The Emperor of Xing sat casually on his throne, his body leaning to the side and his right foot propped across his left knee. The smile that played across his face would have been insolent had his eyes not been so vague and unfocused.

The throne room was empty, though a line of supplicants had probably already started to gather on the far side of the main doors. His morning audiences weren't scheduled to start for another half an hour, but he had woken early, somehow excited for the day to come.

Ugh, Greed moaned from inside his mind, I hate sitting through these things. Listening to peasants and courtiers whine for hours on end…

A king exists for his people, Ling responded. If we're not helping anyone, what's the point?

Uh, to sit in the lap of luxury while handing down whimsically autocratic judgments for your own amusement? You ever hear that story of how one of the ancient kings of Xerxes made his horse co-monarch for a year? He had the right idea about kingship. Anyways, I don't know how you stand it. The only way I survived watching silently from your head for six months was by ignoring people when they got boring and composing horribly insulting speeches about their appearance instead.

Were they any good?

I'd say there were some gems in the mix.

Remember any?

… How long do we have?

It was pretty much the best petition-hearing of Ling's life. Greed had a barrel of insults prepared for each of the regular courtiers, and improvised freely with any new faces.

A muscular yard slave came forward to argue that there had been a mix-up in the records during some of the recent administration changes. The current records said he had a year of labor left before his debt would be paid off, but the man insisted that it should be in only a couple of weeks. Wong seemed to find the situation likely, so Ling approved the shorter sentence. He had to fight to keep a straight face through the discussion, though.

Does he know he's going to have to give up the loincloth-look once he's free? That might change his mind. You can tell he takes considerable pride in working that little piece of… OHHH! Did he just FLEX?!

Ling was unable to suppress an audible snort at that one. I'm trying to take this poor man seriously! he objected.

But of course. I don't think you could take those rippling abdominals any other way.

The parade of supplicants continued, and Ling managed to keep his poker face mostly intact in spite of his housemate's running commentary.

Look at this courtier's robe: immaculate silk, stylish cut… he is quite the dandy. Oh, I think he likes you! See how he keeps playing coy, keeps glancing away as soon as he meets your eyes? Completely enamored. Either that or he's dead terrified of you and about to vomit.

At one point a pig-keeper with an unfortunately portly aspect and pink face came forward to explain how feeding regulations should be loosened for pork farmers.

Oh, this one is too easy! Greed cried as the man labored up the stairs to the dais, but then fell silent.

It wasn't until the man finished his argument, saying, "So the pigs should really be eating less anyways! They'd be so much healthier on a reduced diet!" That Greed spoke up again.

Yup, that pretty much sums it up.

The Emperor couldn't restrain a laugh at that one.

After he had finished with the supplicants for the day he dismissed his court and hopped down from the throne. His decisions had been as clear and levelheaded as always, and he doubted that anyone had noticed the difference in him.

As he went to the corner of the emptying chamber to talk to Pan-Shu, who was waiting to give him a report, he saw the spymaster eye him in a contemplative fashion with a small frown on his face.

"What is it?" the Emperor asked.

The frown disappeared and he seemed to jerk back to the present. "I wished to talk to you about the Changs, my Lord. May we speak in private?"

"Of course."

The two of them walked together toward a small room on the floor that was usually silent and unoccupied, the Emperor's bodyguard trailing behind them.

Once they arrived, Pan-Shu waved for the guard to stand outside the door. "This is the main floor… not near as secure as my chambers. I'd like you to watch for eavesdroppers."

It was an unusual request, and the bodyguard looked to Ling with concern to see if he agreed.

Ling recalled Pan-Shu's troubled face from earlier and decided to trust him. A little bit. They still had the Ultimate Shield if anything went wrong. "Go ahead," he told the girl, and she left, closing the door behind her.

As soon as the door was shut Pan turned to him and began speaking. "Have you heard the latest report from your ambassadors?"

"Of course I did. They made their report in court this morning. They said that…" he stopped as he saw the anxiety in the small man's face. "That wasn't the real report, was it."

"No, my Lord. We were rejected by every single neutral Chang family. May has left for Amestris, and the families have started to realize that she really is serious about marrying this foreigner. Those who were already behind her are willing to stay, but nobody feels comfortable with the thought of an Amestrian ruling their clan. I can only assume that Su Chang has been able to buy over nearly all the neutrals. May won't be making it back to the Chang capital without a fight, but I doubt Su will wait for that. She has been moving troops into towns close to the Lee border for some time now. Now that she's strong enough, this could come to war very soon."

