Behind the Gift II

~"

The prince grabbed the man's arm and lead into an alley -Let's not speak such words in broad daylight- -You have my apologies- the men bent down.

-So you really can see through my mask- sighed the Prince -I already had my doubts on you honestly... That day, back at the baths, you recognized Lai'Er didn't you? And right after doing so you changed your plans, why?- The man smirked lightly -Well, I actually hold Miss Ying ChangLai in high regards. I don't want to cause her any problem directly, if not help her even... Did she not tell you how I helped her with The Crown Prince's case after that time in the baths?-

The Prince relaxed just a bit -So what do you want now? You helped me, I'm sure you want something in return- -Mmhn... Now that I think about, I could indeed make use of this meeting. I was just about to go look for a present to gift to our new Emperor- XianLen rose his arms -No, end of discussion. I won't set foot behind those gates ever again- -Don't make me use harsh methods, please... You wouldn't want me to expose you to your brother, wouldn't you?- XianLen crossed his arms over his chest -What tells me you actually can?-

-You shouldn't test me, Prince- His eyes began to shine with a sinister light -Also... I might know about the whereabouts of your dear couple, you know what means in many ways- XianLen knows when to give up and so he did, it's never good to risk so much just to test an opponent who might be stronger than you -Fine, what you want me to do? Dance? Sing?- -Oh no, something much better than that-.

...

The two man sat together in the basement of the merchant's house... Finally XianLen could remove his mask and take breather -So what exactly do you want me to do in exchange for your silence?-

The other man finished pouring himself some tea and took the cup in hand -You surely are familiar with how the Nation sees its Emperor... You must have heard the "blessings" of his peoples by now- he smirked and savoured one sip of the fragrant liquid -I want you to help me remind him of such things-

-You want me to go there and provoke the Emperor as a nobody? I will get executed on the spot- the prince replied extremely serious -You will have me backing you up... I simply need you to make a divination for him- he said with a malicious tone, XianLen tilted his head and frowned -Go on-

...

(Narration of the upcoming events from their point of view, with their current conversations in between the planning)

"The woman enters the halls in a beautiful exotic outfit, slight swinging her hips and walking gracefully... She then stops on her tip toe with a pop sound leaving her lips, after that she obediently rushes to her owner's side like a good puppy. Once the table is ready, she seats down to begin her tarot reading"

-Do I really have to do that?- asked the Prince -That will make it more believable- replied the other

"She begins to mix the cards carefully, with a certain technique and her eyes rushes to search for the merchant just before putting down the deck on the table, warning him that now they can't go back anymore... First card. The Prince gulps down, faking anxiety for the divination he's about to make. The Emperor card on reverse"

-You want me to pick this card in reverse specifically?- asked XianLen, finally taking that cup of tea in his hands -Yes, we won't go easy on him- replied Wang Chia-Hao -But how am I gonna do it? I cannot mark the back of the card without my brother noticing- he gulped down the whole cup -You can use your powers to fake the cards image- -Absolutely not. What if he pick them from the deck out of rage and the real Emperor card comes out? He will know we tricked him right away- replies the prince -The just Destroy the original card and use your powers on a random one for the reading, The Emperor does not know about this practice nor about how many cards with which figures should be in the deck- after that sentence the prince just nodded

"The boy gets mad but, as expected, his counselor stops him and helps him calm down. Allowing Wang Chia-Hao to come in the prince's rescue...

Second card. The Prince locks eyes with his brother, trying to make him feel nervous with his omniscient stare. The it's time for his powers, creating the illusion of an imploding room and clouding everyone's minds with fear... The echoes of a heart beating, ringing in the whole hall"

-I can do visual trick but not auditory ones- declared the Prince -Do not worry about that, I will have some servants infiltrated in the hall and have them wear little gongs under their skirts to fake the sound of a nesting heart at the right time- reassured him the other man

"The Fool, reversed. Explaining not only how childish the Emperor is, but also insinuating doubts in his head... Doubts that might have already been there but forgotten about, yet Wang Chia-Hao was kin enough to notice"

-What are you talking about? There's not a single person who is loyal to my brother... And although many Nobles are "working behind the scenes" to take his throne, he knows that well- -Just trust me on this one, Your Highness, and try to make it sound very vague- -Sure...-

"Third card, The Prince faked shock as if he absolutely didn't saw it coming... Wang Chia-Hao adds to the Emperor's fear by remaining silent and staring at the card with pressed lips... Taking their time to scare him, and allowing XianLen to gulp down the desire to jump on his feet and kill his brother there, the two men together set the mood for the upcoming meaning. Death, such a sweet word in the prince's lips"

-He will have me beheaded on the spot if I say that!- XianLen looks at the other man with a shoked expression -Don't worry, he won't hurt you...- -What if he still does?!- the merch sighs and puts down his cup -They I'll simply come and rescue you, no? I'm good at talking people into believing me- -Mmhn... I hope so-

"Wang Chia-Hao proposes The Emperor to test his luck once he finally rescued the woman, trying to make him believe the merchant himself is doubtful of the cards... Yet he took out a set of loaded dices"

-Wouldn't it be too weird if everything gives a negative result tho? And what if he doesn't take your dices box?- the merchant nodes at the question -We want his to be afraid, we don't care about pushing the hand... Anyway, if he refuses mine you will have to manipulate the results with your powers. We want a 4-4 set, to scare him even more in believing he will die-

"The Emperor start going mad, yelling and cursing at the murmuring Nobles... But soon after the noise stops, the woman beings a reflective plate for him to look at his face and the boy remains stunned. Just after noticing his mourning clothes he loses his mind"

-Just make him look like a corpse on his funeral, a corpse who's eyes have been digged out and throat slashed- notes down the merchant -And after that?- asked the Prince -Oh... After that we'll improvise- -What do you mean by... Improvise?- the man in white leans back on his chair being taken aback -By now the Emperor will probably try to kill you-

"~