Lord Zhang was grateful for the meal's end. It meant he could finally escape the awkward meal without being rude. He was also tired of keeping up his crestfallen act when in reality he was seething! He was furious at the public humiliation and the lack of support from his allies, although in reality, he could not really blame the lords and ladies. Still!! No one tried to dissuade Shuang from her unexpected choice or stand up for him. No one dared to publicly back a new 'untried' Head against the powerful Ruling Lord with military backing. Needles to say, Xi Xuan took note of the telling looks and sympathetic glances. Each nuance indicative of the changing political tides. He would get reports later confirming his suspicions of those who remained allies and those who did not.

Another reason to retire as soon as possible was Lady Shuang's outrageously inappropriate behavior throughout the meal.

Despite her loud declaration of undying love to Lord Yuan, she spent an inordinate amount of the entire feast trying to get his attention while blatantly ignoring her new fiancé sitting by her side.

Lady Shuang started by glancing at him frequently. That followed by coy smiles and touches of her perfectly coiffed hair, ear and chin. She also kept smoothing down various parts of her dress and striking poses when she thought he was looking. She was beautiful and knew how to position herself to her advantage.

As dinner progressed, Lady Shuang became bolder. She would say something to her personal maid, LiQuin (his agents reported) then peek at him through lowered lashes. She also whispered conspiratorially to her bodyguards whilst studying him covertly behind a cup or embroidered handkerchief. Xi Xuan noted that Ghost gave short answers whilst the other one, Key was more elaborate in his replies. Both kept their faces professionally expressionless.

Lord Yuan too was enjoying himself immensely. His attention was solely on the non-stop well-wishes and congratulatory toasts. Confident he had won the lady by his side, he ignored her to drink and bask in victorious glory. He was the man of the hour. The beauty of Zinnu was his! He had won over the supposedly better Lord Zhang.

Unaccustomed to alcoholic beverage, Shuang too became more daring. False courage fueled by intoxication, she dared to try engaging him in conversation. The clueless maiden thanked him sweetly for the wonderful meal while toying with her night pearl necklace. It was part of his personal bride gift to her. The irony was not lost on him. She then followed up by asking about several dishes and which was his preference if any, all of which he answered vaguely.

Xi Xiu had the sense to avoid eye contact with her 'enemy' and 'hid shyly' behind her brother.

"If I have to talk to her, we'll probably end up on the floor in a cat fight. I'll not tolerate anyone who hurts you, Gege."

"Even when me not getting married to the Ruling House and losing the prestige it brings?" he asked.

"Even then!" she exclaimed. "It was the way she humiliated and insulted you."

"It was not me she insulted," replied Xi Xuan tilting his head discreetly in Master Kai's direction.

"It's the same thing! She insulted who she thought was you!" Xi Xiu scowled. "She also belittled our whole House!"

"She did," he acknowledged with a sigh. "House Zhai will not get away with it. I'll make sure our House will keep it's position and power. House Yuan's hopes on advancing through this marriage will remain only that, hopes and dreams."

As soon as the riveting sword dance concluded, Xi Xuan stood up. The panting dancers had scarcely righted themselves from their artistic ending poses when he turned to face Lord and Lady Zhai to excuse himself. It was the earliest he could do so without seeming impolite. He bowed first to the Ruling couple, then to the drunk Lord Yuan and intoxicated Lady Shuang. He congratulated the happy couple, wishing them prosperity, long life, a happy marriage and many children. Then Lord Zhang and his entourage left the banquet hall.

No one could fault him for leaving early. In fact, more than one person felt pity for him. He had heroically endured the painfully embarrassing dinner, smiling sadly and holding his head up bravely. It must be a relief to finally be able to get out of the public's eye and return to his private rooms in shame.

Lord Yuan Shun Xi was too busy basking in his newfound popularity that came with being the Ruling Lord's son-in law. He drank with new acquaintances and new allies who vied for his attention. His father at the lower table too was besieged with well-wishers. This was what he craved. Power and attention that came with his alleviated position!

