“Great news, Madam Luo! Master Rain suffered internal injuries!”

So thrilled by the revelation, it took Junior Yimu a long second to figure out why the Madam reacted to his good news with such dismay, all but fainting on her feet and requiring the support of her handmaidens to keep her statuesque frame upright. Cursing himself for his poor choice of words, he bowed several times and explained, “Apologies Madam, this servant chose his words poorly. The Master’s life is in no danger.” Glancing around at the nearby Death Corps, he hesitated before asking, “Could... could someone put up a sound barrier, so this servant’s message won’t be overheard?”

“Already up,” a veiled guard answered, one of several women who always stuck close to Madam Mei Lin’s side. Only a Medical Saint could gather so many Peak Experts to guard an idle little girl like the first Madam as she followed her beloved betrothed off to war, but such was life.

Averting his eyes from the glaring half-hare, Junior covered his mouth so his lips could not be read and explained, “Master Rain suffered some minor bruising while serving atop the wall, or at least that’s what the returning soldiers claim. Word is, he slew one Defiled to save a soldier and injured himself dragging another back to safety, all at no small risk to himself.” A brilliant ploy, if it was one, and truth be told, Junior didn’t think anyone besides Falling Rain knew the truth. Even after spending months as Madam Luo’s clerk, he still wasn’t sure what to make of his reluctant master, but he was glad for the chance to right the wrongs he’d committed against Falling Rain and the Bekhai.

Realizing his thoughts were drifting, Junior focused on the task at hand and explained, “Having taken injury in the line of duty, Master Rain now has the right to be seen by an Imperial Healer. So long as they fear no retribution, any Healer with eyes would rule him unfit to serve on account of his shattered Core and frail physique, which is legal grounds for medical discharge from service.” Having studied Army service regulations backwards and forwards hoping to discover a way out, Junior was well aware of all the ways one could be free of service, but he never had the courage to go through with any of his plans. Purposely taking a debilitating injury in battle was out of question, and getting caught stealing rations was a frightening prospect, since he had to make sure he stole in small enough quantities so it would be ruled as minor thievery instead of the greater crimes of larceny or misappropriation with intent to profit, both of which held the penalty of death. It would be fine if he was caught after he stole something, but if Junior was caught on the way in, then the Justicars might well have him killed as an example to dissuade other would-be thieves and profiteers.

Having recovered from her brief fainting spell, Madam Luo didn’t react with praise and jubilation as Junior expected, but instead smoothed her skirts and pursed her lips in thought, only minor movements but telling considering her political acumen. Rarely did Madam Luo let her thoughts show so clearly, for even an amateur like Junior could read the conflict in her expression, pleased by the news but worried regarding the consequences. “If only it were so easy,” she murmured, absently massaging a bear’s head as it pressed against her for comfort, its eyes so expressive Junior wondered if it was a human in beast form.

Beside them, Madam Mei Lin huffed and hugged a second bear tight, its head buried in her lap as she sat and fought to stay awake while the battle wound down. The rabbits aside, all the other animals were out here with them, a choice Junior didn’t wholly approve of considering how much could go wrong. Well trained though they might be, they were still wild animals, so the clamour of battle and the screams of the dying had thoroughly unnerved the gentle bears and wildcats so. While the bears clung fast to two delicate women they could easily crush into meat paste, the wildcats paced about in nervous agitation with eyes wide and hackles raised. All it would take was one good scare and the animals might run away in terror without caring about anything in their way. Should they injure a soldier or Officer in their fright, then Master Rain could be held responsible and the animals killed out of hand, for none were protected like the Divine Turtle whose destructive antics were seen as Divine Judgment.

If only all the animals could be like the golden wildcat Aurie, sitting utterly still while gazing at the forward walls and awaiting his Master’s return...

“Hubby won’t leave,” Lady Mei Lin said, jolting Junior out of his thoughts. “If he didn’t want to be here, then he wouldn’t have come, and not even the stinky Legate could’ve forced him to do it.”

Terrified by her casual disregard for Imperial authority, Junior motioned for Lady Mei Lin to keep her voice down and glanced around for suspicious figures even though they were encased in a Sound Barrier. If Junior learned anything these past few months, it was that one could never be too careful, and while always a sweet and proper young lady when Master Rain was in earshot, Madam Mei Lin had a habit of verbally venting her frustrations whenever he wasn’t around. She had little respect for any authority besides the Bekhai, and even her veiled guards weren’t exempt from her fits of pique, though her insults rarely escalated beyond juvenile taunts like ‘stinky’ or ‘stupid’. Seeing no one of note watching them with untoward interest, Junior explained, “Perhaps, but is it possible Master Rain came here of his own volition because he lacked legal alternatives? Now that he has a legitimate reason to dispute the Justicar’s ruling, he could be back in the citadel by week’s end.”

