ROSES OF BLOOD

THE CANNONS GO OFF

            The sun having set, Cao Zhaoyi and Han Touzhou were secretly seated in her Chambers while the two of them gazed at a couple of papers in front of them.
            "So I asked you and the others to meet up?" She muttered.
            "There's only one way to prove if the others fell victim." Han Touzhou responded and the woman stretching her hand first she picked one of the papers and held it over the fire, the right corner being lightly struck by the heat from the flame but there was nothing.
            "These aren't the papers we use." Cao Zhaoyi remarked as she put it back down.
            "You received a message?" He asked.
            "Yes?" She responded as she picked a note from underneath the mat that covered her table and placed it before him while Han Touzhou holding it in his hands he looked through it.
            "It's strange, it's like my calligraphy." He said.
            "Yang Guifei wanted all of us to meet at this place, it couldn't have been for nothing." Cao Zhaoyi mentioned, "but in deed as I hoped, she remains human after all and her curiosity had the best of her." She said.
             "But you won't turn up, and neither shall our people, she'll only become more suspicious." Han Touzhou added.
            "Not at all." Cao Zhaoyi responded, "someone will have to turn up after all." She assured him.
            "How certain can you be Ma'am?" Han Touzhou asked her.
            "You just wait patiently, I promise you that you'll enjoy the show." Cao Zhaoyi responded as she smiled at herself ghastly.
             Yang Guifei seated in her room, before her Bao Langya, Yang Cishan and Beiyuan along with Manyin anf Xiaoyang stood facing her.
             "You called us Ma'am?" They asked.
             "Yes." She confirmed.
             "Ma'am, the longer we take then we could as well lose them." Yang Cishan mentioned.
             "You are going nowhere." Yang Guifei mentioned.
             "Why Ma'am?" They asked her.
             "This Palace is helpless without you, I am helpless without you, besides, I can't have you hunting down the Rebels every time, every move that we make either political or personal could stake our lives, our dreams and ambitions." She responded.
             "So Your Grave is asking us to do nothing?" Bao Langya inquired.
             "Yes." She responded.
             "But Ma'am........?" Yang Cishan mentioned.
             "There's something else that I am going to need you to do for me." She responded. 
             "How can we be of service?" Beiyuan inquired.
             "There's another residence I am going to ask you to watch." Yang Guifei responded, "watch the Imperial Princess Yuping." She added.
             "Princess Yuping?" Yang Cishan inquired.
             "Bao Langya, I want you to secretly escort the Palace staff to the Grand Palace." She added.
             "That's His Majesty's personal residence." Manyin mentioned.
             "Yes." She replied.
             "But Ma'am......?" Xiaoyang also voiced her protest.
             "There's one place I want the rest of you to gather." Yang Guifei responded.
             "Where Ma'am?" They inquired from her.
             "Around Cao Zhaoyi's Palace." She responded while the rest of the others looked at her very much surprised.
            Cao Zhaoyi and Han Touzhou still seated quietly Linxiang made her way inside the room and bowing her head to the both of them she eventually stood upright.
            "Ma'am, Your Excellency." She gracefully said.
            "What is it?" Cao Zhaoyi asked. 
            "We have received news, the Imperial State Tribunal has dispatched it's troops and they have started moving to the secret location." She responded.
            "And His Majesty?" She asked.
            "He's in the Grand Palace." Linxiang replied.
            "It won't be safe for His Majesty tonight." She remarked as she turned to Han Touzhou, "Your Excellency if I may, someone must convince our enemies of His Majesty's whereabouts and your presence in the Palace will merely jeopardize our position." She said.
            "You are now banishing me?" Han Touzhou inquired.
            "I wouldn't." Cao Zhaoyi responded, "if however you wish to be safe in the Imperial Palace then the best place would surely be His Majesty's study, if he wishes to be there alone, no one will even dare to disturb him." She assured him.
           "Very well." Han Touzhou responded.
           "Have His Excellency escorted outside." Cao Zhaoyi muttered and the old man standing up, he bowed his head to her and withdrew from the room while being accompanied by Linxiang.
            Yang Guifei was seated inside her Chambers alone holding a small piece of paper in her hand while she stared at the candle that was lit before her.
            Slowly she lifted it and positioned it over the flame and while the heat struck it a small unclear black insignia of a dragon appeared before her eyes when someone who was veiled in a dark cloak appeared before her.
            "You summoned me Ma'am?" He asked.
            "I trust your skills above everyone else." She responded.
            "I didn't let you down Ma'am." He said.
            "Minister Xia kept his side of the deal, I love the way that you get your job done most of the time there's something that I want you to help me find." She responded.
             "What is it Ma'am?" He asked.
             "I want you to get into Han Touzhou and get me a book, it looks like a ledger and in it it should contain a series of these properties." She said as she placed a smaller book on the table which the stranger took.
             "Properties?" He inquired.
             "They each belonged to one of the deceased Seigniors and if you can not get it burn the house down." She mentioned.
             "What if Han Touzhou is there?" He asked.
             "Then you just let him be and return and report to me." Yang Guifei responded.
             "Yes Ma'am." The man replied as he turned around and walked out of the room while she raised the paper that she'd partially burnt over the candle while she smiled at it.
              "Alright." She said to herself, "I shall scoop up all those miscreants and see what you shall do with your men in my hands." She whispered as she smiled at herself ghastly.
             Peng Zishou and a couple of guards from the Imperial State Tribunal stationed themselves outside a house where a number of Courtiers with their faces veiled were making into an entrance.
            "Han Touzhou's supporters are here." One of his subordinates mentioned.
             "Who would have thought that they would come here on their own!" He exclaimed.
            "It doesn't matter anyway, what matters is that we have them." Peng Zishou responded as they slowly closed in on the residence.
            Linxiang returned into the room where Cao Zhaoyi was seated and waiting for her.
            "His Excellency is in the Imperial Study." She said to her.
            "Very well." Cao Zhaoyi muttered, "I understand that His Majesty might not be feeling well at the moment, invite him over to my Palace." She ordered.
           "Yes Ma'am." Linxiang responded and bowing her head she got out of the room.
       Emperor Ningzong in his personal Chambers he was lost in thought when Eunuch Deng walking in at the moment he bowed his head before him.
           "Your Majesty?" He said.
           "Please." The Emperor halted him and he ceased unwilling.
           "Don't let it bother you." He asserted and the latter hesitant his Head Lady walked in.
           "Your Majesty, Court Lady Linxiang us requesting to have an audience with you." She said to him.
           "I wish to be alone." The Emperor muttered.
          "She claims that it's very urgent." The old woman mentioned and hesitantly the Emperor acquiesced to her presence which she fulfilled nearly immediately.