Chapter 6: Trouble on the Road - Part 1

54 7 2
                                    

Song Mengyao found it difficult to get to sleep. No matter how hard he tried to put his mind to rest, he simply could not quell the thoughts in his head.

Was Jiaying safe? Would she really arrive at dawn?

Mostly, he was just worried about her, but there was the odd straying thought about something else that crossed his mind every now and then. Things he had not expected to be thinking about. Notably, thoughts about how Master Yin so kindly scooped all of those distasteful radishes into his own bowl. He had saved the prince from having to eat something he disliked and even replaced it with some delicious meat instead.

Yin Jianguo wasn't so bad, as the prince had come to realise. In truth, he had never had much thought of the man before. He did not dislike him, but neither was he particularly fond of him. He was his captor and could not be trusted. That was all he needed to know, or so he had initially thought.

It still did not mean he had begun to like him, but he had grown to somewhat respect the man. He was true to his word and despite everything, he seemed good at heart. His personality, however, was difficult to pin down. A part of him seemed suited to a life in power as the head of his sect. Yet it was clear he did not care much for the required formalities that came from such a title. He was a man who clearly wanted to enjoy life as he pleased but the responsibilities that weighed down on him seemed to prevent him from doing so.

As dawn approached, Song Mengyao combed through his soft hair, wishing to look his best so as not to worry his sister. He was being kept in the best conditions and treated with proper respect, as if he truly were a guest in Qingyi. There was no need for her to worry and after their meeting to confirm such, it would be likely that his father would wish for a meeting with both Master Yin and his mother to discuss the terms of his son's release.

Although there was no war between their sects, it seemed it would be imminent without intervention. Song Mengyao only wished he had not been at the centre of such intervention.

It had begun before the late Master Yin passed, leaving his title to his only son. Yin Jianguo was not the official head of his sect, not yet. He and his mother had been running things since the passing of his father, but no official decision of the direction of the sect had been made. He was still young, after all. Still not fully realised in the ways of leadership.

Along the borders between Qingyi and Shiyanyi, smaller villages had been attacking one another. It was baffling, to Master Yin, as to why they were going out of their way to travel so far simply to fight one another. It was also impossible to tell who had started the argument between the two which is why Emperor Song had done nothing to prevent it. He wished to look into it, to investigate before taking action as he believed his people would not act without cause.

The Yin Clan, however, believed the same thing about their own Kingdom, which is where the disagreement between each sect first arose.

Taking the Magnolia Prince of Shiyanyi hostage was simply a way to push the emperor into taking action with his kingdom. It was not his followers that were the problem, it was the villages under his rule. It was not a conflict between their sects but rather the territory that they occupied.

Shiyanyi and Qingyi were on the brink of war with each other. Master Yin wanted to prevent that as much as Emperor Song, yet the emperor had refused every offer for a meeting and had not once sent so much as a reply back to Qingyi. In taking the youngest son of the Song Clan hostage, he ensured that a halt would be put on any advances they were planning and that the emperor would have no choice but to accept a meeting with them. It was his mother's plan, of course, but he was the one tasked in carrying it out.

Song Mengyao finished combing through his hair and pulled half of it up into a topknot, delicately placing his crown over the top before looking at himself in the mirror. He had bags under his eyes and, although they were slight, his pale skin only made them stand out more than they should have. He sighed and prodded at one of the bags with his finger.

Blossoms of LoveWhere stories live. Discover now