Mingzhe had barely been able to force himself out of bed the day after the High Court's announcement. He'd sent word to lock down the Zhao Manor and part of the street that it sat on to protect his family, and then he'd buried himself under the blankets on Eirian's bed and ignored the world for as long as he could stand.
Despite knowing this was coming, despite what should have been a complete lack of surprise, he still felt blindsided.
And betrayed. A short, sharp shock that had turned into an aching chasm in his chest where it felt like it was pushing his heart out of the way. Eirian and Chenzhou had tried to lure him out of bed, but the idea of facing the world, stepping out that door, had made his chest constrict so tight that he stopped being able to breathe, so they left him alone.
He'd made them leave him alone. It was somehow so much worse when they were there, looking concerned and worried and trying to find ways to save him that included far too much risk to themselves for Mingzhe to deal with.
He gave himself one day.
That was it.
The second day, he forced himself out of bed, pretending not to see the relieved look they shared when they thought he wasn't looking. They were less pleased when he announced he was going home, but they'd accepted it after some grumbling. Mingzhe needed to check on his family, worried about how his mother would be taking everything.
Or what she might be doing to try to counter it.
She wasn't even home when he arrived, but Zhiyu confirmed she was up to something, and their father warned them to stay out of her way. It left Mingzhe even more terrified than before.
He didn't want his mother putting her life at risk for his reputation. It wasn't worth that.
Although she might think otherwise.
Zhiyu certainly seemed to think so, since he wanted to string up everyone who said a bad word about his big brother. It took Mingzhe an hour to calm him down and hand him off to his wife, who was far too kind to ever wish anything like that on anyone and was the only person who could talk Zhiyu out of his blood thirsty moods.
His family was a balm, much like Eirian and Chenzhou, and seeing them went a long way to lifting Mingzhe's spirits.
But also to hardening his heart and his determination about what to do next. It was easy enough to find his plainest robes and cloak and slip out one of the back entrances and into the next manor's yard. Because of the way they were lined up alongside and back to back, he made it down most of the street before having to actually set foot on said street.
And by then, he was far enough from his own home that nobody paid any attention to the poor-looking figure. It was mostly luck. Mingzhe was aware of his strengths and weaknesses, and he had little to no experience in spycraft or going unnoticed. The firstborns of noble families rarely did, but it seemed luck was on his side today, and he managed to make his way to the Yang's neighborhood without being noticed.
He was surprised to see the size of the crowd milling about on their street. It made sense they were on his side, since he was the one accused of treason, but the group in front of the Yang Manor was nearly as large and just as loud. A few street vendors had even set up shop.
Mingzhe had to duck down an alley and make his way around most of the street before he found the servant's entrance to the Yang estate. Lady Yang's paranoia meant that there was no way for him to get in undetected, because even it had a constant guard.
He only balked for a moment, but the realization that there was no way he could have gone unnoticed entirely after he'd made it into the manor made it easier.
He took off his hood as he approached the guards, who did an amusing double-take before bowing and opening the door. Their faces gave away nothing but brief surprise, which in itself wasn't surprising. Lady Yang wasn't known for tolerating unprofessionalism, and her forces were some of the most disciplined in the entire Crimson Army.
Mingzhe didn't bother waiting for the Butler after the door closed behind him. He made his way to Hikari's office without running into anyone, which seemed odd in such a busy household, but he wouldn't put it past Lady Yang to lock everyone she didn't completely trust down.
….
Which meant literally everyone.
The manor was the quietest he'd ever heard it, even Hikari was barely making a sound in his office. At least until Mingzhe stepped inside.
His old friend lit up at the sight of him, and Mingzhe's stomach churned, but he managed to push the feeling aside. "Hikari."
"Mingzhe!" The other man hurried around his desk, abandoning his paperwork to throw his arms around Mingzhe in a tight hug. "I'm sorry, mother didn't warn me, so I couldn't give you a heads up."
But not try to stop her, Mingzhe thought bitterly. He hid it behind a weak smile. "Defeats the purpose to go around warning everyone, doesn't it?"
Hikari nodded, then frowned so deeply that lines appeared around his mouth and between his eyes. "To be honest, I thought Lord Ye would warn you." He didn't sound pleased that Chenzhou hadn't, which seemed like the height of irony at the moment.
Mingzhe frowned. "You know that's against the law. You can think whatever you like of Chenzhou, I can't stop you, but he would never disrespect the law and this estate like that."
Abashed, Hikari ducked his head. "Of course, you're right. I shouldn't have said that. I don't know why I even said it." He sighed, and Mingzhe was struck by how childlike he could be at times.
~ tbc