Min waited in the tea room of the Oaken Band Brotherhood headquarters, trying not to let her inner turmoil show through to the surface. Chang-li and her grandfather had been out in the garden for a long time. What if Grandfather Jiang didn't like what he saw? What if Chang-li's worries about the Brotherhood were further stirred up by her grandfather?

Min kept her hands pressed tight against her knees as she knelt and waited, imagining the confrontation going a hundred different ways. Her grandfather was a powerful man, used to getting his own way, but she didn't think he had much dealing with cultivators. For a cultivator, Chang-li was remarkably humble and willing to listen. But he'd been a scribe before this, a government official, and Min knew from their earliest interactions of his distaste for the Brotherhoods and their quasi-legal status. She hoped she'd managed to persuade him that the Brotherhoods were a necessary part of the empire, but that could change easily based on her grandfather.

What would she do if the two most important men in her life demanded she choose between them? Min banished that thought, refusing even to consider it.

At last, the door slid open. Min looked up eagerly, but it was merely a servant. "Elder Sister, the Eldest Brother requests you attend him in his chambers."

Min rose at once, brushing off the bottoms of her robes. "Yes, of course." She hesitated. "What of my husband?"

"He awaits you in the guest quarters once you are done attending your grandfather."

Min tried to feel relieved. At least Grandfather Jiang hadn't decided to order Chang-li executed or thrown him out of the compound, which were among her more outlandish worries. She quickly made her way along the corridors to her grandfather's side of the compound. He kept a suit of rooms in a low, out-jutting wing that overlooked the garden. Min rapped on the door lintel.

"Come in," her grandfather said.

She slid back the door and entered his sitting room. He was standing with his back to her, looking out the open door into the garden. Min closed the rice paper screen behind her.

Her grandfather slid the garden door shut and gestured for her to follow him into his second chamber, the study where he often interviewed important Brotherhood members. Here, the walls were lined with long shelves and the room's traditional tatami mats covered in a woven rug. A pair of low couches framed in the room. Her grandfather poured himself a small cup of rice wine, then poured another and offered it to her. Min accepted, her hands only just trembling.

"So," her grandfather said, “that is the husband you have chosen.” It wasn’t quite a question.

Min forced herself to meet his eyes. "Yes, sir," she replied.

"And how do you like him?" Grandfather Jiang asked. His words were gentle, but there was a hint of steel beneath them.

Min took a deep breath. "I like him very much," she said boldly. "He is not what I was expecting. He is a man of great character, a man of great wisdom. He’s accomplished far more than most cultivators his rank, but you wouldn't know it from talking to him. He's thoughtful and studious. Why, I can hardly drag him away from his scrolls sometimes."

Her grandfather raised an eyebrow. "A man concerned with scrolls and bookkeeping is often not aware of the dealings of the world around him."

“Chang-li's studies have purpose," Min explained. "We have a trove of secrets from the old Morning Mist sect that he's trying to translate. Since he's the only trained scribe we have, the duty falls on him."

"Yes, Brother Stone's missives explained the situation thoroughly," her grandfather said. "Well, I'm glad you like him personally, Min. I would not want my only granddaughter to have made an unpleasant marriage." A shadow crossed his face. "I was grieved that your mother and father's union proved less happy than I had wished. It was a great advantage for our family to secure the governor's son in marriage. But I know your mother was rarely happy. She did her duty to me and to your father, and her three children stand testament to that."

"I know she's content now," Min said. Her mother, after becoming a widow a few years ago, had promptly retired to the countryside, where Grandfather Jiang saw she was supplied with the wine, flowers, and poets she so enjoyed.

"That is neither here nor there," her grandfather said. "If you like this fellow, I am content. He has done well for himself. I like to see a self-made man. I am willing to allow him to continue in his role."

The phrasing deeply troubled Min. Role? What role? As one of the leaders of Morning Mist? As her husband? "I'm glad you approve of our scheme with the sect," she said, while trying to parse his meaning.

"Like?" Her grandfather smiled. It actually lit up his eyes as he shook his head. "Min, it was inspired. I admit I was concerned at first, reading the reports. But when my informers reported to me just how well the sect was doing, I realized you had seen more clearly than I had."

Informers? Min's gut squirmed. She'd known, of course, that all of the Brotherhood members' loyalties would be to her grandfather, from the servants to the disciples. But hearing it said outright still hurt.

He continued. "I immediately began to see the possibilities. You've already raised several of our cultivators to the Peak of Bodily Refinement, and Brother Stone tells me he believes himself capable of reaching the Peak of Mental Refinement with a bit more training. He speaks of your husband as a capable teacher, which is impressive considering your husband has only reached the Peak of Mental Refinement himself. Those scrolls must contain great secrets."

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"They do," Min agreed, "but Chang-li really is good at teaching. He can take concepts from the scrolls and make them meaningful, connect them to you and what you're doing. He's very patient, even with the newest of sect members."

"On the other hand, this Young Master Joshi does not seem to be doing much for your sect."

"Joshi's reputation is the sect right now," Min said flatly. "If we perform well in this bridal tournament, then that may change, but for now, Young Master Joshi is the public face of the Morning Mist sect. It is believed that he was the one responsible for defeating young Master Feng of the Soaring Heavens and completing the tower cull at Golden Moon."

"Are you saying your husband has been denied his fair share of the credit?" Grandfather asked.

"Not at all. I think he prefers it this way," Min said. "Chang-li and Joshi are good friends. There's no quarrel between them."

"Nevertheless, Joshi is an outsider, a foreigner, with no loyalties to the Brotherhood. If we cannot bind him to us, we must separate him. Not painfully," her grandfather assured her, as Min's face no doubt reflected the horror she felt at his words. "But cultivators do move between sects as is best for them. We might perhaps sponsor him at a sect more appropriate to his talents."

