Nao-Zai fought the urge to yawn for the nth time. He rubbed the sleep off his eyes, turning this way and that to see that all the red and green robed men had flooded the throne hall early in the morning. All of them, with their wiry, graying beards and tall headdresses, whispered to one another as to why the Emperor called for an assembly before the sun was even out.

He glanced at the sunrise still happening from the wide doors of the throne hall. The bump of headdresses and the noise of hushed chatter distracted him from enjoying it further. He rested his hand on the hilt of his djeng-gi, one that was given by the palace and something he still needed to get used to wielding.

It's not just the red-robed advisers and Ministers, the green-robed eunuchs, and the scholars dressed in varied and colorful assortment of fenhais. Most of the head court ladies were towards the back of the hall, closer to the door, along with some stern-looking soldiers both in red and blue.

Nao-Zai glanced at himself. He didn't look out of place with how he showed up without his armor. He took care in making sure the long feather at the top of his hat and the beads hanging down the brim of his hat were in place before he left his office. So why did still feel like he didn't really belong here?

His gaze brushed across Chi-Sae, who stood with her hands tucked inside her wide sleeves. Standing beside a soldier standing at his full height, their difference couldn't be more obvious. Nao-Zai, himself, stood probably a head shorter than the guy but Chi-Sae only reached his shoulder. Still, analyzing her stance and at how her eyes darted from one point to another in such a methodical and efficient way, she's—

"Pay respect to the Imperial Majesty, the Emperor of the Xuijae Empire," bellowed a voice from the steps of the raised set of thrones. As everyone around him dropped to their knees and pressed their foreheads against hands splayed on the ground and crossed at the knuckles, a resplendent swish of teal robes and dark boots sped by in Nao-Zai's periphery. By the time the Emperor settled on the biggest throne in the middle, the whole assembly had already straightened up and now clutched their hands in front of them, waiting for him to speak.

"I thank you all for your presence today," the Emperor began. Judging from the confused expressions painting the Ministers' faces, it was outside the usual repertoire. "But I must disclose this news to all of you."

Silence permeated the next beats. The Emperor took a breath before saying, "The Jungro-Pyeong clan has made their move and are now advancing towards Dangrao," he said. "I imagine they're nearing the last ring of towns surrounding the Imperial City if they didn't rest for the night."

Murmurs filled the room, a greater degree now than when the Emperor wasn't present. The Emperor raised a hand and all of the voices died like fire doused with water. "I am saying this to you to not induce panic but to inform you of what's going to happen in the next few weeks. Months, even, if the clan is persistent. I have called the Imperial Generals here to relay my next instructions. All of you, pay attention."

The Emperor nodded at the tall man beside Chi-Sae and he peeled away from the crowd facing each other. Only the sound of his steps thumping against the wooden floorboards could be heard for the next few seconds. He ducked his head at the Emperor once more when he reached the spot a few steps away from the throne.

"Commander, I trust you know how to man the crenelations, rotate the platoons, and conduct evacuation?" the Emperor asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty," said the Imperial Commander. He wore red just like Nao-Zai but it seemed like he had the higher rank. Fancier, too. "I will have my men prepare for the siege afterwards. Evacuation can start now as soon as I give the word. We have secured bunkers and several ways out of the city and into various parts of Dangrao. How many men can we spare for the Imperial City's defense?"

The Emperor glanced at the one who announced his arrival. The eunuch, dressed in a green robe darker than the rest, fumbled with the scrolls in his arms before succeeding in passing one to the Emperor. With not much of an elegant swish, the Emperor opened the scroll and skimmed through it. Then, he handed it to the Commander who stepped closer and received it with an arm tucked to his stomach and a brief nod.

He opened the scroll and proceeded to read its contents. After a period of calm, the commander let the scroll naturally roll shut before closing his fingers around it. "I believe we will only need a thousand warriors to stay. Shall I bring in the djang-di-gai too?"

It's another one of those Dangrao slang. Nao-Zai assumed it meant the juniors or the recently-enlisted soldiers. The Emperor bobbed his head. "Do what you believe is best," he said. "I want most of the servants and their families out of the palace as soon as possible."

He turned to the Ministers, advisers, and the eunuchs. Nao-Zai noticed the abundance of frowns too. "Do any of you disagree with my decision?" the Emperor prompted. He seemed to be quick enough to notice those slight shifts in expressions too. "Speak now so I may see what punishment I can give."

