Jackal Among Snakes - Chapter 573

Argrave was welcomed into the city of Ji in a much grander fashion than he’d ever expected. He was bid to enter on horseback with some guards and the entourage he intended to bring into the Palace of Heaven. He didn’t like riding on horses, but he obeyed, and was repaid for it in rather grand fashion. The citizens of the Great Chu lined the streets, flying hundreds of thousands of kites into the air as though in defiance of the ever-ongoing siege from the sky tower. That these people could partake in this wedding without fear spoke to their resilience.

Their cheers were loud enough that Argrave could do nothing but focus on them. They cheered his title, his pseudonym, and even held up banners with the sun on it. They cheered for Anneliese, too, the second most famous member among them after her feats against Dimocles. Near the imperial palace, Argrave could see the Blue Emperor’s corpse displayed boldly. It was a chill he needed to forget the warmth of this welcoming.

Alongside the cheers, Argrave didn’t miss the pleas. The people pleaded, prayed, that his next target would be the sky tower. Even if he had an answer to give them, they were simply too loud for him ever to be heard. He would protect them if he could, but it didn’t depend on his actions alone.

They proceeded through the streets on horseback, over the bridges and the through the streets, until they passed by the palace guard standing by the entrance to the imperial palace. Only there did the noise of the crowd fade.

Palace attendants took their horses, and then Argrave climbed the stairs to the imperial palace with his guests. He didn’t bring an excessive amount of people, but even in these small numbers, this was a potent group. Barring the groom and Raven snug inside the Ravenstone, there was also Anneliese, Melanie, Durran, Galamon, Patriarch Dras, and one person he’d brought a very long way for a small role: his cousin, Nikoletta.

His cousin, heir to the duchy of Monticci, had graciously agreed to come and act as a conversational tool. Unmarried, related to Argrave by blood, she fulfilled what Zen was looking for. But to Argrave, she was an effective barrier; just as Argrave didn’t intend to genuinely consider marriage, he didn’t intend to marry off Nikoletta. Haer presence could nonetheless promote some further control over the negotiation.

As Argrave looked to her, he caught her pink eyes staring at him with an indiscernible expression. In the walk up the long stairs, he asked, “What?”

“You sailed overseas as an invader. Now, the same people you declared war upon are cheering you as you enter their capital city.” Nikoletta shook her head, and her short black hair swayed gently. “It defies reason, that’s all. Doubly so now that I’ve witnessed this city, this empire, and that accursed tower.”

“Feeling nervous? Every inch of this place has been scrutinized,” Argrave comforted. “We’d never bring anyone here if that wasn’t so.”

“Of course I’m nervous.” Nikoletta’s hand grazed her stomach, which he suspected was aflutter. “But I owe you loyalty. My house owes you loyalty.”

Argrave patted her shoulder. “It’ll be fine. You’re polite, reasonable, and quick-thinking. Just let us take the initiative.”

“Right.” Nikoletta nodded, trying to steel herself with his words.

Ji Li lowered her head. “Hello, Prince Orion. I apologize I did not greet you properly on our first meeting.” She spoke very slowly. Her voice sounded much like her mother’s, though without the harsh edge that made the empress seem authoritative.

“I need no apology, but I am glad to hear you speak. Other ways of conversing would take far longer,” Orion answered back, his usual straightforward yet humble self.

Ji Li smiled sheepishly yet went silent once again, seeming all too happy to melt back into the background as Governor Zen spoke again as though she wasn’t even there. “I’d like to thank our host, the son of heaven, for permitting us use of the imperial palace.”

“It is our own daughter who’s to be married,” Ji Meng’s eyes went to her, and Argrave saw the imperial princess close her eyes tightly beneath his gaze. “And our faithful governor went to great lengths to be certain my answer would be positive. We might say he showed his hand.”

“Only a finger of the hand,” Governor Zen assured. “I believe we have a great deal to discuss today. To begin with, a question I’m sure the emperor has asked many times before—how was the imperial court compromised? The answer, I’m sure, some of the present company is aware of.”

“Our servants have checked the ancient array beneath the palace meant to counter divinity,” Ji Meng answered for him. “It was broken, wholly. The spirits contained were stolen, doubtless plundered. In this manner, those blessed by the divine, and their servants, are able to move freely. That is what happened.”

“But who broke it?” Argrave cut in, playing his role ably—he had to act as though Ji Meng was struggling to break free, and Zen and himself were cooperating to bring him back into the leash. Schemes on top of schemes, enough to melt the brain. “And how? These are questions you must have, but lack the answer to.”

Governor Zen nodded. “You’ve seen one finger of the hand, great emperor. Let us name it the smallest finger. And having seen it, perhaps you can reason for yourself how large and strong my hand would be.”

As they spoke, the first of the ladies of the capital walked out just as the eunuchs carried out serving trays of food for all the guests in the hall. The musician was colored totally white—her dress, her face, her hair, even the gemstones adorning her hand shone white. The lady’s servants carried with her a strange stringed instrument that Argrave was unfamiliar with. It had a large wooden body and quite a few strings atop it, and was a dark black in stark contrast to how she’d presented herself. When she placed it on the ground, she gave it a few testing plucks to ensure it sounded right.

“Lady Zen Yue, niece of the betrothed, will begin the day of celebration on the guzheng with a classical piece to celebrate her relative’s union,” a eunuch announced.

“Think on it,” Governor Zen said quietly, “As we enjoy this union, my emperor.”

His gaze, however, floated to Argrave. The words carried two meanings, Argrave felt—one for the emperor, but the other largely for Argrave.