There were six people in the imperial study.
Great Xia Emperor, Li Ping'an, Gu Xizhou, Great Xia's Chief Attendant, the Leader of the Great Xia Daoist School, and Great Xia's Chief Minister.
Of these, only Li Ping'an was an outsider, so he alone had the leisure to glance around the study.
The room was filled with bookshelves, curio shelves, a zither table, chairs, stools, square tables, and other furnishings.
The space was cramped and winding, not particularly large.
Yet most of the furniture was finely crafted and compact, finished in black lacquer with gold detailing and mother-of-pearl inlaid into the lacquer.
Besides silk and paper wall decorations, the walls also displayed imperial calligraphy and standing and hanging screens depicting landscapes, flowers, and birds.
Most were made of red sandalwood, with carved lacquer frames inlaid with jade, gemstones, enamel, and other materials.
The furnishings and writing implements displayed in the study were all chosen with great care.
The objects accompanying a nobleman in his quiet dwelling were by no means merely there to please the eye; more importantly, they nourished his temperament and character.
All the more so for the sovereign of a nation: every inch revealed a realm of understated elegance.
Hmm, not bad.
That was Li Ping'an's assessment.
Gu Xizhou drank his tea in great gulps and got straight to the point.
"How does Your Majesty intend to deal with that Prince of Ning?"
"What would satisfy you, sir?" Great Xia Emperor asked in return.
Gu Xizhou spat out a single word. "Kill!"
Great Xia Emperor smiled helplessly. "Didn't you already kill him, Mr. Gu?"
Gu Xizhou said gravely, "For the crimes he committed, dying a thousand or ten thousand times wouldn't be excessive. It's not that I'm being unreasonable. It's that you people of Great Xia are such