Li Zhu's Audience Hall - Zhaoge

[Xiang Zhuang]

((Again, sorry for delays. This was a long and difficult post to write.))

Charlemagne

"So the Prefect is alive?" Xia Xi asked, with some amusement. The question seemed rhetorical, though, because he continued without an answer. "We had looked for him, you know. It was fairly surprising how quickly he fled. Of course, I'd be curious to see if he would say the same thing to you in my presence that he has said otherwise.

"Regardless, this so-called coup occurred in June. I had traveled to Henan in May, I believe, to pay my respects to the Emperor himself or whatever official I could get to see. I knew, as a District Manager, I wouldn't be able to see His Highness, because I was too lowly ranked. This is where I met with the Chief Minister." He paused for a second, clearing his throat. He tried to meet the Prime Minister's gaze here, as if communicating a level of seriousness above the previous. "Prime Minister, I am being quite frank here, and will continue to be. I know that some of what I say will cross you, or may seem unbecoming, but at this point I am at your mercy. If I did not believe in His Majesty, I would not have written you.

"Anyway, that day I met with the Chief Minister. I presented him with my tribute of one hundred taels, and informed him of the trials in the province of Yin; that the Chu forces had taken hold of most of the land, and were consolidating to move onto Henan. The Chief Minister refused to believe that this threat was serious, calling them bandits and issues with the peasantry. He told me, to show my loyalty, to take two specific villages in Yin province. This is what I intended to do, until Prefect Gen interfered."

He took in a deep breath. "Further, the Chief Minister said, for a price, he would enable me to rise to a higher rank in Yin province. He placed me in charge of determining whether the Prefects of Zhaoge and Xiuwu were remaining loyal. He believed in Prefect Gen, but Prefect Kuan of Xiuwu was more suspicious. He wanted me to report to him before I did anything, which was my intention, but," he trailed off, trying to find the right words, "...a general on the battlefield cannot report to his master over every decision. They have to act instantaneously and with their best judgment.

"I visited Prefect Gen shortly after speaking with the Chief Minister. I informed him of my loyalty to the Emperor and of the first part of the mission I had been placed to undertake; the seizure of those two villages. Needless to say, he was not pleased by my visit, and seemed angered by the supposed favor I had received from the Chief Minister. I was dismissed rather rudely, although it was his prerogative. The next month, I raised my armies to take these villages, but he attempted to attack me while I was en route. He knew what I was doing, after all, and was able to act accordingly. His troops were disguised as bandits, but we were quickly able to ascertain his true identity. The villages were near Zhaoge, after all, and he had marched directly from the city. I sent two messengers, but neither returned. Finally, I had to protect myself, so I did so. My armies had surprising success against him, and I later learned it was because an insurrection within the city of Zhaoge had started against him. This 'coup', as you call it, was organized by members of their military who had grievances with the Prefect. He had sent too few troops, and our combined forces defeated the Prefect, who fled, probably embarrassed that his little trick backfired so harshly.

"Those members of this coup chose to recognize me as their new leader. It seems that, without my move on these villages, they could not have distracted the Prefect in time to oust him. And because they also thought I was against the Prefect, and already had power, I was a convenient choice. That is how I have come to administrate this city. That the Prefect is alive is well and good, but with his opinion against me, and the way the situation looks on the outside, it is difficult to really explain what has happened. I don't know if you would believe me yourself, Prime Minister."

He shook his head. "The Chief Minister certainly did not. He levied charges, and demanded a tribute in a matter of time that I had no chance of raising. I tried to explain to his man what had happened, but it was to no avail. At about this same time, I learned that Prefect Kuan had been behind the rebellion initially in Zhaoge, but that those leaders chose me instead of Prefect Kuan because the Prefect has been known to turn on his enemies. I had to make a choice between weakening my defenses in Zhaoge for the tribute or for building up my force to defend against the Prefect. I chose the latter, although this was likely a poor choice in retrospect. The Prefect of Xiuwu was much weaker than I had thought, and after the disaffected lieutenants informed me of this, I chose to take the offensive and attack him before he could bring his Chu allies into the fight.

"While I wanted to execute these lieutenants for being disloyal to the throne, I realized that if I had turned on them, I would have lost control of the situation as it were. So, to reward them for their assistance in discovering Xiuwu's intentions, I sent them to lead the charge against Prefect Kuan. The majority of them died in that battle, but the battle was won. They died in penance to His Majesty, even if they did not know it. And Xiuwu was taken in August. The Chief Minister desired that I inform him of my investigation, so I had sent a messenger a few days before I launched the invasion. He never returned to me.

"Later, I received a summons, but because my messenger had not returned, I believed that I might have fallen completely out of favor with the Chief Minister. I sent a messenger, instead, but he also did not return, and I received the letter shortly after that I also sent to you."