"You can't go breaking up our sect," Min said. "Not now. We have work to do, a tournament to win."

"I don't plan to make any such changes immediately," her grandfather said. "Certainly not until the sect is better established. In addition to the recruits I am sending to begin their training, you will need more authority than a pair of cultivators at the Peak of Mental Refinement can give you. We have reached out through my contacts and made inquiries. I have located a promising cultivator of good experience. He made quite a name for himself some few years ago but has found himself sectless in the years since. He owed a considerable drinking and gambling debt, which I was able to procure. He will be arriving here within the month to take up his role as the Grand Master of the Morning Mist sect."

Min couldn't keep the horrified gasp from escaping her. "Grandfather!"

He looked at her sharply. "You disapprove of my actions, Min?"

"You can't just take over our sect! And bringing in some outside cultivator none of us know? A drunkard, a gambler, as our Grand Master? Why?" She shook her head. "Even if Chang-li and Joshi would accept him, a man like that will squander all of the good reputation the Morning Mist have gained so far.”

"I assure you I have taken steps to ensure that will not be the case," her grandfather said stiffly. "And Min, your sect?"

Now she was furious. "Mine, Joshi's, Chang-li's," she retorted. "We're the ones who built the sect out of nothing."

"With my backing," her grandfather pointed out. "Surely you do no forget Obligation. This is a Brotherhood investment, and I am going to protect it. You know this, Min. There's no harm to befall the sect. I mean to continue to triple or more my investment in the sect. You and your husband and, yes, your husband’s friend, will all profit by it. Morning Mist will have the resources you need to ensure that your cultivators are able to continue their journey."

This was everything Chang-li had feared and Min had assured him wouldn't happen. She shook her head. "Grandfather, you don't understand. This isn't just another investment for the Brotherhood. Cultivators aren't a business you can take over and use as a front for your own purposes. Cultivating is something that the Brotherhood has no experience with. It's a whole new world."

"So were the halls of government when I married your mother to your father.” Her grandfather rumbled, looking dark as a thundercloud.

Min trembled but forced herself to meet his eyes. She had not risen to her position as his heir presumptive by cowering. She tried another tack. “Grandfather, this is my scheme. You always allow your lieutenants free reign on a promising scheme, so long as they keep you informed of what’s going on and see to it that your investment is recovered.” She had seen what happened to more than one lieutenant who failed on either of those counts. “With the Morning Mist in my hands, I’m well on my way to understanding exactly what it is a cultivator’s spouse does for a sect. It’s much more in-depth than I could ever have imagined. No one who isn't part of this life could understand the needs."

“Which is why I’ve made sure to find you a real cultivator,” her grandfather retorted. “The man has multiple tower culls to his credit. There’s only a single blot in his cultivator license, and I’m arranging to have that cleared up. He’ll leave you and Chang-li and Joshi alone, allow you to focus on cultivation while handling the day-to-day business of training new sect members. I should have thought you’d be delighted.”

Maybe Chang-li would go for that. Joshi almost certainly would. He disliked the business of training underlings and wanted to focus on his own advancement. But Min couldn’t imagine herself telling Chang-li that they had just suffered a hostile takeover.

“Grandfather, please,” she begged. “You have to reconsider this. Let me show you what our sect can do.”

“My girl,” her grandfather said, smiling again, “you’ve already shown me. You’ve opened my eyes to an entire new realm of endeavors far beyond anything I could have hoped before. I’m making inquiries into other provinces among the Brotherhoods there to see if any of them have similar allied sects. I think it’s an area we’ve neglected for too long. We’ve seen them as above us. That was a mistake. This will benefit the Morning Mist and the Oaken Band both. Mutual Benefit, Min.”

He was invoking the most sacred tenet of a brotherhood: people banding together for Mutual Benefit. It was everything Min had been raised to believe in. Grandfather was looking her over with gentle eyes. "You can't believe I'd ever do anything to hurt you.”

"No, I know you wouldn't," Min agreed. She had never doubted her grandfather's love for her. She even believed he was doing what he thought was best now. But she was forced to confront the fact that her loyalties were now divided. She was Oaken Band, born and raised, but she'd made vows to Chang-li and joined the Morning Mist sect herself. Where did her duty lie? If this was really to the sect’s benefit, then there was no conflict. But then why did she feel so torn?

Her grandfather softened his tone. "I can see now this is going to be harder for you and your husband, to accept than I had thought. I'll need you to serve me as go-between, Min."

That was a role she understood. "You'll let me explain this my way?" Maybe it would be better coming from her rather than dictated by her grandfather.

"Certainly," he said. "Grandmaster Noren is currently in the Darshen Peaks over in High Rock province. It will take him weeks to reach Riceflower. I would be surprised if we see him before the end of the bridal tournament."

So, she had some time. Min bowed her head. "All right," she said. "And you won't interfere in the day-to-day running of the sect?"

Her grandfather hesitated. "No.”

“I understand that the servants will be reporting back to you. But the new recruits need to understand that as long as they are disciples of the Morning Mist sect, their loyalties lie with," she almost said "us," but caught herself, "the sect, before you."

"I do not think that those loyalties will come into conflict," her grandfather agreed.

Min didn't. "You'll tell Brother Stone, and he'll tell the rest," she insisted.

Her grandfather nodded. He seemed pleased with her. "Very well. And during the course of the tournament, I shall remain hands-off. I would not want to be seen as interfering with anything to do with the Emperor," he added.

Good. That would give her a little bit of time to bring Chang-li around to the concept. Min took a deep breath. "Thank you, Grandfather. If that's all?

“For now," he agreed. "Good night, my dear."