Fei Lak's Audience Hall - Shanggu

[Liu Kang]

-=For a moment, Shanghu seems momentarily stunned.The guard couldn't honestly be asking for the letter that was being held directly in front of his face.=- "I seem to be misunderstanding.. but.. Are you actually asking for the letter that I am holding directly in your face? Surely you must be asking for something else.. like a Yan custom of calling a tip a 'letter' or some nonsense...

Moving on.

I am to show respect to this Coalition, regardless of the fact the Coalition intends to insult me, or to the fact that I was personally invited to Shanggu by the Marquis..

What is your name soldier? I would like to convey precisely the man who question the Marquis's honor and wisdom by searching his invited guests.

Once you've processed what I've said, tell the Marquis that you've denied entrance to his guest, because you're concerned that a small, well-lettered merchant could have beaten him up with his cane and ledger. Good day, and I hope your parents have better luck next time." -=Looking thoroughly insulted, and annoyed at having wasted valuable time, Shanghu turns to leave, letting the letter drop to the guards feet.

Accented by the sharp clicking of the cane on the streets, Shanghu mutters darkly to himself as he reenters his palanquin, giving a snapped command to depart.=-

((Not getting away from us that easy ))
An old man appeared, upon seeing the two leaving he pulled his glove off and slapped the guard in the face with it, "Careful next time!" He said to the guard as his face went red, he then rushed over to the two men and their guards, "Please, i overheard that you are Shanghu, i beg you come inside, at least for a cup of tea!"

[Phailak]

Bao Min finally sipped on his tea, and he looked more relaxed, and at peace.

" I know when I am defeated. Hopefully, No men shall die and Dai shall live. It is not our fault that our leader decided to make a careless mistake such as that. If anything, I shall make sure that nothing like that ever happens again. "

Bao Min switched tones, from a peaceful tone to a serious tone.

" But if you really do wish to conquer Dai, I have no choice but to join you. I will have no where else to go. "

Lak looked surprised, the first tie he let his emotions passed his mask of calm.

"Lieutenant General, I am honored you would consider joining us and should the need arise, we will welcome you as a brother, but I have no intentions on Dai with my armies, I am simply supporting the request of an ally. Now I have some influence with the Lord of Wei, if you intend to avoid bloodshed, that is possible. How much influence do you have in Dai exactly? Unfortunately, all my resources are concentrated on the eastern front and I know little of what is happening in Dai."

Wu Bei's face stayed hard. "He was under the impression that you had an alliance with Lord Yiye of Dai. It has him troubled that you would march against someone with whom you were on good terms. It also came to his attention as I was on my way out of Xiangguo that your recently acquired territory in Jibei has a large force marching towards it. Zhang Mai was dispatched to speak with the King of Yin, to see if he would be willing to pull back, but I highly doubt even he can pull that off. My purpose here is to try and stabilize the north. Even the heavy snows last month were not enough to slow your marching. My brother wishes to know what it would take for you to keep you armies at home?"

Lak frowned.

"Well, I am a bit surprised my former mentor is so ill-informed. Perhaps it is the lack of resources in Changshan for I know he himself is very resourceful. I have no official relations with the Lord of Dai beyond a few letters exchanged and his refusal to help me when I requested it. Now, I have an ally that approaches me for some support and a well thought out plan, why should I refuse?"

Tilting his head to the side, Lak smiled a strange smile.

"Master Wu, I find it strange that my motives are questioned concerning my armies. The land is plagued with wars, everywhere warlords battle for possessions. I will not stay in Yan and wait for some foreign Warlord to come and demand tribute of our men because we cannot stand up to their armies. Perhaps you have respect for how King Tian managed his kingdom, perhaps your brother does, I don't. It is my opinion and when he took over Jibei and Prefect Cai submitted to him, he greatly increased his influence. Within a few months, do you truly believe he would not have approached me in Yan to make similar demands? Surely yourself in Changshan are feeling the grip of Yin as they consolidate their power. Do you truly believe that they will let you do as you wish in Changshan as an equal ally? They will make demands, as they should since they hold the power. Tribute perhaps, military support. I have nothing against that if that is your choice, the path one chooses, but I will not submit my influence or ambitions to another unless he can make me believe his administration is as good as mine."

The Marquis paused.

