The five men who arrived were Duke Li's fiercest warriors. Every generation of Huang family head would have five comrades of life and death. The citizens of Huo Ai would collectively call them Pillars of the South. Similar groups existed among the other founding clans as well.
As for the Huang family, their symbol was the vermillion bird etched on the armors of the five people.
The graceful Yemin stood at the forefront and bowed reverently to Huang Qiaoli who was nestled in her brother's arms.
"Our Huang family's princess, your servant is Yemin."
Behind him, four people also saluted.
"Your servant is Lu."
"Your servant is Ying."
"Your servant is Gongji."
""Your servant is Feicui."
Qiaoli had regained a sense of calm as she studied them one by one. In her mind, she was weighing their strength against the only person she could visualize as her standard.
But none of them seemed to come near the silver-haired and pale-eyed Qin Yu. That person even made her sensors go crazy so she had an inkling that person wasn't a human. And she seemed to have guessed right.
As she was thinking of this, Yemin received a look from his master so he turned to address the Yi Xiao Emperor who by now, had a dark face. Nothing went according to his plans after all.
"Emperor, our Duke is a person of his word. Once the congregation concludes, our Lord Duke will clear the pests on the border. After that, this deal shall be considered done."
After getting what he wanted, Huang Li Yun didn't spare another glance at the Emperor. In his mind, the young emperor of Great Han was already considered lucky that he didn't attack openly.
As usual, Yemin was the one who would clean after his master's terrible attitude. The Duke was praised to have a celestial smile and appearance but deep inside, his people knew that he was just a battle-crazed soldier.
Yemin even wanted to congratulate him for hitting the shadow guards with the hilt of his sword instead of the real blade. The goddess knew how many times he reminded his master in the morning not to draw blood inside the royal palace of Great Han no matter how the Emperor offended him. He almost fainted when he learned that Yi Xiao Emperor dared to use their Huang miss as a bargaining chip! It was good that his master was able to curb his killing intent.
On the other hand, Huang Li Yun had no reason to stay in this palace. He gave a handkerchief to his sister so she could wipe her face.
Qiaoli didn't care for anything other than her brother so when he nudged her to walk out of the palace, she didn't hesitate. The things she discussed with the Emperor the day before were somewhere at the back of her mind. She knew Long Yi Ran wouldn't act rashly now that he saw he didn't have an advantage over the duke.
Somewhere behind them, she could still hear Yemin conversing with the Emperor. It looked like that guy was used to talking on behalf of her brother.
"Is Yi Xiao Emperor opposed to this setup?"
Such audacity to talk with a sovereign like that! Long Yi Ran's handsome face was crumpled beyond belief and his hands were clenched into fists under his robes.
He felt like Lady Huang tricked him! No wonder the woman was so complacent when they were talking yesterday. It turned out she was already expecting this result.
Beside him, Nuo Ying Su knew how agitated her husband was. But nothing good would happen if they provoked the other side. They still needed their help after all.
She reached out to him, "It's okay, as long as the result is the same."
Nuo Ying Su just had to remind him of the stakes. This was the gamble they made so even if the process was a little different, they would still acquiesce just so the situation at the border could become stable.
Her husband wasn't used to losing control over the matters under his rule so it was understandable that he felt so suffocated. Still, she knew that he could adapt to any situation. They had faced many difficult things before, what would be the difference now?
Feeling his Empress' warm hand, Long Yi Ran gradually calmed down.
Although his voice was hoarse, he still made efforts to give face to Yemin. "We didn't expect the Duke to be so straightforward so We were shocked. Indeed, Huo Ai people are different. But we thank the Duke for accepting this deal. In a few days, We shall send an envoy with the Duke."
Yemin's eyes dimmed. He didn't seem to like that the Emperor will send people to accompany them but he still saluted. "This one is relieved. Well then, we shall take our leave."
The Emperor and Empress watched them leave without giving a fuss. What could they do? Being aggressive would nullify the deal.
That night, the husband and wife faced a conundrum.
