By the next morning, Ying-tai and his squad neared Qin. When they came before the gates of Qin, heads turned as they heard the galloping and clinging of armor approach. As soon as people saw the group of war horses advance toward them, they all moved to the side to let them pass. Intimidated by their presence, they did not dare to look up at the men in dark cloaks on armored horses that hurried their way to the palace.

“Ying-tai has returned,” they gasped.

“For The late Emperor,” others whispered.

Noticing that it was Ying-tai at the front, they all respectfully bowed to him while he passed.

In the palace, Shirong scurried his way to Jiao Long who was sparring in the sparring room.

“Your majesty! Your majesty!” He cried while scurrying through the wooden terrace toward the sparring room.

Jiao Long stopped what he was doing and wiped his sweat.

“What?” He glared at Shirong for interrupting his session.

“Ying-tai has arrived in Qin! He is on his way here right now!” Shirong announced.

“What? So soon?” Jiao Long raised his eyebrows.

“They’ve been riding through the night,” Shirong informed.

Jiao Long dropped his towel onto the tray. “Get my attire ready and tell everyone to prepare for his arrival,” he ordered.

Ten thousand elite soldiers stood by the entrance gate of the palace and awaited Ying-tai’s arrival while Jiao Long watched at the top of the grand entrance stairway in his emerald green robe and anticipated his appearance. The palace stood in silence. At last, the announcer announced Ying-tai and his men’s arrival and ordered the gates open. Behind the gates, Ying-tai stood before them with his elite men behind him. As soon as he set foot inside the palace, all ten thousand elite soldiers waiting for him got down on one knee and saluted their Commander of Qin, not daring to lift their heads from the aura Ying-tai and his men bore. He walked toward the palace, his eyes fixed on Jiao Long.

“Look how they all honor him like that, Crown Prince,” Shirong commented. “How dare he take that glory from you?”

Jiao Long scoffed, “He’s nothing but a soldier; a slave to this empire.”

When Ying-tai reached the top of the stairs, Jiao Long opened his arm and smiled widely at him.

“Welcome, brother,” Jiao Long beamed when he faced Ying-tai and wrapped his arms around him. Ying-tai pulled away from his embrace and bowed to him. “It’s good to finally have you back,” Jiao Long said as he masked a solemn look on his own face.

“I see you already did the ceremony,” Ying-tai commented as he quickly noticed the setting of the palace, holding his composure well.

“You didn’t wait for our return?” Xia mentioned rather than asked, disappointed.

“I didn’t know you will be back this soon, brother,” Jiao Long claimed. He observed the squad, “And with only twenty men? You are being a little careless, aren’t you?”

“Twenty of my elite men are all I need,” Ying-tai clarified the potential of the men of his division to Jiao Long.

“I see,” Jiao Long replied, fixing his eyes back onto him.

“If you don’t mind me pushing, I’d like to see him now,” Ying-tai pardoned himself.

“Of course,” Jiao Long moved to the side to let him through.

Ying-tai, Huian, and Xia took off their cloaks and the servants standing by scurried forward to retrieve them.

Approaching the alter of The late Emperor, Ying-tai felt his heart grow heavy. He looked at his portrait and soaked in the warm smile on his face. He recalled the memories of The Emperor disciplining him while he trained, throwing him and beating him down onto the floor. Then afterward, he would share his very own cup of tea with him. He reminisced of the moments when The Emperor lectured him, and then the memories of The Emperor showering him with words of wisdom as a father would with his own son.

“When I am gone, you will find that these words of mine will be of more value than gold or silver,” he would say, patting his back with that warm smile of his.

At a very young age then, he wasn’t able to comprehend what he meant. Now that he was standing there in front of The Emperor’s urn of ashes, his eyes welled up at the remembrance of his voice. He knelt onto his knees and bowed to him, pressing his head down against the floor. Huian and Xia followed. Then he stood up and repeated the gesture. Then again for the third time. He kept his head knelt down on floor and clenched his fists tightly. He let loose of the knot in his throat and finally wept silently with no one noticing.

I’ve returned, father, his heart cried out. But The Emperor did not respond.