"These are only words. My actions are plain to see. I am ambitious, I am driven by the belief that I can rule in a better manner than those I see around me. There are exceptions like your brother's Lord, even my former mentor which I see as a great administrator. I also like the way Liu Jin has risen in Wei to give that province guidance. I have never seeked to go against those I believe can do good for the people. I know the path I walk will either lead me to doom as I meet a stronger army or balance as perhaps one day there will only be armies left which I respect and I can submit to them. Though my ambitions, I am not foolish enough to believe I can rule all of the land. What I do know is that to have your say in something, you need power, to have power you need influence over more than two cities."

[Kuai Wei]

"Gold... boy?" The guards look at each other, their faces widening, remembering the bloody pulp that resulted from the last soldier who mocked The Golden Generals armor.

"You mean Colonel Khan? Very well sir. We shall... let him know your message. Will you wait here?"

At that, one of the hidden interior guards must have sent a message inside, for a golden figure, surrounded by an escort of guards, some bearing blades, some bows, strode outside. The warrior in the yellow armor looked down his nose at the man before him.

"You wished to speak with Zhao Khan?"

(Sorry for the delay)
Xiang squinted his eyes slightly and stood informally before saying, "You're Khan, huh? Shorter than I remember..." Ma was not shy to say what crossed his mind, nor did he make any effort to appear humbled before the warrior. Instead, he brushed the warrior's shoulders and chest, then eyed him from his feet to his face. Xiang placed his hand over his chin and mumbled, "Don't you the armor's a bit too dramatic?

"The armor that you speak of is a family heirloom, crafted by a father's loving hands for his son to wear. Plus, the gold itself is used to soften the real metal. Without it mixing with the meteoric iron, the armor would be unforgable."

The man in the golden armor looked at the general.

"...Is that all you wished to ask?"

"While it is true that I would travel distances to ask but a mere question, especially concerning your armor, I've come to speak of more important matters." Ma's cold eyes glanced to the guards surrounding the gold warrior, unsure as to whether he would speak around anyone but the finest of Fei Lak's men such as the man in front of him. "Would you be opposed to speaking in private with me, Colonel? I mean, I don't have much of a shot at assassinating you with all of these soldiers around, right?" Xiang was, of course, joking, but he felt that these times of turmoil would mean that his words may be taken quite seriously, yet he still had said it. "What say you, Khan?"

[Xiao Gau]

((Not getting away from us that easy ))
An old man appeared, upon seeing the two leaving he pulled his glove off and slapped the guard in the face with it, "Careful next time!" He said to the guard as his face went red, he then rushed over to the two men and their guards, "Please, i overheard that you are Shanghu, i beg you come inside, at least for a cup of tea!"

((gotta love the AH time distortion factor heh))

-=Hearing the commotion behind him, Shanghu turns to face the old man, pausing just before entering his palanquin. Daiyu steps between him and the old man, reacting instinctively to the sudden approach. Shanghu pushes her aside with his cane, addressing the approaching official.=- "Indeed I am Grand Merchant Shanghu. I am willing to overlook this, provided I am conveyed directly to the Marquis. Time is money friend, and I dislike wasting either."

[Liu Kang]

"So be it, come through, i will direct you to him, however, the guards and yourself must be searched if that be ok?" He said as he looked down to the ground attempting to bring out the sweet old grandfather type noise, "I mean no offense by it ofcourse, you see many these days have come after our lord, and it has become a safety precaution to whomever visits...
I hope you understand?"
A few new guards came to the gate replacing the other who caused this commotion and each bowed their head slightly to the guests from a distance.

[Xiao Gau]

"So be it, come through, i will direct you to him, however, the guards and yourself must be searched if that be ok?" He said as he looked down to the ground attempting to bring out the sweet old grandfather type noise, "I mean no offense by it ofcourse, you see many these days have come after our lord, and it has become a safety precaution to whomever visits...
I hope you understand?"
A few new guards came to the gate replacing the other who caused this commotion and each bowed their head slightly to the guests from a distance.

-=Shanghu frowns once more, growing tired of this.=- "Daiyu will leave her hammer with my palanquin, and I personally vouch for her behavior. This one.."-=he gestures with his cane, indicating the servant standing dutifully a pace back.=- ".. bears nothing save my accounting ledger. I will have him strip naked for the audience, if that will assuage your concerns. As for myself, do you actually intend to deprive me of my cane? Are all your men so inept as to fear a threat to the safety of the Marquis from my cane?"-=Shanghu extends the accounting ledger to the old man.=- "Check it for weapons if you must, but try not to smudge the ink."

"And I still wish to know the name of the guard on duty previously. I will be discussing him with the Marquis, at length I fear."