"Su'er, I have a feeling that Huo Ai is... out of our league. I ignored the feeling before because I thought at most they would only have secret military tactics and weapons but today..."
The scene of the five people descending from different directions and surrounding the Duke and his sister in a protective manner made a huge impact on Long Yi Ran.
He grew up seeing this palace as an impenetrable force, a cage that could trap people and kill them slowly. Once in, it was impossible to get out.
Even assassins had a hard time targeting former emperors and empresses. But those five subordinates of the duke entered the palace with much ease. His imperial guards didn't even raise an alarm.
Just thinking about it was enough to make him shudder. If the Duke wanted, he could get revenge on Long Yi Ran as he was the person who schemed against his beloved sister.
Nuo Ying Su could see the growing insecurity in her husband's eyes. But she couldn't let him be devoured by his thoughts. As the rulers of a country, they faced major problems every now and then. She believed they could also get through this like the countless times they did before.
"Your fears aren't baseless but can a person like you be led by fear? You're a father of a nation, Yi Ran. Your people are still waiting for you to solve a crisis for them. The things you do are for the sake of this empire. This is why I'm here, alright? I'll support you no matter what... And besides, I think we should consider Lady Huang's words."
Yesterday, Lady Huang calmed down when he mentioned the Duke. She was then willing to hear Yi Ran out for the sake of knowing more.
The Emperor brought out the topic of the strange creatures at the border and how he was thinking Huo Ai could help. During that time, Lady Huang was the one who initiated that she would tell them the secret of Huo Ai in exchange for one thing.
Long Yi Ran had his doubts. Of course, Huang Qiaoli was raised in Great Han. How would she know Huo Ai's deepest secrets? Furthermore, doing that was akin to betraying her brother who was a Duke.
But Huang Qiaoli was indifferent. She only said, "Do you think killing those few wolves will solve your problem? How foolish. The problem isn't those bloodthirsty creatures, it's the lack of ability of your people. The Duke can help you clear the wolves one time but judging from how you describe it, not only animals have become strange, plants too. If so, we can liken this situation to an 'infection'. And any infection can spread. Do you think what happens at the border now has no chance of happening here in the capital?"
Her tone was derisive but the things she said made the perfect sense. Those were the possibilities Long Yi Ran didn't want to say out loud.
If his ministers heard Lady Huang's statement, they would yell 'preposterous' and all sorts of indignation. But Yi Ran was used to his wife's unique perspective so he could think about the things she said in an objective manner. He knew how important it was not to be trapped in a certain school of thought that was why he had the habit of gathering different kinds of experts in his circle.
It was a shame Lady Huang was a foreigner. From their exchange of words, he could glean how intelligent she was no matter how she masked it with sarcasm.
But for her to tell her honest observations, it was obvious there was a price. When it was asked, the Emperor, Empress, and Mao Zhu didn't expect her reply.
"I can tell you that Great Han can't compete with Huo Ai no matter what you do. But you won't believe me so it's best to see it with your eyes. It's also more fun that way. I'll tell you the real thing when your eyes have been opened. But what I want is... for the Hong family to be under your protection at all cost."
It wasn't too much to say that the Emperor's way of thinking was too different from yesterday. At that time, he was too offended to even say another word. Lady Huang watched him with her pair of amber eyes. She just insulted his whole empire so he was furious.
Only now did he realize that her words might have held some truth.
It made him wonder what Huo Ai really was. How come Lady Huang painted them to be so omnipotent?
If that was true, then wouldn't they have the power to conquer the world? Thinking up to here, Long Yi Ran's brows jumped. He immediately turned to his wife.
"Su'er, Lady Huang called the strange creatures an infection. What if... Huo Ai's secret is the antidote?"
When Nuo Ying Su realized his hidden meaning, she also paled. If Huo Ai held the antidote, it would be too easy for them to control the current powers governing the four nations!
---
Aside from Yemin, I got the names of Duke Li's subordinates from birds.
公鸡 - gōng jī - rooster
鹰 - yīng - eagle
鹭 - lù - heron
翡翠 - fěi cuì - kingfisher