, Lord Lu,” said Gao Kangrui.
Based on the boy’s earnest expression, he probably thought he was being helpful. Sen didn’t even need to look at Li Qui Yue to know that she was not happy with that revelation. Nor was she pleased at the implied suggestion that Sen should take her as a wife or consort. Her previously masked feeling had cracked through after that. He could feel her displeasure in the air. It stood to reason that, if she wanted soone, she already had soone. Soone well-versed in the art of discretion, if they were unknown to the king. Either that, or the king was playing so kind of subtle ga with both Sen and his aunt. That didn’t seem terribly likely, but it was still possible. Sen didn’t intend to play along if that was the case.
It wasn’t the first ti that soone had suggested a political marriage to him. He even knew that such marriages were common in situations of conquest. Except, he’d conquered country after country. Most kings settled for conquering one country. He’d recognized the potential folly early on. He had no intention of taking a wife from every country he conquered. As an emperor, he could do that, but he had no interest in trying to manage the demands of multiple wives. And, if he took a wife from one country, he would have to take a wife from all of them. Otherwise, it would inevitably lead to power struggles at court. Any province he took a wife from would receive, appropriately or not, a perceived position of favor.
He knew he couldn’t avoid those power struggles entirely. People were people, after all. What he didn’t need to do was create the conditions for them himself. That might actually be wisdom, he thought. Unfortunately, now that Gao Kangrui had given voice to that notion, Sen had to find a way to extricate himself. Preferably, that thod would not involve giving too much blatant offense. That was still a skill he was working on developing. Sowhere else, he wouldn’t have cared. These people, though? They hadn’t made him kill a single person. He was grateful for that. More grateful than they would ever know. That gratitude ought to earn them at least an attempt at courtesy.
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“Your aunt is quite lovely. I’m confident that she has many suitors. Suitors far more refined than a warlord and tyrant like . Suitors who won’t be far away and fighting endless battles for years to co. Better that she chooses one of them, I would think.”
“Well, I suppose it’s true that she has many suitors,” said Gao Kangrui uncertainly. “But you are the emperor. Marrying you would be—”
“We should heed Lord Lu’s wise counsel, nephew,” said Li Qui Yue hurriedly.
“Aunt?”
“Consider, nephew. Lord Lu is a cultivator, as well as an emperor. As such, he knows many hidden truths to which we, re mortals, could never hope to aspire.”
Sen was very certain that he did not know many truths to which mortals could not aspire. He might possess hidden knowledge, but he didn’t think much of it was beyond mortal comprehension. Maybe just one or two of the things that he himself couldn’t understand. Yet, that knowledge was hidden from mortals for the singular reason that it wouldn’t be of any use to them. Without the ability to freely manipulate qi the way cultivators did, it would all be theoretical. He doubted they could glean any practical value from such knowledge. Nonetheless, he remained silent. That silence would serve as tacit approval of Li Qui Yue’s words. With any luck, that would bring a swift end to any and all inconvenient marriage talks.
“Yes,” said Gao Kangrui with a nod. “Yes, of course, you are right. Forgive , Lord Lu, for my impertinent words.”
“Of course. It is a matter of little concern to .”
The forr king looked like he was about to say sothing else, but Li Qui Yue intervened to save Sen.
“Nephew. I see Lord Liang is unoccupied at the mont. You should speak to him while you have the opportunity.”
“You’re right. Please, excuse , Lord Lu.”
Sen moved his hand in a way that could be interpreted to an literally anything. With a nod, Gao Kangrui set out across the room with purposeful steps.
“Thank you,” said Sen.
“He is well-aning, but ti has not tempered him yet.”
“I know the feeling,” muttered Sen.
“Lord Lu?”
“We are all young at so point, and I’ve been well-aning in my ti. It usually found a way to beco a problem for later.”
“An experience common to most people, I should imagine.”
Sen shook his head and said, “Fewer than you’d think.”
Li Qui Yue gave him a speculative look but chose to change the subject instead.
“I appreciate that you declined my nephew’s ill-conceived offer. I expect my lover will be grateful as well.”
It was Sen’s turn to give her a speculative look. He did not change the subject.
“While I understand that discretion is valued at court, I get the impression your nephew is unaware of this lover. That seems like a situation ripe for such misunderstandings to repeat themselves in the future.”
That drew a small grimace from the woman.
“It is not my preference to keep the secret, but young n are indiscreet by nature. Prone to telling their own lovers things that should best be kept silent. My lover is a private person. She would prefer not to be the subject of unnecessary gossip.”
Sen considered Li Qui Yue for a mont before he said, “I wonder what that would be like.”
“I’m not sure I understand your aning, Lord Lu.”
“Unless I miss my guess, there is soone in a tavern making up a story about from whole cloth at this exact mont.”
“Ah. I see,” she murmured. “One of the prices one pays for fa, I suppose.”
“Infamy is probably closer,” said Sen with a wry smile.
“I—” started Li Qui Yue before she hesitated.
“Don’t worry. I’m well aware of what I am. However, since I have done you a small service, perhaps you can return that favor.”
“In what way?”
“Tell what I don’t know about this place that I need to know. Preferably, before it forces to start executing people. Or, at the very least, tell enough so that I only execute the right people.”
Li Qui Yue studied him for a long ti before she nodded, almost to herself.
“I see,” she said. “A test. If I provide you with false information against my own enemies or my nephew’s enemies, you’ll know not to trust . Or him. If I provide you with accurate information, then you will have at least so assurance that this province can nominally be left beneath its current leaders.”
“In part,” admitted Sen. “But will also tell about how well you understand your own kingdom. Since you are, quite obviously, the queen here in all but na, I can assu that you will continue to advise your nephew. It wouldn’t do to leave soone in that position if they don’t have a masterful understanding of their own kingdom.”
“I understand that you’ve appointed an imperial governor in all the other provinces. Does that not render this test aningless?”
Sen gave her a steady look and said, “None of them surrendered willingly. I believe that warrants at least so consideration.”
Li Qui Yue let her gaze drift around the room for a mont before she said, “Where should I begin?”
“Start with the cultivators,” said Sen. “They aren’t always a problem, but they always have the potential to be the biggest problem.”
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