CHAPTER ELEVEN: XING

ONE WEEK AGO

"General Weng, lieutenant?" Long Feng nodded gravely, and slid a file across the table to Xing.

"You do not want to open that here, Guardmaster Xing," the oily Dai Li advised. "It contains very sensitive information and would best be opened in the privacy of your own home." Xing stopped himself from opening it and paging through it, and instead he slid the file onto the bench next to him and out of sight. They were sitting at a corner table in an exclusive restaurant in the upper ring, but even so Xing was wary of eavesdroppers. Long Feng had assured him that they would not be disturbed or interrupted, but Xing had dealt enough with these slippery Dai Li types to know exactly how dependable they could be.

Long Feng leaned in. "The servant of General Weng made suspicious contact with a man known to be a rogue element. Despite his status, he has suspiciously well-placed connections back in Omashu, where he hails from. We can assume, then," Long Feng continued, "that he is acting as an intermediary for these interests in Omashu, and apparently they are having covert dealings with General Weng." There was something very persuasive about the way he spoke. It wasn't so much what he was saying; it was just how he sounded while he was saying it. But though Xing found it suspicious, he wasn't entirely convinced.

"While I agree that it is suspicious for Weng's servant to be associating with such a man," Xing began, "we have not yet seen any evidence that Weng is plotting anything. He is all ready one of the most powerful people in Ba Sing Se. He is the Tiger General, head of the Council of Five, and one of the people closest to the Earth King himself. Only myself and Secretariat Tsao Tsai are as close. What could Weng possibly have to gain from this?" A certain look of triumph crossed Long Feng's face, as though he had been expecting this question.

"Power," Long Feng said. "You said it yourself. He is on equal standing with you, head of the palace guard, and Tsao Tsai, leader of the Dai Li. However, has Weng not always been very vocal about the prominence the military deserved in state affairs? Has he not demonstrated some dislike in the past towards you and your station?" Xing knew this much to be true. Weng was a militarist, that was for sure. If the Earth King listened to everything he said, it would be the Earth Kingdom invading the Fire Nation, and not the other way around. It was a miracle they'd persuaded him to not mention the war in the presence of the Earth King, citing his tender age and giving assurances that he would be informed when he was old enough.

"If this is an issue of such grave concern," Xing countered, "then why have you not informed Tsao Tsai? If this concerns him, as you say, it would be important for him to know." Long Feng shook his head. Clearly, he'd expected this question, too. Xing wondered exactly how much of this conversation the man had played out in his head before he'd arranged for this meeting.

"Tsao Tsai would not deal with the situation with the subtlety it deserves," came his silky reply. "You know he would be the first one to dispatch a kill team to Weng's villa. This requires careful attention and a delicate touch. No, I can only put my trust in you, Xing. Tsao Tsai is undepenedable and Weng can no longer be trusted, leaving you as sole guardian to the Earth King's welfare that Ba Sing Se can count on." At long last, Xing was convinced. He wasn't convinced of everything, but Long Feng made a strong case for the urgency of the situtation, and Xing didn't really see what there was to argue.

"What do you need me to do?"

"Go about your normal business," Long Feng answered, "of protecting the Earth King. Do your best to stop either Tsao Tsai or General Weng from meeting with him, if you can. The less his Majesty knows about this, the better. We wouldn't want him to worry about something of such enormity at such a young age." Xing couldn't help but feel sorry for their Earth King. His father, the previous Earth King, had died when the incumbent was only four years old, and he had inherited an unhappy kingdom, beset as it was by the war with the Fire Nation. Now, the very thought of his closest advisors turning against him...it was almost sickening. Xing did not like Long Feng very much, but he seemed earnest enough. Xing would be doing this for the sake of the Earth King.

"I will do this," Xing agreed. "But let me warn you, Long Feng. If I find out that this is some trick, all of your elite operatives will not be able to stop me from exacting my own brand of vengeance." Either nothing could perturb the man, or else he was just not moved by the threat, because Long Feng merely gave that smirk of his, and then nodded.

"Of course. Do not worry, Guardmaster Xing," he assuaged. "You have nothing to worry about." He got up.

"Not staying?" Xing said mildly.

"I have a few other matters I must attend to," Long Feng said. "This is not the only house on fire in Ba Sing Se, as it were."

"Of course," Xing said curtly. That air of urgency was immediately dispelled, and they were back to strictly business associates. "May the ground be firm beneath your feet."

"And yours, Guardmaster Xing." He turned, his braid snaking behind his head like a jet-black whip, and he was gone. Xing noticed that as he left, several other patrons, seemingly normal bystanders, got up slowly, exiting one by one. This place had been crawling with Dai Li agents, and Xing had not even known it despite all of his experience. They got more and more devious every year, and he had no doubt that the low levels of crime in Ba Sing Se were related at some level. But after a moment, another thought creeped into his mind: who were these agents working for?

Long Feng was clearly going over Tsao Tsai's head with this clandestine meeting, and Tsao Tsai did not seem to hold much respect for his second-in-command, if their conversation that Xing had witnessed in Lake Laogai was anything similar to the norm between those two men. They could have been Long Feng's insurance policy, or they could have just as easily been Tsao Tsai's men, and were now going to rough up Long Feng for conspiracy. Not able to eat his meal anymore, Xing slapped down the correct amount of money, grabbed the file, and walked out of the restaurant without even a word. He was going to get back to his own villa and page through this whole file so he would know exactly what was going on.

His journey home was quick, even more hurried than usual. He did not like to linger on the streets of Ba Sing Se; there was always some threat lurking around every corner. And now, as he currently was, worried that even his own protectors were against him, he was becoming wary of his own shadow. The very thought of hundreds of invisible eyes fixed upon him sent a shiver down his spine, and he quickened his pace. Normally he would have taken a palanquin to and from the restaurant, but Long Feng had insisted the meeting take place in absolute secrecy, and a sedan chair was bound to draw unwanted attention. It was with great relief when he finally reached the gates of his own home. Bidding the guards a good night, he closed the front door behind him and retired to his study.

It was a sumptuous affair, full of green and gold silk and with jade adornments everywhere. A servant brought him some wine, and then let him be. Content at last to be safely sequestered away from the dangerous city outside, Xing threw some more fuel into the fire, and then sat himself down with his wine and the file. And then, he began to read, with each line penetrating deeper and deeper into the conspiracy that Long Feng seemed so very convinced of.