Without having to rebel against the Empire to do so, which was a solid plus in Junior’s books.

“Where is he now?” Madam Luo asked, butting in before Madam Mei Lin let loose with another blasphemous round of curses against the Imperial Clan.

“Master Rain is still on the outer wall, although from what I gather, he and his soldiers have been ordered to stand down.” Albeit after holding a considerable section of the wall on their own for the better part of four hours. While they weren’t the only soldiers to fight for so long without reprieve, those were the exception rather than the norm, but it didn’t surprise Junior to learn Master Rain’s soldiers were being mistreated and overworked.

“Very well.” Having come to a decision, Madam Luo sent Junior out to ascertain which Healer would be best to approach should Master Rain be amicable to the idea, as well as find out more about his situation on the outer wall. This was Junior’s job now, running errands as Madam Luo’s clerk on the surface while ‘covertly’ playing the role of spymaster for their enemies to target. In truth, he was merely there so others would focus on his actions while MuYang worked in the background, which was the least Junior could do considering he almost got Master Rain killed. Where another man would have used Junior’s mistakes against him to blackmail the Chun family or worse, Master Rain merely returned the Oath-sworn Experts to MuYang and had Junior removed from the retinue, which was exactly what he’d been after from the start.

Junior still remembered the look of disappointment in Master Rain’s eyes when he announced the ‘punishment’, adding, “If you wanted to go home, then you only needed to ask. I’m not mad. I’m disappointed.”

This was the worst part about Junior’s betrayal, that it could’ve all been avoided if he’d had courage enough to admit his cowardice. While things had eventually worked out for the best, he’d come dangerously close to being complicit in Master Rain’s assassination, and only the luck of the Mother kept Her Chosen Son alive, that and Junior’s misinterpretation of the facts leading him to believe MuYang and the Defiled were working in concert. For a while, he’d kept word of his betrayal from spreading, but after MuYang had a falling out with his former employer and pledged allegiance to Han BoShui instead, there was no more hiding what he’d done. In a way, Junior was relieved when Master Rain confronted him with the truth, for it meant an end to his guilt and shame, though it didn’t stop him from begging Master Rain to spare the Chun family from retribution.

Thankfully, Master Rain was a merciful man, but even though Junior was dishonourably dismissed from military service, the torturous training sessions with the villainous Wang Bao had yet to end, a small price to pay when all things were considered. Play the fool spymaster, present a target to the enemy, and train to become a proper Martial Warrior, all of which was hardly a punishment fitting for his crimes. In fact, Junior’s status and quality of life had markedly improved now that he was posing as Madam Luo’s scribe, not only because he no longer had to fight on the front lines, but also because of Madam Luo’s brilliant schemes. Where others would be wary of their employees selling company secrets, Madam Luo encouraged Junior to meet with competing agents and not only sell them secrets, but promise to sell more in the future. The secrets he sold were all carefully crafted lies of course, with enough truth to convince the buyers of their authenticity, but it was enough to convince their competitors that Junior was a crooked spymaster in need of coin to fuel his lavish lifestyle, one approved and encouraged by Madam Luo herself.

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After all, a corrupt employee lacking any and all vices would raise unwanted questions, so Junior drank fine wine, dressed in exquisite silks, and gambled away a fortune week after week, though he was smart enough to do so at games run by Bulat and Ravil so he could claim his losses back after the fact. Of course, this meant he also had to surrender the winnings, but between his generous salary and the bribes he’d been allowed to keep, Junior was now an independently wealthy man thanks to Master Rain’s mercy. In return, all he had to do was some basic clerical work and ‘allow’ himself to be charmed by their competitor’s agents, which meant nights of fine dining followed by carnal pursuits, topped off with extravagant gifts in return for falsified documents and empty promises.

Thus far, the most unsavoury thing Junior had to do was run a waiter out of the citadel, some young fool who thought he could disrespect Master Rain’s family and get away unscathed. A simple enough task for a man of Junior’s experience, as all it took was a bit of coin and a lot of threats to scare the idiot into running back to his home city. To be fair, the waiter got off light compared to what happened to his employer, as once it became clear that his actions were at the behest of the restaurant’s owner, Master Rain had the wealthy bastard brought to ruins through underhanded means. Dosing the restaurant’s water barrels with laxatives was only the beginning, and by the time Master Rain was finished, the owner was teetering on the brink of financial ruin and forced to sell his properties at a pittance. Junior had brokered the sale himself, and when he brought Master Rain in to sign the closing documents, the owner had gone near apoplectic with shock.

