The next day, Yuelan was sitting on a patch of grass by her koi pond with a book in her lap, a bowl of fish food in her hand and staring at the fish as they swam around with a glazed look in her eyes as she let her mind wander. Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention and snapped her from her reverie and she turned to see a man in dark clothes kneeling beside her, the lower half of his face covered in a black, cloth mask.

“Master...I am Shadow,” he said in a low voice that sounded rather scratchy from not being used often. “His Highness the third prince asked me to pass a message to you that the matter of your attempted kidnapping is settled and you can set your mind at ease. It was another kingdom responsible for the crime and they will be dealt with appropriately by His Majesty the Emperor.”

Yuelan nodded. “Guangfeng mentioned a few days ago that he was leaving you with me to protect me. Why are you only appearing now?”

Shadow gave a shrug. “There was no reason to appear. It is my job to protect you from the shadows. I will not interfere with anything you do. As a hidden guard, it’s best if no one is able to sense my presence. Should you require anything, you need only call my name and I will appear.”

The response made Yuelan’s mouth twitch toward an amused smile. It was like he was a character from an ancient period drama back in Kilin. She wondered how he would feel about watching those dramas…

“I see.” Yuelan pushed the senseless thoughts away and nodded. “Thank you for informing me of the situation, but remember not to report to the third prince about my activities. Spying for me is acceptable. Spying on me is not.”

Shadow bowed his head. “Yes master. I will make sure there are no spies in your residence.”

Yuelan was about to turn her attention back to the fish in the pond when she spotted Chung Soo hurrying toward her and she sighed. Now that Granny Bing Mei was satisfied with Yuelan’s etiquette and didn’t need to pester her with lessons every day Chung Soo had taken over bothering her about checking over the manor’s books and other responsibilities she honestly didn’t want to deal with.

The steward stopped in front of Yuelan and bowed. “My lady, you’ve received a request from His Highness the second prince inviting you for tea at Crescent Moon Teahouse this afternoon,” he informed her. “How shall I respond?”

“Accept it,” Yuelan answered. She threw out a handful of fish food into the pond, picked up her book, and got to her feet. “I will meet him there.” She didn’t want to end up stuck in a carriage with a prince who bored her again, so she decided it would be best to go separately.

“Yes, my lady.” Chung Soo saluted again and headed back toward the front of the residence.

Yuelan handed the fish food to one of the male servants who tended the garden and the book to Laurel then stretched her arms up above her head and yawned. “Camphor, Laurel, I think you two should come with me this time,” she decided. “Unless you’re busy handling the accounts, Camphor?”

Camphor smiled and shook her head. “I’ve already finished settling the accounts from Miss’ businesses. They were handed to Miss in good order, so it didn’t take much time and effort.”

“Good.” Yuelan put her arms down and gazed over toward the front of the residence. “I don’t suppose there’s been any word from Long He yet, is there?”

“No, Miss. As soon as we hear anything we’ll be sure to inform you,” Willow assured her. “Please don’t worry.”

Yuelan sighed and started walking to her courtyard. “I suppose I should go get ready to meet with the second prince...I’ve heard what the first prince and Guangfeng are after, so he needs a chance to voice his opinions as well.”

The three maids didn’t reply, but they looked at each other and smiled a little as they took note of the difference in how their mistress addressed the princes.

***

Yuelan was dressed in shades of green as she stepped into the Crescent Moon Teahouse and looked around. She waited while Camphor stepped forward and spoke with the employee that approached them in quiet voices. The employee gave a respectful salute and led the way to a private room.

When the door to the private room opened Yuelan saw the second prince rise and give her a slight salute. “Miss Long,” he greeted. “Welcome.”

Yuelan gave the prince a salute in return after she stepped past the doorway and into the room. “Your Highness Prince Guanghong,” she returned. “Thank you for the invitation.”

The prince gestured to an empty seat as he sat down. “Please, sit.”

“I take it that today is your turn to request my company?” Yuelan asked as she sat down.

“Ah, so you’ve heard about that,” the second prince replied, looking a bit amused. “Frankly, I find it a bit silly, but I suppose it’s our own fault for causing you to fall ill. Father Emperor doesn’t want you tired out again.”

“Mm…” Yuelan watched as the second prince started preparing the tea and an employee came in to set out some sweets. She studied the options and noticed that they were all things she had requested previously, either at Red Orchid Teahouse or at her residence and her lips twitched. “It seems that there are people spying on me…”

“Forgive me. I took the liberty of inquiring about your taste in food in an effort to make you more comfortable,” the second prince explained.

Yuelan shrugged. “It’s fine. It’s only food I like to eat, so it’s not as though it’s secret.” She picked up a pastry and took a bite. “How are the days organized among you and your brothers?”