Ling felt for a chair and sat down hard. "How soon?"

"A week. Maybe two."

The Emperor dropped his head into his hands.

What on earth are we supposed to do about this? he asked himself silently.

You could kill her, Greed suggested.

And precipitate the conflict? No way.

You could marry her, he tried again, somewhat sarcastically.

Oh yeah, that would solve… "everything," Ling finished aloud, slowing as his mind actually began to consider the possibility. Becoming a wife of the Emperor, especially the first one, was a great honor, and not one Su could refuse without visibly rejecting all of Xingese culture. She would have to come and live at the palace in the compound set apart for the Emperor's wives, away from her power base in Chang. It would appease Su's supporters to see her elevated to such a position, and they would respond with increased loyalty to the Emperor. Properly directed, that could become increased loyalty for Princess May. It was a perfect solution.

"I'm going to have to marry her, aren't I," he asked of Pan-Shu.

The old man let out a long, reluctant breath. "Yes," he sighed. "That's why I asked your guard to leave."

Ling looked up questioningly.

"I make a living out of reading people, my Lord. I can tell you have feelings for that girl, as much as you try to suppress them. I didn't want her presence to sway you against what is the only logical choice."

The Emperor let out a harsh laugh. "No, of course not. I know my duty. God… Su Chang."

The fat man went down on one knee and looked seriously into his Emperor's eyes. "You are good at this. Very good. Far better than your father ever was. But you are still a man, and I understand that. You need to know that this sacrifice is not as big as you think it is. Once the marriage is consummated you are under no obligation to live as man and wife. You don't even have to talk to her if you don't want to. You can avoid the Wives' Quarters completely and it will be considered nothing but the Emperor's private business."

He placed a hand gently on Ling's knee and continued with almost uncharacteristic kindness. "There will be many marriage opportunities in the future, and not all of them will have to be political. Sometimes you'll get to choose. Wait for then."

With that the spymaster stood, straightened his robes, and gave Ling a nod. "You know what needs to be done," he said, and left the room.

Ling wasn't sure how long he sat there before his guard opened the door. He heard the latch open and shut, but didn't look up or move from his contemplative pose.

She noticed his position and stopped by the door. "Ill news, my Lord?" she asked.

Her words shook him from his revere and he composed his face into a more cheerful expression before looking up.

"Not bad… just surprising. In fact, I am to be congratulated!"

He had hoped to elicit a response from her with those words, but his guard just stood there, expression unshifted, waiting for an explanation.

He sighed. "The Chang families rejected our ambassadors. Su has moved troops toward Lee territory, and I'm going to propose to her to stop a war."

"Ah," she responded. A smile appeared in her eyes, though the rest of her expression remained stoic. "She's a sour shrew, but at least she's pretty. Shall I order up a carriage for your romantic visit?"

He felt his remaining tension drain out of his body at her casual humor. He laughed. "I thought some love letters would be more appropriate. Poetry, allusions to the ancient tales of romance, that kind of thing."

"Hm, yes. Saves you a trip, and I'm pretty sure Su Chang would go for it."

"Su? Really?" he questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh yes, she's a definite closet romantic. I'm a woman, so I can tell these things."

He chuckled and answered her, saying, "In that case, I would like your womanly opinion on this sonnet I've begun composing for her." He cleared his throat and began reciting off the top of his head:

"Imagining another day with you

Lying by your side beneath the sun…

Perhaps it is the foul herbs that you chew,

But something 'bout it makes me want to run."

The guard let out a derisive snort that could have been either for the quality or content of the poem. Ling lost his impromptu lines at the interruption and burst out in a laugh.

The guard joined in with a giggle, and soon both of them were wiping tears of amusement from the corners of their eyes.

Ling looked across at the girl he had known his entire life, laughing with her as they hadn't done since childhood, and knew that he could do it. He could do anything.

The laughs subsided, and Ling wasn't surprised when she got right down to business.

"Who will you send to Su with the summons?" she asked.

