Deep in the Imperial Palace, the Imperial Study stood in a courtyard with a sprawling garden in front of it, a canopy of trees at its back as if it were protecting it. Inside the study, there was an elegant mahogany desk, behind which sat a man in his late twenties, his long fingers holding a brush as he meticulously practiced his calligraphy. The only sound in the room was the swishing of the brush against the parchment.

There was the pitter-patter of footsteps outside to indicate someone was approaching the room. There was a knock on the door. "Your Majesty, it is Eunuch Li."

The man - Emperor Huang Yasheng - spoke without pausing in his strokes. "Enter."

The door slid open.

Eunuch Li was in his early forties. He had served the current Emperor since they were both children. He had been a trustworthy and loyal servant all these years. Hence, he was one of the few who had the privilege of being allowed to disturb the Emperor during his alone time, when he preferred peace and quiet.

However, this time, he had been expecting Eunuch Li.

The Eunuch entered and bowed. "Your Majesty, this servant has returned from the Empress's courtyard."

"How is she?"

“The Imperial Physician says that the Empress is well. She must eat and rest well. And she must not strain her mind and body. Otherwise, the child will be affected.”

“Hm. I shall visit Tianfenggong tonight. Inform the Empress, and tell her there is no need to prepare extensively. Tell her maids to take care of her. If she feels the slightest discomfort, I shall punish them personally.”

Eunuch Li bowed and retreated.

Huang Yasheng waited until the footsteps faded and he was sure no one was in earshot before he spoke again. “Report.”

A shadow flickered behind him. A soft voice spoke up. “Reporting to Your Majesty, General Han Qin had left for the Capital when I had last seen him and should arrive here within a few days, with the Prince and his mother.”

“It has not been confirmed yet that he is a Prince. Be careful with your words.”

“.... I apologize, Your Majesty. It’s just…”

“Just?” Huang Yasheng tilted his head towards the figure, waiting for the answer.

“He looks exactly like you. I do not see how he can be the child of anyone other than Your Majesty.”

The Emperor hummed. “I will believe it when I see it myself.”

Those days after he had secured his rule, he had gone on a journey across his nation in disguise. The main reason - and the reason he had given the ministers - was that he wanted to truly take a look at his kingdom and his people. The smaller reason, and perhaps the more important one, was that … he had needed to get away from all the reminded of his sins, if only for a while before he came back to the shackles that were the Crown. He knew he had one to all corners of the nations, tasted all sorts of wares, and had quite a few bedwarmers, male and female. He did not remember those faces at all. Anyone claiming to have borne his child, better have the proof of it.

The figure didn’t say anything, bowed silently.

“Anything else?”

“No-” the figure paused. The Emperor knew why. A qi signal - Flaring your qi in a specific pattern sends a signal or code to someone. The Shadow Guards had their own qi signals. The disadvantage of these signals was that anyone sufficiently trained in perceiving latent and patent qi would be able to feel the signal, if not understand it. This meant that one had to be careful while using it and should only resort to it for urgent matters.

So, this was an urgent matter.

“Your Majesty-” the figure started but Huang Yasheng held up a hand.

“Let him enter. If it is important enough to be brought into my presence, I wish to hear it.”

The figure nodded and flared his own qi. A moment later, another similarly dressed figure appeared in the room and knelt. “Your Majesty.”

“Speak.”

“There has been an attack on General Han Qin’s entourage.”

The brush that had been moving non-stop over the parchment paused. “How are they?”

“The letter General sent said that everyone is unharmed. We have one dead assassin and the rest of them fled.”

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The ink dripped down onto the parchment and collected into that one spot. The silence lingered on for a long moment before the first figure spoke, “Your orders, Your Majesty?”

The Emperor sighed, looking at the now ruined calligraphy. He set the brush aside and leaned back. “Meet them halfway and escort them to the Capital. Make sure the woman and the child arrive unharmed.”

One more bow and both the figures disappeared. And Huang Yasheng allowed himself to relax.

A Prince, huh? If it was confirmed, then he would become the only existing heir to the throne. At least for a few months. He could imagine the upheaval the Capital and all the annoying nobles would be in. Court for the next few weeks would be … chaotic. He already felt a headache coming.

