While Zhisen sipped more of the tea, Zhang asked him, “You mentioned that you explained my mobilizing men in terms of the Reidan threat.” Zhisen nodded. “What will you say now?”

“That after talking to you, I was suspicious that you wished to invade Yanghao province, so I forced you to demilitarize.” My allies in the court will then question what is amiss in Yanghao. My foes will turn a blind eye. Thus, more fools who think they can hide from me will reveal themselves. Seeing the mixed bafflement and terror on Lord Zhang’s face, Zhisen added, “Worry not. I will paint it as my own paranoia.”

Shakily, he conceded. “Very well, Your Highness.” While Zhang drank some more of the tea to calm himself down, Zhisen checked the position of the sun, wondering when Junsai would show up. Then Lord Zhang asked him, “Do you think Xiangshi will use Chyou against me again if you bring her here?”

Zhisen took a moment to understand what he was getting at. “While I am honoured by your offer, taking your daughter as my concubine, even if only to protect her within the palace, will be too obvious.”

“I understand,” Lord Zhang said, and lowered his gaze again. “Thank you again, Your Highness.”

“I am acting in self-interest. You do not need to thank me so profusely,” he said, and was preparing to get to his feet when he heard the sound of his brother’s voice distantly. Pretending as if he had remembered something important suddenly, he turned to Zhang with one finger raised and his lips parted.

Then, a servant announced Junsai’s arrival, and Lord Zhang’s attention snapped toward the entrance of the house quickly enough that Zhisen wondered if his neck hurt now. It was a matter of minutes before Junsai was led inside by a servant, also wearing his mianguan. It was clear that the two of them had had the same thought process about visiting Zhang, except Junsai was probably here to tell him to bolster his men in defense against the Reidan Kingdom. Zhang bowed to him.

Junsai seated himself and spoke cordially, “I must apologize for interrupting your conversation.”

“We just finished talking,” Zhisen said. “I didn’t expect you to come here.”

The answering look was entertained. Junsai was obviously aware of the efforts of Zhisen’s servants to delay his trip by unsaddling horses and taking various carriages in for repair all of a sudden. “I felt I should express my thoughts about Reidan, after hearing about the attempt on Lord Zhang’s life.”

“I presume your thoughts are to let him arm himself,” Zhisen said, and poured tea for Junsai.

Lord Zhang looked between them with utter confusion. They were talking quickly enough that he had no room to interject, but after Zhisen’s implying Junsai’s ulterior motives, Zhisen was also pouring tea for him. The gesture was obviously submissive and affectionate, like a younger brother ought to.

Junsai answered him after a brief, respectful sip. “Of course. It was a man from Reidan, no?”

“Of course not. It was a man from Yanghao. He and Xiangshi are arguing over the mines.”

His eyes narrowed. “Really? That’s unexpected.”

“The quarry is on their border,” Zhisen said, with a shrug. “Though I confess, it took my spies many months to discern the truth behind the scouts being sent from Yanghao, and the militarisation here.”

Junsai frowned slightly and asked Zhang, “Is that so? You’re arming yourself to take Yanghao?”

Before Lord Zhang could fumble his words or say too much, Zhisen shot him a look. He caught on, bowed his head with shame, and said only, “To defend against Yanghao, Your Highness.”

At that, Junsai sighed heavily. “Well. It seems that I should instead command you to demilitarize.”

Zhisen chuckled against the rim of the cup. “Brother, you are too late to take credit.”

He blinked. “You’ve said it already?” Then he smiled and shook his head. “What less should I expect from you? Quick-witted as always. In that case, I have nothing more intelligent to contribute to the conversation.” He turned to Lord Zhang. “I gather Zhisen has in some way or other persuaded you that the mines belong to Yanghao, and that I have no cause to lecture you or accuse you of treason. Yes?”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Lord Zhang said.

Junsai sighed as if he had finished a long day’s work. “Then, shall we head home, Zhisen?”

Zhisen inclined his head. “We should.”

In the carriage, Junsai’s knees bracketed his, and the road jostled the narrow space. They had both removed their mianguans by the time that Junsai finally turned to him, still with his chin propped on his fist, elbow up on the ledge of the open window. “So, why are you lying to me?”

“I’m lying to you?” Zhisen asked, raising an eyebrow.

Junsai looked at him as if looking at a cat playing with a frond. “A-sen. You stalled me. Why?”

"To save you the trouble of telling him he should continue to arm himself based on outdated information,” Zhisen said, but sensed that was not explanation enough. “Also, I needed him to dismantle his western fortifications for my construction project. I’m still hoping to surprise you, so don’t ask more.”

“This project of yours is beginning to sound sinister.”

Why, because you’re starting to think that like you, I’ve now worked out that Lord Xiangshi is waiting for an opportunity to establish a route to the southern sea without your permission? “Sinister, huh?”

He was quiet for another moment, but held Zhisen’s eyes with contemplation. “What’s more sinister is that you lied about the person who tried to kill Lord Zhang.”

“He told me it was a Yanghao man.”

“It was his son.”

“How did you know?”

“You told me just now,” Junsai said with a smile, and laughed a bit.

Zhisen frowned. “Right, but how did you guess?”

“My scouts told me that he suddenly fled to Yanghao province that night,” he said, with a dismissive wave of his hand. But he added, “Since I seem to be a little slow about all this, elucidate.”

Time for half-truths, or he will realize that I know it all. “Lord Zhang told me that his daughter’s life was being threatened. He was told anonymously to continue bolstering his military forces. Obviously it is Xiangshi, who has probably made an ally of Zhang’s son. Xiangshi is probably seeking to conquer part of the steppe to make a route to the sea and establish a port where he can trade raw metal ores untaxed. I can only assume that Zhang’s son intends to betray Xiangshi in the end.”

Junsai feigned surprise, but if Zhisen didn’t know better he would have thought it was genuine. “I see. That’s certainly convoluted. I suppose it must have taken your spies several months to learn all this?”

He doesn’t suspect. Good. “It did. What a headache.”

After a few more moments of peace, Junsai seemed to realize. “What of his daughter?”

Zhisen hesitated, but figured that, at this stage, Junsai wouldn’t warn Xiangshi. If he did, then he risked that Zhisen would ‘discover’ about the weapons shipments the two of them were smuggling to Reidan, as well. “I’ll handle it.”

Junsai chuckled at that. “So mysterious, little cricket.”

It was a nickname Junsai called him by because of his singing voice. But he always remembered his conversation with Ziying from so many years ago, the wistful sadness in his voice as he asked, Do we keep a cricket in a cage to hear its song, or because, unable to cry for help ourselves, we envy it?

The bitter taste that filled Zhisen’s mouth at hearing that stuck with him through the entirety of the journey back to the Imperial City. He could only hope that bitterness did not show on his face— although it probably did not, because Junsai was able to make casual conversation with him as if all was well.

One day, Zhisen thought as he watched Junsai, I will pour your tears over Ziying's headstone like a libation of wine.