Langhua: The Codependence of a Prince and His General

Distance

Ah Heng... Xuanyuan Lang's mouth formed the words, but he could not find his voice. Instead, Lin Junli was the first to break the silence in the prison.

"Yuheng." He approached the cell's wooden bars and crouched down so that he was level with Hua Yuheng's eyes. "Are... Are you alright?"

It was a stupid question and all three of them knew it, but Xuanyuan Lang did not know if he could have done any better. Hua Yuheng pulled his knees up to his chest and shook his head.

The boy looked worse for the wear. He was sitting in the rough hay, his prison clothes several sizes too large for him. The cloth looked like it was meant to be white at some point but even the threads would have forgotten how long ago that was. His long hair was matted and falling all over his face and skinny shoulders. There were scratches, scabs, and fresh blood stains on almost every inch of his exposed skin, all under a layer of dirt.

But the worst part was his eyes.

After that first contact, he pulled his gaze away and transfixed it onto Lin Junli instead.

"Lord Lin..." His voice was hoarse and much deeper than Xuanyuan Lang remembered. Was it puberty or pain? "Get justice for my father. I beg of you."

"That's what I'm here for," Lin Junli said gently. "His Majesty magnanimously put me and His Highness the Seventh Prince in charge of the investigations. I promise, I'll do everything in my power to make sure your father din't die in vain."

Hua Yuheng nodded imperceptibly. "It was too convenient. Too quick. They knew where the army was going, and they had raided our household before sundown that same day. I..."

His voice lowered to a whisper. "I couldn't do anything."

"No. You survived, and that's the most important thing of all." Lin Junli put his hands on the bars and gripped them tightly. The wood threatened to splinter under his fingers. "That's what your father would have wanted most of all, and you know that. As long as you live, your family line lives on. That's what matters, yes?

"So promise me you won't give up. I'll get you out of here before the end of the year and then we... we'll pay our respects to your father together. Alright?"

Hua Yuheng nodded again, lowering his face into his knees. His shoulders were trembling.

Lin Junli waited for the shaking to die down before he spoke again, in a voice both careful and kind, "I know this is hard on you, but I need you to think for me. Do you have any suspicions or suspects? There was probably a spy in your midst."

There was a sound that could have been a sniffle, but it must just have been the rustling of the hay. When Hua Yuheng raised his head, his eyes were bloodshot but dry. "Yes, and I know who it was. Commander Ding Jin. He stayed back instead of joining the army that day, and he led the imperial officials into our household during the raid.

"There was a manservant working with him as well, Zhang Bin. The servant was the one who 'exposed' the letters in my father's study." Hua Yuheng bit his lip. "They found some of them in the envelopes you sent by pigeon, Lord Lin."

"Then they found our correspondence as well, I'm sure," Lin Junli mused. "In that case, my name would have come up long ago. Yet they waited for me to surrender myself."

"I'm sorry for implicating you in this."

"That's what His Highness said too." Lin Junli smiled. "Please, don't worry yourselves about it. You might not know this, but I was corresponding with your father the entire time as well. Either way, I would've gotten involved. And I'm glad I was."

Lin Junli stood up and patted the dust off his clothes. His tone was much lighter as he said, "Thank you for the information, Yuheng. Ding Jin, huh? I think I have an idea now. Don't worry, I'll be back for you once your father's name is cleared. In the meantime... Even if it's difficult, please eat."

There was a plate of coarse rice and two measly stalks of wilted vegetables in the corner of Hua Yuheng's cell. It looked cold and untouched. Lin Junli's voice took a stern edge for a first time since he came into the prison. "Don't forget, you carry your father's legacy. If anything happened to you, I wouldn't know how to face your father on the other side. Do you hear me, boy?"

"...Yes, sir."

"Good. You keep your promise and I'll keep mine."

Lin Junli turned to leave when he suddenly heard a loud scrambling behind him, standing out especially clear in the quiet prison. He looked over his shoulder and saw that Hua Yuheng had prostrated himself onto the rough hay-littered floor, his knees and elbows pressed against the ground in the highest show of respect.

His voice was low and choked. "Please. I'm begging you."

Lin Junli could only sigh. "You can bow to me after I clean up this mess."

"Thank you." Hua Yuheng's voice broke, and he maintained that stance as Lin Junli climbed up the stairs and opened the door leading out of the prison. The light from outside was almost mockingly bright as it shone into the damp underground gaol.

"Your Highness, we should leave now."

Xuanyuan Lang was still standing in front of the cell, ten steps away. That tiny distance felt unbelievably vast, even more so than the gap between him and the imperial throne that morning. The cell bars stood between them, but the wall was more than physical.

After that initial glance, Hua Yuheng had not looked at him at all. Even now, he was prostrate and motionless. He would not even raise his head to look at Xuanyuan Lang when Lin Junli called him.

The chill from the prison seemed to settle deep into Xuanyuan Lang's bones. The afternoon sun outside could do nothing to dispel it. If anything, he only felt colder when he saw the light, feathery snow fluttering down.

That was the first time Xuanyuan Lang was forced to face his own utter powerlessness.