Luo Jian had been too far away to hear what the two young people were saying to each other, but close enough to understand that their interaction was by no means one which could be easily explained.
Perhaps the crown prince had been making advances towards Ming Yue. After all, both young men from Jin had seemed overly interested in her over the last few days. And it had been Prince Wang Wei who had initiated the brief embrace that he had just witnessed. Still, Ming Yue had not seemed particularly offended by the impertinence.
Try as he might, Luo Jian simply could not make sense of it. The only thing he was clear on was that it was not the right time to tell Weisheng about it. Ultimately, all he had seen was a personal interaction between two people, and he had no reason to doubt Ming Yue's loyalty and devotion to the prince. She had shown it time and time again with the sacrifices she had made for him.
Still, Weisheng tended to lose his head when it came to matters regarding the woman, and there was no guarantee that he wouldn't adjust his attitude towards the Jin crown prince in such a way as to cause significant offence if he knew what had just transpired. No, it was best to say nothing at all at the present time.
Having made his decision, Luo Jian made his way back towards Weisheng's tent.
Ming Yue walked into her tent, feeling exhausted and a little dizzy. The wound on her back was throbbing from when Wang Wei had unknowingly pressed against it when he hugged her, and the pain now radiated towards her neck. But before she could even sit down to rest, she heard a familiar voice behind her.
"Tell me, do you ignore everything I say? I distinctly remember ordering you to rest more often."
She turned, and any further thought of scolding the woman immediately disappeared from Weisheng's mind when he saw her face. He rushed forward and took her by the arms, helping her down onto the bed. He pulled off her boots and gently pushed her down until she was lying flat. She winced in pain and, equally gently, he repositioned her so that she was now lying on her right side.
"It's okay," she said. "I just bumped against something earlier."
"Let me look at it." He reached forward, but she moved a hand up in protest.
"I have to check," he said, insistently. "The wound might have reopened."
Accepting defeat, she lowered her hand.
Weisheng reached for the material of her dress and pulled on it, exposing her left shoulder and back. He leaned over her and looked carefully at the dressing, but there was no sign of any blood. He ran his hands over the edges of it, to make sure that it was still securely in place. Ming Yue lay completely still, fully aware of the intimacy of their current position, but the prince appeared to be thoroughly focussed on his task.
Finally satisfied that no lasting harm had been done, he went to pull Ming Yue's dress back to its original place. But, as he did so, he caught sight of a mark just above her collarbone and his hand jerked involuntarily. Raising his other hand, he gently traced his fingers over the scar his brother had left on the woman just a few months earlier.
Ming Yue shivered from the feathery light touch, but Weisheng misinterpreted it as a response to the bad memories of that night, and he pulled his hand back quickly.
With difficulty, the young woman raised herself up to a seated position, so that she was now facing Weisheng directly. To her great surprise she saw that his eyes were glistening, and that he was struggling to speak.
"I am so sorry, Ming Yue. You have suffered so much because of me. You already have one scar to remind you of how I could not protect you from my brother, and now you will have another because I allowed you to get hurt in my place." The tears now started to fall freely.
"Can you ever forgive me?"
Ming Yue said nothing. She pulled the devastated man towards her, resting his head on her right shoulder as he cried. It was not in Weisheng's nature to show weakness but, at this moment in time, he felt completely lost.
Luo Jian stood silently outside of the tent, guarding against unwelcome visitors. He had heard every word, and his heart ached for his friend and the woman he loved. It seemed like, for every moment of happiness between them, there was also one of anguish.
Luo Jian thought back to the last time the three of them had been truly carefree. It was that night in the city, when they had visited the theatre and the restaurant looking for performers for the queen's birthday. Strangely, his mind then drifted towards the young woman and her brother, whose conversation he had overheard that night. What was it they had been talking about again?
Suddenly it hit him, and he knew what he could do for his two friends. It was only a small thing but, if it worked, it would make a huge difference to the both of them. Luo Jian resolved to put his plan into action as soon as they returned to the capital.
Inside the tent, Weisheng finally raised his head. Ming Yue smiled at him.
"You should go and get ready for the banquet," she said, brushing the tears from his cheeks. "It would be extremely rude of you to be late, not to mention giving Eunuch Wang a heart attack."
Weisheng smiled back, recapturing some of his former good humour.
"Yes, Secretary Li!" He caught her hands in his and pressed his lips softly to each palm.
"I will come and check on you later." He rose after he saw her nod in response, and made his way out of the tent, Luo Jian falling into step beside him.
***
Fortunately for all concerned, the banquet was a success, as both delegations were in extremely good humour. Sumptuous food and good wine flowed freely as the volume of the conversation rose in line with the attendees' moods.
