Chapter 6

It was a few days later that the court gathered again. There seemed to be a certain sort of frost in the hall as everyone that had been gathered sat in the kind of silence where one could hear a pin drop. No one dared to move, no one even so much as breathed. Word had gone around of the Minister of Rites' punishment and no one wanted that to happen to themselves. Yifan finally shifted forward in his seat and addressed the court. "As General Tao has stated, we have a war brewing and I am sure that no one likes peace more than you all. So, for now, we need to find a way to negotiate a peace treaty with the opposing party," he said, cold eyes sweeping the room. Feiyan shivered from her place beside him even though she wasn't the one on the receiving end of his fearsome gaze. No one moved a muscle or dared to speak their mind. 

"If not a single one of you have a word to say, then you are all dismissed. Minister of Defence, you will remain." Everyone quickly bowed and left the hall while a stern-looking man with a thick moustache remained behind. Yifan had already stood and began to walk through a smaller door, everyone that remained filing out after him lest they receive his wrath for being slow. He gestured for her to follow as well and she hurried from her seat to stand beside him. 

Feiyan walked alongside him, eyes trained on the hem of Yixing's robe as he led them to another room, unable to say anything as the words from the court gathering whirled around her head. She knew that South Country had always had trouble with North Country, and the last war had left her family with only her brother and herself. Her father had died fighting for the noble cause of protecting his country and her mother passed away not long after from over working herself in maintaining their relatively well-off lifestyle. War wasn't something she wanted to happen again, not ever. 

As she was mulling over her thoughts, Yifan sneaked a look at her from his peripheral, wondering why she seemed so silent. Then again, that had always been in her nature, he thought to himself. Noticing her hand swaying by her side as she walked, he uncrossed his arms and let them fall to his side as well, fingers almost brushing hers but he quickly restrained himself. What was he thinking, acting like a fool? He shook away his thoughts and straightened his back, striding forward to match Yixing's pace instead. The other man raised an eyebrow at his actions and spoke quietly so no one else heard, "Sire, do you have any plan at all for the proposed treaty idea?"

Yifan shook his head slightly, glad to have his mind taken off of his previous thoughts. "No, but I believe we'll come up with something eventually. After all, we do have a hidden master strategist," he murmured.

"Oh?"

"Luhan seems to have a knack for it from all the time he spends with that scholar, Xiumin, and to think most people believe him to be useless."

"Yes, the Crown Prince is good at hiding secrets, especially with that face of his," Yixing replied, glancing behind him at the said man who was now walking with Feiyan and chatting amiably with her. "A master of secrets like yourself, sire." 

Their arrival at his office interrupted the curt reply he was about to give. Flinging open the doors, he stepped inside and immediately sat in his chair, facing the Minister of Defence whose moustache seemed to twitch nervously. With a wave of his hand, he commanded, "Sit." The man did as told. General Tao sat beside him while Feiyan attempted to remain invisible, finding that she had absolutely no reason to be there but the Wolf King wanted her to be. She sat in one of the chairs by the window while the Crown Prince settled beside her. 

"Um, your highness, shouldn't you be sitting with them?" She whispered to him. 

"Nah, I'd much rather like to sit next a pretty young lady than men about to go to war. And besides, I can still hear them. Trust me, it is always better to observe than to involve oneself," he whispered back, in an almost conspiratorial voice. "You never know what you might hear." She nodded and turned her eyes to the four men who had immersed themselves in a map, placing markers in particular locations. She'd never understand it but she might learn something. 

The Minister was speaking, "If we want to attempt any negotiations with the other side, we need to be extremely careful. There could be traps laid out for you if you personally went."

"Yes, I know. I won't be going unless there is any immediate threat to our country. We just need to plan ahead in case of any attacks or breach of defences or any other possible cases," Yifan replied, staring intently at the little coloured markers. "The First Banner group should remain at the forefront of our defences, after all they are some of our best men. But we should send in reinforcements for them too. We should spread the expertise of the best soldiers among the other groups, keep up the morale."

"What about the Imperial Army?" Tao asked, pointing at a bunch of markers near the centre of the map.

"They'll remain here to protect the civilians. I don't want more deaths than necessary," his replied, eyebrows knit in concentration. "The people need protection on the off chance our country gets invaded."

 "Yes, that would be wise," Tao murmurs thoughtfully. 

Luhan nudged her with his elbow, "Do you understand what they're talking about?" He asks. She nods, even though she didn't understand some of the tactical knowhow, and continues to l