Crown Prince Jing Hua’s black piece remained undecided and hung in the air above the board, ultimately returning to the bowl which contained all of his pieces. “I am outwitted, this is my loss.”
The emperor answered in a stern voice. “Jing Hua, it is too early to decide whether you have lost or not. This board is just like our world, until the very end, anything is possible.”
As he finished his remark, the emperor picked up a piece from the prince’s bowl and put it down on the board. The black pieces, which had been trapped by the white ones until now, suddenly regained control of the board. It seemed now that it was the prince who was winning it all.
Jing Hua looked at the board, enlightened, and nodded. “You are right, father. I have a thirst for knowledge, and there’s still much for me to learn.”
“Each move on the board requires careful consideration. With one mistake, you can lose the entire world.”
“Yes. Thank you, father, for your wise words. I shall remember them.” It was not the first time Jing Hua toaded his father, but the sweet words seemed to be just the right cure for the emperor’s “poison”. The two turned their eyes towards Jing Rong only after they finished putting the board and the piece away.
Jing Hua stood up and retreated to the side while examining Jing Rong. ‘After half a year, he’s cold as always.’
The Emperor picked up a cup of hot tea from a teapoy and sipped it, staring at Jing Rong with eyes which revealed his haleness, and asked. “Why did you come here unchanged?”
“I have barely returned to the capital and came here before stopping home. I am here for the Lin Capital case, it…”
The Emperor interrupted his speech with a hand gesture. He put his cup back down and said with a cough, “Although the case indeed involves the Imperial Duke, I have made you wholly responsible of it, so it is enough to discuss it with the ministers. There’s no need to personally report everything to me this urgently.”
“Yes.”
The Imperial Duke’s case was reopened at the request of Qin Shiyu, Lord Qin himself. He knelt down at the Nanzhe gate for three whole days and nights before the emperor granted his consent. However, the duke’s identity — being the emperor’s own brother, meant that the case obviously warranted a thorough investigation since it pertained to the royal family and what occurred fourteen years ago was nothing short of an extermination. Since it was the emperor himself who closed the case, it was very unpleasant for him to reopen it after so many years, and also being coerced by public opinion.
The emperor lifted his eyes and looked at Jing Rong again, “But I am happy that you came in to see me in such a hurry. The past six months must have been hard for you, and this case is no simple one; it’ll require even more effort to resolve.”
Jing Rong’s face remained impassive and grave. To an onlooker, this may be proof of his reverence toward the authority of his father, but only the emperor himself knew that Jing Rong only thought of him with the respect of a subordinate, and not with the affection of a son. Jing Rong nodded and said, “Worry not, father. I have taken responsibility for this case, and I shall see to the end of it.”
“Have you made any progress over the last few months?”
“I have been to many places without gaining much insight. However, I brought someone back this time, and that person will surely help me reveal the truth behind the case.”
‘Oh?’ His answer piqued the emperor’s interest.
Even Jing Hua had his curiosity aroused. He took two steps forwards and asked rather disbelievingly, “Who could be so capable? Even the Imperial Court had no answers for this case, and yet you say that that person can solve it?”
Jing Hua evidently did not believe what Jing Rong said. The case had stayed unresolved for years, and if both Jing Rong and the Supreme Court could do nothing about it, how could one person avail to anything? Jing Hua was firm in his incredulity, which was suggested by an obviously scornful look on his face.
1. Note: in Ancient China, the royal family had the sole right of using dragons to decorate personal belongings (punishable by death otherwise). 9 is considered the greatest of the numbers, and so 9 dragons are usually used for the emperor himself, with lesser numbers for princes etc.