<div align="center"><strong>Shun Hideyoshi</strong><br/><br/>(http://sengoku-database.tripod.com/avatar/odanobunaga.jpg)</div><br/>Though he had given her a rare moment of tenderness, Hideyoshi was not about to concede to his daughter's wish to break off her betrothal to Shun Tai. It was a shame, because neither Midori nor the Western Emperor really wanted the marriage; he could tell by hearing his daughter's pleas, and by seeing the surprise and reservation in Shun Tai's face. But there was too much riding on all of this; peace between their kingdoms, most importantly, because bad blood between Hideyoshi's and Shun Tai's people still lingered, and if no marriage was made here, thre would be angry, violent people to deal with. Hideyoshi was prepared to grind his opponents to dust, but he had a feeling Shun Tai would be too tender with the rebellious and would become a weaker ally afterwords. Besides that, Hideyoshi had given Emperor Bue, a man he had respected, his word that their two children would be wed and jointly rule over the Western Empire. That was another motive for Hideyoshi to keep the marriage in place, of course; An ally in Tai's court would be invaluable, in case Lao Fang did not prove to be trustworthy in the end.<br/><br/>He put one rough hand to her face, brushing her tears away with his thumb. "I could stop the wedding for you. But don't you see, my daughter? There are too many things at stake here to be vain about marrying that man," he said the last two words with a little disdain. No real man would be hesitant about marrying his beautiful, talented daughter. "I hope you would not ask me about it again," he concluded, and took a step back from her. He looked at his daughter for a long moment, as if weighing some unspoken argument, before he finally shook his head.<br/><br/>"I am sure that you will find happiness in your marriage. He seems to be a noble man, one who would treat you with respect. Now, you should go speak with Shun Tai yourself. I will see about getting us settled in here."<br/><br/><hr/><br/><div align="center"><strong>Lǎo Fáng (老防)</strong><br/><br/>(http://kongming.net/11/i/p/port_lg/Created-Male-091.jpg)</div><br/>Lao Fang looked up to the Emperor, not sure how to answer. He had never lied to the man about the matter... But he had not told the younger man everything. "Yes, I was aware of the Emperor's coming. I was there to greet him, wasn't I? I deigned not to tell you because I thought you would not wish to receive them. But it was your father who had wrote the contract of betrothal between you and Shun Midori, and now the heavens ordain it. Forgive me for not telling you, but I felt I was doing the right thing." Of course, Lao Fang didn't believe in a higher power; What you accomplished as a mortal was all that mattered, and Lao Fang had great ambitions designed for his life on earth.<br/><br/>"I am glad that you trust me; It is very benevolent of you to do so, after leaving you in the dark about this. Your trust is, of course, reciprocated. There are no more curious surprises lingering over your shoulder; Something like this will not happen again. And that is the truth." He could feel Feng's eyes on his face, but he forced himself to not return the scathing look. It wasn't much of a secret to the Emperor or his court that Lao Fang and Feng Bao did not trust each other, and that was putting it delicately. Short of murder, there was nothing that Feng Bao could do to fall out of the Emperor's trust, and Lao Fang was forced to suffer the man's scathing rudeness towards Fang's office.