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The eldest prince had been on deployment for the past several years. Even though the men of the west weren’t as barbaric as they used to be, the fields of battle were as bloody as ever – so much so that the weapons and armaments of the men were each now crusted in crimson blood. The eldest prince was remarkably different from his brothers, who had remained within the comfort of the capital for the duration of their years. He was a man who didn’t rely so much on materialistic needs and the amenities typically desired by noblemen. For all accounts and purposes, he was a grizzled man of war.

The Great Prince was now returning to the capital as a General, commanding his own legion of soldiers. The rules of the monarchy and city dictated that he was allowed to bring a regiment of 200 to 500 soldiers with him upon his return to the capital, but he only brought the lowest of the given threshold. He didn’t want to bring an extreme amount, in the event that any possible unruliness that may arise from his men would distract the officers of the city from their other duties. That being said, the men in his company were hardened warriors who had suffered greatly and toiled arduously on their journey home. With the souring revelation that the envoy sought to enter the capital first, it was difficult for them to maintain their composure. The 200 men that the Great Prince had selected to travel with him were all on horseback, and the expressions upon their face spoke of utter disdain toward those of the envoy. 400 eyes were now peering at that carriage in particular, for they knew who resided within.

Inside the carriage they all stared at sat the princess-to-be. No matter how infuriated the soldiers were, they made sure to hold their tongues, for they did not desire to upset the future empress.

The Director of the Board of Rites had walked ten miles out from beyond the city gates in a bid to welcome them all. He was the highest-ranking officer, and therefore he was the most qualified for this task. In the awkward silence that enveloped both parties, he was visibly uncomfortable. He spoke a few words, but the horses shared the anger of their masters, and were making so much noise as to drown out said the Director.

The neighing of the horses of the western army grew louder as all the riders aligned their steeds into two lines facing the envoy. Although intimidating, it did make the place look a whole lot tidier. In between the noise, a person clad in Xuansu armor clapped his steed and approached slowly.

As this happened, Fan Xian stood beside the carriage containing the princess. His eyebrows were raised as he watched and dodged the sudden passing of the western army’s soldiers. As they went, they did so quickly, in a bid to kick up dust to both dirty and intimidate Fan Xian and the others in the envoy. The soldiers had been away from the capital for many years and as such had no knowledge of who Fan Xian was. The precipitous appearance of Fan Xian, to whom they took for some snobbish pretty-boy, irritated them almost immediately and for that they wanted to humiliate him by making him believe he was to be trampled.

But Fan Xian merely smiled, and bowed before the horses, not caring for the horses and their men who thought themselves superior. “I am Fan Xian. Greetings, Great Prince.”

The Great Prince of the Qing Kingdom was upon a steed, and he possessed eyes of burning steel, which gave the impression of someone fiercely angry. His face had been graced with a tall nose and high cheekbones, which was beautiful to look at. Just a mere, passing glance would have you know how much of a real man he was. To compliment his beauty, the Great Prince wore armor that was radiant. Clad in such equipment, he glistened in the sun, creating an image that almost seemed to portray him as god. No one would dare to look at him head-on.

Fan Xian did not do this, either. But he was wearing a smile that suggested he did not think much of the prince at all. He was still bowing, though, so it could not be seen.

The Great Prince looked as if he did not notice Fan Xian directly before his horse. He mistook Fan Xian for a petty and low-ranked officer of the capital. The truth was that he was perhaps the most popular official in the city. “Why is he smiling like a girl?” the prince at last said.

The Great Prince was not one to beat around the bush and dress up his words – he was quick and to the point. He had planned to say this quietly, in a one-to-one with Fan Xian, but he mistakenly shouted it out loud for all of his men to hear. The soldiers then thought the Great Prince sought to humiliate Fan Xian, the one who sought to claim the road to the capital first, and so they all began laughing out loud. The noise emitted by their unified laughter could undoubtedly be heard miles away. This surprised even the Great Prince, which then brought a smile to his face.

A few of the mounted soldiers cockily drew nearer to Fan Xian. They had gotten so close that he could hear them breathe and he could even smell the scent of their breath. As many of the soldiers inched closer and closer, they desired to push the envoy off the road and take it themselves.