Master Rain’s actions seemed a little overboard considering all this fuss was over a snubbed reservation, but Junior was the last person who would want to point it out. A strange man to be sure, forgiving Junior who almost had him killed while ruining a man’s career over a minor insult directed at his family. One thing was for sure: once all was said and done, no merchant, restaurant, or errant noble in the citadel dared disrespect Master Rain’s family, or any of the Bekhai on general principle.

At least until the Justicars arrived.

The soldiers and officers paid little mind to Junior as he carried out his duties, as he’d learned long ago that no one bothered a man who looked like he knew what he was doing. Marching about with feigned purpose, he checked in with his spies under the guise of requesting services or supplies for Master Rain’s camp, a network he’d established so he could better play the role of spymaster. In truth, ‘spy’ was too lofty a title to bestow upon his contacts, for they were merely servants, sentries, tradesmen, and bodyguards he paid for the odd whisper of gossip and the like, usually minor nuggets of information like favoured courtesans or illicit dalliances between feuding families. Very rarely did he ever come across any actionable intelligence, but he passed it all up to Madam Luo and his busywork was enough to convince Master Rain’s competitors and rivals that Junior was his spymaster, an effective and disloyal one at that. Some even believed Junior was the hand guiding Master Rain from the shadows, or at least the contact to his mysterious puppet masters, though no one could quite agree on who those puppet masters might be. Most believed it was Magistrate Tong Da Hai, while others favoured Magistrate Chu Tongzu, or even Marshal Yuzhen and a ‘shadow’ Society working towards overthrowing their human oppressors and ensuring half-beast dominance for millennia to come. One person even accused Junior’s namesake, Sanshu’s Guard Captain Chun Yimu, of being the brains behind Falling Rain and secret inheritor of the Council’s wealth, though in retrospect the fool might’ve just been trying to stoke Junior’s ego.

Regardless of whether his contacts provided truth or fiction, he brought it all back to Madam Luo to parse through alongside the names of a half-dozen Healers in Sinuji who might be amenable to declaring Master Rain unfit for duty. It was more names than he expected, but Healers were always an arrogant bunch, understandable considering how in demand their services were. Even if a Martial Warrior learned to Heal his own injuries, they still had families who might one day need a Healer to soothe what ails them. Still, this was the Imperial Clan they were talking about, but the Healers on Junior’s list had all been heard sympathizing with Master Rain’s plight, and it’s not like they’d have to do much besides attest to the truth: Falling Rain was in no physical condition to be fighting on the front lines.

After informing Madam Luo of all the relevant details regarding Master Rain, Junior hesitated before adding, “One last thing, unrelated to the matters at hand but it may be important. Last night, a small party of six arrived at the rear gate. They gave no names and displayed no crest or insignia, but one of the sentries recognized Mitsue Hideo amongst their number.”

“Relation to the commander?”

“Er, Mitsue Hideo is the commander’s nephew and one of the Hwarang.” Seeing Madam Luo still didn’t understand the relevance, Junior explained, “He was defeated by Dastan during the Imperial Grand conference, and likely holds a grudge as a result. This one believes Mitsue Hideo meant to step in to duel the Defiled after Dastan was felled, but he never got the chance.” All thanks to Dastan’s phenomenal performance, stories of which were already making the rounds in Sinuji. Slave, traitor, or otherwise, the people loved a hero, and Dastan’s humble beginnings and lofty ambitions resonated with many a soldier, but few cared to voice it for fear of retribution from the ruling elite. It was no great secret that Sanshu had been the corrupt jewel of the North for decades now, but Dastan still tried to overthrow its right ruler, and worse, allied with the Defiled to do so, which meant that any supporters of his plight were silent ones, though it didn’t keep them from sharing news of his exploits.

“Mhm.” Obviously not sharing Junior’s concern regarding Hideo, Madam Luo filed the information away in her mind before moving on to more pertinent matters, such as asking for a status update regarding Master Rain. Sadly, Junior had nothing new to share and they could only stand around and wait for battle’s end, which according to Junior’s sources, should soon be at hand. This was in no small part thanks to Major Alsantset’s efforts, running roughshod through the Defiled infantry with her quin-mounted retinue. Say what you will about the glory of melee combat, but Junior would much rather learn the bow and slay his foes from afar.

