She could make out the distinctions between the count clan contingents, now no longer represented by a single ambassador and their attendants.
The newcomers had the look and feel of soldiers and officers, to Ling Qi's eye. Perhaps they were here to aid coordination of the province's forces? She didn't know, only that the remaining courtiers, the ones belonging to the court clans, had a distinctly nervous air. She supposed that the last time that there was so much military presence in the capital, things had been very unpleasant.
That'd be the mustering for the fighting with the Y'lith'kai and the Cloud Tribes?
Interestingly, the courtiers of their own clans are nervous about their own generals and soldiers at court. Concern for perhaps lacks in diplomatic strategy or something else?
"Welcome, my daughter," Said the Duchess, lounging upon her throne. As always, Diao Linqin stood quietly at the arm of her throne. "From your disposition, it would seem that you found some success."
Although she phrased it as a question, it was a statement in tone.
"We achieved all that you directed us to, your grace," Cai Renxiang said, keeping her eyes on the rich carpet. "And more as well."
That brought a scattering of whispers among the court, silenced as Cai Shenhua leaned forward, the weight of her presence focusing down upon her daughter.
Bold statement.
Claiming to have achieved and then some on all objectives is a big ask, and immensely prestigious.
Particularly rare because Shenhua usually sets you tasks just below the limits of your ability. Success with style is not a common sight.
The woman wore a surprisingly conservative gown this day, not so dissimilar to the way Liming usually appeared on Renxiang, and wore her hair in a single braid that wound about her shoulders and spilled like a cord of liquid night down the stairs of her throne.
If I'm reading this right, thats a fashion statement of support for Renxiang.
There was silence for a moment, and then Ling Qi felt the pressure shift away as Cai Shenhua turned her gaze on Diao Linqin. "Darling, remind me, which one of the vermin was that, you have a better memory for these things."
Shenhua never bothered to even learn his name, did she?
"There were four living Hui Peng's at the time of your ascension," Diao Linqin said demurely. "Three were accounted for, which would make this one… the Duke's herald. I believe he announced your first suite to the court."
No one spoke while the minister was speaking, nor in the aftermath as Shenhua pondered the answer. Then, the Duchess began to chuckle. It was not a happy sound, to be frank, it sent a chill down the back of her neck. Going from the faint unease rising from the court, they didn't care for it either.
Thankfully the Duchess' humor faded quickly. "Rotting a hole for two centuries, how very fitting. I might be cross that you put him out of his misery, young lady."
"I-that is-" Xia Lin stuttered, undoubtedly pressured by her grace's gaze.
"I am not of course. You did well in cleansing such a lingering pustule. He was surely too mad to suffer further by this point," The Duchess said dismissively.
Implying that if he was more intact and coherent, she'd have wanted him taken alive for torture.
He must have pissed her off real good at what sounded like her court debut for her fashion designs? And based on the encounter, he had Views on art.
Probably dissed her designs for being involved in anything but the court.
"The corpse immortal's particular madness was useful in this regard, since it compelled him to write many records among the more incoherent screeds. His writings indicate that his original group consisted of about thirty individuals, six of which were junior members of the clan and the rest of which were servants dragged along with their masters."
Ling Qi thought that sounded right, given the space available in the bunker. She wondered what it must have been like when all of them were there, jammed together in isolation. If Hui Peng were any indication of Hui disposition, it must have been awful.
"The servants suffered attrition first, some half dying of old age within the first fifty years, and more still vanished while performing tasks outside for their masters," Meng Dan continued. Records indicate that encounters with barbarians dwindled their numbers further, until roughly one hundred years ago, only three other Hui remained. The corpse's scribblings indicate that at this point two betrayed the third, killing him, and left the bunker of their own volition. Rants about the 'traitors' temporarily eclipsed complaints about your own person for some years after that, your Grace."
"How fitting," Cai Shenhua said. "Even in crisis they did not change one bit. Although, we already knew this."
The servants could be credited for loyalty at least, not that anyone would appreciate that.
And the two Hui who betrayed and left the bunker were "junior members" when they left, so I'd guess they were children at the time of the fall, grew up, and considering the increasingly insane corpse immortal, decided that life with the Cloud Tribes can't be too bad.
Meng Dan lowered his head in acceptance. "In the creature's storage ring, buried beneath the mountain of mad and seditious scrawling, we discovered a significant fraction of the lost Hui archive."
That drew some appreciative and dubious noise from the court, and Ling Qi was quite sure that Meng Dan's Grandmother, standing among others of their clan, looked more than a bit pleased.
"Although there were not many arts, I estimate that the volumes within may account for nearly a quarter of their mundane library going by the records of it at its height. In addition, it contained a truly staggering amount of art and artifacts, much of which even date back to the Weilu era. Truly a lucky find for Lady Xia and the Baroness."
"Lucky indeed," His Grandmother, Meng Diu said. "That so much that was lost may be returned."
Gonna want to sell this slowly rather than all at once.
