A Trial by Halves

Suspicions.

Somewhere in the Mortal Realm.

Far from locking himself away in mourning, Haode gathered with three of his most closest advisers.  These were men who were never seen, but they played a very important role in the governing of the Celestial Heavens including any intrigues that they were made aware of.  They were known only as The Silent Three.

And they were chosen for their ability to move unseen among their peers, because each was given a simple lifestyle to lead outside of the Palace, one that was so mundane and normal, that no one would have guessed that they were The Skylords chosen men.  

However, to deflect attention away from themselves,  all meetings were held in secret in the Mortal Realm.  This way, no one saw their faces and no one knew their names, only that they existed.  There was much gossip about these three men, their fame was just as renown as Haodes, only this particular meeting saw them gathering in a Mortal Realm Brothel, behind closed doors.  

Normally they would meet in a private suit of a Hotel room, but because the discussion was so sensitive, they could not risk being seen entering together seeing as they would be sharing the one room.  Instead they entered the brothel one at a time, and each man joined a group of Mortals to enter with.  It took two hours from the time they left the Immortal Realm before each man was gathered in a private room which they rented at a very high price.

The brothel was High End and frequented by the exceptionally wealthy.  The women were all High Class Hosts so arriving in his finest of silks and simple gold head piece, Haode too went unnoticed.  He was the brothels most favoured client, because not only did he bring gifts for all the girls, he paid in solid gold pieces of which he had an endless supply.  And as long as they left him in peace to conduct business without interruption, that particular establishment was paid handsomely for the privilege.

Now gathered around a small table in a dimly lit room the four discussed Mount Junji.  

"From what we have been able to ascertain, the house itself is in good condition, however, the furnishings are very sparse and it does not look as if the home has been touched for some time, the spiders have already begun to take over." One adviser stated having investigated the house himself before getting to one important finding he had come across.

"Well Ye Hua has always been rather frugal with his wealth, so it's no surprise there is little furnishings.  Even his own chamber in the Nine Heavens, is understated." Haode said, though none raised their eyes to look at him, they couldn't help but compare the Grandfather to his Grandson.  He most certainly would not want to live in a house like that one.

But keeping to the agenda of their meeting, the adviser continued with his findings.   "Though there is no one there now, there was definitely a female presence in the home."  he stated matter of fact which had all eyes rising up at him.

"A woman?" Haode asked with rising brows.

"Yes.  But her lingering energy is very weak, so a Mortal woman." he said before getting to the main issue he had to raise.  "I also found a male wedding outfit,  which carries the Crown Princes essence which I destroyed immediately" he said which instantly had Haode on his feet.

"So you are saying he married a Mortal woman?" he asked incredulously.

"I am only giving you my findings My Lord." the man replied as the others sat quietly and listened.

This was definitely a development he was not prepared for, but it did seem to explain a few things that he had been mulling over since the boys death.

"That's good.  It's good" Haode whispered.  The last thing they needed was for the wedding robe to be found by others.  Ye Huas essence was well known, if it fell into the wrong hands, black mail would soon follow.