Sharing a Pavilion With You
Chapter 98: Bestowing a Marriage on Commander Bai

Chapter 98: Bestowing a Marriage on Commander Bai

"My Lord, it was your Second Son who saved my life. My dog only bought me a few crucial seconds," she praised the Second Prince before his Father. "But if my Lord really wants to meet Tricky-Wu, I’ll call him in."

"Yicai told me all about his heroics," said the Emperor dismissively. "That’s as it should be. But a beast saving a human is not something we hear of every day. That’s rather special," he nodded. "And he did more than buy you a few crucial seconds. He chased down and bit the culprit, marking him for identification. He barked, which alerted the Second Prince to your predicament. All of that before he dived in to rescue you."

Meili smiled with pleasure to hear Tricky praised by the Emperor. She called to her dog, who came trotting into the Emperor’s bed chamber, coming to stand by his mistress’s side.

"Will he come to me? Come, Boy!" commanded the Emperor, clicking his fingers. "Feng Bao, bring me a treat for the dog."

Tricky looked up at Meili to see if she liked the man, and agreed to let him visit. She nodded and gave him a gentle push towards the Emperor.

"Off you go, Boy. Say hello to our Lord. Be a good boy," she reminded him.

Tricky trotted obediently forward to stand alongside the Emperor, who still sat on the edge of his bed, taking his first tea of the day. The Emperor stroked the dog’s soft fur. Meili made sure to wash and brush him every day now that Manni wasn’t by her side to tend to him.

"So, you think you’re a person, do you? Telling everyone there’s a problem, hunting down the culprit and heading back to rescue your mistress. You’re quite the hero, aren’t you?"

Tricky heard the raised intonation in the man’s question to him and answered him with his usual serious Chownese. He chuffed at the Emperor, as though he was responding to his question, giving him a long and convoluted reply.

The Emperor burst into a round of hearty laughter and Meili rushed to his side to remove the teacup from his hand as it wobbled dangerously.

"Oh, ho, ho," he laughed until he was wiping the tears from his eyes. "What a strange beast. I would swear he was giving me a report on what happened."

Meili couldn’t help giggling at this sweet sight of the Emperor laughing so hard, and Tricky now grinning with his mouth wide and tongue lolling, like he knew he was the source of a good joke and was laughing along with the man.

Even Feng Bao covered his mouth and was giving a small smile behind his hand.

"Well, my fine boy, you definitely deserve a treat for that. You’ve made my day start very brightly. Bring them to me Feng Bao," he motioned.

The Emperor held his palm flat and allowed Tricky to nibble some little pieces of cooked chicken from him.

"From now on you may bring him with you when you serve me," the Emperor stroked the Chow Chow’s ears.

"Thank you, my Lord!" Meili curtsied with a delightfully open smile, that tugged at the Emperor’s heart.

The girl was so free of artifice and wiles. It was a refreshing change from his Empress, Consorts and Concubines, who were either all pretence, or were reserved and dutiful.

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With court finished for the day, the Emperor remained seated on his throne, his eldest two sons not yet dismissed, though his officials had all left for the day.

Meili hovered by the Emperor’s side, having been told to remain there and serve him.

"Commander Bai arrives," announced a eunuch, and Bai Li strode into the throne room, having been summoned to attend the Emperor.

Meili startled to see the man, not having had a chance to speak with him since the episode in her room.

She had been too concerned to ask anyone in the palace about what might have happened. Her mother’s instructions rang in her ears; ’don’t trust anyone. Keep to yourself. If something bad happens, don’t complain, just endure. Don’t make enemies, or friends.’

Who could she ask? Only Bai Li it would seem, and he was out at the training camp, while she, was stuck in the palace.

Only now, here he was! She must sneak out to see him before he returned.

"My Lord," Bai Li kowtowed before the Emperor.

"Rise, rise, Commander Bai," the Emperor looked at the young man with interest.

Here was a soldier who was generating ’noise’; positive reports about his leadership, and his military acumen.

He knew that the Prime Minister and his cronies had planned for Commander Bai to be the ’throwaway campaign’. It was the strategy of ’injure yourself to gain the enemy’s trust’. But, it was an expensive strategy which meant sacrificing a battalion, and if this young Commander could prove to be something of a wildcard himself, well, even better!

"I’m hearing excellent reports of your training camp, Commander," said the Emperor.

"Thank you for the praise, my Lord. The men are working hard. They’re nearly ready. We’ll be prepared to leave as planned."

"Good. Very good. Because the date is sneaking up on us. I hear you’re not married yet, Commander?"

Meili’s ears pricked at this. The Second Prince looked intently at his Father. What game was he playing now?

"I am not... Lord," Bai Li sounded uncharacteristically reticent with the Emperor.

"Perhaps we should find you a good woman to marry before you leave on the campaign."

"An excellent idea, Father," said the Crown Prince.

Bai Li stared steadily straight ahead. "I would hate to make a widow of a young woman. Perhaps after the campaign would be better timing, Lord?"

"How would that be better? That would leave you with the tragic fate of dying unmarried."

"I don’t plan on dying, Lord," replied Bai Li, with a very small smile.

The Emperor laughed dryly, "no, of course you don’t. But swords don’t have eyes, Commander. There are many beautiful, virtuous and noble girls in the capital, who’d be thrilled if I bestowed a marriage with you on them. How do you feel about Tan Wentian, or Ling Jinyan?"

"Both excellent choices, Father," approved the Second Prince, who could think of nothing better than his Father bestowing a marriage on his friend, effectively removing him from the running for Mei Meili’s hand.

There might be the smallest chance of her becoming a Prince’s concubine, but there was none at all that her parents would place her underneath the wife in an ordinary noble family.

Meili’s heart dropped like a stone when the Emperor mentioned Bai Li being bestowed a marriage to Miss Tan or Miss Ling.

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