Hours later, Chu Yun found himself in a narrow barge in one of Haolin's many canals, in the company of Xiao Ziyi, Ru Yui, and the boater sailing them past other barges and through the busy water traffic.
The three of them sat on the barge's simple wooden benches, Xiao Ziyi and Ru Yui in front, Chu Yun behind them, and the boater behind him steering the barge.
Behind them, Xiao Zai and Han Guilan followed on another barge, not close enough to hear them perhaps, but close enough to see everything happening in theirs.
That was as much as Chu Yun had gotten the Queen Consort to compromise to.
For his role as "chaperone" to be believable he had to seem uninterested in what Xiao Ziyi and Ru Yui were discussing, while seemingly keeping an eye on their behaviour.
He had told Xiao Ziyi beforehand that it fell to her to steer the conversation towards what they wanted to know.
The problem was whether she would succeed, considering her enormous inability to talk with anyone who wasn't a soldier or a family mber, about anything that wasn't military strategy.
Chu Yun could hear her now, broaching such exciting topics such as: "I hear there are a lot of lakes in Su," and "they say that all the horses in Su are ta, even the stallions, and don't need to be broken in."
To which Ru Yui replied in monosyllables.
Chu Yun was going to scream.
He hadn't seen Hua Nanyi all day, but he hoped she'd done as Xiao Ziyi asked and tried to worm herself in into the Queen Consort's and First Princess' rooms -- in fact, he hoped she was there now. At least that would make this pointless outing worth sothing, instead of just being a scenic boat tour through Haolin's canals.
He wondered if he said sothing it would be too obvious to Han Guilan that he was trying to talk with Ru Yui and whether she'd try to shut everything down imdiately or if they would have so ti before she ca up with a suitable excuse.
He hadn't yet made up his mind when he heard Ru Yui's lodic voice say quietly, "I hear that Zui's previous King was executed for treason."
Xiao Ziyi and him went tense at the exact sa ti.
"Well, he died in prison of an unknown illness before he could be executed," Xiao Ziyi said, her tone halting, "but he would have been executed...yes."
"It is a blessing...to die quickly," Ru Yui said, just as quietly as the first ti she spoke.
It took all of Chu Yun's composure not to let his eagerness show.
Ru Yui was clearly hinting at sothing. Her own father's condition, his mysterious 'illness', perhaps?
Why did she think a quick death was a blessing? Why lead with that in particular?
"Yes, certainly prolonged suffering is cruel, which is why we look down on all forms of torture in the army. The righteous thing to do is give all enemies a quick and clean death, and hope they extend us the sa dignity."
Chu Yun wanted to throw sothing at her head. What did her principles have to do with the conversation at hand? Right now Chu Yun wasn't opposed to so torture if it would keep her on track.
He could see Ru Yui's veil flutter with her laughter. So at least one of them was having a good ti.
She sobered quickly after, straightening her back. "That is for the best, yes. But I'm afraid so people, on the other hand, prefer protracted, and unusual ans of torture." The way she put emphasis on the word protracted drew Chu Yun's attention.
A slow, unusual torture. Like the corpse powder. That permanent state of stasis Xiao Zai would have fallen into if they hadn't tried the antidote.
The King of Su's 'mysterious' illness.
Maybe it wasn't an illness after all.
Maybe he had been poisoned.
Maybe by the sa person who poisoned Xiao Zai.
Unlike in Zui, corpse powder was commonplace in Su -- so it made sense that Ru Long would want to murky the waters when it ca to a diagnosis. Maybe it was even the experience with his own father that inspired his attack in Xiao Zai.
He had been successful once. Why not try it again?
Chu Yun could bet his right arm that the King of Su was right now in a coma, just as Xiao Zai had been, completely unconscious from the perspective of every physician treating him, but actually trapped inside his own mind.
A fitting punishnt, Ru Long might think, for a man he held responsible for what -- his dam's death? For making a bastard out of him?
His motives were irrelevant.
Chu Yun had his explanation for the King of Su's complete absence from matters of state.
Ru Yui was trying to warn them that her father was King in na only.
But why the warning about her mother? The Queen Consort wasn't Ru Long's mother, it would have been in her best interests to expose Ru Long's actions. Was she defending him?
Those would have all been pertinent questions to ask, or to allude to, at the very least, but instead Xiao Ziyi said: "Well, so people aren't fit for the war theatre, that's true. Which is why as a General, it is my role-"
Chu Yun couldn't listen to any more of this, he stood up and said: "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I've beco nauseous and have to stop for now." As soon as the boatman stopped the boot, Chu Yun hiked his robes up to climb up into the paved street, not waiting to be helped up. "I apologise to her Highness' for interrupting such a pleasant mont."
Xiao Ziyi climbed out after him, and extended a hand to Ru Yui, and then turned to him with a confused frown. "I didn't think that happened so late in the pregnancy."
Chu Yun just cut her a withering glare.
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