Mutiny

Shangguan Ru had arrived at just the right time. Not long after her arrival, the Imperial Guard sealed off the camp, barring anyone from entering. The senior officers at the front were recalled, while more than twenty thousand cavalrymen stood fast where they were.

"King Yue Yao wants the Imperial Guard all to himself, so he won't let the other princes into the camp to take part in choosing the Grand Commandant. A Zheba and the others are trying to figure something out." Li Man was in charge of passing along information, darting in and out of the tent.

Shangguan Ru had brought only a few people with her. She had come to watch, too, but had heard about the upheaval on the way and hurried over. "The Grand Commandant was a good man," she said, probably the only guest who felt any sorrow over it.

Hong Fu nodded solemnly to the Dragon King. With the help of another female soldier, she pulled open the tent flap and secured it overhead, then stood guard outside. It looked as if she were making it easier for Li Man to come and go, but in truth she was there to head off any gossip.

Gu Shenwei sat on a low stool, his elbows braced on his knees, facing the entrance so he could see what was happening outside. Li Man's lament had struck at the truth of the matter. The officers ranked Centurion and above were brewing a storm, while the ordinary soldiers were unmoved. They mourned simply and sincerely, never once looking at the officers hurrying to and fro, as if their superiors were invisible ghosts.

"'Good man' is a useless label at a time like this." Gu Shenwei stared at a group of soldiers standing around the fallen flags, their