A wind rose over Heaven Dou City after nightfall.
Wine-shop banners snapped along the streets, and steam curled from bowls of soup just set on restaurant tables. Back at Shrek Academy, everyone was waiting for Ma Hongjun to pay, but Bai Jin had already turned toward the east side of the Imperial City, half an Osmanthus Cake still in his hand.
The Crown Prince's Mansion blazed with light.
No carriages stood outside, and the number of guards was the same as usual. His Six Eyes pierced the high walls. Every corridor inside was guarded, three hidden Gates stood open, and armor and blades waited beyond the reach of the lamplight.
Bai Jin took a bite of cake.
"Quite a production."
After checking the Crown Prince Token, a guard said quietly, "His Highness is waiting for you in the study."
"If she hasn't eaten yet, prepare enough for two."
The guard froze. He did not dare ask who "she" was.
A detailed map of the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace lay spread across the study. More than a dozen black and white game pieces rested on the palace Gates, the imperial Bedchamber, and the Imperial Guards' barracks. Xue Qinghe stood behind the table, his face as gentle and composed as ever, though his brow lacked its usual ease.
Bai Jin did not sit down at once. He looked over the map first.
Black pieces held the Imperial Guards and city Gates; white pieces guarded the Bedchamber, the Imperial Medical Office, and several narrow routes out of the palace. Three unremarkable wooden beads sat nearest the rear palace, marking escape routes for palace maids, attendants, and Imperial Physicians.
"You even left a Gate out for people who aren't involved?"
"They don't even know who I am. Their deaths would serve no purpose." Xue