AN: Alright, y'all. This is the last "setup" chapter, so from here on out, it's all systems go. I'll be posting updates every Friday, so I'll have time to write ahead and to make sure my moving parts move the way I want them to. Some of YWY's talk with the princess is paraphrased/quoted from canon because those talking points fit well in the story. I hope you enjoy.
"She's going to do what?"
Yuwen Yue kept his unflappable mask firmly in place even though his own sense of inner turmoil was likely greater than Yuan Song's thanks to Xing'er's revelation about her parentage. He mentally kicked himself for being too blind to see the truth even when it had been staring him in the face, but Xing'er had always had that effect on him. Maybe he hadn't wanted to make the connection between Luo He's lost daughter and Xing'er and had willfully put the matter out of his mind.
"Xing'er and Zhong Yu are going to get rid of Cheng Yuan and his associates while Mister Wu uses his political clout to convince the wealthy, important families to back you as ruler of Yanbei," Yuwen Yue once again managed to calmly summarize Xing'er's plan for his friend.
Meng Feng and Yue Qi both had skeptical expressions that mirrored the one on Yuan Song's face. The four of them were seated around Yuwen Yue's table in the ransacked Meilin village that they were currently holed up in. None of them seemed impressed by Xing'er's scheme.
"Out of those three, the only one I'd trust would be Chu Qiao, and that's not saying much," Yuan Song said, shaking his head. "While she did escort me and Chun'er safely back to Wei, that doesn't mean I'd trust her to lead a coup on my behalf."
"While the plan itself isn't as well-crafted as I'd like," Yuwen Yue said diplomatically, "I would argue that we can trust Xing'er to deliver on most of her promises individually. For example, most of us here know what Xing'er does when she feels that she and, most importantly, people for whom she feels responsible are in danger. How does she typically react to that kind of threat?"
"She fights her way out and then runs," Yue Qi said, shaking his head. "Even if her plans aren't always sound long-term, she generally finds ways to make them work in the short-term."
"Right," said Yuwen Yue. "Xing'er has just lost many of her Xiulis because of what was obviously a plot, and she now knows just how big of a threat Cheng Yuan and his allies are. She realizes that she and the rest of her Xiulis are in danger and will likely act accordingly. What do you think will happen when she takes her vengeance on those she sees as responsible for the death of her men?"
"Chaos," Yuan Song muttered.
"So how should we prepare ourselves for that chaos—and how should we respond?" Yuwen Yue asked the room at large.
"By taking advantage of it the best we can," Yue Qi said, comprehension dawning on his face.
"I hate to be the one to bring this up," Yuan Song said softly, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. "But-"
"But their plan doesn't mention how to get rid of the leadership at the top," Meng Feng finished for him, smiling softly.
Yuan Song returned her smile with one of his own, and Yuwen Yue felt glad that at least someone might end up happy after this business was over.
If any of us survive…
"That's where the 'taking advantage' part comes into play, right, Master?" Yue Qi asked.
"Exactly," Yuwen Yue said more calmly than he felt within. "Xing'er is going to get her vengeance and do her best to save as many of what she sees as her people as she can in the process. Nothing we say or do can change that. But if we can carry out our original plans for Yan Xun while Xing'er and Zhong Yu are getting rid of Yan Xun's top leadership..."
"Then we would stand a much better chance of being able to negotiate peace with my brother—and to save tens if not hundreds of thousands of innocent lives," Yuan Song said thoughtfully.
"But Master," Yue Qi said hesitantly, "if we assassinate Yan Xun, won't that make our allies turn on us?I'm assuming that they're planning on a more peaceful fate for their current leader."
Yuwen Yue sat silently for a few moments.
"From what I know of Zhong Yu and Wu Daoya, they are both pragmatists who are willing to do whatever it takes to get the best outcome for themselves and Yanbei regardless of the method. Zhong Yu especially understands the necessity of sometimes doing hard things in order to get good results, and Mister Wu is a long-time strategist who understands the nature of politics better than most. Many of the old families never embraced Yan Xun to begin with and just want to be allowed to continue living their lavish lifestyles. Xing'er..."
