After King Shunde read the letter that had just arrived at the imperial court, he burst out in a rumble of laughter, his eyes creasing into the shape of crescents. At age forty-five, the king was in his prime and the kingdom of Duan was experiencing a pinnacle of prosperity. Under his leadership, there was peace across the land and the borders had not been breached in over ten long years. The tribes at the southern fringes had been a little bothersome lately, but with General Du and his sons guarding the border, the aggressors had been successfully kept at bay.

General Du Wenjian was one of the most experienced generals in the Duan army, having come from a military family that had produced a long line of trusted commanders for the kingdom. The general had three sons, of which his eldest—Du Zhenghuan—was the most famous.

Zhenghuan had followed in his father's footsteps and joined the army when he was merely thirteen, and by the time he was sixteen he had already forged a name for himself as a highly talented commander who might well surpass his father's achievements on the battlefield. Wherever he went, his men trampled over the bodies of their enemies, winning countless victories under the relentless pounding of their horses' hooves. The king had granted Zhenghuan command of his own special armed unit, a fearsome force known to everyone as the Shadow Army for the way they swept across battlefields as swiftly and silently as the plague. As for the young general, the people called him the Shadow Lord, a nickname that would stay with him for as long as he stayed at the head of his army.

Following news of the victory, the king had summoned General Du and the Shadow Lord back to the capital to receive their rewards, but the elder general had chosen to stay behind at the border while sending his son back in his stead.

"Zhenghuan and his men will be arriving at the capital tomorrow. They have already passed the town of Yongshang," the king announced to his court officials.

"That is excellent news, Your Majesty," Chief Minister Sun said. The rest of the officials murmured in agreement, and the king's smile widened. "General Du and the young general have achieved a great victory for us. With them guarding our borders, our kingdom will continue to prosper."

All the officials in the imperial court knew that King Shunde greatly favoured the young General Du. Some might even go as far as to say that the king favoured the Shadow Lord more than he did his own sons. While none of them understood the reason why their king behaved that way, they all knew what to say in order to pander to the king's preferences.

"We'll have to hold a celebration in honour of the army's achievements," the crown prince said. Ru-quan was standing at the front of the great hall, wearing a slight smile on his face. He was wearing his formal court attire, an outfit of deep purple with the gold embroidery of a dragon across his chest. Behind him stood the other princes wearing similar purple attires, except that their embroidery was only in silver instead.

The king chortled, his mellow laughter resonating across the great hall. "Excellent suggestion!" he said. "The kingdom should celebrate indeed. With the Shadow Lord at the helm of our army, Duan will never fall! Ru-quan, you are to receive Zhenghuan at the city gates tomorrow. I shall welcome him together with the rest of the court here at the great hall."

After court was dismissed, the officials and the princes slowly filed out of the great hall, heads bowed in groups as they discussed what had transpired at the morning's session. The impending arrival of the Shadow Lord was the hottest topic on everyone's lips as the officials began speculating about how things would unfold upon his return.

The last time the young general had been back at the capital was over five years ago, when the king conferred the appointment to him and made him the youngest general the kingdom had ever seen. Since then, the king had tried to summon him back to the court several times but had always been rejected on the pretext of him being needed at the border. Some said that the Shadow Lord was staying away on purpose, to avoid getting involved in court politics. Now that he was finally returning, the officials couldn't help but wonder if the king would try to make use of this opportunity to make Zhenghuan stay and take on even higher appointments in the imperial court.

"So, the young general is finally coming back," Minister Ouyang said to the crown prince as they stepped through the doorway of the great hall. "The king seems extremely pleased about the news."

Ru-quan smiled, his expression betraying none of his true emotions. "It is very good news, is it not? General Du and Zhenghuan have been guarding our borders for a long time and it is thanks to their good work that our people remain safe." He turned to the other princes and asked, "Will you be joining me to welcome him at the city gates tomorrow?"

"Of course," Ru-an and Ru-wen replied. They were the only three princes who were of age and stationed in the capital, as such they were the only members of the royal family who were required to attend court. The king had two other sons, the fourth and seventh princes, who preferred the military life over court intrigue and hence held positions within the military at other parts of the kingdom.

The king was indeed greatly biased towards the young general, to have demanded for the crown prince to personally welcome him at the gates. Despite his achievements, Du Zhenghuan was but the son of a general and a subordinate to the imperial court, yet the honour he was being given rivalled that of the princes.

When Ru-an returned to his chambers and the doors were shut behind him, his expression darkened. His attendant Lu Yi poured him a cup of water, which he picked up and finished in one swift gulp. Nanlin had already been waiting for him there when he returned, and based on the prince's expression he knew that things hadn't gone well in court.

"Zhenghuan will be arriving at the capital tomorrow. Father instructed for Ru-quan to personally welcome him at the city gates. We will have to be there as well," Ru-an said. Even though the king hadn't explicitly asked for him and Ru-wen to accompany the crown prince to the gates, they knew it was an unspoken expectation.

"A personal welcome by the crown prince?" Song Nanlin let out low whistle. "The king is biased indeed. How long has it been? Five years?"

"Not long enough."

Before he joined his father in the army, Du Zhenghuan had grown up in the capital alongside the princes and the sons of the other noble families. Even as a child he had never gelled well with the other boys, his attitude aloof and cold, preferring to remain in his solitude instead of partaking in any of their activities. However, his natural talent had already begun to show itself at that age and he excelled in almost everything he did, much to the envy of the other boys. As a result, he often earned words of praise from the king, who doted upon him more than he did his own sons.

"What did the crown prince say?"

"He smiled and suggested that we hold a celebration to welcome Zhenghuan back to the capital." Ru-an's full lips curled upwards in a snide smile.

"Ru-quan has never thought of Zhenghuan as a threat."

"His overconfidence will eventually be his downfall. He doesn't view Zhenghuan as a threat because he thinks of himself as the future monarch and Zhenghuan as merely his subordinate. He chooses to turn a blind eye to our father's biasness because he thinks his title is secure."

"Do you actually think that Zhenghuan is a threat to the throne though?" Nanlin asked, peering across the table at the prince. "After all, he isn't a member of the royal family. Ru-quan isn't wrong to think of him as a subordinate, because that's what he'll always be."

"I don't believe in taking chances," Ru-an replied. He poured himself another cup of water, swirling the liquid thoughtfully. "The Shadow Lord's influence is growing. The people fear him, but they also respect him. Who's to say that there won't come a day when his influence overshadows that of the king?"

"But the kingdom needs him. His presence at the border keeps our enemies at bay."

"For now. Nothing is permanent, and no one is indispensable."

"Are you going to do something about it then? It'll be much easier to handle him while he's back in the capital. Once he returns to the border, it'll be much harder for us to do anything."

Ru-an shook his head. "There's no need. We'll just observe the situation for now. Like you said, we still need him to guard the border. I also need to assess his attitude towards the crown. If he is willing to stand on my side, he can be an extremely useful ally, considering how much Father values him..." But if the man refused to bow down to him, then he would have no qualms about removing a thorn in his flesh.