'If Tao had simply done what he was told years ago...' he ranted.

'What was the price for the August Emperor's head?'

'No price. I called the order on that b.a.s.t.a.r.d.'

'Emperor Li Ming was a good man.' Even after his death, she felt the need to defend her protector. Especially against this goat.

'Warmonger with the head of a baboon!' Lao Sou slapped his palm against the table. 'He would have brought the empire into one battle after another until it fell into ruin. If he had fallen at Shibao, Emperor Shen would have taken the throne fifteen years earlier.'

She realised then that Lao Sou had once operated in the inner court. Perhaps before the reign of the August Emperor. He could be a minister or a general. It was the only way a secret clan could gain such influence.

Boldly, she took a step closer, loud enough that he knew exactly where she stood. She wasn't afraid. She was tired of being careful.

'Li Tao described you as a cold, calculating mastermind. I see a bitter old man, buckling under the weight of time. You're angry because Li Tao wouldn't grovel before you after all these years. Even if he did, you wouldn't have the satisfaction of seeing it.'

The room fell silent. Lao Sou stopped with a huff of breath. He pointed a wrinkled finger at her accusingly. 'I was always told that Ling Guifei was charming and sweet-tempered.'

'Whoever told you that?'

'Plant more flowers than thorns, they say.'

'Why should I be flowers and perfume when you deal in knives and poison?' she demanded.

He grunted and struck his hand against the table top. Then, to her surprise, he chuckled. He turned and found his seat, sitting back with his hands propped upon his knees. It seemed their altercation had drained the bile out of him.

'She-demon,' he remarked with an inexplicable amount of glee. 'No wonder Li Tao is so smitten with you.'

Chapter Twenty-One.

Imperial Palace-AD 746

13 years earlier

'These men owe me a debt of blood.' The August Emperor pushed a scroll across the desk to Li Tao, then slid his dragon ring beside the edict. The ruby eye sparked red against the dark wood.

'Take the LongWu Guard.'

The Emperor's elite guard was recruited from amongst the aristocratic families of the empire and he, a commoner, a b.a.s.t.a.r.d of low birth, was to lead them on a mission of revenge.

Li Tao turned the ring over in his palm. 'As the Emperor commands.'

He slipped the ring on to his finger and lifted the scroll to search the characters. Men of t.i.tle and rank. Some of them within the first order, closest to the Emperor. There were close to a hundred names.

'The Empress was carrying my son.' The Emperor's voice faltered, but his next words were spoken with steel-cut clarity. 'I intend to settle the debt in this lifetime.'

Li Tao nodded and rolled the edges of the scroll closed. There would be no stalking in the shadows this time. The Emperor had issued a public decree that these men were already dead. He simply needed to hunt them down and deal the final blow. The Emperor's hands would remain clean.

Perhaps Li Ming had known what he was all along: a killer. A man with a knife.

The message came to him in the middle of the night. Li Tao was stationed in the fortress tower at Chengdu, overlooking the Jin River, and he'd been far from asleep. It was less than a day since he'd left Suyin in the hands of his enemy.

The walls of the Chengdu made it suitable for a siege. Throughout the province, he had regiments in reserve. Key points along the bank were fortified. His army was ready. But now there was another urgent message. Another clandestine meeting, but not with Gao.

Li Tao crossed the river with a small escort. They used lanterns to light their way in the darkness. A tent had been raised on the far side of the sh.o.r.e and was guarded by only a handful of soldiers. The camp was marked by torches. Everything had the mark of such haste that Li Tao suspected an ambush at first. He dismissed the possibility as he a.s.sessed the banner that flew over the meeting area.

He was surprised, he had to admit. Very surprised.

The soldiers at the entrance bowed and pulled the canvas aside to admit him. A table had been set up inside. The young man seated behind it looked more worn than he, if that was possible.

'You are lucky my archers recognised the imperial insignia,' Li Tao said. 'You might have been shot on sight.'

'I don't believe that, given your reputation for discipline.'

He would have recognised Tai Yang from his voice and speech alone. The Emperor's middle son had the characteristic high cheekbones and serious, deep-set eyes of the Shen family. When Li Tao had first encountered Shen Tai Yang, he'd received a commission in the Emperor's LongWu Guard due to his name. It was an ill.u.s.trious name to live up to.

Now he was a prince.

Tai Yang gestured for him to sit and poured a perfunctory cup of wine for each of them.

'You are a difficult man to defend, Governor Li.' The younger man drank his wine before setting the cup down with agitation.

That amused Li Tao, for reasons he didn't understand. 'I've heard a similar sentiment expressed recently.'

'How many summons did my father send you?'

'Three.'

'You're a b.a.s.t.a.r.d, Li.'

Tai Yang had picked up some fire in the year since Li Tao had last seen him. Shen's middle son was known for maintaining a calm head in the worst of conditions.

'Circ.u.mstances were not favourable for me in Changan, as the prince can understand.'