Yuwen Yue lapsed into silence again, noting the general air of awkwardness in the room as everyone else drew their own conclusions.
"Xing'er will see this as a personal betrayal," Yue Qi finished for his master.
"She'll likely blame me," Yuwen Yue confirmed. "However, I think that her commitment to protecting her people will overrule her anger at me enough to allow the plan to go forward anyway. Once Yan Xun's gone, who could she back that wouldn't instantly ignite a war with Wei? Even if she wanted Mister Wu to rule Yanbei, she—and everyone else involved in this plan—would likely be perceptive enough to realize that Wei would never accept the mastermind of Yan Xun's rebellion as the leader of Yanbei."
"We'd better all be far away when Chu Qiao realizes how we've altered this plan," Yuan Song said, shivering slightly.
"I'm glad I'll likely be here standing guard," Yue Qi agreed.
"And since I'll be the one sneaking into the palace to assassinate Yan Xun, then none of you will have to worry about facing Xing'er's wrath," Meng Feng said quietly.
Yuwen Yue managed to conceal his surprise at the former Afterlife Camp assassin's announcement and asked his questions as if he were merely playing Devil's Advocate.
"Why just you? Why not put our people back in place the way that we did before?"
"First of all," Meng Feng said, holding up a finger, "I'm the best assassin you have outside of yourself. While nobody's better than you, nobody else here is better than me; that's the simple truth."
"Second," she said, putting up another finger, "I'm already familiar with the layout of the city and the best hiding places in it. Sneaking around by myself will be easier than trying to sneak around with several other people, too."
Meng Feng held up a third finger.
"Also, you know that, push comes to shove, I'm capable of getting in, doing the job, and getting out undetected—especially if I go in alone. The fewer people involved in this, the better."
"Then why shouldn't I do it?" Yuwen Yue asked Meng Feng. "All of those points could apply to me, too. Why should you have to do this and not me?"
Meng Feng lowered the fingers she'd been holding up and closed her hand into a fist.
"Because I don't have any memories at all of Yan Xun," she said quietly. "I know that you could get the job done if you had to and wouldn't let old sentiments get in the way, but you shouldn't have to. Please, Master. Let me do this for you—for all of us."
Yuwen Yue sat lost in thought for a few moments.
"Let me think about it," he said quietly. "We still have a few days before we have to decide."
"A few days?" Yuan Song asked, deliberately widening his eyes. "I think this plan needs to be worked on for at least a few months!"
Everyone chuckled as the mood lightened slightly. Yuwen Yue was thankful that his friend had maintained a sense of humor that could survive even in these chaotic times. That sentiment reminded him of his comment to Xing'er about her own sense of humor, and he became pensive again.
I'm going to keep the news about Xing'er's parentage to myself for now, he thought, keeping his face blank. I doubt the Underworld will come anyway—especially given Xing'er's conditions. They'll never give up their feud with us, not with all of the things we've done to one another throughout the generations. Xing'er's so naive—but that innocent simplicity is one of the many things I love about her regardless of how much trouble it causes me.
As his friends continued to talk about the plan, Yuwen Yue pulled out his writing utensils. After all, he had a couple of letters to write.
Dong Fang Ji ran a hand over his mustache as he contemplated the contents of what he assumed to be Yuwen Yue's real letter that one of his men had, fortunately, intercepted before it had been able to reach His Highness. He'd been able to identify the other letter as a fake in large part because he was currently holding the authentic missive in his hands. The letter from the leader of the Eyes of God detailed the basics of a scheme that would result in the end of Yan Xun's rebellion and the solid beginnings of a plan for peace.
As he looked down at the letter once again in the light of the brazier in his room, he sneered in contempt at the notion of giving Yanbei any chance to bargain for what he knew the young prince could simply take. Dong Fang Ji knew that Prince Xiang had ambition, but he also knew that the seventh prince could be too sentimental and weak if he were in a certain frame of mind. He was certain that he'd be able to curtail those flaws in what he was sure would be the next emperor of Wei given enough time.