Fan Xian frowned, not expecting the Great Prince to be so disrespectful towards his future wife and his own brother-in-law. He trotted forward slightly, bit-by-bit, until his own horse’s face was staring Fan Xian directly in the eye. And what big eyes did that steed possess. It was a risky move, for he knew that warhorses were difficult to fully control and master. In his heart, Fan Xian could only sigh.

He was prepared to step back, knowing that his goal of aggravating the Great Prince had succeeded. He did not desire a proper confrontation, in which they might possibly fight. Fan Xian had no affiliation or relations with the army, and it was his greatest weakness – one that he recognized. If the Bureau of Military Affairs received mention of Fan Xian’s desire to disrupt and go against the soldiers of their kingdom, it would dramatically affect his role within the government.

As he was thinking about this, it suddenly dawned upon him that Fan Xian’s own men weren’t aware of this fragile state of affairs. Seeing their Commissioner in danger, a dozen of highly-trained warriors drew their swords from varying places within the envoy. It was as if they materialized from thin air, with many of them taking to the tall rocks that dotted the road, and others stood upon carriages. They brandished crossbows, and they trained the crosshairs of their weapons upon the heads of the horses that had gathered around Fan Xian

“No!” the Director of the Board of Rites shouted in fright. He was in shock at the prospect of these two companies engaging in a battle right outside the capital, for it would be an embarrassment to the entire country. The Director also believed he would be fired and lose the support of the Great Prince. Even though Fan Xian had the support of the Overwatch Council, even he would receive grave punishment from the prince if this were to occur.

The officers who had come to welcome them were aware that Fan Xian was a person that everybody should be frightened of, and in a bid to ease the tension, they each and all yelled, “Stop! What are you all doing!?”

The Great Prince did not move; he simply watched the proceedings in silence. He wasn’t angry at the man that was called Fan Xian of the Overwatch Council and he in fact thought the opposite. He now possessed a modicum of respect for him, for he knew that whomever would actually choose to confront the Great Prince was a man with tremendous courage.

Fan Xian, in his heart, knew that his options now were quite few. His officers from the Overwatch Council had been trained extensively, quite often by Fan Xian himself, on their travels. He just didn’t expect they would care far more for Fan Xian’s personal safety than their reputation within the government. And even now, they still kept their crossbows aimed at the horses around Fan Xian. The soldiers of the western army were honorable soldiers, who had fought to keep their kingdom secure; if news of this confrontation spread any further, he suspected that Chen Pingping would be in trouble for quite some time.

The Great Prince laughed, having figured out that which now ailed Fan Xian’s mind. He was curious as to how he sought to resolve the predicament he now found himself in.

But seeing the Great Prince threatened, his soldiers now also grew concerned. The harsh training they had each endured over the years was beginning to show. They began shouting, and many riders departed the main formation to the front of the envoy and block its passage. Another group went to surround the flanks of the envoy and a few extra soldiers now decided to encircle Fan Xian.

Despite being further surrounded by ferocious horses and their brutish riders, Fan Xian raised his hand, keeping his middle finger and ring finger concealed to gesture.

The officers and swordsmen of the Overwatch Council recognised the gesture and without a sound or expression, sheathed their swords and withdrew their crossbows. All together at once they did this, before returning to their place in the envoy as quickly as they originally appeared.

The Great Prince was still on his horse. He wore a helmet, but it did not mask his face; like stone, it was unchanged. This belied his true feelings, however, for in his heart, he was quite surprised. Seeing such a weak, bookish person before him, he found it difficult to believe that he was the one in command of such well-trained soldiers. And to be in a situation as fraught with peril as this, the sight of a single gesture signaling all of them was most impressive. The Great Prince knew that even he could not discipline and train his own men to achieve such effective compliance.

The Great Prince knew that outside the capital, he could not do anything to harm the envoy, either. Besides, near the gates of the city, two of his brothers were awaiting his arrival. So, he gestured to his own soldiers to back off, a gesture which was met with hesitant compliance and low grumbling sounds of disappointment from within the ranks. With visible unwillingness, the horsemen withdrew their weapons and stepped back with their horses. The difference between the prince’s men and those of the Overwatch Council was as stark as night and day, and the Great Prince saw it all too clearly. This made the prince grimace.