Getting a fair value for each piece should be worth a fair chunk more than immediate gains.
Also after considering the right of first refusal...and the greater context, I think we're going to need to sell the tapestry. Its likely too hot to hold onto, especially when we ourselves lack the scholarship to fully exploit it, smelling of holding onto it mainly for nickel and diming scholars.
"But most importantly, I was able to find historical records which confirmed that in the past, the Weilu and the people of the southlands had intermarried at least once in their royal lines and otherwise interacted. This proved most useful in our negotiations," Meng Dan said proudly. "Although it is distant, both the Meng and Diao clans have some small measure of blood connection to one of the great clans of the southlands."
The reactions of the people around them were mixed. Meng Diu looked pleased, but some of the other meng with her looked ambivalent. So it was with the Diao as well, some of the more scholarly types in their clique looked intrigued, but there was little interest otherwise. Some of the more imperial aligned courtiers looked faintly repulsed.
"One of the Great Clans. You're implying some things there boy," said a richly dressed Bao man, stroking his short oiled beard with ring adorned fingers.
Scholar Meng: "History! Culture!"
Other Meng: "This is going to be a political headache, but neat."
Scholar Diao: "Fascinating."
Courtly Diao: "Disgusting, to imply we weren't pureblood imperials unto the hundredth generation."
Bao: "That sounds like rich people willing and able to buy our stuff."
"Gan Guangli does not exaggerate when he speaks of a mountain," Cai Renxiang said. "It was over two kilometers in height, and to all of my senses, composed of a strangely alloyed iron."
"Later, we would learn that this was a result of their method of cultivation," Ling Qi said, following off of her liege's words. "Those who achieve the higher realms become more akin to ancestors providing shelter, protection and wisdom rather than interacting directly in temporal matters."
They had discussed the best way to present the White Skies method of government and approach to cultivation and they had decided on this, to avoid more negative impressions. It wasn't really a lie or even a misdirection, just a careful choice of words.
Its a good framing I think - Nobody can talk shit about Ancestors, too many clans have SOME form of ancient spirit, beast or artifact backing them up. That the ascended cultivator isn't human anymore wouldn't be relevant here, their status is clear.
Just keep the Peakaboos away from the diplomacy because something rather impolitic would likely be said at some point.
"Fortune can truly be strange," Cai Shenhua said, her gaze burning on the back of Ling Qi's neck. Sweat gathered on her brow. "But then again, one needs a certain good fortune to advance as you have."
"The baroness is indeed fortunate," Meng Diu spoke up. "It seems likely that the Great Spirits have their plans."
Several of the other Meng gave her sidelong looks, but none gainsaid her. Some of the more traditionally garbed among the courtiers and clan attaches were looking at her assessingly.
"Plan's in line with my efforts no less," the Duchess chuckled. "Will wonders never cease. Continue then, how did the initial negotiations go."
...huh, it occurs to me that part of the perpetual strife of the Emerald Sea might very well be salty Great Spirits of past dynasties nudging things here and there?
Several individuals looked indignant at being spoken over, but Cai Shenhua's warm laughter silenced any retort. Ling Qi squeezed her eyes shut as the pounding in her head grew with the light shining from the throne, and she shuddered to remember the half dreamed glimpse of that radiance unmasked.
"Speak Cai Renxiang. I would hear your thoughts uninterrupted," The Duchess said, and despite her earlier laugh the words were spoken with utmost seriousness, reverberating in the air to silence and embedding themselves like nails in her mind and drowning out even the faintest whisper of other sound.
Shenhua is truly pleased for once. Not because of the diplomacy, or rather, not solely because of her diplomacy.
Renxiang spoke up for herself and her ideals, not as Daughter of Cai, but for what she wanted to achieve.
That… had not been wholly planned. Ling Qi could hear bits and pieces of their planned speech in there, but the composition was off the cuff.
"Passionately said, my daughter," Cai Shenhua said as the last echo of the words faded, the inhuman reverberations gone from her voice. "As a matter of principle, I agree, hasty judgement in a matter of this magnitude is… unacceptable."
Those who had most loudly voiced their doubts looked as if they had bitten into something sour, but did not dare gainsay the Duchess.
Imperial faction at court are going to remember that.
These two
children, had them rebuked by the Duchess.
Its a minor things but its not something they will overlook easily.
"We used this matter to discover something of what materials the White Sky values, and as it happens, what they value most is quality wood, their request for ten wagonloads of hardwood and six of soft. You can see why we agreed to this so easily," Ling Qi finished.
"Interesting," Coughed the Bao man who had spoken before, breaking the tense silence of the court. "Did you happen to discern what they have in abundance, Baroness."
"It was not our focus, but by its sheer prevalence it seems that they have easy access to very large amounts of metal. In fact the way they described their settlements it seems that they are generally centered around what they call 'Blood of the Sun' which are masses of metal which fall from the sky with some regularity and burn with a fraction of the sun's heat…"
You can see the dollar signs in his eyes lol.
