Part 3, Chapter 24

Jiangou and Renping

Ch 24

“Stop being such a baby,” Renping said as she finished bandaging Jiangou’s wrist.

“I’m not being a baby,” he snapped. “He cut my hand off! I have a legitimate right to be upset!”

Renping looked him dead in the eyes and when she was certain she had his attention, she replied, “You started it.”

He glared at her, “You were the oldest sibling, weren’t you?” 

Renping smiled, uncomfortable with her unknown past, but knowing she had won the argument. 

Jiangou idly picked at his bandage. Renping swatted at his hand. “Quit it. Should we play mahjong again?”

“You always win,” he grumbled. 

Renping stood. “If you’re just going to sit here and feel sorry for yourself I’m leaving. I have a book I borrowed from the God of War that I want to read anyway.”

“Wait!” He said, grabbing onto her sleeve like a child. “Don’t leave, if you leave I’ll be bored.”

She sighed in exasperation. “I don’t remember you being like this when I served at the Palace before. Why have you suddenly become such a child?”

“Mother and Namu… they had such high expectations of me. I was always afraid I would let them down. But now… the worst has already happened. My brother will probably kill me when he officially returns to power. The rest of my family has already tried to kill me. Why shouldn’t I act how I want in the time left?” 

The matter of fact way he acknowledged his probable death made Renping look at him. Really look at him. He looked lost, broken. The imposing Lord of Storms was gone. The reclusive fake Emperor, struggling with his responsibilities was gone. Even the poet and womanizer he had been before he married was gone. The man sitting, looking up at her, had nothing not even a future. 

Renping sighed and sat back down, taking his good hand in hers. “I don’t know the Emperor,” she admitted, “But I do know Leng Zai. If he were going to kill you he would have done it on the battlefield. Leng Zai isn’t one to hold grudges,” internally she added ‘because he can’t’, but she didn’t think that would be helpful. “And you are still a father. Your child is waiting for you at the Palace.”

He looked stricken, “I haven’t even held him yet. My brother will kill my son and I never even got to hold him.” 

Tears coursed down his face. Renping wiped them away like she would have for a scolded younger servant in the Palace. “Were you not listening? Leng Zai wouldn’t kill your child. He’s probably not even going to kill you, and at least you did something to deserve it.”

“He’ll have to kill him,” Jiangou said, brokenly. “Our side of the family is growing too powerful.”

Renping ran out of patience. She slapped him, once, across the cheek. “Stop it right now! Do you really think your side of the family is going to be powerful after the Emperor gets through with them? You aren’t going to have much of a family left! Your mother. Your wife. Your in-laws. They all committed treason! They are all forfeit! The only reason your brother didn’t kill you is because he loves you and believes that you were pushed into this. Do you think your brother doesn’t know what his own family is like?”

Jiangou stared at her, his eyes wild his mouth agape in horror. As if he hadn’t fully grasped the situation. 

He probably hadn’t, Renping thought sourly. In all her time watching over Jiangou for the Emperor the main thing she had learned about him was that he was self centered to the point of blindness. Jiangou never looked beyond his own comforts or his own miseries unless he was forced to by an outside influence. 

Renping made her voice as cold as she could manage. “You are going to be a single father, Jiangou. It’s time to grow up and stand on your own.” 

She stood and left the tent, trying to get away from the mess of feelings that had come spilling out of her. 

“At least 50,000 merfolk are moving towards the Palace. If we don’t intervene quickly the Heavenly Empire will be over run.”

“We can’t contact the Emperor, he’s already in the city. We’ll have to try to head them off and hold them up until the Emperor returns…” the voice faded as it moved away. 

Renping was shocked. The troops were outnumbered. With no high gods for support even if they managed to get between the invading force and the Palace the odds were not in their favor. She rushed back into the tent. 

Jiangou was still sitting where she had left him, caught up in his own world again. Renping gritted her teeth. 

“Jiangou,” she said, shaking him by the shoulders. “You have military training right?”

Jiangou looked at her, “Yes… my father made me serve under the God of War for a time.”

She quickly repeated the few facts she had overheard. Jiangou frowned, hesitating.

“I… I don’t know what I should do,” he said miserably. “The King of the Merfolk is my grandfather after all.”

“Yes, a grandfather who wants you dead and probably your wife and child too. He can’t let a legitimate contender for the throne live once he has power.”

Jiangou nodded and Renping let out a slow silent breath. Jiangou was easily influenced, but she hadn’t been sure how much he would listen to her. 

“Let’s go talk to the generals,” Jiangou said, for once in his life sounding confident of his decision.