Threads 218 Second Day 2

Tiangong, the Labyrinthine Realm, was the capital of the Meng lands. Said to have been won from the hands of a mighty spirit of chance and fate in a game by the founder of the Meng long ago, this was the deed for which he was granted leave to found his own branch clan. Despite being one of the province’s oldest settlements, it was the third smallest of the county capitals. Only the capitals of the Jia, who had built a city wholesale after the Duchess’ victory and had harsh residency requirements, and the Luo, who as a rule simply did not gather often in permanent cities, were less populous.

It was probably the biggest by area though, Xiangmen aside, which was said to sprawl widely across the hills and valleys and fens. It was called Labyrinthine for a reason. Meng works and the original spiritual nature of the region meant that pathways were never quite stable, and which districts neighbored others changed at times. Hou Zhuang’s information said that there was an order to this, but his observations and information hadn’t been able to discern it.

The Meng did not use normal imperial warding methods against spirits for this reason, but they had their own systems of spirit traps and mazes which they guarded jealously. The other settlements in the north of the region were similar, if on a smaller scale. Meng architecture often used raised walkways due to the marshy ground, and while they did not build directly into particularly old growth trees like Xiangmen in miniature, they favored loops and rounded shapes over straight lines and shapes. This informed their thinking, or so the common knowledge said.

In the south, in the lands gifted by the fallen Hui after the Duchess’ war, things were different. The former counts of the region had been more imperial leaning, and so, the settlements there were built accordingly. The Meng were attempting to integrate and overhaul the infrastructure, but progress was slow and halting. Hou Zhuang’s notes indicated this was due to a conflict within the Meng’s ruling halls on how the matter should be handled.

This, he determined, was partially due to some vestigial old Weilu structures. Namely, the practice of having small circles or councils in the place of individual leaders was hindering consensus. More than half of their viscounties were headed by branch clans, and the lines were blurry. In the modern day, this amounted to advisors and vassals having more sway than was normal. Sometimes, lofty isolationist silence was what it seemed to be. Sometimes, it was internal paralysis.

Ling Qi wouldn’t have believed an imperial clan could be like that, but recently, she had been finding her conceptions on what authority was challenged more than she liked.

“It’s not all bad, right?” Sixiang mused. “If one person is messing up but it takes three to make a decision, it can reign in the one bad guy.”

That wasn’t wrong, but the way people worked, she was pretty sure that just meant a bunch of arguing and nothing getting done as everyone selfishly pursued their own gain. Then again, clearly such things existed and at least sort of worked. Perhaps she simply didn’t have enough experience.

“One day, I’ll chip a little more of that cynicism off of you,” Sixiang grumbled

The mountain might be worn down by the river, but it would take ten thousand years, Ling Qi thought, smiling self-deprecatingly.

She looked up from where she stood by the refreshments table in a wide airy pavilion. It belonged to a southwestern viscount, and she had drifted in here to mingle and make nice for a while. They certainly had a good array of ciders and juices at least. If she recalled correctly, the family’s main income came from their orchards.

Her thoughts were interrupted as her gaze panned across the gathered nobles and servants, and she found her gaze falling on a familiar figure. Meng Diu stood talking with the elderly host of this little gathering. Her heavy makeup was done up differently than the last time Ling Qi had seen her. She spoke softly with the viscount, and naturally, Ling Qi could not make out what they were saying.

That woman was surprisingly good at moving unnoticed. As she watched, the viscount bowed and she inclined her head before the two split apart. Meng Diu caught her eye.

“What did you say about opportunities?” Sixiang asked smugly.

It doesn’t count if a person is arranging them, Ling Qi complained in her head.

Ling Qi lowered her eyes and then inclined her head, beginning to stroll toward the arrangement of flowers in the center of the pavilion.

Soon, Meng Diu stood beside her. Though the older woman’s artfully arranged hair barely came up to her shoulder, Meng Diu’s presence made her seem rather larger. The open paper fan in her hand shaded the older woman’s mouth and nose.

“My grandson’s services proved useful, did they not?” Meng Diu opened without preamble. She appeared to be examining the large flower arrangement before them.

“Meng Dan proved a noble young man and an incomparable scholar,” Ling Qi agreed. “His talents were very useful for gathering information.”

“This pleases me. That child often becomes too wrapped up in his texts. It is good to see that he may apply his talents elsewhere.”

“In fairness, much of his work did end up taking place in a library of some sort.”

“Yes, that creature’s ring,” Meng Diu said frostily, her fan’s lazy waving picking up for a moment. “Truly, the gods love their games.”

Ling Qi glanced her way. It wasn’t in fashion to refer to the great spirits that way. “So I have learned. Still, in this case, the outcome was good.”

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“Yes. That tapestry… You are wise to sell it, Baroness. It would only bring you trouble. I hope that my clan’s price will prove acceptable.”

“So do I,” Ling Qi said after a moment’s thought. “It would hurt me to disappoint you when you have been so kind.”

That finally drew a thin smile from the older woman. “Baroness Ling is developing well.”

“Lady Meng is generous. But if I may, there is a question I would like to ask you.”

“Ask it.” Meng Diu’s fan snapped shut and disappeared into her voluminous sleeve. She turned to fully face Ling Qi.

“If I am to consider my options properly, I must know the dispositions of my allies,” Ling Qi said carefully. “How much strength does the interest in my projects hold in the councils of the Meng?”