It took all the control he could muster not to laugh in Lord Zhang's face when the loser congratulated him and his beautiful ex-fiancée. However, he did gloat and sneer at the scholar's dejected back when he left the great hall and the celebration of which he was no longer a part of.

Xi Xuan kept iron control over his seething anger when he walked out. The sorrowful mask should be visible until he reached the sanctuary and privacy of his rooms. It would not do for his fury to show. House Zhai would pay for his disrespect and public humiliation of House Zhang. If Lord Zhai and Lady Shuang thought they could get away with such outrageous behavior just because he was 'new and untried', they must be mad. He must have forgotten why House Zhang was the second strongest in Zinnu.

While the others drank the night away, at least he had a valid excuse to leave early.

He had work to do.

-----

By the time the hour of the Ox (1am to 3am) finally came, most of the diners had retired to their beds or broken up into little groups to continue drinking. Some loitered in the great hall where it was warm and cozy. Others dispersed elsewhere for more privacy and drunken discussion of the night's events.

Lord Zhai had left the banquet hall with his Lady after all the performances. To each he rewarded a full pouch of gold for their hard work. A small token of appreciation and a show of wealth. He bade his guests to continue enjoying themselves assuring everyone that the wine would keep flowing that night.

He left his lady in her rooms with her gaggle of maids. She was still overly excited for her favorite daughter but he had no time for her prattle. He wanted to move forward with his plans immediately. Just thinking of the additional power of two Houses made him drunk! House Yuan was secured, now it was time to do something about acquiring House Zhang.

Shuang's actions would have attracted severe punishment for foiling his carefully laid plans if it did not open up better avenues. Even if she was the golden child and he loved her dearly, his personal power, position and wealth came first. She was lucky inspiration had come to him during her formal Choosing or he would have commanded her marriage to Lord Zhang. Although he would prefer her to be happy, he had no qualms in sacrificing it for more power.

House Yuan and its gem mines were practically his now. His attention turned to House Zhang. That House would not escape so easily. He refused to let the sea and its profitable bounty slip through his fingers. Not to mention, the pirates. If he could somehow subdue the pirates, he would also control the seas!

Captain Chiang followed his Lord into his strategy room. It was private and fully secured. The choice of place left little doubt of his intentions. Lord Zhai was fully sober, all pretensions of being tipsy vanished when he left his Lady's chambers.

"Shut the door."

Without a word, Captain Chiang did as he was told. His men outside immediately moved to block the closed door knowing not to let anyone pass. Lord Zhai was already at his table. Unlocking a heavy coffer, he took out a small palm size plaque. The solid hard wood had Lord Zhai's personal crest. It gave the bearer authority to speak for Lord Zhai himself.

"Take it," said Lord Zhai as he tossed it over to his Captain. Captain Chiang caught it deftly with his right hand.

"Your orders, My Lord?"

"Go to the Dark Sect, get Old Wolf to send a Shard. I want someone to get Lady Zhang undetected. We'll keep her in the lower dungeons."

"A Shard. Kidnap Lady Zhang," Captain Chiang repeated his orders. "What about the two Shards already here? Can't we use them?"

"Key and Ghost? No. I want this to be a separate contract. Old Wolf is already overcharging me an exorbitant amount for 'baby-sitting' Shuang. Any additional tasks from those two assigned to her will undoubtedly attract more unreasonable fees."

"You are right. At least they are keeping her safe. All attempts on her life have failed so far."

"Yes, I know," Lord Zhai smiled briefly thinking of his daughter's brief encounter with danger during her pilgrimage. "Tell Old Wolf, I want someone else. A new man for a new task. Come in, get the girl and deliver her to us alive before Zhang leaves. Zhang will follow my every whim to protect his beloved sister."

"Then we have only five days after I ride there and back. Zhang will leave with the others after Lady Shuang's marriage next week. Payment?"

"Standard payment. No more than ten percent from the last Kill they did for me."

Lord Zhai retrieved a rather large money pouch from another chest.

