A/N: Another chapter up! Thanks to all for reading, and thank you Angel452 and WaitingIdeas for the continued reviews.

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Chapter 13: Sung

Shang remained in the room with Prince Ting, conferring about the meeting that the prince had just had with the council. He was somewhat stunned by the sudden change in the Emperor's younger son. In just a couple of days Ting had become much more serious and responsible.

They knew about Bin-Ling impersonating Shen-Li; other than that Shang didn't note anything suspicious in the reactions and behavior of the other councilmen. Of course, they could all be really good actors.

He sighed with relief when Mulan appeared, brought into the prince's chamber by one of the guards.

"Welcome, Captain Li," Prince Ting greeted her.

"Your Highness," she answered, standing beside Shang and bowing to the prince.

"It is the real Captain Li, isn't it?" Ting asked quietly after the guard had left the room.

She looked up and grinned. "Yes, sir. I see that you met Ming."

Ting laughed. "Yes. You have been using his talents very cleverly. I am hoping that he may be able to help us deal once and for all with Bin-Ling and his accomplices."

"Yes, sir."

Prince Ting beckoned them into the hidden chamber behind his bureau.

"Sir, we have found Shen-Li. He is being held in a temple behind the palace," Mulan told him after they were in the hidden chamber.

"Are you sure?"

She nodded. "There is a cellar underneath it. We saw Mei-Lin there."

"Mei-Lin?"

"The cook who was talking to Bin-Ling. They are working together. She was inside the temple for a long time, and when she finally came out, two men followed her. They had Shen-Li with them."

"You saw him?"

She nodded.

"Is he alright?" Shang asked.

"Yes. Whatever these people are up to, they don't wish to hurt him. At least not right now. They seem to be taking good care of him. He looked fine, and I think they were just letting him get air."

"I was telling General Li that something must be done soon. It must be revealed that my father and brother are both still alive. This state of limbo that the throne is in cannot go on. The people are aware that something is not right and they are getting restless. They are being told that I am in deep mourning, but that can only be for so long."

"Yes, sir. We need to get to Shen-Li to talk to him. He may know why his twin brother is doing this. Then we can come up with a plan to rescue him."

"I would like to start working on a plan right now," the prince said, "even before we talk to Shen-Li."

"Yes, sir."

The three of them remained in the chamber, talking over their ideas quietly.

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Mulan was relieved when Mushu returned to her side.

"How is Shen-Li?"

"They were just taking him out to relieve himself, Mulan. They brought him back to the temple afterward. He's fine. But, it turns out…one of those guards is Mei-Lin's son."

"Her son?"

He nodded.

"How old is he?"

Mushu shrugged. "Around twenty or so. The other guard called him Sung."

"Can you describe what they look like? Their build, body types, stuff like that?"

Mushu gave her a description of each.

"I have to go to Ming."

"Ming is with Chen."

She nodded. "Yeah. I left Chen and the two girls in Su-Tan's room. Ming is watching out for them."

"What's the plan?"

"We have a plan that should totally throw Bin-Ling and Mei-Lin for a loop and force them out. Ming will be involved with that. For now, I need to ask you to do two things for me, Mushu. First, I need you to find Shang. Tell him about Sung and give him the descriptions of him and the other guard. Ask him to pick two men from his troops that have the same build as each guard and could be mistaken for them, at a distance at least. I have a plan, and we will need those guards just in case. Also tell him I will meet him as soon as I have spoken to Ming and talk to him about my plan."

"Okay. You know, Shang hasn't met me yet."

"Well, I'm sure he'll be happy to meet you. You helped to save his little brother once."

"What about after I talk to him?"

"Would you follow Mei-Lin? I need to know more about the son, and about what she and Bin-Ling are saying to each other. And also, if there is anyone else involved. I have a hunch not. If my suspicions are correct, I think I know what this is all about now."

"I think your suspicions are right."

Mulan grinned at him. "You're reading my mind."

Mulan watched him disappear, feeling grateful that Mushu was her guardian and her friend. He had become a true friend. And a guardian that doubled as a spy came in very handy.

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Sung and the other guard emerged from the temple, leading Shen-Li along. Shang and Mulan watched them disappear in the darkness. Ming was with them, as were the two men from Shang's troop that fit Mushu's description of the body types of Sung and the other guard.

Shang quietly signaled his two guards to hurry into the temple one by one, watching the point at which the guards had disappeared with Shen-Li. Once the two men were inside Mulan took her turn moving across the grass and entering the temple. Shang finally came in a few moments after her.

Ming guarded the entrance while they found the wooden trapdoor hidden underneath the altar. Shang's two men lowered themselves down into the cellar and Mulan shut the trapdoor above them. Then she and Shang went to stand on either side of the entrance. Ming had made himself invisible, but Mulan knew that he was posted right outside the temple, watching for when the two men returned with Shen-Li.

After a long time, Ming appeared inside the temple again.

"They're on their way back."

Mulan and Shang both readied themselves to strike. Several minutes after Ming's warning, they heard voices outside of the temple. They listened as the voices got closer. Then Shen-Li was prodded into the entrance. He stepped forward, followed by Sung and the other guard.

Mulan and Shang each grabbed one of Shen-Li's guards, falling them and knocking them unconscious easily after catching them by surprise.

"General, Captain," Shen-Li exclaimed, breathlessly.

"We are glad to see that you're alright, sir," Shang told him.

Mulan went and opened the trapdoor to the cellar.

"Come on up."

The two men climbed up and Mulan shut the trapdoor.

"Do you know what is going on?" Shen-Li asked.

"You don't know at all?" Shang asked.

Shen-Li shook his head. "I was grabbed and kidnapped by two men. I don't know how long I've been here. Several weeks. And there is a woman. She's the mother of one of the men. She brings me food. I don't know what else is going on. They are just holding me prisoner. No one has interrogated me or even asked any questions at all."

"Your twin has been impersonating you," Mulan told him.

"My twin?" Shen-Li asked, looking thoroughly puzzled.

"Don't you have a twin? Named Bin-Ling?"

"Bin-Ling?" he repeated, astonished.

"Yes."

Shen-Li was silent for several minutes, appearing to be in somewhat of a state of shock.

"I thought Bin-Ling was dead. He left home. We never saw him again but we heard rumors of his death...a long time ago. What is he doing here?"

"There's a lot to explain," Shang said.

Shang's two guards were binding the hands of Sung and the other man.

"We'll bring Sung and other one with us when they come to. We were concerned that we might run into Mei-Lin while trying to rescue you. We must get to Prince Ting with them."

"Prince Ting?"

"Yes. We'll explain all the details," Mulan told him, picking up and handing him a large black cloak that she'd taken from his room. "Here, put this on so no one will see who you are. Mei-Lin is Sung's mother. We think that she may be claiming that Sung is her son with the Emperor, though we don't know whether that's true or not. But we're pretty sure that Bin-Ling has been helping her try to put him on the throne."

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A/N: More to follow shortly.