Third Prince - Entice The Great Turtle

When Alistair Sand first described his plan to entice the Great Turtle to Tianming Town, Parsifal worried that the Emperor would interpret it as an attempt to bail out the Fourth Prince. That didn't happen. Although the Emperor expressed reservations about elements of the plan, he gave it his blessing. But now there was a different risk.

Because the Emperor had agreed, Renjie might interpret the plan as conferring a benefit on That Man and therefore reject it. The Fourth Prince might also be offended that the Emperor was asked for his approval first. It was a ridiculous situation. The youngest prince insisted on dealing with the Emperor as an equal. He was only able to achieve this through borrowed power. That didn't matter. The consorts and Empress had, for reasons unknown to Parsifal, agreed to lend him that power.

Parsifal asked his sister to lay some groundwork in order to mitigate the risk of Renjie scuttling the deal. When Parsifal's rickshaw stopped in front of Plum Terrace Palace, Rangiku was outside to meet him. Parsifal withheld judgement as to whether that was good or not. The new guard Garrett was with her. They were about the same age. Garrett was built well, but Parsifal felt skeptical that anyone could be the "Renjie Whisperer" both princesses described.

The Third Prince got out of the rickshaw and approached the waiting pair.

"You should have given your sister more details," said Garrett.

Parsifal had been informed that Garrett took too casual a stance with superiors. Reproaching a member of the royal family for not sharing details of a plan agreed to by the Emperor, Grand Preceptor, Ministry of Antiquities, and Moonlight Chamber was preposterous. Furthermore, delivering that reproach before the Sixth Princess was able to welcome her brother to Plum Terrace Palace was worthy of a beating. Parsifal prepared a rebuke of his own.

Rangiku struck first.

"Garrett's right," she said. "You know what Renjie's like."

Instead of a polite greeting, the youngest member of the royal family chose to double down on reprimanding her older brother for not sharing the details of a delicate plan. Parsifal suppressed his anger. Everyone wanted the situation to end. Renjie would be let out by the Empress at some point whether or not the Emperor agreed. Parsifal had presented a solution – and therefore had more at stake.

He might not have received the welcome his station merited. That was less important than the fact he had not been told the deal was off. Because Rangiku and Renjie knew there was some kind of plan, even if they didn't know what it was, Princess Iba Algi would also have come into a realization that a plan was in the works. 

Parsifal was not sure how Iba Algi's abilities worked. Nobody was sure, perhaps not even the Princess herself. Based on what he did know, however, by this time the Princess probably understood the plan better than the people who came up with it. If she was opposed, she would have communicated that to Rangiku. Rangiku would then have told Parsifal to leave. The Sixth Princess rarely handed out orders. But when she did, she did so bluntly. Because the Sixth Princess hadn't sent Parsifal away, she was communicating Iba Algi's tacit approval.

That carried weight.

Parsifal respected Alistair Sand. That didn't mean Sand wasn't playing a game behind Parsifal's back. Because Iba Algi took no action, however, Parsifal could conclude there was either no game – or that game was inconsequential. More importantly yet, the little seer's inaction suggested to Parsifal that the plan just might work. Iba Algi was protective of her "future husband."

"There's a lot to go over," said Parsifal. "We should discuss the details inside."

"Then it will be too late," said the Sixth Princess. "Renjie will know you're here, stop playing with his bath toys, and include himself in our conversation. Probably dripping wet. If the plan turns out to be bad, disaster will follow. Tell us the plan, and we'll tell you if it will be a disaster in advance."

"That's not practical," said Parsifal. "I'll have to go over everything twice."

"Do we need to relitigate the stunt your master and That Man pulled?" asked Rangiku. "If they keep antagonizing Renjie, it will create a self-fulfilling prophecy. You may think that provoking him into a meltdown will undermine his position and play into your hand. I agree that's the way it would work in an ordinary dynasty. But the person who knows best where all the cards in a collapsing house will fall is not on your side. Neither are the two most lethal people in the empire. Consequently, if your plan is stupid, it's better that you hear it from us first."

"Us?" asked Parsifal. "The two of you?"

"Is anyone else standing here?" asked Rangiku.

"I respect the Royal Guard," said Parsifal. "But he's a recruit."

"A recruit who convinced Renjie to back down," said Rangiku. "You consider yourself the most tactical thinker in our family. Maybe you are. I'm not so sure. Do you actually believe that Renjie failed to understand how close he had gotten to humiliating That Man? Do you think he backed down because he felt intimidated? Ridiculous. Who can intimidate him? Does the family's most tactical thinker not understand who has Renjie's back?"

Rangiku was more confrontational than usual. Parsifal simmered. 

"'That Man' is the Emperor," he said. "We shouldn't argue out here."

"I know who That Man is," replied Rangiku, "and where it's best to argue. Do you want to go back and tell the Emperor the deal is off because you insisted on ignoring our advice?"

"Why are you angry at me?" said Parsifal. "I'm trying to repair a bad situation!"

"I am angry because if your plan is bad you'll make a bad situation worse!"

"We can't talk about it standing out in the open!"

"Then call back your carriage and go away!"

Moments of tense silence passed. If Parsifal forced his way past the princess, Plum Terrace Palace's Attendant would intervene – potentially escalating matters to the Empress.

"We know the plan involves climbing," said Garrett. "Renjie loves climbing. So far so good. Can you tell us where you want to climb?"

His tone was conciliatory. Parsifal looked at him. Rangiku looked at Parsifal. It was ridiculous for the Third Prince of Great Yao to explain himself to his youngest sister and her pet. However, Parsifal knew Rangiku wouldn't back down – and her pet had expressed himself politely.

"To the best place for finding ancient giant relics," said Parsifal. "Wherever that is."

Rangiku and Garrett looked at each other. Garrett stepped to one side and gestured respectfully for the Third Prince to proceed up the steps.