And there was the matter of the woman. A peasant woman who could very well be the mother of the next Crown Prince.

What to do with such a woman? He would prefer to separate her from the child and raise him as royalty should be. However, the child might not want to be separated from his mother. If he forced it, it would cause discontent to arise among the common people.

He sighed. He supposed he would have to wait and meet the mother-child pair to arrive at a decision.

—

There was a moment of tense silence as Samaya uttered those words. And then everyone breathed a sigh of relief. They didn’t let their guard down, however. Han Qin seemed to be concentrating on something. Samaya had a hunch he was scoping out the area with his qi sense or whatever, Samaya also extended her senses as best as she could. However, apart from the group around them, she couldn’t feel anything.

Well, she was sure his sense was much keener than hers.

“Mama?”

Samaya turned back to see her child looking up at her with wide and tearful eyes. Fuck, she forgot for a moment how overwhelming this would all be for him. Getting into petty fights on the streets was one thing. She had always made sure he was away from any real danger. Even when she was away on work or missions, someone was always there to protect him. This must all be so frightening for him.

“Mama, you’re bleeding!” His frantic voice snapped her to the present. Manu was frantically gripping her hand and pressing on the wound.

This boy … was he acting like this because he was worried about her?

She chuckled at him and used her other hand to ruffle his hair. “I’m fine, baby. Just a scratch. It will be fine.”

“It’s more than just a scratch.” Han Qin’s voice sounded behind her.

“I’m fine.” She emphasized the word as she turned around to face him, a glare ready on her face. Manu didn’t need to be even more panicked.

Han Qin raised his hands in surrender. “Alright, well, you still have to wrap up your hand. I have some…”

“It’s fine. I have what I need.”

Before Han Qin could refuse, she grabbed Manu and made her way toward the tent. She told Manu to open her bag and give her the bottle of alcohol and gauze. Manu had enough experience with minor wounds to know what he was doing. So he quickly brought the items.

She poured a bit of alcohol over the wound and took the gauze to wrap it around her hand with the help of Manu.

Soon after she was done, there was the sound of someone clearing their throat outside the tent. “May I come in?” It was Han Qin.

Well, at least he acted like a gentleman.

“Yes, my lord.” She said, deciding to be polite for once. After all, he just protected her son.

He entered, the surprise evident on his face.

She chuckled. “What brings you to my tent?”

He cleared his throat. “We shall leave at dawn. You should get some rest.”

She nodded. That might be the best idea. “Alright. My lord, you and your companions should sleep. I’ll keep watch.”

“I cannot possibly-”

“My lord, every single one of you has to ride tomorrow. I will be able to sleep in the carriage. None of you will have that luxury. So please, rest. You will all need to be awake and sharp to be able to protect Manu.”

“But -”

“Please. Consider this a small thanks for protecting my child. I can only do this right now. I will scream if anything happens. You know I have a good sense of danger.”

He seemed to pause for a long moment before he sighed. “Alright.” He said and left but Samaya had a feeling it would not be that easy.

Sure enough, once she tucked Manu in and came outside, Han Qin was sitting by the campfire.

“I thought I said I would keep watch.”

“Well, I’ll keep watch over you.” He replied. Samaya opened her mouth to protest but he spoke up. “Please, my lady. I will not be able to sleep leaving the camp undefended.”

Should she be offended? She was here to defend …. Forget it, she did not have the energy at all. And it wasn’t like this person knew what she was capable of.

“I am not a lady,” she mumbled as she sat down beside him. He hummed and leaned back.

They were silent for a long while before Samaya spoke, “Do you think there will be another attack?”

“Perhaps.”

“They were aiming for Manu.”

“Perhaps.”

They both went silent, pondering over the implications of this. This could have been some warriors turned bandits aiming for the weakest links first. However, the man who committed suicide forced her to think otherwise.

“We’ll have to be careful.”

“Yes.”

They stayed up that whole night, though Han Qin dozed off for an hour before dawn. They packed up as soon as the sun appeared on the horizon and set off. They were on their guard, looking out for any attack.

However, none came. As they approached the Capital, they relaxed slightly, thinking there was no way anyone would be brave enough to attack their small entourage right outside the Capital.

They were wrong.