"It's a very simple task. There is no killing and no unnecessary subterfuge involved. He should agree."

"Yes Sir!"

"Come back immediately. No one must notice your absence."

Captain Chiang nodded understanding. He gave a smart salute, turned on his heels and went out the door. He would leave tonight and get as much headway as possible.

No one else in the household knew of Lord Zhai's dealings with the Dart Sect, not even his wife. Only him. Lord Zhai was not a trusting person.

Captain Chiang disappeared into the night after he left his most trusted Second-in Command in charge. No explanations. Just cover for him until he got back.

-----

Lady Shuang followed her parent's cue to retire. She left when they did but her new fiancé stayed. He wanted to continue celebrating. Lord Yuan managed to get up when she did, return her bow and maintain a look of soppy adoration on his face until she was out of sight. Only then did the smile fade into a sneer.

He sat drinking alone until the great hall started emptying. Then he called over his two best friends to join him at his exalted table. Li Guang and Chu Feng climbed the dais with fresh cups and brimming jugs of wine.

"Congratulations Shun Xi!" Li Guang congratulated his friend loudly. "As expected of our great Shun Xi!!"

"Yes! Congratulations!" echoed Chu Feng grinning broadly. "You kept up the suspense until the very last second! I wasn't sure you if you could've pulled it off. I lost our bet but I must say, it's the best money I've ever spent!"

"Yeah! You are really awesome! I can't believe she actually stood up to her father for you!!"

"Ha, ha, ha!" they all laughed in unison drinking an impromptu toast.

"Shun Xi, are you sure we can sit here?" Chu Feng hesitated looking around. The view was wonderful! They were high up on the second tier overlooking the great hall. Chu Feng and Li Guang had never been been to such an exalted position before. Their Houses were much lower in status, far below the nine main Houses.

"Of course. I invited you too here and no one can refuse my orders. I'm practically married into House Zhai," laughed Shun Xi cheering up at his friends' presence. "Isn't that so?" he asked a nearby maid who only bowed her head respectfully at him.

"See?"

Li Guang and Chu Feng sat down. Filling the empty cups, the two lesser lords toasted their victory. Technically, everyone won by virtue of Shun Xi's new status. Their own statuses also increased via close association.

"Why were you frowning just now? Shouldn't you be ecstatic?" asked Li Guang. "You just won the impossible bet!"

"It's Shuang," Shun Xi spat out her name. "She thinks I'm blind!"

Both his friends smirked knowingly. It had been obvious to anyone watching the couple that the bride had been trying to get Lord Zhang's attention the entire evening. She had initiated all their conversations. Shun Xi had ignored her as thoroughly as she did him preferring to focus his attention to the never ending flow of praise and congratulations.

"She made me out to be a fool in front of everyone. Even after choosing me, she dared lust after Zhang openly!" he ranted as simmering anger bubbled to the surface. He had felt humiliated but had decided to pretend ignorance earlier. It was better than getting Lord Zhai's pity or anger that he spoil his daughter's engagement. He had to remain on his father-in law's good side.

"Why didn't you stop her?" asked Chu Feng. "At least you should have reprimanded her terrible behavior. She is yours now."

"No. Lord Zhai was watching. Besides ... I'll teach her a lesson when we're safely married. I'll not chance her breaking our engagement to go running back to Zhang."

Li Guang cackled in anticipation. "Can we watch when you punish her?" he leered making lewd gestures. Shun Xi was very creative in his sexual exploits and had never failed to amaze them. They had even joined him on occasion in the brothel houses.

That made Shun Xi laugh. Li Guang's comment and additional salacious suggestions made him feel much better. He'll teach that bitch who she belongs to. She will not look or even think of another man after he was done with her.

"Maybe," he hedged. "I'll start slow. She is a virgin, you know."

"Ah, always a gentleman," sneered Li Guang. "Now, I really want to watch you break her in."

The three friends celebrated deep into the night and fell asleep drunk at the table. Near dawn, their servants helped them to their beds where they slept in.