As the horses were getting ready to pull back away from Fan Xian, the horses were too close as they were. With one heavy step, dust from the dried earth was kicked up, which went into the nostrils of one of the horses. This aggravated it, which caused it to kick its legs up angrily, confusing the other horses to do the same.

Two horses began charging at Fan Xian.

This was an accident; that was plain to see. The Prince had moved away from Fan Xian at this point, and when he heard the commotion, he looked back in shock. He knew that if one of these horses were to trample and kill the much-loved, widely celebrated commissioner Fan Xian before the Emperor and his city, the work he had been doing in the west would be squandered entirely. His thoughts trailed to the legends surrounding Fan Xian and he earnestly hoped in his heart that if he was indeed the Commissioner of the Overwatch Council, surely a few angry horses would not be the end of him.

Swish! The horses went right past Fan Xian, as he was wholly enveloped in a giant plume of dust. Only the greatest of warriors could have perceived the appearance of two phantom slashes from within the dust cloud.

Thud! Thud! The sound of two heavy objects hitting the ground quickly followed. When the dust settled, Fan Xian could be seen once again bearing his arrogant smile, with complete composure retained. The two frightened horses continued running for a little while longer, before collapsing on the ground totally, with the weight of their fall breaking the dried ground. The riders that were upon them seemed to pass out, but the full truth of what had occurred was soon revealed. Two horse heads were seen rolling along the ground, leaving a messy trail of blood in their wake.

Behind Fan Xian stood two swordsmen clad in brown, each bearing longswords. Their faces were stern and cold, as they looked all around at the company of the Great Prince.

Two swords had decapitated the two stampeding horses. It was a perfect counter, exacted with flawless precision. The Great Prince’s pupils shrank as he peered at the two swordsmen behind Fan Xian. They seemed strangely familiar, particularly in the way that they moved. His fingers were tapping the plates of his armor as the Great Prince approached Fan Xian to speak. “Mister Fan, you really are something. Your king has been at war for the past few years, but I never thought upon my return to the capital, I would have two of my horses slaughtered in public by you. So, this is how the soldiers of the kingdom are to be welcomed home?”

Fan Xian sighed and used his hand to cover his mouth and nose, for the scent of the horse blood tainted the air with an awful fragrance. He then explained to the Great Prince, “My Lord, even if I was infinitely brash, I would not dare to slay the warhorses of my lord.” It was at this point that Fan Xian realized that although the Great Prince was macho and boorish, he was not stupid. Every word was about himself, and to hear the Great Prince refer to himself ‘your king’ made Fan Xian recall how before the prince was to return to the west, the current Emperor had already decreed to swear in the Great Prince as the next in line to ascend the throne. He was chosen first, before his two brothers.

Thinking of today’s grand offense towards the Great Prince, Fan Xian looked vehemently troubled.

When the Great Prince’s face turned cold, the bodyguard beside him turned to speak to him privately. After that, the Great Prince looked once more towards the two swordsmen behind Fan Xian and said, “So, it’s the Tiger Guard.”

At the same time, Gao Da was standing behind Fan Xian, and he whispered to him, “The man next to the Great Prince is a Tiger Guard, same as I.”

Fan Xian raised his eyebrow and turned to ask, “You know him?”

“I don’t know him personally, but I know of him.” Gao Da replied quietly. Horse blood continued to drip from Gao Da’s weapon, even as he spoke. Fan Xian said, “If you are a Tiger Guard, how could you be so rude towards the Great Prince?”

Gao Da, once more in a whispered voice, said, “Sir, the emperor gave me an order. That was to secure your safety, no matter the cost or the transgressor.”

They were both engaged in quiet dialogue and Fan Xian’s eyebrows were still raised. When their talk ended, it was silent. After this short while, Gao Da and Fan Xian bowed to the Great Prince, and said nothing more.

