Li Zhu's Audience Hall - Zhaoge

[Yinzi]

Yinzi had not been to the city of Zhaoge since she was a child, when her grandfather had more business with the prefect of the city at the time. Much had changed in the intervening years, she observed as she wandered for a time about the city. She seemed to create a distance between herself and those around her - none seemed too keen on coming near the woman who had been expelled from Xiuwu not long before. Or perhaps it was the plain, white robe and scarf she wore, coupled with the distant and melancholic expression on her face. After a time, she noticed, the crowds of Zhaoge's streets gave way for another reason. Her eyes rose to take in the banners, flickering in the breeze over the administration building. None without legimate business would dare approach the building, of course, for they would simply be turned away by the guards - or worse, if they had mischief in their minds. Fortunately, Jin Yinzi had been blessed with the former, and she approached the entrance gate with her head bowed.

"My name is Jin Yinzi, and I am the Magistrate of Xuandi," the young woman spoke, her tone clear but quiet. "My visit is at the request of Xia Gongzhu." Having said her piece, the woman produced a parchment from her robe, showing the guards at the gate the letter for proof.

((OOC: And sorry, Xias, for our last meeting getting lost. RL came and swallowed me up for a while. ))

[RuffRydeR]

The guards studied the letter and nod. It was indeed done in Lady Xia's delicate hand. One asks respectfully,

"Well, before you come in, we'd need to ask you turn any weapons over. I mean, I know you didn't bring any last time, but just making sure this time. I'd rarely expect a young lady like yourself to carry anything harmful, but then again, I do work for the Xia's, and the Gongzhu has always been quite the fighter."

After a bow, and if any weapons are turned over, he then leads her inside, where he announces her to where the Prefect and his little Princess were in conversation.

He bows, and says,

"Lady Jin of Xuandi wishes to meet you, as per the Lady Xia's request."

At this, the Lady looks up, and there was a sincere worry on her face.

"I'm glad you could come so soon. I was rather troubled when I heard you were thrown out of Xiuwu. That was quite mean of them!"

She turns to her father,

"See! I knew we couldn't leave that wretched city of rebels alone. Look what they did to our fellow peace-loving friend! We'll need to show them that isn't a right thing to do, Father."

[Xiang Zhuang]

Charlemagne

Xia Xi had been speaking with an aide when his daughter and Li Ning arrived. He gave his daughter a warm smile and regarded the elder man with a nod. "Hmmm," he said, "I did not know my daughter had any interest in poetry. The only arts I've seen her engage in are the more martial ones. But perhaps it might keep her off of the training grounds a bit."

He thought for a moment. "Regardless, I have already hired an adviser for my daughter recently. I would want to know that you could provide other services than just this. My payroll is a tight one, and I cannot frivolously spend on my daughter as I used to be able to." He gave her a bit of a frown.

<hr>
Yinzi

Xia Xi was completely surprised to see Yinzi arrive in his chambers, and was a bit annoyed at not being informed previously of her arrival. He gave the attendant a dirty look when he announced her. And when his daughter spoke... it was hard for him to keep his anger bottled up. He hated it when he did not have full control over his audiences, and when people did not follow the protocol he had tried to establish. He realized, though, that this was neither the time nor the place to address such things. When his daughter addressed him, he put his palm to his forehead for a moment. Without replying to her, he rose and gave Yinzi a small bow. "Welcome to Zhaoge, daughter of Magistrate Jin. I am happy you have come. We have... heard of what happened in Xiuwu recently. My condolences that your efforts were not successful. Prefect Kuan of Xiuwu is part of the reason why Yin cannot be united, and his removal would have been beneficial. But perhaps this is not what you wished to speak of." He turned and gave his daughter a sharp look, then nodded his head to the visitor as if asking her to speak.

[Yinzi]

Having no weapons to turn over, Yinzi was led before lord Xia and his daughter. The young woman's expression did not seem to register her hosts' comments for a moment, as she seemed to shake off some heavy thoughts from her mind. With a weak, but genuine and friendly, smile, lady Jin bowed respectfully before her hosts. For a moment, she nearly looked to her side, as if expecting to find another petitioner there. Realizing she was indeed alone, Yinzi straightened and expelled a quiet sigh.

"Jin Zhongshi, my grandfather, was long the appointed minister of Xuandi. Though his position was made official by the Qin, it would have been his even otherwise, I should think." The young woman paused, her expression clearly betraying the troubled thoughts her speech was bringing about. She composed herself quickly, but the melancholy in her tone could not be dismissed. "In recent times, I had assumed much of his duties due to his failing health, and now, I have assumed his role in full, as he expressed in his final wishes."

"My business with the lord of Xiuwu was hardly friendly," Yinzi went on quietly, "however I hope our discourse shall be. I pray no hasty actions be taken on my account, but I understand the position of your family is growing remarkably. However, do not mistake my intentions; I have no desire to become a leech. Such a relationship between us would be a disgrace upon my ancestors and a dishonor toward your esteemed family. Neither is my wish."