He shifted, and swallowed impulsively; his throat having become dry. "This is the situation as best as I can address it, Prime Minister. I have not tried to defend myself in any great detail, for I know I have both made poor decisions and have engaged in the Chief Minister's game of bribery. However, I am not a traitor, and even though I have been approached by the peasant king of Chu and his rebellious upstart in Zhao with rank and reward to turn fully against my masters, I have refused to accept anything, and proceed to stall them from making any move either into Yin or through Yin into Henan."

<hr>
Jin Shi

There was something odd about this visit that bothered Zhenfeng. He thought for a moment about what it would mean to employ an assassin like this in normal administration work. There wasn't much doubt that he'd be able to perform some of the tasks ably, for sure, but would the others work well with him. How would it affect morale? And would this murderer's loyalty truly be his? There was a lot to consider, but Xi was generally disinclined to reject anybody who could be of help.

He shifted slightly, then said, "I am uncomfortable about something, Huixi Zhe. You just said 'at the moment'. I don't expect unconditional loyalty of my followers, but I'm not inclined to bring somebody in who only sees their service to this administration as a temporary agreement. There is a difference between joining somebody for a lack of other work and joining somebody because of an earnest desire for reform from your previous life. I can't place which path you seem to be following, despite what you have said.

"Now, don't get me wrong. I am not trying to give you some sort of lecture on morals. The sort of services you perform have been used to fill a more ultimate good in the past, and I'm sure could continue this in the future. If the lifestyle leaves something to be desired, then I would want to know what it is you ultimately desire. I don't aspire to be a stepping stone."

<hr>
Brother Dun

"Silence yourself, Huo Xing!" he exclaimed, his face getting a bit red. "You are crossing a line here. It is fully improper to speak of ill befalling somebody who is in your presence." He looked over to Liangyu, hoping she wasn't too hurt by this insinuation. "Anybody who harms my family in an attempt to harm me... will pay. I do not believe in revenge. But family means more than any ideal; means more than any ambition I might have. If a man cannot protect what he holds dear, then he is not a man. There is a difference between self-sacrifice and sacrificing another. Nobody &*$& with my family." The blood was pumping through Zhenfeng's weak body fast now, causing him to breathe heavily, as if he had just done laps around the administration building.

[RuffRydeR]

Brother Dun

"Silence yourself, Huo Xing!" he exclaimed, his face getting a bit red. "You are crossing a line here. It is fully improper to speak of ill befalling somebody who is in your presence." He looked over to Liangyu, hoping she wasn't too hurt by this insinuation. "Anybody who harms my family in an attempt to harm me... will pay. I do not believe in revenge. But family means more than any ideal; means more than any ambition I might have. If a man cannot protect what he holds dear, then he is not a man. There is a difference between self-sacrifice and sacrificing another. Nobody &*$& with my family." The blood was pumping through Zhenfeng's weak body fast now, causing him to breathe heavily, as if he had just done laps around the administration building.

Liangyu, who had been sitting silently as her question had been answered and was thinking about Hann, wondering exactly about how this related to this whole Brotherhood shpeel. She had missed exactly what sort of comment had made her Father suddenly burst out in anxious anger, but doubtless it had had to do with her. He was giving her a worried look in the eye, and then he had roared at their guest.

Frowning, and quite bewildered, she said,

"Father, calm down. Don't worry! Nothing will happen to me. I'm strong enough to handle myself. Besides, it's improper to yell at guests too, right?"

She edged closer to the Prefect, holding his hand and hoping to soothe her parent's anger. Bowing curtly to Huo Xing, she awkwardly asks,

"Oh, please don't be offended, sire. Father is rather...well, protective. Not that it isn't expected. The same trait befalls most parents. But honestly, sire, do you really expect an answer to something like that? Nobody knows how they may react to such a grave situation until it befalls them themselves. It's like asking someone, 'If you only had a day left in this world, what would you do?' The answer to that could vary from hour to hour, minute to minute, for there's so many things left to do, and not much to do it with, that it's impossible to pick one now and stick with it until the moment of truth. To be honest, it's a choice you'll not make until you finally get there and have to choose, no matter what you say beforehand. Best not to think about it, eh?"

[Jin Shi]

Huixi Zhe's smile got wider as Xia Xi talked, and clapped his hands together.

"Very good! You saw that little treasure I left for you. Very perceptive, I like that."

He chuckled lightly.

"Don't get me wrong, I love my work. I want to join up here so that I can do what I do under a banner, instead of just money, and even money isn't what I'm really after..."

He trailed off, and paced back and forth, thinking.