Immediately, the frowns straightened into passive stares. "We stand by your decision, Your Majesty," the middle-aged man standing in front of the file nearest the throne said. He seemed to be one of the higher people amongst the red robes. "Forgive us if we showed any indication that we are not."

Satisfied, the Emperor hummed and turned back to the Commander. "Make arrangements with the nearby towns. They must be ready to receive and protect any resident of the Imperial City."

"Yes, Your Majesty," the Commander said before bowing once more to the Emperor and returning to his place beside Chi-Sae. The court lady made no move to acknowledge the man but from what Nao-Zai had seen, she glanced at him from time to time. Jealous? Or perhaps...smitten?

"As for the rest of you, know that you are called here because you have been included in my most trusted circle," the Emperor said. Nao-Zai knitted his eyebrows. Did that mean there were other members of the assembly that weren't here today? Which ones, though? It's almost impossible to keep track when he was seeing most of these people for the first time. The Imperial City, after all, was a huge place.

The Emperor's gaze on the assembly hardened. "Be careful of who you meet and talk to inside the palace. The Jungro-Pyeong clan are already inside, seeing through our movements and sending them out to the attacking force," he said. "Imperial Commander, make sure to round these traitors up at the end of the day. I want them gone."

The Commander stepped out of line and ducked his head once more. He didn't move to the front again, though. "How do we sniff them out, if I may ask, Your Majesty?" he said. His hands rested on the hilt of his sword the same way Nao-Zai did. Weird.

"Look for the silver pin with the dragon's head," the Emperor answered. "Most of their spies are junior court ladies who didn't know how to navigate Imperial City politics just yet. Some eunuchs and scholars have been swayed too. You can tell them apart by the dragon head stone in their hats."

Nao-Zai knitted his eyebrows. Dragon head? Silver? It seemed familiar.

Something clicked. Of course. That court lady he once talked to, the one who couldn't seem to answer in straight sentences. She had been toying with a pin. A silver pin. One with a dragon's head. He had thought it strange, a junior court lady owning hair accessories fit for the woman in the Inner Court. Now, it proved his intuitions had been right. That girl had been recruited by the Jungro-Pyeong clan.

Wait. But why did that clan sound familiar now? He racked his mind as the Emperor's instructions on how to conduct searches and raids to each of the palaces' courts. Jungro-Pyeong clan. He had heard it somewhere...

From a long time ago.

Jungro. Jungro-Pyeong.

Pyeong.

A small gasp flitted out of Nao-Zai's lips, earning a look of disdain from one of the soldiers beside him. He swore he heard "amateur" muttered through the pauses in the chatter around them. He paid it no mind, though. His thoughts were onto something.

The Jungro-Pyeong clan. They're notorious for intermarrying into different clans, mostly the ones who have been considered ruling clans or even those who maintained a bit of power, wealth, or influence in Dangrao. And every time they do, they always choose family names with their brand in front. That's why there were a lot of Pyeong-somethings, especially in the Northern part of Xuijae.

They're so scattered it's almost impossible to say there was a clan at all, but over the years, they've managed to not only keep it going but to make it grow. And now, they're on the verge to lay a siege on the Imperial City itself.

What gave them the courage? What wealth and power enabled them?

"Lastly, expect that the Yomaura forces are going against us this time," the Emperor revealed. Nao-Zai's mind snapped away from his thoughts when he heard a mention of the fortress he had grown up in. "Pyeongjeon Jang-Ho has managed to get its leader, Kangchae Jin-Ai, to relinquish control over the fortress and its resources. They are against us now."

"Where's my uncle?" Nao-Zai blurted, much to the shock of everyone in the room. The gasps and wide eyes were enough proof that he had spoken out of control. "Why would he do that? The Fortress was the pride of our clan. He would never give it to Jang-Ho."

The Emperor regarded him with not a shred of offense in his demeanor. Only a grim frown decorated his face. "And yet he did," he said. "Since you've already spoken out of turn, why not tell us about Yomaura's forces so we can better prepare for it?"

Nao-Zai gulped against the forming lump in his throat. Why had he felt the need to speak up anyway? Jin-Ai should be the last person he cared about. But still...the man raised him as his own child. That counted for something, right?

A recent memory flashed in Nao-Zai's mind. His uncle's empty room. Jin-Ai saying the reason for his things vanishing is for "insurance". Nao-Zai seeing a familiar trinket in the random room in the Wind Palace that had once belonged there.