At this time, the Great Prince ordered his men to retrieve the two soldiers who had passed out following their horses’ headless collapse. Now, the rest of the soldiers in the Great Prince’s command were teetering on edge, anticipating the call to arms in which they could attack the envoy and its people. But the Great Prince remained silent. After some time, he rode closer to Fan Xian and deepened his voice to say, “This attitude, I like it. But I do not respect you killing those horses. When we enter the capital, be wary of the trouble I am sure to leave on your doorstep.”

Fan Xian sighed and said, “My Lord, this had nothing to do with me. Please, keep that in mind.”

The Great Prince groaned. As he was of the royal family, he knew full well what the Tiger Guards were capable of. He assumed that the Tiger Guards alongside Fan Xian were bodyguards, given to the envoy by his father. It was because of this, he knew it truly did not have anything to do with Fan Xian, but that did not quell the anger in his heart.

“This was my idea. If you have a problem with it, do not take it out on Mister Fan.” The Princess who had remained within her carriage this entire time spoke once more.

As she spoke, the remainder of the officers had arrived in haste. Ren Shao’an approached Fan Xian and tugged at his arm. Xin Qiwu was holding the Great Prince’s legs. Servants that had also arrived from the palace of the capital stood beside the Great Prince and led his horse away. The Director of the Board of Rites stared at the soldiers of the western army with a disapproving look and had them move back, away from the envoy. Needless to say, the soldiers weren’t happy about it. Almost the entirety of the Bureau of Military Affairs’ officers then arrived in a bid to become peacemakers, to settle the dispute and ease the palpable tension. All members from the varying offices that represented different cornerstones of the government had come out to work together and quell the unease.

And it worked. Due to the presence of so many capital officials, the conflict that had arisen between the Great Prince, his men, Fan Xian and the envoy had to be put off. If a fight were to break out and injure some random elderly official who had come out there to negotiate peace, it would make the imperial court look bad.

What allowed the imperial court to operate smoothly? It was not the efforts of the varying departments and ministries. It was pride; the individual pride and reputation of each and every minister.

At the gates of the city, the people who were looking out beyond the pastures of the capital began to understand that something was amiss. It took them a long time before they learned that the envoy had arrived early and demanded to be welcomed into the capital before the Great Prince. This was not something that low-ranking officials could resolve, so they quickly reported the matter to their higher-ups.

The entire situation had spiraled out of control and become overblown, so much so that even Fan Xian was willing to throw in the towel and submit. The princess and the other civil officials in the envoy, however, were now adamant in their stance of being the first to enter the capital.

It was an embarrassment of massive proportion for the Great Prince to have two of his steeds slain in the open like so. It would have been taken as a grand blow to his reputation. Had he known that the Tiger Guards were allied with Fan Xian by decree of the Emperor, he would have approached matters differently. If this were not the case, he would have long decided to attack the envoy and its people then and there. But with the crowds that had gathered, such a course of action was now off the table. But now he was angry – he refused to allow the envoy entry into the capital first. What a wretched princess, thought the Great Prince. Aren’t you just the bitch whose job will be to clean my feet in the future?

The arguments were now, by force of the coalition of government officials present, over. This was not accomplished by the ramblings or simple pleading of government men; the officers that were there forcefully led the Great Prince and his soldiers’ away. If they were to continue their fight, it would have to be done through mere verbal communication. Although the soldiers possessed much might when it came to physical combat, when it came to the sharp exchange of words, they were remarkably less adept. Compared to those within the envoy, they were of no match to such sophisticated people; those who frequently dealt with diplomatic issues. From the government and friendship of two countries, and from the emperor and the officer’s reputation, the Great Prince was at a disadvantage. But, stubbornly, he held true to his desire of not allowing the envoy to pass first.

The events that were unfolding were undoubtedly the kingdom’s most exciting since its establishment and now, a yellow carriage was seen to be stopping by this grand commotion.

All that were present saw this, and, in unison, they each closed their mouths. By this time, Fan Xian had already backed off and departed the quarreling outside. He was in Yan Bingyun’s carriage talking when he received notice of the yellow carriage that had just come forth. With great immediacy, he leapt out of the carriage, dusted himself off and ran towards the officers that were before the carriage and began bowing alongside them.

“Greetings, Crown Prince.”

The Crown Prince had thought to follow the decree and prepare to welcome the Great Prince at the gates of the city, but he did not know of what was happening. As such, he resolved to come out here himself and see what disturbance had been birthed upon the plains.

