Li Zhu's Audience Hall - Zhaoge

bain_nick · Post by **bain_nick** » Fri Sep 05, 2008 6:12 pm

"So what you are saying, master Xia, is that with you have the ability to unite this land, for the good of the people." Min replied.
"I can see you are confident in your endeavors, and I admire confidence, and it will be interesting to see, with you or in another's rule, what you will make of your current position."

Xiang Zhuang · Post by **Xiang Zhuang** » Fri Sep 05, 2008 10:01 pm

ann

"Hmmm," Xi replied, still a bit unsure how to proceed. "Perhaps I will merely send him a letter discussing what it is that I need to address. I will accept these gifts for now, but I will allow the King of Chu to change his mind if he feels the need after he sees what I have to say." He thought for a moment, then said, "Please tell the King of Chu what I have had to say; that I am accepting his generosity, but wish to communicate to him very soon about this and am willing to listen to any amendments to what has been granted. The letter will take me a day or two to write, so I would not ask you to wait. I will be sure to mention your exceptional performance today, Pan Dao, when I write the King." He gave a small bow and said, "I suppose, then, I shall await your General's arrival."

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bain_nick

"Well, I wouldn't claim that I could unite the land, or that I will," he said. "It would be fairly arrogant to think that, considering how many other worthy people are in the land. Also, I don't think the sort of person who will really bring peace to the land is the sort of person who, standing so small in the land, thinks they can actually do this. I'm confident that what I am doing is the right path, but there yet may be somebody greater than me. I will not further the chaos in the land if somebody else is the better person for the job. Then I'd just be unbridled ambition."

He thought to continue, but he realized he was starting to ramble a bit. "But yes, that's my intention at this point. I must continue down the path I have started and see where it leads me. I imagine that your abilities could be helpful in this, although I cannot say I am clear about what exactly you can offer. That is not to say I don't think you can help, but I am not aware of what experience you have or what abilities you have refined." He smiled awkwardly, feeling he said that wrong somehow.

Li Dao Wen · Post by **Li Dao Wen** » Fri Sep 05, 2008 11:31 pm

Ruffy wrote:Liangyu smiled back, and she shrugged,

"Oh, good sir. Father is simply doing his job. That's what a Prefect has to do, right? take care of his people. But, we're talking with you now. I hope it wasn't too hard to get here, huh?"

The princess then studied the man, wondering what sort of person he was. She usually invited fairly good people, but some have been....fairly terrifying...

OOC: Oopsies.. Apologies!

"No, milady. The trip has been fair for me." he replied, brightening up his smile once more. The things going on inside his head shouldn't be reason enough to be so sullen in the presence of a lady and her noble father after all.

Looking at the lady and her warrior-esque regalia, Rui could not help but smile even more. He wasn't usually accustomed to seeing ladies in such wear. Still he kept his eyes on a respectable level of view, being careful not to make himself look too curious.

"Milady I have heard that you are quite the fighter." he said after some moments of silence. "If I may ask, what kind of skills do you wield under your lovely face? Are you an expert with swords? Or perhaps with bows? Please milady, enlighten me."

After breaking out the question, he suddenly realized that he must've been too becoming of his welcome. Immediately he lowered his head in reverence to her, not wanting to be too presuming.

XZ wrote:Loooong post. heheh. :p

Turning to Lord Xia's heartening questions, Rui nodded slightly. "I only desire to live a life free of blood and turmoil. Of course, this is what we all want. But in light of this situation, the time can come no sooner. I want to play a part in this game, dangerous as it may be, so that one day I can settle down and forget everything I have ever done."

His smile faded into a slight frown, emanating his seriousness. "Lord Xia, you seem to be a very talented man, who is capable of bringing peace to not only Yin, but to the middle kingdom as well. Pray tell me, do you have any ambitions to rule this land?"[/quote]

RuffRydeR · Post by **RuffRydeR** » Fri Sep 05, 2008 11:53 pm

Li Dao Wen wrote: "If I may ask, what kind of skills do you wield under your lovely face? Are you an expert with swords? Or perhaps with bows? Please milady, enlighten me."

After breaking out the question, he suddenly realized that he must've been too becoming of his welcome. Immediately he lowered his head in reverence to her, not wanting to be too presuming.[/i]

"Oh, yeah! I dueled in Xiuwu, and I made this guy who got my clothes dirty do my laundry! Though...aside from that, I'm not sure I've really fought anything rather notable..."

Then, she giggled a little, before nodding,

"Yes, I'm good with the bow, and yes, I'm good with the sword. I'm also good with...Well, you'll have to see that weapon before you believe it, really. But it works! And I'm passable with all sorts of other things, as long as it's not big and unwieldy! Hmm...Are you a master of weapons as well?"

Li Dao Wen · Post by **Li Dao Wen** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 12:01 am

Nodding a little, he chuckled at the princess' enthusiastic reply. "I'd like to fancy myself as having some small skill with the halberd and axe, but nobody has ever told me that unfortunately."

He let out a big, hollow laugh. The reason behind this was that nobody has actually survived a match with him, and on the battlefield he was rather inconspicuous.

It pained him somewhat.. What he could actually do. Was his blade for anything other than killing? Protecting people? He has failed in his attempts to protect anything--and everyone--he held dear. He could only kill for them. Kill in their name. Something which never gave him joy, only nightmares.