“Well, fourth brother said he isn’t interested in the crown and doesn’t need a day for getting to know you, fifth brother voluntarily pulled out of the running as well due to his condition and father didn’t feel it would be appropriate for sixth brother to be forced to try to compete, so first brother, third brother, and I each have two days in the week where we are allowed to request to see you and one day that is left for you to do as you please. We cannot make requests to see you, but of course none of us are required to object if you request to see us,” Prince Guanghong explained. “Yesterday was eldest brother’s day, tomorrow is third brother’s. The day after will be eldest brother’s again. We just rotate in order, is all.” The prince shrugged his shoulders and passed a teacup to Yuelan. “I hope you like the tea. It’s a special blend of herbs that is supposed to help maintain a person’s beauty.”

Yuelan took the teacup and lifted it to her lips for a sip. The tea had a good flavor and aroma to it and she smiled as she set it down. “It must be quite popular with women then. It has a good taste and beneficial effects.”

Prince Guanghong smiled. “I’m glad you like it, Miss Long. It’s a blend I came up with personally. All of the teas here in this teahouse are.”

“This teahouse is in the middle of the capital though. Are you envious of the Red Orchid Teahouse I recently acquired? As well as its mountain?”

“A bit,” the prince admitted honestly. “I do have a tea farm of my own, though. It’s a little farther from the city, but produces good quality tea. And third brother was always generous enough to allow me a limited supply of the tea leaves from his mountain for my personal use.”

Yuelan nodded and took another sip of tea. “I have some questions for you. I’ve already asked the first and third princes the same questions, so now it’s your turn to voice your thoughts.”

The prince gave her a serious look and nodded. “Third brother hinted as much,” he replied. “Please feel free to ask your questions and I will answer as honestly as I can.”

“Why do you wish to become crown prince?” she asked, getting right to the point.

“Third brother seemed to have no interest prior to the last few days and I don’t want my eldest brother to obtain the position,” he explained. “The empress is...someone to be wary of. Her son enjoys power largely because of her. If he became the emperor then his mother would be the empress dowager and even if he thought he was the one making the decisions it would really be her. I don’t think that is what would be best for the empire or its citizens.”

Yuelan nodded and took a bite of her pastry as the prince took a sip of his tea. “What will you do now that the third prince is taking interest?” The question she wanted to ask was probably not one that could be asked anywhere there could be people you didn’t trust to keep a secret. Speaking ill of the empress was probably punishable by death. Or so Yuelan remembered from period dramas.

Prince Guanghong smiled and leaned back in his seat. “See how things go for the moment and, if my third brother seems capable, likely withdraw,” he admitted. “You’re a lovely woman, but there is someone else I’m interested in. While my mother is the consort with the highest ranking next to the empress, it will still be a very dangerous battle and I don’t wish for that girl to be involved in it.”

“And if you withdraw you’d choose to support your third brother?”

He nodded. “Third brother has been playing around, but that doesn’t mean that I haven’t seen what happens when he gets serious about something. If he’s truly serious about becoming the emperor then it would be in my best interest to support him rather than compete with him.”

Yuelan nodded and took a sip of her tea. Her mind became lost in thought, but the second prince didn’t seem to mind and just watched the serious and thoughtful expression on her face in silence for a while.

Both teacups were nearly empty when Yuelan finally came out of her thoughts. She smiled at the second prince. “Thank you for your answers. It seems I’ll need to watch and wait for a while to see what happens. Unfortunately, I won’t be available after tomorrow. I’ve invited some friends for tea the day after tomorrow and then I’ll be going back to the Library. I’m not sure what happened to Long He, but I will probably be able to find him there and I’d like to speak with him as well.”

The second prince nodded his head and smiled. “You’re welcome. My brothers will be disappointed at the lost opportunity to fight over you, but they’ll get over it. I’m glad you’re taking the responsibility seriously. You seem much more capable than I thought.”

“My father is a prime minister,” Yuelan pointed out. “And Kilin doesn’t hide their daughters and wives behind screens and forbid them from doing anything. He had me help with quite a lot as I was growing up, so I know some of what it takes to rule a country.”

The second prince’s lips twitched into a smile. “That almost sounded like a criticism of Longuo,” he chuckled.

Yuelan gave him a sweet, innocent looking smile. “I wouldn’t criticise another country’s ways,” she replied. “Every country has its own culture, traditions, beliefs and practices. Just because one country’s differs from my own doesn’t mean one is right and the other wrong.”

The prince laughed and put his teacup down on the table. “Enough about politics. Let’s just enjoy our tea before you return to your residence,” he suggested.

Yuelan smiled and picked up a pastry. “Of course, Your Highness.”