The Untamed Princess

Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Unlamented Demise

Li Jun, eldest prince of Han, was dead.

The skirmishes to the south had been a little more serious than had first been thought.  None of this should have posed a significant threat to the prince's safety, however, if he had not gone off on an ill-advised pursuit of a retreating warlord without even stopping to consider whether it might have been a trap.  A well-aimed arrow and a heavy fall from his horse face-first onto rocky terrain had ended his life.

As well as the man himself, fifty good soldiers had died as a result of Li Jun's poor choice, and Chuanli had returned with the prince's almost unrecognisable body before being sent away in disgrace to guard a distant Han outpost, having failed to protect his master.  In fairness, it was perhaps better than the servant could have expected if King Xuanming had not been certain that the blame for Li Jun's demise lay squarely with the man himself.

As for Weisheng, his emotions were torn.  Whilst anything resembling true brotherly affection between him and Li Jun had died off a long time ago, they had still been siblings, and his parents were now grieving the loss of a child.

Ming Yue was less troubled.  In her view, even despite its brutality, it was still too good a death for someone so despicable, but she was relieved that any decision on how to deal with Li Jun's wickedness was now firmly out of Weisheng's hands.

At present, the hour was late, and she was trying to distract the prince from his melancholy thoughts.  The funeral rites and other burial formalities had all been concluded, and Li Jun had been laid to rest with more pomp and ceremony than he deserved, but the prince was still struggling with his conflicting emotions.

"Would it possible for you to accompany me out into the city tomorrow, Weisheng?" she asked, resting a hand lightly on his arm as she knelt on the floor beside him in his study.  He looked down at her, a question forming in his eyes.  Ming Yue went on.

"I would very much like to meet the young woman who made the cream that Luo Jian gave me.  She must be very talented indeed, and I would love to thank her in person."  She looked across at the young captain, willing him to support the suggestion.  He looked at her blankly for a moment, then cleared his throat.

"Erm, yes, Your Highness.  A change of scenery would be good.  For all of us."  He looked back at Ming Yue and she gave him a small smile.

Weisheng gazed intently at the young woman's face, and suddenly realised that it had not even crossed his mind to enquire after her injuries since they had returned to the capital.  Every day had been filled with plans for the new trade routes with Jin and, no sooner had these come to fruition, the news of Li Jun's death had hit, throwing the palace into disarray.

Throughout it all, Ming Yue had been unfalteringly by his side, giving him her support as his secretary and more, and he had not spared one moment to consider the condition of the wounds left on her as a result of her association with him, the sight of which had so affected them both in the past.  He now felt that he had taken her loyalty and steadfastness for granted, and he was bitterly sorry for it.

Sensing that the mood had changed, Luo Jian left the two of them alone.