"You see, Lord Xia, I'm a man of my word. Take for instance, my very short employment under Kung Xian. I received a letter asking me, little old me, to kill him for 400 taels, a hefty sum to be sure. I would have been perfectly happy to have done such a thing, but, once I join a side, I do not defect, for any price. It's my own little honor code, you see."

He laughed a little.

"A stepping stone you wish not to be? I don't think many wish that, so join the club."

He muttered the end of this sentence

"If life is good here, you have one more sharp object at your disposal; if not, I leave and pursue my own devices."

[Brother Dun]

Brother Dun

"Silence yourself, Huo Xing!" he exclaimed, his face getting a bit red. "You are crossing a line here. It is fully improper to speak of ill befalling somebody who is in your presence." He looked over to Liangyu, hoping she wasn't too hurt by this insinuation. "Anybody who harms my family in an attempt to harm me... will pay. I do not believe in revenge. But family means more than any ideal; means more than any ambition I might have. If a man cannot protect what he holds dear, then he is not a man. There is a difference between self-sacrifice and sacrificing another. Nobody &*$& with my family." The blood was pumping through Zhenfeng's weak body fast now, causing him to breathe heavily, as if he had just done laps around the administration building.

Liangyu, who had been sitting silently as her question had been answered and was thinking about Hann, wondering exactly about how this related to this whole Brotherhood shpeel. She had missed exactly what sort of comment had made her Father suddenly burst out in anxious anger, but doubtless it had had to do with her. He was giving her a worried look in the eye, and then he had roared at their guest.

Frowning, and quite bewildered, she said,

"Father, calm down. Don't worry! Nothing will happen to me. I'm strong enough to handle myself. Besides, it's improper to yell at guests too, right?"

She edged closer to the Prefect, holding his hand and hoping to soothe her parent's anger. Bowing curtly to Huo Xing, she awkwardly asks,

"Oh, please don't be offended, sire. Father is rather...well, protective. Not that it isn't expected. The same trait befalls most parents. But honestly, sire, do you really expect an answer to something like that? Nobody knows how they may react to such a grave situation until it befalls them themselves. It's like asking someone, 'If you only had a day left in this world, what would you do?' The answer to that could vary from hour to hour, minute to minute, for there's so many things left to do, and not much to do it with, that it's impossible to pick one now and stick with it until the moment of truth. To be honest, it's a choice you'll not make until you finally get there and have to choose, no matter what you say beforehand. Best not to think about it, eh?"

Huo Xing lowered his head, diverting his gaze to the floor, at the Prefect's outburst. He did not raise it even when the Prefect's daughter essentially absolved him of wrongdoing, "I am not offended by your father's outburst, m'lady... To be honest, it was the type of reaction I was hoping for. Forgive me for my insolence Prefect, but until now, you have been careful to mask your true identity from me. I needed to see what kind of man you are, so I chose a topic close to the heart as my test," he said, giving a slight pause, "You did not disappoint."

The scholar lifted his head, and settled his gaze upon Liangyu, "As for not worrying about the question, m'lady, we need not dwell on it any longer... Although a bit of forethought on any subject is never such a bad thing, no matter how depressing the topic might be."

Shifting his gaze back to Xia Xi, he smiled to the Prefect then lowered his head once more, "I have but one final thing to say, Prefect Xia... You have impressed me today, and I must say I am interested in your current situation... I would like to offer my service to you, if you would accept me."

[Xiang Zhuang]

Jin Shi

Zhenfeng nodded, seemingly satisfied by the reply. "I will trust you, then, Huixi Zhe," he said. "I hope that I do not regret this decision just as I hope I prove to be worthy of your loyalty."

Huixi Zhe has been accepted! Post in the OI thread for PH access.

<hr>
Brother Dun

Zhenfeng calmed down fairly quickly when his daughter spoke up. He didn't enjoy her speaking for him, but it was comforting to know that she was not as offended as he was. And that the visitor seemed to want to provoke this sort of reaction made Xi feel a little manipulated. However, what he said afterward relaxed him some. Perhaps what this man wanted to see was something a little less political; a little more real. He took a deep breath and said, "Huo Xing, I am sorry if I was a little loud there. I will assume you weren't trying to manipulate my emotions there. But if I have shown you something that you wanted to see, then good.

"I am happy to accept you into my force. In some time, perhaps we can discuss the nature of the land in some greater detail. This isn't the time or the place for that. But you prove to me that you are behind this administration, and I will involve and rely upon you fully."

Huo Xing also joins.

[Charlemagne]

A lot of words that I didn't read, but I assure you that Li Si was paying attention.