"I have learned much recently, both from my experience in Xiuwu and in Xuandi. When I came to you before in Puyang, we spoke briefly of the matters affecting our land, though the substance of our talk was much different than it must now be," the young woman considered. "It is clear that the unification of Yin will occur, and it is obvious that this will be accomplished under your banner. Therefore, let us not dwell on Xiuwu and the past; let us instead speak of the present."

[Xiang Zhuang]

Yinzi

Xi sat down when Yinzi mentioned the death of her grandfather. He knew that this meeting was a lot more serious and somber than it might have seemed at first, and he started to regret some of the things Yinzi had to deal with in coming here. His face reflected that sentiment. He said, "I am sorry for your loss. All of Yin province will miss his leadership. I regret that I did not get to know him better."

He paused for a moment. He was not terribly good with such things, and had often wondered what his own daughter would do if she wound up in a similar position. It wasn't a pleasant though. The visitor was visibly struggling with the matter. There would never be a day when he would see Liangyu look like that, he hoped. But then again, likely he wouldn't be alive when it happened. "Yes, let us not dwell on Xiuwu, although I would add that the demise of Prefect Kuan is crucial to the unification of this province behind a cause. I would never demean you in such a way to think you were a leech. The realization of all of his must be difficult. I know that I am still very much a stranger, but I believe you realize that I do value this province and wish to engender its safety. I could continue, but I believe you have more to say yet, Magistrate Jin." He used the term for her official rank, hoping that it would not cause her any more pain. Yet, he wished to know the terms in which he was speaking to her on.

[Yinzi]

"Yes, of course, lord Xia," Yinzi responded with a respectful nod. "There are few obstacles left to you before Yin province can be fully united under a single official, and all see Xiuwu as the greatest. Besides Prefect Kuan, only a few of the rural villages have yet to have your banners posted overhead."

"And, of course, Xuandi," the young woman said carefully, but firmly. She paused, taking her attention from the prefect and gazing for a long moment on his daughter. For that time, she wondered what it would be like if their places were reversed. Yinzi could practically feel the energy of the princess from the moment she was announced before them. She bowed her head and forced her thoughts back to the matter at hand. She could not forsake her duty even for a moment's comfort. Could she? "However, we wish for the same end, an unified land of peace - an inevitable end. What must concern me first is the means by which that end will come about. Your plans for unifying Yin, by their very nature, must include Xuandi."

[beyond]

"That is a sad story," Zhenfeng replied. "I apologize if it pained you to say it. Your estimation of the situation with the Qin might be accurate. I myself am a ranked official of the Qin, as per the brand you find residing in Henan nowadays. However, I am not terribly confident they will survive to reconquer the land, let alone survive the rest of this year. It does not seem as if the rebellions--the warring--will end any time soon."

He paused for a second, then spoke, but with a less serious tone than before. "Yin province mattered so little to both Chu and Qin that Qin didn't bother to defend it from Chu, and Chu marched through it rather than occupying it. I have recently come to power here, and even though I have violated Qin's orders by taking Zhaoge, they seem more interested in my taxes than my actual intentions. I know little of the King of Chu, but to send his main army so far away so early into his rebellion... it's difficult to fathom his strategy. And not even toward the Qin forces in Henan.

"These times don't make much sense. Myself, I'm mostly concerned with the consolidation of forces in Yin. If I can ensure that this province is united behind similar ideals as to mine, then perhaps I can have a greater influence upon what happens next. But I am not as foolish as some of our suzerains have appeared to be in either their denial of the reality of the situation or their bizarre desire for land grabs over real conquest."

((Sorry for the delay))

Guo stood there for a few minutes, trying to grasp what had been said. Corruption was nothing new to him, and neither were the rumors about the younger prince's obsession with wealth, but to let such a hated foe have such a free hand shook him. "Then the laws brought about by the First Emperor have just been tossed aside. The people war with each other. The two men who could have prevented this destroy the home of their ancestors. Hated foes are allowed a free hand. Was it all for nothing?"

Guo seemed to ask the question more for himself than to anyone inparticular. His eyes darted back and forth; not seeming to focus on any one point longer than a second. One could only guess the unsaid thoughts running through his mind. Several times he opened his mouth to speak, only to shake his head and remain silent.

[Xiang Zhuang]

Yinzi

"I cannot claim to understand what it is you are going through," Zhenfeng replied, "But I believe you are making the appropriate decision. It cannot be a simple thing to take the position you have so recently inherited and to subordinate it below another. The casual observer might claim that you were too weak to hold it yourself, even. We know better, though.

"In this, please know that, while my plans involved uniting the province, it was alongside your grandfather. I never harbored any desire for conflict, even if your plans regarding Xiuwu might have succeeded. For peace to really exist, violence should only be used against those who fuel the flames of war. As we are here today, standing opposed to those who fuel these conflicts, so would we have in a different circumstance."

He cleared his throat. "Pardon me if I speak plainly, but I do not want the meaning and importance of what I am about to say to be confused in any way. I believe you have come here to show your allegiance to my force. I do not take such a move lightly. In exchange for the seals of Xuandi that you bear, I will in turn give you seals bearing the Xià (夏) family emblem. In my service, you will continue to hold the rank of Magistrate of Xuandi. However, you will be subordinate to me, and as such will not have the freedom of decision that you have had on your own. I believe you will find, though, that I own thinking aligns well with yours."

