Lady Earthquake

Lady Earthquake Chapter 54

An-Xia's hand closed over Ganxie's forearm. "Enough, I think."

Ganxie bowed gracefully from the waist. "I understand. One thing at a time, yes?"

"I hope someday that will be true," An-Xia said, hearing a bustle outside. "But I do not think that day has come to us as yet. The Fourth Prince has returned."

His voice carried to the women as Dongru's polite murmur did not. "What? Here?"

Miss Lung flinched.

Sun-Sin continued, "Tell Luyo to hurry along and collect three horses and all necessary gear from the depot. Yan and I will meet him there. We leave in less than an hour. It will not be nearly enough time for me."

"No, your highness."

Sun-Sin flung open the door to his lady's apartment but had his head turned toward his majordomo. He did not see the women inside rise to their feet, Miss Lung trembling, An-Xia ready to restrain the other woman if she made any move, threatening or affectionate, toward the prince.

"Tell Yan he is to be my adjutant this trip, but only because I know the fool will follow us if I do not allow him to come."

An-Xia spoke up. "I see I am discarded indeed."

At the sound of her voice, he turned but the smile he had ready for her faded when he saw Miss Lung. "Why is this woman here?"

"We were trying to determine that ourselves."

To An-Xia's surprise, he strode into the room and took position between her and the court-woman as though he faced a deadly enemy. "Are you hurt in any way?" he asked over his shoulder while keeping his eyes on Miss Lung.

"Hurt? Of course not."

"I have no intention...."

"You put the poison in the incense. Now that I see you here in this room, I know for certain that I saw you that night, dressed as a maid."

"What?" An-Xia stood on tiptoe to see over his shoulder. "Was that the 'task' you were set but failed?"

Her face ashen behind the paint, Miss Lung dropped to her knees. "Yes."

"But why would the Third Prince want me dead this time? I thought...his expressions toward me seemed...."

"My senior brother did not want you to die," Sun-Sin said. "That was an inspiration on the part of Miss Lung."

The young woman said bitterly, "The prince liked me very well until you appeared. Why should I always be the one who is forgotten? Your highness, you liked me too until I was no longer useful. Why should I not be useful to him when who else but him will reward me with the one thing I desire?"

"That was not why I...." Sun-Sin sighed. "Never mind that now. My brother wanted you to kill me. You chose on your own to share the poison with Miss Dizhen. Was it to remove a rival?"

"Yes."

"My third brother knew nothing of that action on your part?"

"No such order came from him. That I swear."

"Knowing him as I do, I must conclude you came here in the hope of finding some protection against him once you heard of his return. His attitude toward failure is not one of forgiveness. Even less so to one who betrayed him."

"Yes."

"I might have considered helping you if you had not moved against Miss Dizhen." He sought for An-Xia's hand behind him and drew it up to his heart. "You can expect no more mercy here than you would find in the palace of my third brother. We are not, it would seem, a forgiving family."