One large step in giving Xiang the drive to conquer the other nations around us is to give him a taste of victory—and what better chance will we ever get than a weakened Yanbei? If I allow—and even encourage—the first half of the plan to go forth, then I'll be sending Prince Xiang and his large army down upon a destabilized, leaderless Yanbei that will be in no position to mobilize its troops, much less fight back.
His eyebrows crinkled as he frowned in thought about what the young prince would do if he came upon a Yanbei that failed to provide any resistance to him. Would he have the guts to do what needed to be done or would he actually be willing to make a deal with them?
I must stop the second half of that plan from succeeding. In fact, if I can make sure that Yuan Song and Yuwen Yue die at the hands of the people of Yanbei, then nothing would stop Prince Xiang from burning Yanbei to the ground. I could even blame the entire situation on the rebels and convince His Highness that his brother and his close friend had been victims of a rebel double-cross.
Footsteps sounded outside his door, and Dong Fang Ji dropped Yuwen Yue's letter into the brazier. He watched it burn impassively, already mentally penning a missive of his own to his men in Yanbei.
I'll tell them to do everything in their power to ensure the overthrow of Yanbei's current leaders, but I'll also tell them to do anything they can to make sure that Yuan Song and Yuwen Yue will be in no position to lobby for peace with Yanbei. I would have them take out Wu Daoya, too, but he would make an excellent scapegoat to blame for this rebellion. After all, he's already planned one rebellion, so maybe his plotting of Yan Xun's rebellion was just a front for his own ambitions all along. I'm sure I'll be able to convince His Highness of this perspective when the time comes.
Dong Fang Ji smiled in anticipation, already planning what he would say to the soon-to-be emperor at their upcoming meeting.
"Yes, I've known for awhile now that Xing'er is Luo He's daughter," Yuwen Yue said to Xiao Yu, his face remaining as impassive as ever.
Well, "awhile" is an imprecise term, after all; surely a few days counts as "awhile"...
"With all of my own resources and intelligence, of course I found out."
Maybe I should've tried harder to figure out the identity of my pen friend, although this situation is so fantastical and ridiculous that I can't even blame myself for not knowing.
"So how can you stand there and coldly speak to me of 'sides' and 'perspectives' while risking everything you have to protect a woman who was born to be your enemy the same as I? How well does she know you? What is she willing to give up for you? Why do you care so much for a woman who will never love you as much as she loves the man she left you for?"
Yuwen Yue managed to calmly tell Xiao Yu that some things should not be spoken of and that others needed to be forgotten before clasping his sword in his hands and saying, "May we never meet again."
He walked away from the conversation slowly, both because of the lingering poison in his system and the punch-drunk feeling that he had thanks to receiving his second personal shock in the last three days. While he was grateful that Xing'er had told him the truth about the identity of her mother so that he could remain collected in front of the princess, he couldn't help but feel that, their last spoken words notwithstanding, he would see Xiao Yu again—and sooner rather than later.
Yuwen Yue could now understand Xing'er's pain about realizing that Yan Xun wasn't the man she'd thought he'd been now that he'd had his beloved pen friend ripped away from himself so cruelly. While he knew that his and Xing'er's situations were different since many of the warning signs about Yan Xun's temperament had been visible—at least to him-before her realization had come, he still understood the pain that came from that sudden lifting of the veil.
He had poured his heart out to what he'd thought had been a man like himself, only to discover that that "man" had actually been his female archenemy. While he understood why she'd tried to use Xing'er against him when pleading her case, he still couldn't help but be angry at the princess for her method of manipulation.
Xing'er may have been born my enemy, but she doesn't even have those memories anymore. Misunderstandings, mistakes, and Fate put us on opposite sides, not the happenstances of birth. Besides, most of the things that Xiao Yu has done have been selfish and opportunistic, while most of the things that Xing'er has done have been for the benefit of those she loves. Xing'er may relish a kill because of righteous anger, but she doesn't delight in deception and chaos like Xiao Yu does.