[Liu Kang]

"The cane may be kept with you lord Shanghu, their is no need to strip anyone naked..." He said as the guards walked forwards to check.

Once they have gone through with a search and if nothing has happened:

As they pass the gate the old man lead the way into a large room, slightly cold and dark, but at its head sat the tired Marquis. A few guards were standing as still as statues within the room, and beside the Marquis himself stood the Golden General, Zhao Khan, and Xian Long Rui, the silver knight of Yan... "My lord, as you have requested lord Shanghu has come." Fang said as he drew a seat out for Shanghu to sit on.

[Li Dao Wen]

(Sorry for the delay)
Xiang squinted his eyes slightly and stood informally before saying, "You're Khan, huh? Shorter than I remember..." Ma was not shy to say what crossed his mind, nor did he make any effort to appear humbled before the warrior. Instead, he brushed the warrior's shoulders and chest, then eyed him from his feet to his face. Xiang placed his hand over his chin and mumbled, "Don't you the armor's a bit too dramatic?

"The armor that you speak of is a family heirloom, crafted by a father's loving hands for his son to wear. Plus, the gold itself is used to soften the real metal. Without it mixing with the meteoric iron, the armor would be unforgable."

The man in the golden armor looked at the general.

"...Is that all you wished to ask?"

"While it is true that I would travel distances to ask but a mere question, especially concerning your armor, I've come to speak of more important matters." Ma's cold eyes glanced to the guards surrounding the gold warrior, unsure as to whether he would speak around anyone but the finest of Fei Lak's men such as the man in front of him. "Would you be opposed to speaking in private with me, Colonel? I mean, I don't have much of a shot at assassinating you with all of these soldiers around, right?" Xiang was, of course, joking, but he felt that these times of turmoil would mean that his words may be taken quite seriously, yet he still had said it. "What say you, Khan?"

"Nobody speaks in private here, valued visitor. Especially not someone who has dark intentions with our friends and comrades."

Xian Long Rui, soon to be blood brother to the Golden General, happened to be nearby, watching every movement every person in the palace in vigil for the lord's safety. He was however, definitely not above looking after the welfare of his friends, especially those who indeed value him.

Looking at the man with eyes of hued steel, his hold on his fabled halberd tensed when he heard the words "assassinate". It was a dirty word for him, something he felt was unsuited to be uttered in the halls of Yan. For now he remained composed, but he was even more short fused than Zhao Khan, and could be thundering soon.

"I may or may not take that as a joke in other places. But you are in the palace of the Marquis of Yan. If you intend to speak ill of any other person within these perimeters then I'm afraid things might get awry here."

He kept a straight face, waiting for the reaction.

[Redbird]

-=Shanghu frowns once more, growing tired of this.=- "Daiyu will leave her hammer with my palanquin, and I personally vouch for her behavior. This one.."-=he gestures with his cane, indicating the servant standing dutifully a pace back.=- ".. bears nothing save my accounting ledger. I will have him strip naked for the audience, if that will assuage your concerns. As for myself, do you actually intend to deprive me of my cane? Are all your men so inept as to fear a threat to the safety of the Marquis from my cane?"-=Shanghu extends the accounting ledger to the old man.=- "Check it for weapons if you must, but try not to smudge the ink."

"And I still wish to know the name of the guard on duty previously. I will be discussing him with the Marquis, at length I fear."

Daiyu sighs as she hands over her hammer and the two small axes she keeps on her hips. She hated trusting these people, especially after what they have shown so far in intelligence and courtesy. She shakes her head over the audacity of them wishing to take her master's cane and wanting to check the mere servant with the ledger. Does this never end? It would be dinner time by the time these idiots got Shanghu into see the Marquis. She stands quietly while they wait to be brought inside.

[Xiao Gau]

-=Following the man inside, after the search reveled nothing more dangerous than a quill sharpening blade, Shanghu takes his time to enjoy the decor of the palace.

The cane echos loudly against the walls as it strikes the floor. While they walk, Shanghu gives instructions to Daiyu in tongue of her people, the Namman.=- "I expect you will not embarrass me Daiyu. This meeting could prove of great value for my holdings, and I will be quite sore with you should you ruin it for me.. though not quite as sore as you will be. Understood."-=It was not a question.

Finally being brought before the Marquis, Shanghu bows respectfully, his movements fluid and perfect, years of training in etiquette having paid off wonderfully.=- "Your Honor, you do me a great service in inviting me to your wonderful city. As you know, I am Grand Merchant Shanghu. I am sure this will be a fruitful meeting for us both, Excellency."