Ban Rou, who Jingyan hadn’t seen since she led him into the palace, knelt in a cushion diagonal from Lord Yu. Several finished jugs of wine laid strew before Lord Yu and two more stood on his table. A selection of snacks and fruits were arranged on the table, next to a pile of memorandums, scattered papers, marked maps and booklets.
"Leave us. Take this back with you and destroy it," said Lord Yu, just as Jingyan entered the room.
Lord Yu appeared to have been scanning through the documents without interest while Banrou looked as if she’d been in deep thoughts the whole night. Banrou bowed and turned to leave the room, just as Jingyan pressed his hands together and gave a perfunctory bow. After the doors closed, Lord Yu said, grabbing his …show more content…
He twisted his body and perched a foot, with the shoe still attached, on his seat. In Liang, the posture would've been an indication of low class. "You do not view Hua has a country, nor do you view me as a king."
"Taking an embalmed corpse and making it dance once again does not constitute to life after death," said Jingyan. He knelt with his back straight, chin high. When Lord Yu pointed at a pear, Jingyan hesitated for moment before picking it up, along with the utensil nearest to it. "But why should Your Grace allow my opinion to dampen your day?"
In Liang, people peeled with knives. In Hua, they used a variety of utensils, different contraptions for different types of fruit. Lord Yu smirked when he saw Jingyan analyze the tool in his hand, an odd combination of three blades, what appeared to be a tiny, flattened arrowhead and a hollowed stick.
"It is a pity that my royal grandfather banned so many Hua inventions and burned so many books," said Jingyan. He began peeling the pear with the thinnest blade. "If only my Royal Father wasn't adamant about burying Hua, taking all the innovations and inspiration along with …show more content…
The space underneath his skin prickled at the notion of sharing the same space as Mei Changsu and the anguish Jingyan thought he’d tamed in his week of turbid solitude came back with twice the force.
“Your subordinate beholds Your Majesty,” said Mei Changsu. His voice felt like a bed of sharp nails being hammered into Jingyan’s chest. Jingyan knew the other man saw his badly subdued flinch, but Lord Yu, who was smiling at Mei Changsu, appeared oblivious. As if rubbing salt and vinegar into the injury, Mei Changsu added, “Greetings, Your Highness.”
"Oh Changsu. Good that you're here. There's something I need to discuss with you," said Lord Yu. He held up a finger, as if telling Mei Changsu to wait a moment. Then, he turned to Jingyan with a sneer. Lord Yu said, "As for you, I just have one thing for you - wine for you to taste and test-"
Lord Yu clapped his hand and a door opened to allow in a servant.
A single chalice balanced on the white silk lining of the ornate tray that the servant carried in. Delicate handles crafted to resemble vines embellished either side of the chalice. Four rubies crowned the rim and a constellation of white gems tastefully decorated the space above the slender