Hikari poked at his food, moving it around without really eating it. The Yang family dinner was lively around him, but he couldn't bring himself to join in the revelry. Mingzhe had not responded to any of his letters, and his spies had reported he hadn't left the main castle in days.
Hikari was worried about him, but just showing up at the main castle would have caused too much of a scene. His mother had forbidden it despite Hikari's loud, stringent disagreement. It was the worst fight they'd had in years, but his mother was as unyielding as ever.
He glanced at her at the head of the table. She ate as if she didn't have a care in the world, had even allowed wine the last few nights at dinner. A sign she was growing more and more confident in their victory.
His father had died in the last war, and the seat at the other end of the table had remained empty since. It was the only ceremonial reminder of him in the house. His mother had never been given to sentimentality, and his father had been a small, quiet man in her shadow. Hikari and his siblings barely remembered him, and he doubted Lady Yang thought of him except when she was looking at his empty seat.
It had been one of the many arranged marriages in the Yang family history, though it had been a peaceful one. Hikari's grandparents had chosen a husband they knew would not threaten their daughter's leadership. The entire relationship was rather unremarkable in his mother's words, but it had resulted in four strong sons. Hikari and his brothers had been raised nearly exclusively by their mother, and they were all fiercely loyal to her.
Only Hikari ever truly dared to argue with her, and his brothers never took his side. He didn't blame them; of the four of them, only Hikari had been trained to lead. His brothers were his armor, trained to protect and follow. Even Hikari's wife had been chosen to be a leader's partner, not some mere general's wife. She was already making connections among the court of the Camelia. She'd had so many yards of fabric delivered to choose for their new wardrobes that Hikari had lost their two smallest children in it for several hours.
Hikari's heart hadn't found it nearly as amusing as they did, but he did love the sound of his children's laughter. They were too young to be allowed at dinner, but Hikari made sure to visit them every night before bed.
His wife nudged him with a sharp elbow, and he turned to her. She was a beautiful woman. Hikari had always been pleased by his mother's choice. "You are not eating, husband. Are you ill?"
Though she said it quietly, his mother had ears like a bat and immediately looked over. "Hikari, you're ill?"
He sighed and patted his wife's hand. "I'm fine, mother. Just worried."
"About?" Her eyes narrowed. Clearly, she sensed exactly what argument was coming back from the grave.
Hikari straightened in his chair, putting down his fork and turning his full attention to his mother.
She sighed and set down her own utensils.
"I want to speak to Mingzhe."
"No."
"Mother, hear me out."
She didn't look pleased, but she relented. "Fine. Make your case. Again. But here me, Hikari. This is the last time."
Hikari swallowed. He'd held off making promises before because she had taught him well that people were impossible to predict, but he'd been thinking about it since Mingzhe had left, and he was certain now. "I can convince Mingzhe to join us."
Lady Yang scoffed, but his brothers looked intrigued.
"How?" The youngest asked, the most skeptical of the four of them. "He's in Lord Ye's bed. You may be his best friend, but even friends fall to lovers."
"And he has too. Lord Ye and Lady Ye." His second brother added.
"Princess Soliel." Their mother automatically corrected in a mild tone.
"Yes, and the Soliel's are known for their appetites." The third brother added. "Clearly, she wasn't satisfied with one. Who knows how many she has?"
"That just means that we need to be even more careful. Who knows who she's seduced over to their side?" The youngest insisted.
Hikari shook his head. "It doesn't matter. We have enough of a hold on the court and the Crimson Army. She can't take enough lovers to undo that. Mingzhe has been my best friend since we were young. Far longer than he's been close to either Princess Soliel or Lord Ye. I know how to convince him to join us."
His mother didn't look convinced at all, but she gestured for him to continue as she drank her wine.
"Mingzhe is perhaps the only person in the Camelia who cares for it as much as we do. He has always put his duty to it above all else. That's why he has so few friends. He doesn't hesitate to call even those he likes to task for their failures. You have even heard him do it to me."
Second brother and his wife nodded. "I have heard him do it to Lord Ye himself and Lord Yin."
Hikari smiled, encouraged. "Exactly. Mingzhe will put the Camelia first. Always. Even if he does love Lord Ye or Princess Soliel, it will never compare to his love for the Camelia and the Crimson Army. Look at how riddled with guilt he is over the loss of his soldiers." For the first time, his mother looked intrigued, so Hikari pushed on. "He is in despair. His sister is gone, he cannot bring himself to go home, so he hides in the main castle and does nothing but work."
"Why did Yunli leave?" Hikari's third brother wondered.
His wife answered. "She's visiting the capital. Likely trying to save face for her brother's mistakes. My cousins in the capital tell me the new king is engaged on all sides by his enemies. He has no time to worry about what's happening outside the capital."
"The Zhao's are desperate." Hikari's wife added. "It's rather surprising, but good none the less. They realize the war is lost."
Lady Yang frowned at her children. "Lady Zhao is not to be underestimated. Even if that woman was on her last breath she'd still be the most dangerous person in this estate."
Hikari and his siblings were taken aback. "Lady Zhao? She's barely shown her face in years."
Lady Yang sighed. The same sigh she always let out when she thought they were taking to long to figure out something she thought was obvious. "It's like none of you listen. Lady Zhao never showed her face before either. The most dangerous people are the ones you never see."
"All the more reason to let me talk to Mingzhe. To convince him to join us." Hikari pressed. "You must admit mother, we would be unstoppable if we had the Zhao's on our side."
"And if you fail to convince him and he takes everything you say to Lord Ye?"
Hikari smiled, "What does it matter now? Our victory is assured either way. The only difference it could make is a matter of months. Maybe a year if Lord Ye proves to be strong than we expect."
Lady Yang frowned, but there was a question in her eyes. His mother loved the Camelia. That was the entire reason she was doing all this. And that included all of the families in it, even if she didn't like the majority of them.
If she had to drag them kicking and screaming to safety, she would.
~ tbc