Thankfully, to the relief of all, the Great Prince’s anger was quelled with the arrival of the Crown Prince. No longer seething with rage, he dismounted his horse rather quickly. He then approached the carriage in anticipation of bowing before it. As he went to do so, the Crown Prince exited the carriage and prevented his bowing by saying, “Brother, you are still clad in heavy armor. There is no need for such formality. Besides, you are my elder – how could I possibly allow you to bow before me?”

The Great Prince showed no modesty and made no remark; he simply did as the Crown Prince said. The Great Prince then stood up straight and took off his helmet. Those who had gathered around from the Board of Rites and Taichang Temple all said something in their hearts: Their bowing was a required formality. If they did not care for such proceedings, we as officials have no place to comment on it.

The Crown Prince looked upon the Great Prince’s face and was enamored. He said, “Brother, your tireless efforts at war have you looking worse for wear.”

The Great Prince laughed and replied, “That’s nothing. It has been a great joy to ride horses into battle all this time; you know how much I dislike staying in the royal palace. There, I can’t help but be bored to death. If grandma had not insisted that I return, I’d still be out on the front!”

The Crown Prince spoke, “It’s not just the Empress Dowager that desires your early return, but the Emperor, Empress, Lady Ning, and all your brothers as well.

The Great Prince looked at Fan Xian with a disrespectful stare and said, “I am afraid that some people do not want me to return quite so quickly.”

The Crown Prince saw the face of the Great Prince turn sour and asked, “What are the issues here, exactly?” He then started laughing. The officers who had gathered here were unsure of what the Crown Prince had sought in his arrival. Then, the Crown Prince raised his hand and bid Fan Xian to follow him, saying, “You are attempting to supersede the Great Prince and gain access to the capital first? You must surely know this is a most grievous crime.”

Fan Xian laughed and explained: “I could not possibly have the courage to attempt such a thing. This was all the doing of the northern Qi Kingdom’s princess. Upon her arduous journey here, she caught flu. It cannot be expected of her to remain outside the palace for two more days.”

The Crown Prince was holding the Great Prince’s hand, as they walked towards the carriage and spoke softly to each other. The Crown Prince then turned around, laughed, and said, “Do not harbor animosity toward the officers. Besides, in the past two years that you have been gone, much has transpired here in the capital. You have no clue about what has occurred or who Fan Xian is. Come, let me introduce you.”

Fan Xian and the Crown Prince did not actually see each other all that often, but he knew that the Crown Prince was being as gracious and as gentle as he was to avoid further quarreling. So, Fan Xian put on a big smile and approached the Great Prince and bowed, saying, “I am Fan Xian, Academician of the Imperial College. Greetings, my Lord.”

“You are also a fourth-rank officer.” the Crown Prince said. “How could you forget your title?”

Fan Xian gave a wry smile and shook his head. “The arduous trials of the road from the north to the south really messed me up. Please forgive me.”

The Crown Prince quietly spoke to the Great Prince and said, “Right now, Fan Xian is aiding the Director of the Overwatch Council.”

“I know, I know. He is the Commissioner of the Overwatch Council. What might.” The Great Prince replied with great sarcasm.

The Crown Prince was attempting a parley of peace and said, “Fine, fine. If you don’t want to uphold my reputation, then at least save face on behalf of Chen’er. You can’t fight with Fan Xian. When we were kids, you were very close with Chen’er, and that makes Fan Xian our brother-in-law. We are family. So try to cool your temper.”

The Great Prince groaned, moving his gaze back upon Fan Xian with a glint of acrimony in his eyes. “This is why I am mad! Chen’er is everyone’s favorite in the palace, and yet she married this effeminate piece of dog waste. It infuriates me! Married for less than half a year and yet he has already become an ambassador, leaving his new wife alone back in their manor. These are the telltale signs of someone who merely desires power; he is no good for her!”

Fan Xian smiled wryly, and only then did he realize he had assessed the situation wholly incorrectly. This entire issue of securing entry into the capital first truly was a family matter. But this was not about the Great Prince and his future Empress-to-be; it was about himself and Chen’er.