Emeralds and Enemies

Chapter Eighty-one

            It took several minutes of persuasion before the surly guards at General Tan's compound let Wen-Hou through the gates. He paused at the edge of the courtyard and looked around. It seemed mostly the same but something felt off. The broad stones had been swept clean and the trees on the south end were just starting to bear fruit. It took a minute but then he realized what was missing. There was none of the usual chatter from the boys setting about their tasks.

For a moment he wondered if anyone was still in residence then he spotted Chenhui coming from the stables. Most of the other boys soon followed. He waved to them but barely got a nod of acknowledgement. A servant came to inquire if there was something Wen-Hou needed so he asked after his friends and was directed to the library.

Zhong-mi sat behind the desk with different scrolls scattered in front of him. Ying-so was peering over his shoulder and pointing to one of the scrolls. They were so absorbed in their discussion they did not notice his arrival. He cleared his throat. "Friends," he started tentatively. "I was wrong. So, if those are new placements for our boys please wait." He put his hands out and then dropped them to his side.

"Do you honestly think that is enough? You can change your mind – or more likely have it changed for you – and everything will be fine?" Zhong-mi shook his head. As much as he had tried to excuse his friend's behavior to the boys, he was still profoundly disappointed.

"No. I know it isn't fine but I can't start to make it right again if everyone leaves." As he said this Wen-Hou realized just how much each member of the team had come to mean to him.

"Sorry but you are a bit late. Il-don and Hae-sung have try-outs at the Palace today." Zhong-mi stared at Wen-Hou.

Ying-so shuffled more papers and added, "And we managed to find school placements for Song-hee, Chenhui, and Xuiyang. They are going to be day-students but between us we thought we could find them rooms to let. The penalty for cancelling the contract early paid their school fees."

"I would have paid their school fees anyway. That was always the plan."

"Well, you showed them how easy it was for you to change your plans so we are lucky Captain Shiro has such good connections. The boys are preparing for placement examinations and depending on the results might even matriculate in a couple of subjects."

"Good! Their families will be so relieved. I will need to write once we have their results. If the boys agree, I want to offer contract extensions through to their state exams."

"What about their guild registrations? Are you guaranteeing those as well?" Zhong-mi was still skeptical.

"I will sponsor any of the team who wants to try for standing as a maker. It will mean hiring a Journeyman to help supervise the forge but I don't think it will be too difficult. Not with the talent the boys have shown."

"Are you going to look for more recruits then? Go to the selections, sponsor another tournament?" Ying-so asked with heavy doubt.

"I am hoping you might still be willing to serve as a Scout and thought that maybe Go San Jin might be able to help vet some of the applicants with you."

"You think his family will let him go on the road again after what just happened?" Zhong-mi could not imagine this would be at all likely.

"Well, we may have to wait until more of the conspiracy gets routed out. We can float the idea at dinner tomorrow. Madam Go did sent the invitations?" Wen-Hou picked at his sleeve and then glanced at his friends before adding, "I might have to arrange formal appointments for you in my household."

"You mean something like official palace staff?" Ying-so wheezed.

"It will give you gate passes and guards if you need them. You will need to go through some checks at the Protocol Office but I am pretty sure you have been vetted before." His two friends looked at each other then shrugged.

"I guess we knew it might come to something like this when we first met you." Zhong-mi said while Ying-so nodded.

"I am sorry. I really don't know what I would do without you." Wen-Hou nodded to each of his friends and then placed the bottle of wine on the desk.

"After all we did talk you into this little project, so we better help see it through," Ying-so grinned and then cracked open the bottle.

"We will save you a glass for after you finish talking with each of the boys. I don't suppose you have seen Junseo yet."

"Not yet. Minister Go thought I should wait. I did sort things out with the Medical Academy. Or at least as much as things can be sorted since it is still up to Junseo to decide if he wants to take any more placement tests. Its his choice and there is no rush."

"I hope it is still his choice. His family might have other ideas." Ying-so cautioned.

"I'm sure they do. Until I talked with Professor Yip, I didn't realize how much training as a healer Junseo must have had from his father. I suppose I should have known given how he was able to help but it didn't sink in." Wen-Hou shared more of his regrets and then excused himself to go talk with the boys who were still at the compound.

It was not easy now their trust had been broken. A simple apology was not going to cover it. The message he heard over and over was the team members would not make any commitments without knowing what Junseo planned to do. It was a bit of a blow for Wen-Hou, especially Song-hee's bluntly said, "I know I probably won't be offered a better arrangement, especially if you can get me registered with the guild, but I am still going to talk it over with the others. I suppose we should be grateful for the lesson on having to look out for ourselves but I didn't need it."

The mood did not improve when Hae-sung and Il-don returned from the try-outs and got into a loud argument. "The palace guards are not a bad offer. They are willing to take us on now and it doesn't how we score on the state exams. That is a big relief for me and it will make family happy. Its a steady position and it even counts toward mandatory state service."

"I don't know. I don't like the way they treat their horses and it makes me wonder how they will treat regular recruits. It seems like there could be a streak of meanness in some of the officers. You might not have noticed but please at least have someone else look through the contracts before you sign on."

"Fine, but you know they put a time limit on their offers."

"Yes, and that is another thing I didn't like. It seems a bit dirty to say they will rescind the offer if we finish our qualifying rounds. If we don't finish the final round, we won't be eligible for some of the other training yards. It gives us nothing to compare." Hae-sung worried. "If it is a solid offer why all the pressure? My dad is always warning his clients about pressure tactics and how important it is to ask questions. We can't sell ourselves short on a longer term commitment."

Wen-Hou chose that moment to interrupt by saying, "I'm sure Manager Doak will go over the offer with you. He should also have something for you to compare it with. Of course, we can't offer an exam waiver or service exemption but we will try to be fair."

"You're not giving up? I thought you were too scared we might stub our toes or something," Il-don said harshly.

"I did not want to be responsible for putting you in danger but I realize that was a little foolish. Danger will find you whether you train with us or not. What we can do is help you be ready when it shows up." Wen-Hou looked over to where his friends were watching. They nodded their encouragement.

Hae-sung frowned, "You finally figured that out? Have you apologized to Junseo, yet?"

"I will be. There were other things I needed to set right first. I hope he will join all of us at the Go's tomorrow."

"He said something about heading North after the senior finals so don't be surprised if he made his own plans after you dropped us the way you did." The rest of the boys nodded their agreement with Hae-sung.

"I'm sorry I let my ghosts get the better of me." Wen-Hou looked at each of the young men in turn. Only Xuiyang offered the slightest sign of acceptance the others remained still or silently turned away. Wen-Hou had to admit to himself it would not be easy to repair their relationship. Certainly not on his own.