"I was thinking of sending Wen-Ding. He's not the most tactful of our ambassadors, but he's efficient. He'll get the job done. Plus, I think this case requires some unusual bluntness… we want the entire Chang court to know what sort of summons she's received. The cultural pressure only works if the offer is public."

He stood and felt stable on his feet for the first time since he had realized what he would have to do. "Now, if you'll escort me, I need to speak with Wong."

When the Emperor told his court secretary that there was going to be a royal wedding in less than a week, the man's face paled. "Do you realize how many preparations are required to host such an event, my Lord? Do you know how difficult it will be simply to authorize each of the individual departments to make the necessary purchases in such a short time? Do you understand the amount of food we'll have to produce, and the number of entertainments we'll have to arrange?"

The tall man's voice attained a higher pitch with each question, and Ling interrupted to forestall the imminent shrieks. "I can see that there is a lot to be done, which is why I'm placing you in charge of it all. Feel free to enlist any of the staff heads that you need. I am confident that you will do a spectacular job."

With that he clapped a hand on his secretary's shoulder and walked off in the direction of the ambassadors' wing before the man could object.

The ambassador's wing held the headquarters and meeting places for all the royal ambassadors, as well as an optional lodging for each. Most of the married men preferred to live with their wives and children inside their family home. Wen-Ding, however, was quite single and therefore much easier to find. Ling briefly considered going directly to the man's rooms, but decided against it almost immediately. It was a formal request he was making, and so he would have to make it formally.

The Emperor stepped into the headquarters without knocking and found the head ambassador, Jenwei, in conversation with the envoy to Chang that had only returned and reported that morning.

Jenwei looked up when he heard someone enter, irritated at the interruption, but then registered who the visitor was. His temperament immediately changed from mild annoyance to a hasty, nervous anxiety. "My Lord," he began, speaking ingratiatingly but quickly. "I must admit to you that the report these diplomats gave in court today was not the truth! They thought it better to reveal the information they had gained privately and therefore took it upon themselves (without any direction from me, mind you) to fabricate a public report. Though they went about it in what was certainly the wrong way, I do not doubt you will agree with their desire for secrecy when you hear the reality of the situation! You see, I must inform you that-"

Buzz, buzz… Greed complained.

Ling silently agreed, and cut the ambassador off with a wave of the hand. "I already know all this, and I understand. I came for a different reason."

Jenwei looked disappointed to find himself the bearer of old news, and surprised that the Emperor might have some other purpose in coming to see him. "What would that be, my Lord?" he asked.

"I wish to request the services of Wen-Ding in an important and delicate matter. Specifically, I would like him to convey my proposal of marriage to Su Chang, one of the great ladies of the Chang clan."

Jenwei looked completely shocked by the idea of a marriage, a fact which did not reflect too favorably on his intellect. Once he had had a moment to process, though, his tirade of words began again. "Congratulations, my Lord! I had no idea! The ways of royalty are above me, of course, but I must say I am surprised at your choice of ambassador to carry such an important message. Really, you must allow me to suggest some that would be more suited to the task. Perhaps the merits of several of our newer diplomats have escaped you; you're such a busy man, that it is understandable! Allow me the pleasure of introducing you to a couple of-"

Ling was forced to interrupt him again. "You are too kind, Jenwei, in offering me your best diplomats, but Wen-Ding will do just fine. Would you be so good as to summon him for me?"

The eager ambassador looked a tad crestfallen, but bowed in obedience and left the room, returning after a couple minutes with the requested envoy.

Wen-Ding was a young, thin man of a middle height. His dark hair was cut short, but it was glossy and full, with bangs left long to frame his face. His bow was of a perfunctory depth, but his smile held a thinly disguised insolence.

Do you not have any diplomats who are actually, I don't know… diplomatic? Greed asked sarcastically.

Oh, so you're back to the running commentary, then? I thought you were giving me the silent treatment or something.

Eh, give a guy a break. This is the most I've said in two years! I needed a break after the audience session.

Ling tried to tune out his self-important housemate, refocusing on Wen-Ding and the task at hand. "Wen-Ding, I have a message for you to carry…"

A/N: Wow, no big cliffhanger this time. I'm almost disappointed. On the bright side, though, I made the normally scheduled update! Yay! I hope you guys enjoy this one as much as I did. Please leave a review so I know that I'm writing for someone!