((If any of that is unclear, let me know and I'll expound, but it's basically the IC version of the OOC effect.))

<hr>
beyond

"I don't think so," Xi replied. "Why Qin has failed to keep their hold on the land is for scholars and historians to debate later. For all of the wisdom that Shihuangdi had, he looked toward his own preservation instead of the preservation of his empire. I believe the stories of him seeking out herbalists and diviners in his later years are not exaggerated. In this time, he could have put his affairs in order and, perhaps, prevented such a collapse in structure. It is a lesson to be learned for whomever emerges from the chaos as the unifier again.

"But perhaps the land will never be unified as Shihuangdi did? Since the Zhou, the land had existed in states, and already it is splintering again. Maybe the dream of total conquest--of uniting all of the tribes of the Middle Kingdom--can only be achieved by a man truly blessed by the heavens? Perhaps the land falls apart now because it does not have the hand of Shihuangdi to guide it anymore?

"I believe the land can be united again, and this time, it could stay united. Qin has shown us both that it is possible to overcome the regionalism, and also has shown us how it can all fall apart. Conquering the land is only the first step; preserving it is the second. The job never ends. Here in Yin, I am attempting to gain power for myself so that, when I find someone who can unite the land and preserve it, I can support them and help bring about this dream. Until then, I shall progress on my own. I do not believe that I will be this person, but I know not what the future holds for me. It would be too presumptuous to claim that I could, and the type of man who could unite the land would not be so presumptuous." He let out a small laugh, hoping to break some of the solemnity of his previous words.

[RuffRydeR]

He cleared his throat. "Pardon me if I speak plainly, but I do not want the meaning and importance of what I am about to say to be confused in any way. I believe you have come here to show your allegiance to my force. I do not take such a move lightly. In exchange for the seals of Xuandi that you bear, I will in turn give you seals bearing the Xià (夏) family emblem. In my service, you will continue to hold the rank of Magistrate of Xuandi. However, you will be subordinate to me, and as such will not have the freedom of decision that you have had on your own. I believe you will find, though, that my own thinking aligns well with yours."

Liangyu had faded abruptly into contemplative silence as she learned of Lady Jin's sorrow. The Gongzhu didn't really know the man, but she felt bad for all that had come to pass. It seemed to her that the poor teenaged girl in front of her had met with one sorrow after another. Surprisingly, she seemed to be handling it quite well. The princess wouldn't know how well she herself would cope if such a thing happened to her, but she determined that she would do her best to get to know the young magistrate, and to share some of her energetic attitude with the lady.

Her eyes widened especially, as her father offered to accept the Lady as a partner in their enterprise to bring peace to Yin. She smiles, and adds her own promise,

"And Lady Jin... You can rest assured that I will personally make certain that no one ever kicks you out like that again, and that the people in Xiuwu will learn their lesson! And if anyone else dares harm you... Well, that's what friends are for, right, Lady Magistrate?"

<hr>

"Here in Yin, I am attempting to gain power for myself so that, when I find someone who can unite the land and preserve it, I can support them and help bring about this dream. Until then, I shall progress on my own. I do not believe that I will be this person, but I know not what the future holds for me. It would be too presumptuous to claim that I could, and the type of man who could unite the land would not be so presumptuous." He let out a small laugh, hoping to break some of the solemnity of his previous words.

Liangyu giggles at the joke and adds her own,

"Oh Father, I think it's presumptuous enough to assume that person will be a man, is it not?"

Though, it might not be so odd, for it was true that Liangyu had noticed a surprising number of women apt not only with administration, but even military maneouvres and martial weaponry, just like her...

Nah...that person would have to want the headache of ruling millions of individuals of diverse cultures and states. Liangyu would never want such a thing. Hmm...

So: Blessed by Heaven, not presumptuous, and a sucker for punishment.

Even with that short list of Imperial traits, Liangyu realized the list of possible candidates was already quite small...

[Yinzi]

Jin Yinzi considered the prefect's words, carefully going over the intricate details of the arrangement in her mind. It would be a boon to the people of Xuandi to submit peacefully to a man like Xia Xi, rather than be conquered later by the King of Chu or worse. That the prefect would allow her to remain Magistrate of Xuandi, rather than distance her from the people who had loyally followed her, was more than she could have hoped for. Still, she found it difficult to find the right words, though her smile grew less weak at Liangyu's assurance. Finally, she simply replied, "Very well, my lord."

With a graceful bow, she extended her arm and the seals of her office dangled from a chain wrapped around her wrist and forearm. "As Magistrate of Xuandi, I humbly and respectfully offer these seals to you, Prefect Xia, as token of our allegiance and support of your rule of Yin," the young woman went on, giving the words a very clear and important tone. Surrendering the seals, Yinzi made another formal bow before her hosts. "May the heavens favor your wisdom and bring us peace, my lord."

As she again straightened, the young magistrate gave an extra nod toward the prefect's daughter. "I hope that we will become very good friends, Xia Gongzhu," she added, sounding genuinely hopeful.

((OOC: I think I gotcha. ))