The Starlight Empire · the Capital Star.
"What did you say? Lost track of them? The Princess's fleet had so many interstellar warships, and you, of all things, tell me they vanished into thin air, their whereabouts unknown, and you can't find them?" Qin Ming looked in rage at his younger brother Qin Hu before him, who was on the comm reporting the situation.
Qin Hu, a whole face of gloom and melancholy, said helplessly, "I've already given the order to dispatch a great number of interstellar warships to conduct a rigorous search all around the star system where the Princess's fleet vanished; there truly was no trace of them discovered."
"Shut your mouth! What I want to hear right now is not this! When I charged you with this task earlier, I enjoined and admonished you 1,000 times over! To kill Qin Xiaolei without fail — and how did you guarantee it to me?"
The blue veins stood out on Qin Ming's face; he paced back and forth, then, in his rage, pointed at Qin Hu.
"Did that arrogant, self-conceited temper of yours flare up again?"
Qin Hu, guilty at heart, lowered his head.
Had it not been for his wanting to toy with the Princess's fleet to death, cat-and-mouse fashion, then perhaps there'd have been no later interlude either.
Qin Ming understood his own younger brother best: fine in all else, save that at times, once he got to the battlefield, he was prone to relapsing into his old malady.
"You… you…" Qin Ming felt about to be enraged to death by this younger brother.
"Ming'er, that's enough… though A-Hu bears responsibility, it's already this situation now. However much you dress A-Hu down, it's of no use. Rather than quarreling here as brothers, better to think of a way to resolve it. And, moreover, the most important thing now is how to integrate the Starlight Empire's forces. Though we currently hold the initiative, there are, within the Starlight Empire, still no small number of people who don't submit to us. We must find a way, before that certain someone passes on, to consolidate the power, and then let you smoothly ascend to the throne!" Consort Zhen, at this point, walked out, and soothed her son.
Qin Ming, seeing his mother-empress step forth, ceased scolding his younger brother as well; he only glared at him a few times, a glare of incensed-that-he-can't-be-made-to-rise-to-the-occasion. Qin Ming settled his emotions.
"The matter of finding Qin Xiaolei can't be delayed; this woman must be found without fail! And besides — the empire's current situation. Of the eight great star regions: those fully under our control are the Starlight Central Star Region, and the Azure Star Region. Those close and friendly to us are the Snow-Swallow Star Region and the Grey Moon Star Region. Those that haven't declared their stance are the Perilla Star Region, the Pegasus Star Region, the Chu River Star Region, and the North Wind Star Region." Qin Ming raised a hand and opened up the territorial map of the Starlight Empire.
"And so my plan is a three-pronged one. First, consolidate our ties with the Snow-Swallow Star Region and the Grey Moon Star Region. Second, through means such as marriage-alliance and conferral of titles, draw over the Perilla Star Region and the Pegasus Star Region. Third, weaken the Chu River Star Region and the North Wind Star Region, and make ready for armed suppression."
"The Chu River Star Region is the strongest star region; is there, then, no possibility of winning it over?" Consort Zhen inquired with some worry.
Qin Ming gave a cold little laugh.
"That old thing Chu Changhe, protecting the Empress in his own residence — his attitude is already plain enough. Though he was, in the past, of the neutral faction, since he's chosen to protect the Empress, then he stands on our opposing side. And the North Wind Star Region has always breathed out through the same one nostril as the Chu River Star Region. And so these two star regions are the two stinking stones we must trip and topple."
Consort Zhen understood her son's thinking; she went on to say, "But if we move against them directly, it will surely affect our present reputation. For, after all, you haven't yet ascended the throne, and to take the knife to a family of meritorious ministers who've guarded the frontier for a thousand years — how will the other interstellar forces and the great families think of it?"
"Then I'll force them to rebel first!" Qin Ming said, cold and sinister.
"But didn't you arrange this before — summoning Chu Changhe back to the Capital Star, taking the chance to place him under house arrest, and forcing the Chu River Star Region's Chu family fleet to rebel? And yet now, the Chu family fleet hasn't stirred a hair; this plan of yours has already failed. Don't tell me you'd go so far as to kill Chu Changhe at the Capital Star, to force the Chu family fleet to betray by that means? Wouldn't that be lifting a stone only to drop it on your own foot," Consort Zhen said.
