On the fifth day after the grand array had settled.
In a side hall west of the royal palace's main hall, the old prince sat at one end of a long table.
He wore an old brocade robe washed pale with age, no crown upon his head, his hair mottled gray. Beside him stood only an elderly servant pouring tea.
Old Ford sat at the other end of the long table.
Su Li sat beside Old Ford, but his chair was tilted fifteen degrees, and he lounged against its back like a neighbor who had been dragged over to sit in on the discussion.
The old prince spoke. His voice was calmer than Su Li had expected.
"Duke of Iris, the royal family can surrender administrative authority, military command, and the mint. But the continuation of our bloodline and our ancestral estates—those two cannot be touched."
Old Ford did not answer at once. He turned to glance at Su Li.
Su Li tapped the tabletop with his fingernail.
"Don't touch the grand array. Don't touch the military command. I don't care about anything else."
As his words fell, the old prince's gaze shifted to Su Li.
There was no hatred in those clouded old eyes, only the exhaustion of a man resigned to his fate.
"This gentleman is..."
"My son-in-law," Old Ford cut in, his tone as natural as if he were commenting on the weather.
Su Li did not correct him.
Elena sat on Su Li's other side, her pen scratching twice across the paper.
"The finances must be handed over. The royal treasury, tax ledgers from every region, minting molds—they are to be inventoried and transferred within three days."
The old prince looked at her.
"The armory as well." There was no room for negotiation in Elena's voice.