Yuwen Yue allowed his mouth to form a wry grin since he knew that nobody but the forest animals would see it.
Of course, my opinion of Xing'er is not exactly unbiased…
Outside of being one of his favorite things to do in general, thinking about the woman he loved helped to salve his wounds left by the woman he'd just left behind. He would miss the emotional release that writing to his pen friend had given him, but he couldn't help but fantasize about the possibility of Xing'er coming to fulfill that role for him if things went their way.
Which happens how often?
While Yuwen Yue knew that the odds were, as usual, not in his favor in regards to having a future with Xing'er, her switching sides—or at least forming her own side and inviting him to join it—had improved their odds. Her words and actions had also confirmed for him that, the Liang princess's barbs aside, Xing'er wasn't in love with Yan Xun; that thought alone managed to put a little swagger in his gait as he strode through the moonlit night back towards their Meilin hideout.
Zhong Yu knew from experience that planning a rebellion was time-consuming—especially when you didn't have much time to begin with. They all felt that sense of time running out that told them that if they didn't act now, they'd miss their chance to save Yanbei and the others they loved.
More to the point, Zhong Yu mused as she walked through the streets of Hongchuan, A'Chu feels time running out, and I've learned to trust her instincts in that regard.
She and the man she loved had spent the bulk of the past couple of days getting ready to execute their plan, which would begin this night. Ostensibly, she and Mister Wu were preparing to depart for Lan City, but they had really been talking to the old families in the area. Zhong Yu knew that there was a certain amount of risk involved in doing so since any of Yan Xun's eyes and ears could notice, but what wasn't a risk these days?
Speaking of risks… Zhong Yu thought as she spotted A'Jing striding confidently towards her.
The two of them had been friends for a long time, and they had grown close during the time they'd spent together in the Oriole Courtyard protecting Yan Xun. While she wanted to confide their plans to him, she was unsure that she could trust her old friend to be willing to do the things that they were going to have to do to bring their plan to fruition.
She smiled sadly at him, hoping he would assume that she was preparing to leave Yanbei with Mister Wu. His own face fell in response, and she felt a pang of regret that she was going to have to deceive him.
While I value his friendship and I know that he cares for me and A'Chu, I simply don't think he'd be willing to leave Yan Xun. Unlike the three of us, he has nobody alive left to protect. I know he's disturbed by some of the things Yan Xun's done, but Yan Xun's all he has now—outside of A'Chu and me.
"Are you almost ready to leave, Miss Yu?" A'Jing asked.
"It won't be long now," Zhong Yu replied honestly.
"Are you sure you won't reconsider returning? Yan Xun needs your help to run things, after all."
Zhong Yu couldn't resist the opportunity to feel her friend out a bit to see if he might be willing to embrace change.
"Why should I come back?" she asked her old friend. "When was the last time Yan Xun actually listened to anything I said? For that matter, when was the last time Yan Xun listened to anything someone other than Cheng Yuan or one of his people said? I don't think I can do any more good here with things the way they currently are, so why should I bother?"
A'Jing's eyes widened and he looked around to make sure no one had overheard.
"Miss Yu!" he said softly, almost whispering. "You shouldn't say things like that. His Highness has simply been under a lot of stress lately. I'm sure that once things settle down a bit that he'll return to his normal self."
"I saw how concerned you were at that sham trial Yan Xun held for the Xiulis. Was that normal? Is that what we have to look forward to? For that matter, is the exile of loyal people like Mister Wu what we have to look forward to as a nation?"
A'Jing shuffled his feet uncomfortably, and Zhong Yu wondered if she'd succeeded in reaching her friend. The big man sighed, his armor shifting slightly.
"As I said, I know His Highness has been under a tremendous amount of stress lately—he's even been having bad headaches. But once we settle things here and conquer Chang'an, things will finally be the way that we always wanted them to be. Our dead families will finally be avenged, and we'll all be able to rest at peace."
