85 Standing there in Silence

As Xiao Ying waited behind Fa Rong, he listened in on the shouting that occurred behind the closed doors of the hall in front of him.

"My superiors have demanded that the food be of both our lands in equal measure, and that's not what you have proposed!"

It was honestly as experience to stand there in silence, with Fa Rong stood there stoically without reacting to the shouting and screams that echoed out slightly muffled.

"We decided this yesterday and the Financial Department has approved the menu. The Emperor's council has approved the menu. We were to create a menu that would be directly welcoming the Ambassador. We want him to be comfortable among us for the first night of his visit. It's only one night now!"

Another man joined Fa Rong as she stood there, and the two of them began to make what looked to be idle small talk, discussing their mornings and what was going on around them.

Xiao Ying, watching them, surmised that the man had to be a colleague who was in charge of kitchens responsible for feeding another segment of the palace inhabitants from his similar uniform in a pale shade of cobalt blue, dark blue trims trailing the edges of his robes in the same patterns present on Fa Rong's own garments.

"Why are we bringing up things that were decided yesterday! All of you shut the fuck up!"

Xiao Ying felt himself raise an eyebrow and wondered what on earth was going on inside the room for swearing to be involved so soon.

He tried to recall any kind of inspirations that may have gone into the palace staff and only managed to recall a few scenes from Psycho Pass and one funny edit of some British sci fi show with a swearing Scottish man from some political drama.

Thinking of the second example that his brain had conjured up, he remembered being reduced to a scandalised mess when he had seen the clip the first time, his young and virgin ears initiated with the true scope and complexity that one could utilise with swears, particularly in different languages that he didn't understand.

And he thought that the swearing man was being quite literal and his mind had unbiddenly conjured up quite a few images that he would rather forget - all of them coming back now.

"Get back on track. Timing and logistics. Next one of you to diverge from the topic will meet the business end of my son's spear intimately, understand!"

Xiao Ying turned away from the door and put his head into his hands, unable to process or compute what he had just been forced to hear.

It sounded a lot like a minister threatening to assassinate one of his colleagues.

It was a minister threatening to assassinate one of his colleages.

He...

Xiao Ying really had written a crap sack novel.

Court rooms were supposed to be quiet, understated, and very, very civil places of debate and decision making, not whatever the hell was happened behind the set of closed doors behind him.

What had he written?