"Your approach was more direct," Gao Yang said. "Breaking into the prime minister's residence at night, obtaining solid evidence, and settling it once and for all. I might not have had the nerve."
"I was forced into it," Lin Taichu said. "If we waited any longer, the Jin soldiers would have invaded. We couldn't just stand by and watch the people suffer."
Gao Yang looked at him and suddenly felt that Lin Taichu was different from what he had imagined. He had thought all martial generals were rough men, but Lin Taichu was so meticulous and still carried the nation and its people in his heart.
"Speaking of which, at the Hall of Mental Cultivation that day, you could have ignored me," Lin Taichu said. "As long as you protected Your Majesty, there was no need to distract yourself by blocking that blade for me."
"Do your duty according to your position," Gao Yang said. "I am the commander of the Guards. Protecting court officials is part of my duty. Besides, if you died, who would lead the troops against the Jin Kingdom?"
Lin Taichu smiled. "So I should thank you, then?"
"No need. If you really want to thank me, recover properly," Gao Yang said. "There will be plenty to keep us busy next."
Over the next few days, both men recuperated in the barracks. Whenever they had nothing to do, they gathered to chat. Lin Taichu spoke of the wind, sand, and bloody battles at the border, while Gao Yang spoke of the undercurrents and rules of the capital. They got along surprisingly well.
That morning, just after breakfast, a eunuch arrived and announced that the Emperor had summoned them to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. They changed into clean clothes and followed the eunuch into the palace.