Zhong Yu thought that she might've been able to convince her friend gradually if she'd have had more time, but the cold reality was that their time was almost up. She could sense beneath the surface her friend's concern for the direction Yanbei was heading, but she could also feel that A'Jing simply wasn't at the place at which she, A'Chu, and Mister Wu had already arrived.
"I hope you're right, A'Jing," Zhong Yu said, smiling wanly. "And who knows? Maybe things will improve so much that I'll be able to come back after all."
"It'll be like old times," A'Jing said, smiling wistfully.
It already is like old times, Zhong Yu thought sadly as she remembered the hours and hours of planning they'd done for Yan Xun's rebellion what felt like another lifetime ago.
"Yes, it will," she said, smiling politely back.
"Miss Yu, take care," A'Jing said courteously, clasping his hands and bowing to her. "I will leave first."
Zhong Yu said her farewells and watched her old friend continue on his way with a heavy heart. She knew she couldn't save everyone, but not being able to trust A'Jing hurt.
I just hope he stays out of the way tonight, she thought, gaining a small bit of insight into how A'Chu felt every time she'd known she might have to face Yuwen Yue on the battlefield.
She started walking to the next home she was supposed to visit, her mind trying to formulate her political sales pitch but her mind refusing to focus anywhere but her old friends.
Could I really kill A'Jing in battle? Could A'Chu really kill Yuwen Yue? Could any of us kill Yan Xun if our backs were against the wall?
Zhong Yu shoved those thoughts aside as she presented herself at the door of her next appointment, polite smile already plastered on her face.
As Yuwen Yue walked briskly through the forest near their Meilin hideout, he engaged his mind in running through their part of tonight's plan. He knew that his visit with "Brother Yu" had altered their schedule since they'd planned to move out in the early morning, but he'd never been able to deny his pen friend anything.
Until last night, that is…
The spymaster set aside those feelings as he'd been trained to do and concentrated on mentally preparing himself for the day and night ahead. They'd need to move out in the early afternoon; maybe he could even take a short nap beforehand if all went well. Meng Feng would head for Yanbei on her own to assassinate Yan Xun as they'd agreed upon, even though the idea made him uneasy. So much could go wrong for an agent alone, after all. Their resources were stretched thin as it was, however, and the others would be needed elsewhere.
He and some of his Yue guards would stay behind to guard Yuan Song and the children; after all, keeping Yuan Song safe was an integral part of the plan. Without the thirteenth prince, the entire scheme fell apart.
The remaining Afterlife Camp assassins and Yue guards would head for Xiuli Mountain in order to get rid of Cheng Yuan's spies and soldiers that had been stationed in the area to alert the leaders of any potential threat posed by the Xiuli troop. Once that was done, they'd strip the bodies down, don those uniforms, and pose as the guards and spies themselves.
Once they were given the all-clear, the Xiulis would retrieve the weapons that they'd stashed in caches around Xiuli Mountain. The Xiulis and their leader were all somewhat paranoid, so they'd stripped some of the dead soldiers of weapons after the battle of Hongchuan and had hidden the swords, daggers, and other items in places where only they could find them. Cheng Yuan may have restricted the Xiulis' weapons, but he hadn't accounted for the wariness of his adversaries.
Yuwen Yue noted with a bit of unease that the woods seemed quieter than they normally were. Any number of factors could have contributed that—starting with his own presence there, of course. Still, his senses sharpened as he paid more attention to his surroundings. Sensing trouble in the air, he picked up his pace as he neared the outskirts of the town. He hurriedly resumed his mental run-down of the plan in case he had to deal with a bad situation in the near future.
Outside of Meng Feng, their people wouldn't have to do anything more until after the assassinations were done and Xing'er and Zhong Yu had escaped undetected. Xing'er would, of course, ride for Xiuli Mountain to pick up her troops while Zhong Yu was supposed to ride for the Meilin border to escort Yuan Song to their agreed-upon meeting place.