As the evening drew to a close, the Jin crown prince leaned towards Weisheng and enquired after the whereabouts of his secretary.
Weisheng stiffened, despite Wang Wei's casual tone, but he carefully maintained the smile on his face.
"She has worked so hard to make the summit a success that I have given her the evening off to rest," he said.
"I see," said Wang Wei, slowly. "That is very thoughtful of you, Your Highness. You must think very highly of her." He raised his eyebrows, implying an unspoken question. Weisheng refused to be drawn into the trap.
"I think highly of all of my staff. I am very fortunate in that respect."
"Still," said Wang Wei, refusing to let the matter drop. "You must admit that the young lady is a rare talent. You should be careful, Prince Weisheng, or Jin may try to steal her away from you."
Weisheng's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.
"Tell me, Crown Prince," he said after a moment. "Are you married?"
Wang Wei sat back, surprised at the sudden change of subject.
"No," he admitted. "My father has been putting some pressure on me to wed since I was named crown prince, but he accepts that the choice must be my own."
Weisheng was surprised to learn that the Jin king was so forward thinking. Perhaps the two rulers were not so different after all, he thought, recalling his own father's attitude towards his marriage.
The conversation slipped into less dangerous territory and, before too long, Wang Wei rose to his feet.
"Please forgive me, Your Highness, but my brother and I should retire. We have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow. Thank you for your excellent hospitality."
Weisheng rose also, and acknowledged the young man's expression of gratitude.
"Of course, Your Highness. I completely understand. It has been my very great pleasure."
Wang Wei gestured to his brother, and the two young men made their way through the centre of the tables to the exit of the main tent.
Weisheng let out a sigh of relief. It had been a long day considering how little sleep he'd had the previous night, and he wanted nothing more than to check on Ming Yue then go to bed.
Nodding to Luo Jian, he quickly made his own excuses, then left, forcing himself to walk at a normal pace.
When he arrived at Ming Yue's tent, he was surprised to find it empty. Looking around the surrounding area, he could see no sign of her, and he frowned with displeasure. Suddenly, a light cough drew his attention, and he looked over to find the source of the sound.
One of the two royal guards stationed outside of his tent, a short distance away, was gesturing at the entrance. Weisheng smiled and started to move forward. Noticing his friend's eagerness, Luo Jian spoke up.
"I am going to check on the perimeter security, Your Highness."
The prince just nodded, his thoughts distracted. After he entered the tent, Luo Jian gave the two guards strict instructions that no one was to enter under any circumstances. Then, allowing himself a small smile, he disappeared into the night.
When Weisheng entered his tent, Ming Yue had her back to him. She was leaning over a large table sorting scrolls and papers into neat piles ready for packing away before their journey back to the Han capital.
Sensing movement behind her, she spun around quickly. By now, however, Weisheng was only inches away, and she cursed at how easy it was to sneak up on someone in a room where there was basically no door.
She saw immediately that the prince had fully recovered his usual good humour, and went to tease him but, before she could say even one word, Weisheng had picked up her up.
She bit back a yelp of surprise, and he walked over to the bed and put her down on top of it. As she propped herself up by her elbows, he leaned forward until he was so close that she could see the tiny golden flecks in his dark brown eyes. A slight smile spread across his handsome features.
"Tell me. Am I going to have to keep you beside me all night just to make sure you do as you're told and rest?"
Weisheng had meant the comment to be in jest but, thinking about it, it wasn't a bad idea. Everyone else in the camp had been pre-occupied with the banquet, so it was a good bet that no one other than the two royal guards on duty had seen Ming Yue enter his tent, and they would be replaced on a shift change before too long.
Ming Yue could virtually see the cogs in the prince's mind turning, and she started to protest.
"Weisheng! Whatever it is you're thinking, I can tell you that..." His hand came up, covering her mouth.
"Please," he said. "I won't be able to sleep unless I can feel you beside me and know that you're safe."
Ming Yue looked up at his earnest expression, and all of her objections melted away.
"Fine," she conceded, somewhat huffily, and lay down on her right side, closing her eyes tightly.
Weisheng laughed at her sulkiness and pulled her boots off. He then did the same to his own and placed both pairs side by side next to the bed. For some reason, the sight gave him a warm feeling. He manoeuvred himself behind Ming Yue and positioned himself close to her.
He was encouraged to feel her move slightly so that her back was touching his chest and so, careful not to disturb her injury, he draped his left arm around her waist. Breathing in the scent of her hair, he pressed his lips to the silky strands then closed his eyes. He was fast asleep in moments.