Not only was it safer, it was also effective. Forget honour and glory, war should be about killing the Enemy as efficiently as possible while minimizing the risk to one’s allies.

Within the hour, they welcomed a bloodied and exhausted Master Rain back to the camp with open arms, or rather, Madam Luo and Madam Mei Lin did so while Junior stood off to one side. Master Rain looked far worse than Junior expected, though not quite as dire as Madam Luo’s gasps would convey, a weary man covered in blood that mostly wasn’t his save for his fingertips which were torn to shreds, no doubt from dragging himself and another man across the battlements. In addition to his customary shaky gait, he now also walked with a limp, favouring his right leg while his left arm hung limply at his side. Worst of all was the formative bruises revealed around his chest and shoulder as Madam Mei Lin helped him remove his armour, a dark, reddish-purple patch visibly spreading as the blood pooled beneath his skin.

So not quite unharmed, but at least Master Rain escaped with minimal injury, which meant Junior had sizable winnings to collect from several bookies, all of which he’d hand over to Mister Rustram to help pay for pensions. Junior got out from the retinue and would no longer be called upon to fight, but others were not so lucky.

Despite having been pardoned for his past crimes, he found it best not to parade himself before people he’d tried to have assassinated, so he stood to one side and kept his mouth shut. Unfortunately, Madam Luo had different ideas in mind and tasked Junior with explaining his idea to go to the Healers, which he did with great reluctance and the utmost speed. “... giving you legal medical reason to return to the Citadel in safety.”

“But Dastan and the others would be left behind. Forget it.”

As Madam Mei Lin predicted, Master Rain refused to use Junior’s ploy to escape without a second thought, but Madam Luo was prepared. Gently scrubbing dried blood from his cheek with a cold towel, Madam Luo all but whimpered, “But Lord Husband, Luo-Luo worries for you so. A single battle and you return to us bloodied and bruised, how are we to sleep knowing you suffer so?” As if the idea just came to her, Madam Luo added, “There can be no harm in asking, and if they refuse, then why not instead ask the Healers to have you classified as a recovering soldier? It would afford you the luxury of hot meals and heated baths. You eat so little these days and will need your strength for the battles ahead, so it couldn’t hurt to take a few liberties, right?”

Many saw Falling Rain as an uneducated fool, but Junior now knew the depths of his Master’s intelligence. Madam Luo was trying to manipulate Master Rain into accepting her course of action by having Junior detail a plan she knew he’d reject before offering a more suitable alternative, but he wasn’t fooled for a second. Master Rain even seemed somewhat disgruntled by the innocent deception, but perhaps that was the way of the Bekhai, where women were strong and direct instead of cunning and manipulative. “No,” Master Rain said, shaking his head. “No hot food, hot baths, bigger tents, or anything which might be construed as preferential treatment. I am a soldier without rank, and I will live like one, lest the Disciplinary Corps find issue with my behaviour.”

“But – ”

“No buts. My decision is final.”

Though Madam Luo pouted and fell silent, Junior felt compelled to say his piece. “With all due respect, Master Rain, you may not be looking at this correctly. While we are all familiar with the details of your health, the Empire is largely ignorant.” Gaining confidence as he spoke, Junior explained, “Although most understand that the loss of a Spiritual Weapon is crippling for Martial Warriors, few truly understand what you are currently going through. All they know is that you’ve been weakened and can no longer use Chi, but the Legate provided you with an elixir to bolster your health, so they think you’re no worse off than a regular citizen. With proper documentation from a Healer, we can spread word of your plight to the public and garner sympathy for your cause. In your circumstances, showing weakness will not be fatal, because you are weak, weaker than most commoners even, which paints the Disciplinary Corps as overzealous bullies seeking to torment an ailing hero of the Empire.”

“...Plus, I’ll get to have hot meals.” Chuckling beneath his breath, Master Rain shook his head and said, “It’s tempting.”

Seizing the opportunity before him, Junior said, “We’ll do everything by the rules. No bribes or promises, just an official appointment with a Healer tomorrow, after the worst have been treated and the Healers have had time to rest. All we need is an official statement from a Healer which describes your state of health, and by this time next week, the people of the Empire will be asking what gives the Disciplinary Corps the right to treat a hero so unjustly.”

“...Okay,” Master Rain said, and Junior rushed away to obey, happy to finally be of help once more.

Honestly, he figured this was the least he could do after trying to have the man killed.

Chapter Meme