"Your Majesty," Bai Li bowed. "I have good news. The young Miss i is fine. Her Third and Fourth Brothers and I were not far behind her when she was stung by a murder hornet. Her brothers were able to treat the hornet sting, but we couldn’t move her last night."
"Good, good," said the Emperor, his suspicions imdiately aroused by the tale.
He would have his n thoroughly investigate it. The players were moving in interesting, though not entirely unexpected, directions.
His second son had shown serious interest in this young lady, and the Pri Minister’s daughter, Li Fengfeng, had designs on his second son. It was highly unlikely that the two things were unrelated; he didn’t believe in coincidence.
"It’s good that she was with her brothers at the ti, not alone with you, Commander Bai," the Emperor raised one eyebrow at him.
Bai Li struggled to keep his face from betraying his concern. As usual, his Lord had discerned that there was a problem with his story. He knew the Emperor hated lies more than anything else, so he was very sorry to be discovered in one.
"I’ll have to trouble you to call back the other search parties. My second son is leading one of them. I believe young Master Tan might be out searching too."
The Emperor allowed himself the smallest of smirks at Bai Li. More than enough for the younger man to understand that the Emperor was truly well-inford, as always.
"Your Majesty," Bai Li bowed and withdrew backwards from the tent.
"Commander Bai," called the Emperor. "Make sure all of the young people attend the banquet this evening. It wouldn’t do for anyone to feel left out."
Their Emperor had his own plans and was always two steps ahead of his officials. What part they were all allocated to play on his chess board wasn’t yet clear to Bai Li, but he was sure it wouldn’t take long before daylight shone on their Lord’s plans.
By the ti Manni returned with the prescribed ointnt for the bites, her mistress was fast asleep, with Tricky flat out on the sleeping platform beside her bed.
The maid gently applied the cream to her back and her young miss stirred and moaned softly in her sleep.
"I’ve co to see Miss i," Manni heard a loud male voice call from outside the tent, and she rushed out.
The Second Prince and Tan Bowen stood together at the entrance.
"Your highness, Master Tan, my young mistress is sleeping after her ordeal. Please co back later."
"How is she, Manni?" asked Tan Bowen.
"She’s fine, Master Tan. The doctor said there’ll be no lasting effects. We have so good dicine for the sting now."
Bai Li strode up to the tent and joined them.
Manni motioned for them all to step a bit further away, so as not to disturb her mistress, but right at that mont i ili’s head appeared at the entrance.
"I’m awake now Manni," she said sleepily. "Co in everybody."
The young n filed into the tent, Manni looking on grumpily. They joined ili at the small camp table.
"What did the doctor say, Manni?" asked Bai Li.
"No lasting effects, Commander Bai. Thank you for your part in looking after her."
"I didn’t do anything," he said gruffly. "It was all i Renjun and i Renbing." He didn’t trust himself to look at ili.
"They said you stood guard all night, so thank you, Commander," said Manni.
"You must also be very tired, Bai Li" said ili solicitously. "Manni’s made congee for . Manni, please bring the Commander a bowl too. It will help you recover your energy," she said to him.
She couldn’t quite et his eyes as he nodded his thanks.
"How are you feeling now, Miss i?" asked the Second Prince with care.
"Infinitely better thank you, your highness," she smiled in such a way that it was impossible to doubt her.
"We’ve both been out looking for you too, i ili," said Tan Bowen.
Her eyes widened. "I’m so sorry to have put you both to such trouble," she apologised.
"Nonsense!" said the prince. "If not us then who? Of course we must lead the search."
Again, this wonderful loyalty of her brothers’ friends extending to her, she thought with admiration.
"Well, I am extrely thankful for your efforts," she flashed Tan Bowen and the Second Prince a cutely dimpled smile that knocked them both for six, leaving them slightly stupefied and montarily speechless.
"His Majesty asked to remind you all that your presence is required at the royal banquet this evening," said Bai Li, bringing them back to the real world.
"Wouldn’t miss it for anything," said Tan Bowen, looking at ili, whose face lit up with pleasure.
The poor girl had been trapped for so long that she lapped up every new experience like a kitten with cream, he thought fondly.
"What were you doing hunting with Miss i, Commander Bai?" asked the Second Prince suspiciously.
"I kept company with my friends, her Third and Fourth Brothers, Miss i was with them also," said Bai Li lightly.
"Is that so," said the Prince, his doubt obvious. "I do believe that when I saw Miss i riding off into the distance, she was all alone."
"Thankfully, the three of us n ran into her hunting later in the day," Bai Li lied smoothly.
The prince narrowed his eyes at his friend. It was most unlike Bai Li to tag along with friends at the royal hunt. In the past, he had always competed hard for the top tally for the day.
"Now that we’re alone," Bai Li lowered his voice, "the hornet’s nest was deliberately shot onto Miss i and her horse by an archer, whom I imdiately dispatched. She informs that Li Fengfeng deliberately sent her to the location."
"Those Li mongrels!" swore Tan Bowen.
The prince pushed back his chair in anger, rising to his feet. His jealousy at Bai Li was growing by the second as he realised the man had saved her life.
"Attacking i ili is not even a covert attack on the i family," the prince growled. "I’ll speak with my Emperor Father. He’ll want the balance of power maintained."
"I’m very sure he already knows," said Bai Li, rembering his conversation with the Emperor this morning.
"He misses almost nothing that goes on at court," said the prince. "If he doesn’t take action, I will!"
"Don’t be rash your highness," cautioned Bai Li. "Only when you know why you’ve hit the target, can you truly say you’ve learned archery. We need to know who his target is."
"Li Fengfeng is angling to be my wife," snarled the Second Prince with distaste.
"So far as I know, the Pri Minister wants his daughter to be one of the Crown Prince’s concubines. And he would never attack the i family for his daughter’s personal wishes. We need to pay the line out further to catch this big fish."
The prince nodded, "perhaps you’re right Bai Li. Let us see what occurs at this dinner tonight. If we’re clever, we might be able to draw a bite."
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