Slap. In the county office of Yan Town, Xue Feiyan slammed a ledger shut. It was the tenth cooked book he'd seen that day.
Ling Yan looked up from the accounts she was reviewing, a sigh escaping her lips. It was no wonder he was so angry. They had been at it for days, pulling records from three years back. And they all showed the same thing: deficits. Nothing but deficits.
In the past three years, Yan Town had had two county officials. The current one had only been in office for four months. And, unsurprisingly, his books showed only one thing: a deficit.
"These corrupt parasites," Xue Feiyan snarled, slamming his palm on the table and rising to his feet.
Ling Yan flinched. He was already heading for the door.
"Where are you going, my lord?"
"To the Chen estate." His eyes were cold with a killing intent. The Chens were the most powerful family in Yan Town. The current patriarch, Chen Wei, was a former Minister of Appointments, with protégés all across the court. And in this flood, their lands—and theirs alone—had been spared, thanks to their remarkably sturdy dikes.
"The Chen estate?" she repeated, already guessing his intent. "They may have grain, but to go and take it by force… my lord, is that wise?"
"By force?" He let out a sudden, humorless laugh. "Do I look like a bandit?"
She was speechless. The way he had thrown down the ledger and stormed off… it had indeed looked like he was about to go plunder their granary. But then she thought again, and laughed at her own foolishness.
He was the Seventh Prince. He could compel them with his title alone. And even if he couldn't, would he really risk the Emperor's wrath for the lives of a few commoners?
"This subordinate misspoke." She bowed her head.
He smiled faintly. "If I weren't constrained by this title, the Chen family's grain would already be gone."
At that, her brow twitched. She stared at him.
"What, you don't believe me?"
She gave a small, almost unconscious nod. When she looked up, he was smiling at her.
"Let's go. If we're going to borrow grain, we'll need some leverage."
It wasn't until they were standing on the banks of the Wei River that Ling Yan understood what he meant by 'leverage'.
All along the river, the dikes had been washed away. All except for one stretch of land. It was situated on high ground, and its dikes were remarkably strong, having survived the flood almost entirely unscathed. A group of men stood on top of it, shivering in the cold wind that swept off the floodwaters. They had clearly been waiting for some time.
"Sorry to keep you," Xue Feiyan said, strolling down from a high slope, his eyes on the path as if his polite apology had been spoken by someone else.
"Not at all, not at all! Your Highness has graced us with your presence. Forgive us for not welcoming you sooner," a man in fine silks said, rushing forward with a fawning smile.
Xue Feiyan stopped before him. "Yes," he said thoughtfully. "A crime of negligence. A difficult one to forgive. I'll have to think on it."
The man froze, glancing back at an old man supported by a retinue of sons and grandsons. The old man, trembling, walked forward and was about to kneel.
"Don't," Xue Feiyan said, stopping him with a hand. "Those knees bear the weight of thousands of lives, Minister Chen. I couldn't possibly bear it."
A silent, uneasy glance passed between the men. Anyone could see the prince was furious. But no one, not even Chen Wei, a man who had served as the Minister of Appointments under two emperors, knew why.
"Ling Yan, how are the crops in the field behind us?" he asked.
She squinted at the distant fields. "They are growing well, my lord."
"Oh, good." He nodded, satisfied, then turned back to Chen Wei. "Are these your lands, Minister Chen?"
"They are," the old man trembled.
"I heard you were a man of integrity. I'm surprised you own such a vast estate."
"Well… Your Highness, in years of good harvest, the people of Yan Town cultivated much wasteland. The price of land was quite low." Chen Wei had a bad feeling about this prince.
"Ah, I see," Xue Feiyan nodded. He glanced at the floodwaters ravaging the fields in the distance. "A fine piece of land like this. I wonder how much it cost you?"
A cold sweat broke out on every man present. It was clear now. He had come for the Chen family.
But Chen Wei was a veteran of the court. He answered without hesitation. "If Your Highness is fond of it, please, accept it as a humble gift from this old man."
Ling Yan's lip curled in a sneer. The old fox. He knew of the rivalry between the princes. To offer the prince a piece of land, a symbol of territory and power—it was a tacit pledge of support. The backing of a man like Chen Wei, with his web of influence, was not to be underestimated.
Xue Feiyan was noncommittal. His gaze fell to the dike. "Who built this?"
"Ah, that was built last year, with funds from the court and donations from the people," a young boy of about fourteen chimed in from behind Chen Wei.
"Insolent boy! How dare you speak in the presence of His Highness?" Chen Wei snapped.
"It's fine," Xue Feiyan said with a smile, his eyes on the boy. "Is this your grandson, Minister Chen?"
"A worthless boy, a disgrace to the family." Chen Wei's smile was a mess of wrinkles.
"Not at all. But there is one thing I find very strange."
"Please, enlighten us, Your Highness."
"These dikes were all built at the same time. Why is it that this section is so much stronger than the rest?" He led them to the edge, pointing at the collapsed mounds of earth that were once the other dikes.
"Trouble! There's trouble!" a man yelled, running toward them. He tripped on the young boy's foot.
The boy stumbled forward, right into Xue Feiyan.
They were standing at the very edge of the dike. The impact sent Xue Feiyan staggering.
"My lord, be careful!" Ling Yan moved like lightning, grabbing his hand to steady him. But as she turned, she saw a brocade box fly from his sleeve, landing in the churning water below.
She frowned. It was the violet-gold pin he had intended to give to Deng Qinyu.
"Your Highness, are you alright?" the boy stammered, pale with fright.
A black-clad figure flashed past. Xue Feiyan felt his hand go empty. Ling Yan was already in the air, using a tree at the edge of the dike as a foothold, launching herself toward the box.
"Ling Yan!" he cried out. In such a torrent, a single misstep could be fatal.
"What is it? What's the trouble?" Chen Wei yelled at the man who had caused the commotion.
"The… the refugees! They're at the Chen estate, rioting! They're stealing grain!"
"What?" Chen Wei's vision went black.
Xue Feiyan ignored the chaos, his eyes fixed on the black figure who had landed on a lone, half-submerged tree, clutching the waterlogged box in one hand.
"Ling Yan," he whispered.
The current grew stronger. The trees she had used as footholds were already being torn from the earth. A wave of panic hit her, and her grip on the trunk tightened.
She took a breath, planned her route, and leaped.
Xue Feiyan's palms were slick with sweat. He wanted to fly to her, to pull that small figure into his arms and shield her from the water. That foolish girl. Risking her life for such a worthless trinket.
A sharp cry from the water. Xue Feiyan sucked in a breath. His body moved before his mind could think.
He was in the air.
He caught her hand as she struggled in the water and pulled her into his arms. With no foothold, he let the current take them both.
"Ling Yan." He looked down at her pale, spluttering face, and his heart clenched. Then, a strange calm washed over him.
If this is my fate, he thought, then I will follow you to the end.