The Merchant's Arrival

When Tian Feng awoke the next morning, he did so with marked relief. Though his sleep had not been permeated with dreams, he found himself decidedly unrested, and happy to just be awake. He pushed himself out of bed, slowly working his weak muscles in an attempt to carry himself to the door. He stumbled several times, his legs wobbling and forcing him down onto his hands and knees, but each time, he struggled back to his feet, eventually making it to the door.

As he opened it, he found himself face to face with his father. Tian Jie was a tall, good-looking man who was well into his forties. He shared his son's black hair and green eyes, but had a much fairer complexion and sturdier body. He smiled down at his son, who returned the gesture halfheartedly.

"Hello, Little Feng, Mei Lin told me that you've been having strange dreams. I wanted to see you early, so I could speak to you about them." He said.

"Yes, Father. I normally wouldn't want to bother you with something so trivial, but it..." Tian Feng started, but hesitated halfway through.

"Go on. I could hear your scream in the palace the palace last night, though when I went to see what was wrong, Mei Lin had already left to check on you. What happened?" Tian Jie asked.

Tian Feng explained the dreams in the same way as he had to Mei Lin.

"The last dream was drastically different at the end." Tian Feng said. "I felt my soul being completely overwhelmed. It felt for a moment like I would be engulfed and snuffed out by that feeling..." He added.

"And what feeling was it, exactly?"

"It was... anger, I think. But it was so, visceral so undiluted. I thought it might stop my heart. It wasn't directed at me, but it felt like it would destroy me all the same."

Tian Jie held his chin in his hands for a few moments, then shrugged.

"Well, son, as it hasn't directly harmed you, yet, it's not exactly something we can do anything about, directly. I can have Herbalist Xie create a potion that will give you dreamless sleep, but... other than that..."

"It's... it's fine. Despite that last dream making me feel so strange, the dreams themselves have been pretty interesting, all things considered." Tian Feng said.

"Well!" Tian Jie laughed, clapping his son on the shoulder. "I'm glad to see that you won't let last night get to you! Now, if that's all you needed concerning these dreams, let us get to the most important business of the year."

"Oh! Isn't Merchant Hie Xin coming by today?" Tian Feng asked.

"Yes, indeed, although today he brings something far more necessary than the baubles and trinkets that his stock typically contains. Come." Tian Jie said, beckoning his son to follow along.

Tian Feng struggled slightly as he tried to keep pace with his father. As they walked quickly down the hall, they turned the corner and came upon a group of servant women, who bowed and stepped aside. As they passed by, Tian Feng noticed that they each watched him closely, an expression somewhat near hunger etched onto their faces. Tian Jie laughed as he followed his son's gaze.

"You ought to be thinking about getting married sometime soon. You're at the age where you'll be allowed to pick a wife for yourself. I won't push you on it, but, given that you're not limited in your choices, the female servants around your age will start to be a bit more forward toward you, keep that in mind."

Tian Feng felt a slight twinge of annoyance at this reminder. Surely his injuries would make him less desirable were he an average man, but just by nature of being his father's son, he was a top marriage candidate, regardless of his physical condition.

"What is the merchant coming to us today for, Father?" Tian Feng asked, eager to move away from the topic.

"Ah, well, we're running low on iron ore. With nearly ten thousand soldiers housed in the city grounds, we have to do regular upkeep on weapons and armor for the average soldiers. Hie Xin is bringing several tons of iron ore to us, hoping to strike a good deal. I need your wonderful brain to negotiate a fair price for the entire shipment. You're welcome to make deals for any item that catches your fancy, as well. He's meant to be here within the hour, so, if you have any preparations to make before meeting with him, now would be the time."

Tian Feng nodded, following his father into the throne room of the palace. As they entered, a line of servants knelt before them, awaiting a command from either of them. Tian Feng pointed to the nearest servant, a large, bald headed man, and spoke.

"Our records room should have financial records from the neighboring cities. Bring me the records for the last 8 months." He commanded.

The servant bowed, leaving without a word.

"What do want the records of other cities for?" Tian Jie asked.

"Hie Xin is a crafty man, and I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to up the price on some of his wares without our knowledge. By using public records that would have listings of the prices charged by merchants, we can get an idea of what he's actually charging, and challenge him if he tries to play us." Tian Feng explained.

Tian Jie looked at his son for a moment, then smiled and nodded.

"That brain of yours is as much of a boon to this family as your cultivation was. Take heart, Little Feng, you are a treasure of our family."

Tian Feng shook his head slightly, holding his hand out as the servant returned to the throne room. He pulled the records book open, eyeing each page with interest.

"It is a blessing that the independent cities all agreed to share their financial records with each other. Even if this is just the public facing record, it's nice to have a baseline for their income and outgoing." Tian Feng mused.

A pair of guards moved quietly into the throne room about thirty minutes later. They bowed before Tian Feng and Tian Jie, one of them standing to report.

"My lord, the merchant Hie Xin has arrived, and is requesting permission to enter the palace." The guard said.

"He has permission. Tell him to leave the iron outside the palace, but to bring his smaller wares in for my son to have a look at." Tian Jie ordered. "And make sure that you check the iron while he's in here. I'd better not strike a deal only to find that you let him bring me chunks of stone."

The guards bowed and left, leaving the father and son alone in the throne room. Tian Jie turned to his son, watching him closely as the young man shut the records book with a sharp *snap*. Tian Feng set it down on a table next to the throne, his eyes on the doorway leading out into the palace courtyard.

"Alright." He breathed. "I'm ready... bring him in."