Unwillingly his face became as sullen as someone who lost a big bet against his most hated enemy. But he quickly shrugged it off, knowing that it would not make a very good expression. In an instant he put up a nice smile for her and her father to look at.

"I am happy that you relented on killing the man." he said cheerfully. "And made him do the laundry?" he let out a laugh. "That's a wonderful idea! Maybe I'll do the same with my next opponent! Or perhaps think of something more.. original."

Xiang Zhuang · Post by **Xiang Zhuang** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 12:27 am

Li Dao Wen

Xia Xi was a bit encouraged to see the man and his daughter get along well. "The decision to spare the man was mine," he replied, "although I doubt she would have done it. That wasn't an easy day for us." He paused for a second, remembering the lives lost. "But no matter. That has been a few months now.

"Oh, right. Well, I do not have any real ambition to try and rule the land myself. I don't think that the sort of person who could bring a lasting peace here would think like that. All I can do is to continue to do the things the way I think they should be done; the sort of way that will eventually lead the land to peace. If this means bowing myself to another who is better to lead, then so be it. But until the time I find that person, I will continue to move forward as I have. Someday, perhaps that will be me. But I am not counting on it."

bain_nick · Post by **bain_nick** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 8:34 am

"My talents lean towards the areas away from war, Administration, Politics, Engineering, and Diplomacy. My friend Hong Ling deals with the more physical of encounters."

Xiang Zhuang · Post by **Xiang Zhuang** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 12:36 pm

bain_nick wrote:"My talents lean towards the areas away from war, Administration, Politics, Engineering, and Diplomacy. My friend Hong Ling deals with the more physical of encounters."

"I see," he replied, "why you have been so highly touted, then. Those are positions that everyone lacks here in the land. If you wished to serve me, I would be blessed by it, and hopefully you would feel fulfilled as well. I suppose that's the real question, though. There are many in this land who would seek to take advantage of the chaos for their greed, or whatever. Serving a man like me could get you those things. But I don't think that's your cause. Really, for you and many others, I think you are looking more for some sort of purpose, not just to live comfortably for a while."

He shifted where he was slightly. "I think that's really what I could offer, Lady Min. Here, I work to try and pacify my lands and to keep them safe from outsiders. Violence should only be served in the name of protection, and even then, one needs to be careful not to deceive oneself. I could throw the land into further squalor if I wanted. I do have that power. But what would be the point? Now, obviously my first concern has to be the protection of my own people. This might warrant me invading others, in order to seek their current and future protection. I am no fool; in this land, expansion is the only route to survival. If I were to sit in my province and accept this as my destination, I would be failing to protect my people, because I would be in no position to stand against those who would take my lands.

"My position is unique in this land. I stand between the King of Zhao, the King of Chu, the Emperor of Qin, and another powerful lord in Xiang Kai of Liang. I do not possess the power of any of these men, and can truly not hope that they will fear one another so much that none will want my lands, or want to use me against another. In this, to protect my people, I will have to harm another's. But, in doing this, well, I think it's necessary. I think the difference I have in relation to others is that I understand what I am doing is not desired. I will not hesitate when I move my forces, but I will move them realizing the sacrifices my men make, and the deaths that will follow. I will only do what is necessary to eventually lead toward the reunification of the land, whoever that might be under."

He started to give out a bit of a small laugh. "I suppose it's fairly funny that a noble such as myself might care one bit about the peasantry. But I've seen the mistakes that others have made over time, and I won't follow them."

osiris · Post by **osiris** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 7:01 pm

Xiang Zhuang wrote: osiris

"I generally prefer bluntness," he replied. "However, intention can be a tricky thing. Even diplomats, at times, do not realize the true intention behind their mission. It is difficult to summarize my views into some sort of phrase or statement, or even into one word. I cannot speak to you about them at length, though, because many things are state secrets. But if I were to summarize them, the word protection comes to mind. I seek to protect those that I have been charged to protect. This does not always mean sitting on my hands and building walls to keep the others out. No, I saw fit to unite all of Yin province behind myself in the name of protection, because, if I had not, Chu, Zhao, Qin, or perhaps even Xiang Kai of Liang would have saw fit to reach out their own hand of protection over this land. But in doing this, the province would not have been united, and it would have become a battlefield again."

He shifted uneasily in his position. "I am curious about something with your lord. What does he think about this Lady of Yanyu? She seems to have gained quite a bit of power in her region; much of this with the blessing and assistance of the King of Zhao. And now, she moves into Jibei. It would seem that she might be a threat to you before the King of Zhao ever would."

Jing sighed, "Well, we have yet to talk to her but we believe she has gained that power by using the nearby king. She is his vassal, and all are too afraid to strike against her in fear of what the king may do. We are not afraid of this intimidation tactic. No king shall tell us who we can or cannot attack."

Jing then paused, glancing around the room slowly, as if getting a taste for his surroundings, "Although I must return your question. How do you feel about her lord Xia?"

bain_nick · Post by **bain_nick** » Sat Sep 06, 2008 7:18 pm

Min let the words flow through her head once or twice more. It seemed Master Xia truly cared for his people, and was almost frightened that he might fail them, if he were to lose against the bigger powers that surrounded him.

"You have given me much to think about Master Xia, but I cannot give you an answer just yet. I need to go and sort out my answers now from the people I have visited, and it will not be an easy choice, though I never expected it to be one. I will give you my answer as soon as possible, that I do promise." Min replied, whilst standing, waiting to be allowed to leave.