The scribes were scrambling to record all that Xia Xi had to say for himself, while Li Si went about reviewing what was written into his own ledger. If the old minister believed the magistrate's words or not, it wasn't abundantly clear. His expression did not change, and he made no indication that he approved or disapproved of what was being said. After Xia Xi finished, Li Si picked his head up and nodded. "I see," was all he said as he looked back to his ledger.

After a few more moments, he traced one or two lines in the ledger with his finger. "And I see here that you assumed the rank of Prefect without the permission of the capital. That's very bold. That's not the kind of paperwork I normally overlook. I'm not sure I received a request for that." He turned and looked at one of his attendants, who was visibly shaking his head. "Hmm. Apparently I didn't overlook it. Don't suppose you would care to explain why you didn't petition the capital for permission?"

[bain_nick]

Xiao-Niao Min arrived at yet another City. It seemed that she was exploring more of the country now that she was nearing the end of her travels.

Walking up to another generic guard, Min asks. "Excuse me sir, my name is Xiao-Niao Min, and I was sent a leter of invitation to meet with the Prefect Xia Xi."

Min would wait on the guard for an answer.

[Xiang Zhuang]

The scribes were scrambling to record all that Xia Xi had to say for himself, while Li Si went about reviewing what was written into his own ledger. If the old minister believed the magistrate's words or not, it wasn't abundantly clear. His expression did not change, and he made no indication that he approved or disapproved of what was being said. After Xia Xi finished, Li Si picked his head up and nodded. "I see," was all he said as he looked back to his ledger.

After a few more moments, he traced one or two lines in the ledger with his finger. "And I see here that you assumed the rank of Prefect without the permission of the capital. That's very bold. That's not the kind of paperwork I normally overlook. I'm not sure I received a request for that." He turned and looked at one of his attendants, who was visibly shaking his head. "Hmm. Apparently I didn't overlook it. Don't suppose you would care to explain why you didn't petition the capital for permission?"

Zhenfeng looked at him, hoping to try to gain some sort of read on the minister, but wasn't able to get anything. He frowned briefly, but continued to answer. "I assumed Prefect Gen's rank temporarily after gaining control of Zhaoge. It would have been difficult to maintain control here without it, as the lieutenants who led this coup expected me to fill the shoes of their recently-ousted governor. I informed the Chief Minister immediately of this decision, and would have abided by any command to desist, but never received one. Instead, this is when I was asked by Chief Minister Zhao to pay a tribute of 1000 gold to the capital as a sort of compensation for this. And yes, this is the month when I attacked Prefect Kuan's forces in lieu of the tribute, because on the one hand I felt like the reoccupation of Yin by loyal forces was the first priority, and on the other hand I barely had the resources at the time to raise that amount anyway. And since then I have not had an opportunity to make amends for this slight, as it was after this that the Chief Minister demanded me to make war with these neighboring rebels who are much, much stronger than I am. If it is your desire for me to return this rank to you here today, I will do it, although I am unsure if the people of Zhaoge have been reassured enough of the magnanimity from the previous lieutenants that I might not suffer the same fate as Prefect Gen."

<hr>

Xiao-Niao Min arrived at yet another City. It seemed that she was exploring more of the country now that she was nearing the end of her travels.

Walking up to another generic guard, Min asks. "Excuse me sir, my name is Xiao-Niao Min, and I was sent a leter of invitation to meet with the Prefect Xia Xi."

Min would wait on the guard for an answer.

The attendant at the gate receives the lady warmly. He says, "The Prefect will be happy to meet with you. We ask first, though, that you would leave any weaponry you might have with us here. The Prefect prefers to keep the guard light, and the less weapons, the better."

[osiris]

osiris

"Hmmm, Prefect Fei of Yan?" Zhenfeng didn't seem to know who he was talking about. "I had heard there was some warring up on the border. I suppose this means that your master has won, then. Well, I am up for some discussion."

Jing nodded, "There was much war, but, Fei Lak has pacified and won the region." He cleared his throat, "Onto business. We were curious as to what your position on the Qin heirs were."

[Xiang Zhuang]

Jing nodded, "There was much war, but, Fei Lak has pacified and won the region." He cleared his throat, "Onto business. We were curious as to what your position on the Qin heirs were."

((Hey, I'm in Indiana, too.))

Zhenfeng shifted slightly. "Well, that's an odd question to ask," he replied. He wondered if this man was from this land or if his leader was a tribe from a foreign leader that had technically invaded, although the borders were always blurry. "The Qin Emperor resides in Henan, and I carry his cords of service as a Prefect. Through this, my allegiance should be obvious. Then again, it'd be suicide to come to power in the manner I did without pledging allegiance to them, and to continue to neighbor them without paying tribute. As for the reported King of Han, I have had no contact." His tone throughout was fairly thin, and it might have appeared as if he didn't enjoy the bluntness of the question.