74. What will make you happy?
The following days the emperor of Liang, the empress and emperor of Beirong and the princes Qi met to straighten the last things out. The emperor of Beirong had joined his wife in the shortest of times and with the royal families of Beirong and Liang he passed judgement on madam Luan and the Ghost army. The judgement was swift and the ordered execution followed shortly later, though this wasn't witnessed by the ladies. The parents of Fu Zihou came and together with the parents of Yunchuan made the first preparations for the marriage of Fu Zihou and Yunchuang. Lastly a grand feast to celebrate the end of this fraught period was being prepared.
As the day of the celebration drew closer many were working on the preparation. The Liang and Beirong parties had taken up residence in the residence of the General and during the diners lively conversations took place, bonds were strengthened and political and military issues were discussed. The ladies recuperated, each being pampered and looked after by their partner. Pei Zhu made sure to stay with Xin whenever he could, especially during those early days when Xin had, with great difficulty, finished the journey from the second cave to the border town and from there to the General's mansion. Zhu had seen her fall asleep in the inn, completely exhausted. She had slept nearly a day. After she had woken up Zhu had just returned from the night time excursion to the army to trap madam Luan. He had fed her some restorative food and then she had told him her story. After resting a few more days Xin had felt strong enough to go for a longer walk. She and Zhu had walked to her old home. The sight was still dismal, nothing had been done to the ruins of her old home, the charred remains a stark reminder of what had taken pace. The door to the mine had remained locked, but Xin had opened them to show Zhu the mines that lay beyond. Just outside the mine entrance they had shared a lunch and Xin had told Zhu about her family, how they had worked hard to make their business a success. Zhu had seen the pain in Xin's eyes every time they glanced to her old home. On their way back a villager had told them that Xu's parents had been buried and he showed them the burial mount, just outside the town. It was there where Zhu asked Xin what she wished to do. Xin was hesitant to reply to Zhu, two thoughts were going through her mind, but which to voice, which to say out loud? Both were equally true, she wished to stay with Zhu, these last days had shown her beyond any doubt that he cared for her, that he loved her even. But she also wished to remain here and rebuild the house where she had lived and rebuild the business her father and mother had worked so hard to make it thrive. She also knew the materials in the mine where in fact in short supply. What was her dearest wish? Remain here or leave and stay with Zhu to become empress?
Zhu saw her hesitation, but he was unsure on how to help her. Finally he said: "You know I want you to be my wife. But more importantly I want you to be happy. What would make you happy?"
"I want to be with you. I want to be your wife even if it means becoming the empress. But I feel I owe it to my parents to rebuild our home and restart their business. Besides these metals are in short supply, it would be best for Liang to reestablish a steady supply. Can you wait for me?" Xin had never before been so anxious while talking to others, but now so much depended on his response. Zhu had clasped her hands between his: "I will wait for you." Then he had turned to the tomb of Xins parents and assured them of his love and commitment to their daughter.
During the time they spent together in the following days they had discussed what needed to be done and how much time it would take for Xin to accomplish what she wanted to accomplish. But unbeknownst to Xin Zhu was formulating a plan, a plan that required the cooperation of his brother. As the day of the feast drew closer Zhu knew he had to speak to Yan and so he decided to talk to his brother after the feast.