Langhua: The Codependence of a Prince and His General

Master

"So, what do you think of Lord Lin?"

Hua Yuheng stared out of the carriage window, watching distractedly as the busy scenes of the capital passed them by. He made no sign of having heard his father's question at all.

Hua Meng raised a brow. "Heng'er? Are you listening?"

"Huh?" Hua Yuheng jolted at the sound of his name, and then inevitably remembered that moment when Xuanyuan Lang tried to call him that.

"Why are you smiling?"

"No reason." Hua Yuheng tried to straighten out his expression. "What were you saying?"

Hua Meng sighed. "Lord Lin. Now that you've met him, what do you think of him?"

The boy frowned slightly in thought, trying to recall the well-mannered, soft-spoken civil official he had just met. "He's nice enough, I guess?"

"I knew it, you weren't paying attention at all," Hua Meng said somewhat wistfully. "And he was so excited to meet you, too."

Was he? That was not the impression Hua Yuheng remembered getting, but then again even he had to admit that his mind was not fully there during their meeting.

"Hey, Father, do you think he'll really help me exchange letters with Qilang?"

"Qilang?" Now Hua Meng was raising both his brows. "Did the Seventh Prince tell you to call him that?"

"Yes, yes." Hua Yuheng waved him away impatiently. "You should've seen the look on his face when I said we should write to each other. They don't let him out nearly enough."

"Not at all, I'd wager." Hua Meng was looking at his son with renewed interest. "You're really taken with His Highness, aren't you? You only played with him for about two hours that day."

"A lot of things happened in those two hours," Hua Yuheng said with an expression so childishly solemn that Hua Meng had to rub his head. "Hey, stop that! I mean it, sometimes you can just tell a person's true nature. It doesn't matter how long you're with them for."

After all, that modest, introverted prince had stood up to the Empress for him, not once but twice. He had never fought off enemy soldiers at the borders or picked up a weapon to defend his kingdom, but that took a different kind of strength, one that Hua Yuheng had never seen before.

"Is that so?" Hua Meng thought back to the few times he had seen the Seventh Prince. There was an idealized innocence in his eyes and expressions that only a truly sheltered prince would have. In comparison, the older princes were...

He raised a hand to greet the guards as their carriage left the capital gates. Once they were a safe distance away, he asked his son, "Heng'er, what do you think of the Seventh Prince as a ruler?"

"A ruler?" Hua Yuheng tilted his head. "You mean, as emperor?"

"That's right."

"But Qilang's the youngest, right? I don't think he'll get the chance."

"You never know when it comes to the imperial family," Hua Meng said softly. "It's not impossible. Just answer my question."

"Hmm..." There were points in their time together that Hua Yuheng had clean forgotten that Xuanyuan Lang was an imperial prince, so this angle was new to him. He tried to imagine Qilang in bright golden robes, sitting in that hallowed throne. "If you ask me, I don't think he really wants it. But if he does end up getting the throne... that might not be too bad."

A kingdom where that Qilang was emperor... Suddenly, Hua Yuheng thought he wouldn't mind seeing it. "Not that it would happen, though."

Hua Meng chuckled. "Like I said, don't underestimate the imperial family. It's a cesspit of cruelty the likes of us cannot imagine."

Really? Hua Yuheng thought of Xuanyuan Lang and Concubine Liang. The fear that the Empress had struck in his heart had all but faded in the warmth he remembered feeling from them. Hua Meng read the disagreement in his eyes and laughed again. His son had been fortunate indeed.

But now it was time for him to face reality.

"Heng'er, remember how I insisted on taking the carriage before we got into Jing Province?"

"Yes, you said we should get as much rest as we could just before entering the capital. You even closed the curtains and forced me to sleep." Jing Province was right next to the capital on the main road that connects the entire kingdom. "What of it?"

"We're entering Jing Province again. This time, I want you to take a good look." Hua Meng parted the curtains and said quietly, "Remember this, Heng'er. We might be able to have the last say when it comes to defending the borders, and the men there would gladly follow us into battle. But at the end of the day, we are merely generals. We, too, are the ruled and not the rulers.

"We may drive away the outsiders, but if you want to make a change --any change at all--inside the kingdom, you'll eventually have to swear your loyalty to a master. His path will be synonymous with yours."

"A master? But Qilang isn't—"

"I know." Hua Meng put a heavy hand on Hua Yuheng's head and turned him toward the window. "It's too early for you yet. But I want you to sear this sight in your mind. The south-western provinces have been experiencing a drought lately, and this is what that looks like."

Hua Yuheng's eyes widened.

***

Meanwhile, in the capital they had just left behind, Xuanyuan Lang was humming to himself as he put the clothes Hua Yuheng had returned him away. He could not quite imagine wearing them again, but Ah Heng said he might visit sometime, so he was going to keep them just in case.

"Someone's in a good mood."

"Mother!" Xuanyuan Lang turned around, smiling from ear to ear.

"I heard from Dongmei." Concubine Liang sat down on the side of her son's bed and beckoned him to join her. "Master Hua came to visit again, did he?"

"Yeah! And we promised to write to each other!" Xuanyuan Lang leaped onto the bed next to his mother. "I'll need to borrow some paper, ink, and envelopes..."

"Whoa, whoa, not so fast. Give them some time to actually get back first," Concubine Liang said with a laugh. "And when you do send him your letter, maybe you could attach this as well."

She gently pulled something out of her sleeve and unfolded two embroidered handkerchiefs. A simple yet elegant bamboo motif had been stitched onto each square of silk, and the two were slightly different in subtle ways. They were less identical than they were complementary.

Xuanyuan Lang looked at them and then at her in surprise. "Was this what you've been working on for the past few days, Mother?"

"I can't just let my son's first friend go away empty-handed, now, can I? That would be rude. I'm just afraid I was a tad too late." Concubine Liang pressed the kerchiefs into his hands. "Say hello to him for me."

Xuanyuan Lang clutched them tightly and beamed at her. "Of course. Thank you, Mother."

If possible, Concubine Liang would have liked to thank Hua Yuheng in person. She had not seen her son so happy in a long time. Now, she just had to hope that their friendship and their hearts would remain as unsullied and white as the set of handkerchiefs they would share.

It was a feeble wish, and all she could ever do was wish, but she did so nevertheless.