Mister Wu would already be outside of the city, having already done the bulk of his work the day before and having "left for Lan City" earlier in the day. He trusted Zhong Yu to provide the man she loved with proper security—especially given how bloodthirsty and protective he knew her to be. In all honesty, Yuwen Yue saw a bit of Xing'er in Zhong Yu, but he felt that his Xing'er had a core of integrity and innocence inside of her that the more seasoned warrior lacked.
Once again, my impartiality in regards to Xing'er rears its head…
Yuwen Yue had not always succeeded in being honest himself where the woman he loved was concerned, but he'd been unable to lie to himself over the past few days about his hopes for the future. He wasn't stupid; he'd already acknowledged to himself earlier that so much could go wrong over the next day or two that they might not even survive to have a future. Or maybe everything would go right, but she'd be too angry and upset at the assassination of Yan Xun to ever forgive him. But given Xing'er's efforts to make peace and the way she'd softened towards him of late…
Images of the future ran through his mind as he tried to push them aside in favor of plans regarding the public support of Yuan Song by the wealthy families and the ascension of Yuan Song to the throne of Yanbei. Then there would be peace with Wei, and after…
Yuwen Yue's pleasant musings came to an abrupt halt as he finally broke the tree line near their little town and saw the first bodies. While he could sense no living people nearby, he drew Po Yue Jian just in case. Slowly proceeding into the city, he noted with approval that, as usual, there were far more bodies of Yanbei troops than of his own people.
Still, he grieved inside as he realized that too many of his people had died protecting the young prince. He was relieved to see no sign of Yuan Song, Meng Feng, Yue Qi, or the children among the bodies, so he hoped that they'd followed the plan of retreat that they'd formed when they'd first come to this town.
The spymaster checked the bodies of his Yue guards and Afterlife Camp assassins, but none of them was alive. He made sure to take all of the seals in their possession, however, so that nobody could do what he was about to do in order to finish this particular game of chess that he and Yan Xun had been playing. While Yuwen Yue was tempted to track down his friends and protect them personally, he knew that the best way that he could save their lives was to eliminate their biggest threat.
He walked through the town, making sure that he'd missed nothing and no one. He found footprints leading out of town on the escape route that they'd planned, and he was relieved to see big and small footprints represented. Yuwen Yue did his best to obscure the footprints, making the tracking of his friends by outsiders that much more difficult.
They'd all understood that this scenario could happen one day and had planned accordingly. Not only had they crafted a couple of escape routes, but they'd also worked out where they'd go and what they'd take if they could. Yuwen Yue had set aside a bag of his belongings in a shabby building that he'd figured nobody would bother to ransack; he was relieved to discover that he'd been right to do so since he saw no evidence that anybody had even bothered to enter it.
He went in and quickly retrieved his sack, looking inside it to make sure that all was still there and in good working order. He noted that his dagger, small crossbow, and black bat wings were all ready to go, so he'd have everything he'd need to do the type of work for which he'd been training since he was a young boy. While simply putting on his familiar black robes right now was tempting, he figured that he might be safer traveling through Yanbei as a returning soldier who had stopped to help himself to a bit of battle booty before returning home.
Yuwen Yue found a likely candidate and stripped him down, taking off his own worse-for-wear white robes and replacing them with a Yanbei soldier's uniform that wasn't any better. What was better, however, was the officer's seal that he'd found on the body that should get him past any gate guards with ease. While he was comfortable sneaking into the city at night, he figured that his task would be easier if he could get in during the day and check the Eyes of God headquarters there for any useful information or maps he could find—and to get in place for what had now become his part of the plan, of course.
If he was particularly lucky, maybe he'd be able to let Xing'er know that his men wouldn't be able to take out the spies around the Xiulis-or maybe he'd straggle into the city near sundown and count himself lucky to have made it safely at all. As he hefted the sack over his shoulder and left the little town at the Meilin border behind, he could swear that he felt eyes boring a hole in his back.