“That slut!” Minister Sōngshù’s voice reverberated around his study. The sound of his leather strap being repeatedly slammed against the desk made the three men around him take a few steps back. “The audacity to act against my demands! As soon as she’s out of the capital, she becomes an insolent brat!”

 “So it’s true that she’s the one who killed Gŏu? That little thing?” asked one of the men.

 “What are we going to do?” asked a man standing closest to the desk.

 The other men mumbled worriedly.

 “She’ll tell General Zhànshì everything,” the third man remarked.

 “We can’t let that happen,” the second man replied.

 “That’s why I sent for Duìzhăng Gŏu before they left the manor,” Minister Sōngshù growled. “I have bigger problems than the three of you. Shāngrén Yán won’t simply pull his funding. He’ll take this personally and come after me.”

 They watched as Minister Sōngshù paced back and forth behind the desk before walking around it to be nearer to them.

 “How many are on our side in your ministries?” he asked them.

 “I have two,” Minister of the Imperial Clan Xiĕ answered.  

 “Five for me,” Minister of Ceremonies and Studies Jiàoshòu replied.

 They all turned to the fourth man among them in wait for his answer. Minister Sōngshù stepped closer when he only looked around nervously.

 “And you, Minister Gōng?” he warily asked. “How many does the Ministry of Household have with us now? At our last meeting, you assured us there would be at least ten guards within the general’s manor we could call upon. How many?”

 Minister Gōng took a deep breath in search of the courage to answer.

 “We … I’ve lost them all,” he finally answered and squeezed his eyes shut in anticipation of a violent reaction by Minister Sōngshù.

 The other men sighed and huffed at the terrible news.

 “It was the incident with the bandits,” Minister Gōng continued. “Two of my moles were among those she saved from Duìzhăng Gŏu. Three others were at the skirmish arranged as a distraction in the forest. They saw her when she was brought there and heard what she had done. The other five heard about it when the general returned to the manor.

 They’ve, also, seen how she behaves because of …” He looked at the others and to the floor before he completed the sentence. “… because of her treatment here. They’ve taken pity on her and respect her for her bravery.”

 Minister Sōngshù glared at Minister Gōng for several moments, an angry red creeping from his face to his neck and even his ears. He let out a sudden scream and began knocking things off of a nearby shelf. He kicked his desk and threw an inkstone at the Minister of Household. Minister Gōng ducked as it flew at his head.

 “They’re … they’re afraid of General Zhànshì,” he tried to add as though he had no control of their allegiance. “No one in that manor would dare harm a hair on the girl’s head, not only because of what she did but because they fear retaliation from the general.”

 Minister Sōngshù took two long strides to stand inches from the official. He grabbed the shorter man’s robe collar and pulled him closer to speak directly in front of his face.

 “Your subordinates are supposed to fear disobeying you more than they fear or respect anyone else,” he said loudly through clenched teeth, his steamy rancid breath heating Minister Gōng’s nose. “Do I have to teach you how to instill such fear?” he said in a lower, deeper voice that caused Minister Gōng to tremble beneath Minister Sōngshù’s grip.

 Minister Gōng quickly shook his head. “N-n-no … n-n-no, Minister.”

 Minister Sōngshù shoved him and turned his attention to all three of the men. “If they can’t be bought, threaten them! Threaten their families! Make an example of one if you have to!”

 The three officials glanced at one another in memory of how he’d threatened them and others for his rebellion.

 Minister Xiĕ stepped up and attempted to bring the conversation back to their other concern. “Whatever we do needs to happen quickly. We have to get her away from the general before she speaks. Everything she knows about us, everything she’s seen … We’re finished if the king and the other officials find out.”

 “It isn’t only the rebellion we have to worry about,” Minister Jiàoshòu reminded them.

 They nervously shuffled their feet, rubbed the back of their necks, wrung their hands, and mumbled as they calculated mentally all she had witnessed during their late night meetings and secret activities performed in that very study.

 “I’ll handle that bastard husband of hers the way I did his father,” Minister Sōngshù finally announced.

 “What if she gets word to the king before then?” worried Minister Jiàoshòu.

 “Killing the general won’t shut her up,” Minister Xiĕ added. “Now that she’s out of your manor, she can return to her uncle as she pleases.”

 “Didn’t you say Shāngrén Yán will be here soon?” Minister Gōng asked Minister Sōngshù.

 Minister Sōngshù sighed as he returned to his seat behind his disheveled desk.

 “Tomorrow or the day after,” he replied in worry.

 “If we can get her out of Zhànshì’s manor, we can bring her back and hide her until he arrives,” suggested Minister Jiàoshòu.

 “The whore has probably already spread her legs for her husband,” Minister Sōngshù snarled and shoved another statue from his desk. “Shāngrén Yán expects a virgin.”

 “Not necessarily,” Minister Gōng replied. “From what I’ve heard through servant gossip, General Zhànshì isn’t treating this marriage as anything more than a rescue of the princess. He pities her and will likely never consummate the marriage.”

 “I’ve heard that, as well,” agreed Minister Xiĕ. “It was all a scheme by King Rénlóng to get her out of your manor before you married her to Shāngrén Yán. It isn’t a real marriage. You can still hand her over to him if we can get her back before he arrives.”

 Minister Sōngshù thought on their words and became a little more confident that he could avoid Shāngrén Yán’s retribution for his failure.

 “There isn’t enough time to get her out of his hands before Shāngrén Yán returns,” he remarked as he considered a newly developing scheme. “He can be reasoned with under these circumstances, however. He can address the court as being wronged when he was on his way to meet his bride.

 We can demand proof of consummation. When General Zhànshì cannot provide that proof, the king will have no recourse but to nullify the marriage and hand her over to me for her wedding to Shāngrén Yán. If we make this public at a court meeting, King Rénlóng will have no choice.”

 “She’s his niece,” Minister Jiàoshòu replied. “He can refuse to permit the royal princess to marry a merchant. Your contract with Shāngrén Yán doesn’t supersede the king’s privilege of decreeing or forbidding royal marriages.”

 “It doesn’t matter,” Minister Sōngshù told him. “Shāngrén Yán will turn his ire toward the king for interfering. This will anger the officials we have yet to bring to our side. The kingdom needs Shāngrén Yán’s mines and power he has over other merchants. King Rénlóng will be pressured into approving the marriage.

 No matter, she’ll be dead before anyone gets her. We only need a distraction.”

 “So we’re going to use Shāngrén Yán to steal the attention of the king, the court, and her husband while we kill her,” Minister Xiĕ remarked with a contemplative expression.

 "Shāngrén Yán can't be angry with you for the king's interference," Minister Jiàoshòu continued to speculate. "He'll turn his thoughts of retribution on the king and the general and give us all we need."

 “Precisely,” Minister Sōngshù answered.