'Drink your wine,' Tai Yang muttered.

He complied. The small act of civility seemed to calm the younger Shen considerably.

Tai Yang smoothed a hand over the front of his robe to right himself. 'Have you spoken to Gao?'

'Tomorrow.'

Tai Yang let out a breath of relief. 'I nearly killed that horse to get here in time. I told my father that you would never ally yourself with that old wolf. We believe there must be some reason for your actions, as questionable as they seem.'

'Is that why you've been marching an army of thousands toward these borders?'

The prince tensed, then reached to pour more wine as a distraction. 'If my father wanted to have you defeated, he would have sent one of my brothers.'

They faced off across the table, the threat wisping between them like fog, not yet solid and real. The Emperor's two elder sons were formidable warlords in their own right. Their regional armies held the northern part of the empire. It was the combined forces of the Shen family that allowed them to emerge as the dominant power after Emperor Li had died without a successor. Rival warlords accused Shen of seizing the throne, while they crouched in their fortresses, hoping to do the same.

'I came here to negotiate with you, Li Tao.'

'Despite my many offences?'

If Shen's son had arrived sooner, before Suyin had been captured, then there might have been some hope.

'The Emperor wants the same thing as you. Gao only wants disorder so he can feed off it. Swear loyalty to my father, Governor Li. Others will follow your lead.'

'Not all.'

'We know this. We understand that Gao has been building up his forces. The other warlords will declare their alliances openly. Division is unavoidable now.'

The prince had served in the imperial army as had all of Shen's sons, but Tai Yang usually much more conservative in his actions. It was a surprise that he'd ridden into the centre of the brewing battle so unprotected. It seemed now was the time for bold gestures. Nothing else would suffice.

'The Emperor is prepared to denounce Gao?' Li Tao asked.

Tai Yang shifted uncomfortably. 'If he has to.'

Gao was too powerful. Emperor Shen had to acknowledge his influence to a point. It had held Shen back from acting sooner.

'What if charges could be brought against Gao?' Li Tao thought of all Suyin had confessed. He didn't like using her like this, but perhaps it was the only way to fight the old warlord.

'What sort of charges?'

'Murder. Treason.'

Tai Yang straightened with interest, but his frown deepened. 'We need your loyalty first, Governor Li. Unconditionally,' he added.

That was the twist of the knife. Shen wanted him under his command.

'You only need my army.'

'We need you,' the prince insisted.

Tai Yang's proposal brought up new possibilities, but none that could save him. In order to free Suyin, he had to kill Gao. By tomorrow night, he and Gao would be gone. The struggle for balance and power would have to continue without them. His army would need strong leadership or it would fall to ruin.

The hour was late and the sense of inevitability was closing in on him. 'So Emperor Shen finally understands that peace is impossible. Between Gao and me, he's chosen me as the less dangerous enemy.'

'You were never our enemy. I never believed you had anything to do with my brother's death.'

'Your sister thought differently.'

The prince shook his head wearily. 'That was a mess.'

'Are you saying that to be diplomatic?'

'I'm saying that because it was a mess. We should be family by now.'

Li Tao thought back on the past year, on the failed betrothal and the missed opportunities as he and Emperor Shen had tried to preserve the balance of power in their own way.

'You cannot force an alliance where there is no affinity between the two parties,' Li Tao replied.

'My father should have listened to you. I should have as well, but no one wanted to believe that the empire would break apart.'

They remained silent for several beats, as if in mourning. Tai Yang regarded him thoughtfully. It occurred to Li Tao that someone had to have been his advocate within the capital. A quieter voice to counter Gao's strident one.

'Tell me what you have against Gao,' Tai Yang said finally.

'No matter now. You won't need it.'

Li Tao straightened and rose from his seat. He thought of Suyin and their failed attempt to go to the Emperor directly. She knew enough to expose Gao, but only if Shen was ready to denounce him. Gao had foreseen this possibility and tried to have her killed to remove the threat.

It was down to timing and missed opportunities. If they had succeeded in reaching Changan, or if Tai Yang had come before he'd sent Suyin away... It was useless to think that way. There was only one solution left to him.

'I regret not being able to speak with your father,' Li Tao said. 'But you are a worthy amba.s.sador.'

'As Emperor, my father can't meet with you directly-'

'Until it's clear where I stand. I know.'

'Governor Li.'

He stopped out of respect. Tai Yang had taken a great burden on to his shoulders for someone so young.

'If you are seen negotiating with Gao, it will be difficult for anyone to defend you,' the young man warned.

Li Tao allowed a cold smile. 'I won't be negotiating with him.'

The prince's eyes widened with understanding. 'Governor Li, wait-'

'You'll have my answer tomorrow.'

He slipped from the tent and Tai Yang didn't call after him. Outward appearances were still important. The imperial army was here to secure his allegiance or take him down, whatever was necessary.