What could have been the threat Jang-Ho had on his uncle to force his hand like that? Why would his uncle suddenly send Nao-Zai off? He recalled his uncle to be in some sort of a hurry to get rid of him. Was that someone connected to all this?

And was that what Jang-Ho was doing? Was he using Nao-Zai's uncle's collections to buy off allies inside the Imperial Palace?

"Paekdora?" the Emperor's voice speared through Nao-Zai's mind, jarring him back to reality.

Nao-Zai blinked, the last traces of his train of thought vanishing into thin air. "Forgive me, Your Majesty," he ducked his head. Could it stay that way forever? This is shameful. "What do you wish to know about the fortress?"

The Emperor nodded to the Commander who stood in the opposite horde from Nao-Zai's place. He stepped forward once more, prompting Nao-Zai to do the same. It's all formality and tradition. Was this why Kai-Se hated palace life? It's so stiff—and that's coming from him, a soldier through and through.

"Who are the warriors we need to be wary of?" The Commander trained his eyes on Nao-Zai. He was petty enough to meet the Commander's gaze and never show he's actually thinking of bolting out of the room. "Which ones do we need to watch out for?"

Nao-Zai glanced at the Emperor before facing the Commander again. "That'll be Chiang Zhi-Xen," he answered. "When you see her on the battlefield, send in your best warrior. She won't be an easy kill."

A rugged laugh rang from the Commander. "A woman? Surely, you are not serious," he said. "Why would a woman be better than us?"

"Because she can probably separate that idiotic head of yours from your shoulders," Nao-Zai snapped earning a few more gasps from the crowd. For some reason, annoyance pricked at the back of Nao-Zai's head. And he wasn't even Zhi-Xen. Or a woman. Was this how they felt all the time?

The Commander stopped laughing. As he should. Zhi-Xen wasn't someone to be taken lightly. "Let me guess. Not a lot of people survive her sword or some crap like that," he said. Weren't they still in the throne hall? Why was this moron allowed to speak like this? In front of the Emperor, no less?

"Something like that, yeah," Nao-Zai shrugged. "I am not pulling your leg, Commander. You did ask for my opinion. I suggest you honor it."

"What, you fought her before?" the Commander said.

Nao-Zai dared to smirk at him. "Yes," he said. "And I'm the only one who could force her into a stalemate. So you better not piss me off, djang-di."

One of the Ministers covered his mouth and some of the eunuchs were ducking their heads to hide their smiles and giggles. Whoever this Commander was, he didn't seem like a popular candidate among his colleagues.

"That's enough childish banter," the Emperor said, raising a hand for order. The smiles vanished like lightning. "Paekdora Nao-Zai, stay back after this assembly. I have a different task for you."

"Understood, Your Majesty," Nap-Zai said, ducking his head at the Emperor before falling back to his file. The Commander did the same.

One of the Ministers coughed and sniffed. "If I may ask, Your Majesty," he said. "What was the reason the Jungro-Pyeong clan did not agree with the Empire and wished to topple it?"

The Emperor glanced at the Minister then turned his gaze back to the whole assembly again. "They believe we are conspiring with shamans and peddling dangerous magic to our citizens," he said. Another chorus of gasps. "They are inclined to think our attempt at partnering with Dansarun for trade was an act against the interest of the Xuijae Empire and the Ancestral Treaty."

Nao-Zai frowned. A lot of things he didn't understand there, but one thing was for sure. The Jungro-Pyeong clan wasn't exactly wrong. The Imperial City, or at least, the Emperor's immediate family had been dealing with magic for a while now. What would happen to Kai-Se once the enemy clan got a hold of him? Was he their target all along? Was that why Kai-Se felt the need to hide his sickness for as long as possible? Why was magic even outlawed in Xuijae?

Kai-Se...would he be alright when the siege happened? Was he going to be carted off during the evacuation too? How would he deal with this whole storm while dealing with another on his own?

The Emperor opened his mouth to say something more when a set of heavy footsteps thundered into the throne hall. A breathless soldier with a red fenhai doubled over and braced his knees with his hands. "Your Majesty," he panted. "Something happened to the Crown Prince. We tried everything but—"

Nao-Zai didn't wait for the soldier to finish. He was out of the room before Kai-Se's title even left the soldier's mouth.