Three days after the night visit of the emperor, I still felt uneasy. I had to confirm what Honghui said but I had no means of confirming it. I could ask Tianfei but he was obviously working with Honghui. I didn't know if I could trust him.
Also there was Danji. I had received information that Chu State was asking for tributes. The emperor had married their princess and she was empress. Still it gave them no right to demand tribute. The problem was the nation was still weak.
Right when I was deliberating on this matter in my head,
"Greetings my lady. General Min is here."
"Please inform him I will be there. Also call Suyin for me" I said.
Up till now, both Ruomei and Suyin believed I had lost my memory and have been following Tianfei's prescription to the latter. This gave me opportunities to find out what I wanted.
"My lady, you sent for me" Suyin said.
"Tell me about General Min. Who is he?" I asked.
"My lady, General Min is Lord Min's son. He is a loyal follower of your father. His family have been generals throughout their generations. He is a very proud man who is skilled and intelligent. He is also your friend." She said
"Friend? That means he may be able to tell that there is a difference" I thought.
"Okay. Let's go and meet him."
When we arrive, I meet him outside.
"Greetings Madam Huang"
"No need for formalities general Min. I will be honest with you. I can't remember anything due an injury I received." I said.
"I know that." He said.
"You know that? How?" I asked.
"The emperor informed me. Don't worry. I will keep it a secret from General Wu." He said.
"Is it the emperor that sent you then?" I asked.
"No. I came here because I believe there is something you need to know." He said.
"Please sit. What is it?" I asked.
"Its too important. I wonder if there is somewhere private we can talk." He said handing a piece of paper to me.
"Okay then. It was nice talking to you." I said.
"Goodbye Madam" he said.
When he leaves, I open the paper and see a place. Not wanting to draw suspicion, I decide to wait a little. When I hear that Chaoxing has left to court, I head out to a restaurant. It seems a lot of people don't trust Chaoxing. Maybe its just too important. I head upstairs following an attendant at the restaurant.
"Suyin, stay here and guard the door. Make sure no one can hear us" I said and enter the room.
"Forgive me for keeping you waiting. Why did you call me here?" I asked.
"Chu state is demanding tribute. The ministers are getting worried. They are afraid it could lead to another war. The court has also become unstable. We don't have enough soldiers to go to war. Lijuan, I came here today to ask you to help us contain the situation." He said.
"How do you need my help?"
"Everyone knows you are beautiful. The emperor of Chu is known to be a womanizer. We want to send you to Chu as a concubine. There you will be able to help us destabilize their court." He said.
"Are you mad? I am married. I can't be sent as a concubine to Chu"
"We know. But if you don't help us, the whole country will be plunged into ruins once more. Besides we are afraid the roots of Chu state are too deep in our nation" He said.
"They were wise. Before they decided to formally attack us they planted their spies. That means you suspect we lost the last war because someone here in Han is helping Chu" I said.
"Exactly princess. We already know some of the ministers are having dealings with Chu state just like Minister Liu. But I'm afraid it is bigger than that" he said.
"The reason you asked me out must be because you are suspecting the duke"
"Lijuan, you are truly wise." He said.
"This matter is more complicated than we think. The duke has always made it known that he desires the throne but I don't think he will sacrifice innocent people to get it. Give me time. Lemme think of a better solution." I said.
"A lot of people are suspecting the duke. Many accusations are rising against him. I better find out the truth. But why? Why is it that my heart refused to believe all these where true"