Qin Ming said, "I never imagined that Chu Changhe's granddaughter could, of all things, endure this much. But my methods are by no means so simple. And there's no rush for the moment; wait until I have first gathered in the Perilla Star Region and the Pegasus Star Region, and we'll see. By then, even if we truly do go to war with the Chu River Star Region and the North Wind Star Region, we'll have the confidence for a swift victory in hand!"
"Ah, right — I have a piece of intelligence here. Earlier, when I ambushed the Princess's fleet, there was an interstellar fleet of unknown origin that came to the rescue, its combat power very strong. A paltry 300 interstellar warships could press down upon our three legion fleets and beat them. And though the models of those interstellar warships are unknown, several among them are very like several classes of interstellar warship in active service in the North Wind Star Region's Owl Dragon System. Brother — can this be made the reason for our moving against them!" Qin Hu, at this point, suddenly thought of this matter.
"The Owl Dragon System?" Qin Ming narrowed his eyes, recalling the intelligence connected to this place.
Into his mind came the young lord who, in that hive-race disaster of the Azure Star Region earlier, had made his name in a single battle.
And that fellow who, in the North Wind Star Region's hive-race disaster, had leapt two grades to become the youngest marquis.
And most, most important of all — rumor had it that he was, besides, the Chu family's dragon-riding fine son-in-law-to-be[3], Chu Changhe's future grandson-in-law.
The corner of Qin Ming's mouth curled slightly upward.
"This is, indeed, a fine opportunity. We'll take as our pretext that the Owl Dragon System is suspected of being of the Princess's rebel party, and have the North Wind Star Region hand over this Owl Dragon lord! If the North Wind Star Region won't hand him over, then we can, riding the momentum, send troops against the North Wind Star Region. And if the Chu family dares, at that point, to send troops for the North Wind Star Region's sake, then that's a crime of implication and complicity! And if the Chu family doesn't send troops — then the Chu family's signboard topples too: its sworn-brother the North Wind Star Region in trouble and unrescued — is your Chu family still that number-one great family of the Starlight Empire!"
Consort Zhen, at his side, saw through her son's scheme as well, and said with a cold laugh, "And if the North Wind Star Region hands over this Owl Dragon lord — this person's identity is the Chu family's future grandson-in-law; that's as good as sowing discord between the North Wind Star Region and the Chu River Star Region. Marvelous! Son — when do you plan to move?"
"No rush; first quiet the situation, and get the Perilla Star Region and the Pegasus Star Region settled. Let the shells fly a while longer first." Qin Ming clasped his two hands behind his back, his eyes narrowed.[1] He'd already begun to fantasize about the scene of his becoming the new generation's Starlight Emperor.
……
Within a quiet, secluded residence-compound upon the Capital Star.
"Chu Changhe, come to pay respects to the Empress." A voice sounded outside a certain courtyard.
Within the room there was no sound.
Chu Changhe called out a few more times, and still there was no response; he slowly pushed open the great door.
He saw, within the courtyard, a woman with disheveled, unbound hair sitting in a chair, a holographic image playing before her eyes.
The figure within the holographic image was, precisely, the already-deceased First Prince.
This woman before him, unkempt and disheveled of hair, was, precisely, the Empress.
Chu Changhe, seeing the Empress in such a state of spirit, heaved a long sigh.
On account of the matter of the First Prince's death, the Empress had fallen into a listless collapse, her spirit withered and low, unwilling to believe the fact that the First Prince had already passed away.
"Empress, set your heart at ease; you once saved my granddaughter Chu Xuan's life. I, Chu Changhe, take no part in party-and-faction strife, but I keep your kindness graven in mind. So long as I, Chu Changhe, live, no one will dare touch a single hair of yours. As for the little Princess's whereabouts, I've, too, secretly sent people to search — I'll, without fail, ensure the little Princess's safety." Having said this, Chu Changhe looked once more toward the Empress.
The Empress was, still, with a hazy, unfocused gaze, and raised a hand besides, attempting to stroke the First Prince within the holographic projection, her mouth murmuring the First Prince's childhood pet-name.
Chu Changhe heaved a long sigh, and silently withdrew from the courtyard.