Page 56 of The Nightblood Prince

There was a reason many of those who voluntarily enlisted were from poorer families: they came only for the prospect of a hot meal, knowing they might pay with their life when it was time to meet Lan’s army. If the only other option was starving to death under winter’s breath, then was there ever a choice? In the army, they had the prospect of growth. Promotions, though rare for boys of no name and no means, were possible.

Something was better than nothing.

My stomach growled. If I didn’t go back soon, there wouldn’t be any shreds of pork left; the congee would just be water and a few floating grains of rice. It would be foolish to even dream of seeing any fermented vegetables left at the table.

The prince’s guards gave me suspicious glances when I approached the tent, but lifted the flap for me to enter.

Inside, Siwang was holding court with six men: three of them in silk winter robes, two men in armor, and Caikun, standing just a few steps behind Siwang, was in his commander’s uniform.

I didn’t recognize any of the other men, but to hold court with Siwang meant they were important in some way. My feet whispered against the soft rug. The men stopped what they were doing and looked at me. Narrowed eyes and confused glances, probably wondering the same as the guards outside.

What was a scrawny, green recruit like me doing here?

Even Caikun seemed surprised when he saw me, a slow frown forming between his brows.

I lowered my head and hoped they could not see my face, that they would not recognize me.

“He’s with me,” Siwang said casually, dismissing my presence with a wave of his hand. “Continue, General Wang.”

Siwang had changed back to his black dragon robes, fine silk hugging his wide shoulders and tall frame even better than the tattered linen robes he’d worn earlier. He’d taken the time to comb out his hair, previously disheveled from the fights. Now it sat in an elegant topknot on his head, held in place by a small crown of gold and a slender hairpin.

I looked away before he could catch me staring.

“Everything said in this tent is confidential, and nobody is going to say anything. Right,Little Li?” Siwang turned his attention to me.

I shuddered at the way he said my nickname, one that only my comrades called me. “Right, Your Highness.”

“Continue, General Wang,” Siwang repeated.

“Well, um, as I was saying, the soldiers are improving. Some are better than others. The Second and Third Companies of the Fifth Battalion are battlefield-ready.”

“And the others?”

Silence. Hesitation. An answer that didn’t need to be spoken outloud.

Siwang sighed. “Keep training them. We are losing men quicker than ever. Send the most qualified soldiers to the front lines within the moon, and toughen your training on the others. The front lines are waiting.”

“But Your Highness, Lan’s soldiers are killing our men quicker than we can train them. This isn’t sustainable. We—”

The general paused midsentence, as if suddenly remembering my existence. He shot Siwang a troubled look.

“Do your best, General Wang. I will try to come up with a solution. We are going to beat Lan’s armies. I know we will.”

By the somber looks around the room, I wasn’t sure Siwang’s advisors were as optimistic.

“But Your Highness—”

“This is enough for today; leave us.”

“Your—”

“Leave us,”Siwang repeated, rubbing the bridge of his nose with thumb and forefinger, something he used to do under stress. A headache was setting in. Before, I would have gone to his side and rubbed his temples for him. Now I was just his foot soldier. Someone like me was not allowed to touch the Crown Prince without his permission.

The men must have realized Siwang was irritated, and relented. If they kept nagging Siwang like a bunch of aunties, they would only anger him further.

Siwang was just and calm in the worst of situations, though he did have a temper worthy of an emperor.

Throughout history, countless eunuchs, ministers, and generals had lost their heads by saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Cautionary tales.

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