Liang murmured a warning to him as they bowed to the two officials.
Careful.
‘Inspector Tong and I must both offer our deepest condolences for your father.’
‘Thank you, Minister Cao. Inspector Tong.’ Fei Long bowed again, acknowledging both of them in turn. He took a quick assessment of the second official as he lowered his head.
Tong was younger than Cao. His beard was trimmed to a sharp point and his eyes remained fixed on Fei Long as if targeting a pigeon during a hunt. Fei Long didn’t recognise the insignia on his robe, but it was clear he held some authority even in the presence of a senior minister.
Cao gestured toward the round table in welcome. ‘The last time I drank with your father, we enjoyed a flask of Guilin spirits together. Shall we have some in his honour?’
‘Just tea is fine, my lord.’
Cao looked somewhat glum at his response, but Tong snorted. ‘Not quite his father’s son, then.’
The senior minister called for tea and the three of them sat, while Liang remained standing off to the side.
‘I was just telling Minister Tong what a tragedy it is to lose Chang like that.’
‘Who else would tell outrageous stories during all those serious meetings? One might mistakenly think there was work to be done if it weren’t for Minister Chang,’ Tong replied with an acid tongue.
Cao laughed heartily, either ignoring the slight or missing it completely. ‘Yes! There really was no one else like Old Chang.’
The tea was poured while Cao continued to recount favourable stories of his father. For each one, Tong managed to add the slightest of cuts. Fei Long’s grip tightened on his cup. It was ill-mannered to malign the deceased, but it was also ill-mannered to show his anger before his host.
Cao Wei served in the highest government circles where his father had held a much more humble assignment within the Ministry of Works in the department of agriculture. Still, it was a position to be proud of and highly coveted. Cao seemed to have taken a liking to his father when he was still a student and had helped him secure the head position after the civil exams. The minister had become a benefactor to their family through the years.
Though Fei Long trusted Minister Cao, he was certain it was no accident that Tong happened to also be at this meeting. They were nearly through the first pour when Cao focused in on more serious matters.
‘I was thinking about how your father’s position within the Ministry of Works is still open. You were a candidate for the civil exams at one time, if I recall. I can put in a good word for you, my son.’
Tong’s face twitched at the suggestion, but he covered it by taking a sip of his tea.
‘The minister is too generous,’ Fei Long replied. ‘I’m afraid this unworthy servant is not qualified.’
‘Nonsense.’ Tong set down his cup and the lid rattled from the impact. ‘Your father’s name is enough. What need is there for qualification?’
Cao erupted again in laughter. ‘Inspector Tong, you are always playing like that. Young Fei Long is more than qualified. Why, he passed the military exams with excellent marks. You should see him with a bow and arrow. I’m sure we can get a dispensation on the civil exams.’
The thought of serving in the administrative court made Fei Long’s chest constrict. He didn’t have the wile or charm for it. If he dared to accept, he’d be exposed as a fraud.
‘Minister Cao, I must confess I have no talent for politics. It pains me to refuse such generosity, but my duty is with the imperial army.’
‘Worthy! Very worthy. See?’ Cao rapped his knuckles against the table. ‘I told you the son was a man of honour, serving the empire so dutifully.’
‘So he is,’ Tong said, his tone flat.
Cao poured the next round of tea himself, a great courtesy coming from the senior official. From that gesture alone, Fei Long knew there was another reason he’d been invited.
‘How is your sister, Pearl?’ Cao asked.
Fei Long kept his expression neutral. ‘She is saddened by our father’s passing, but otherwise she is well.’
Tong stared back at him, his face a stone wall as he scoured Fei Long for any sign of weakness.
Cao nodded gravely. ‘Only two months until the journey to Khitan. A tragedy that Old Chang couldn’t see his daughter wed.’
The senior minister bowed his head and Tong followed his example, but it was only a cursory gesture. Inspector Tong was working deliberately to get Fei Long’s guard up. It was the sort of subtle power struggle that Fei Long had learned early on he had no knack for and one of the reasons he’d opted for the provincial garrison rather than the politics of Changan. His work in the imperial army was honest and straightforward, even if it was without glory.
‘I apologise, Inspector Tong. I have been long away from the capital. I’m ignorant of how you knew my father?’
‘The apology is mine. I should have introduced myself properly.’ All the words that came from him were cold and correct. ‘I serve in the Censorate.’
Tong let the silence take over so there could be no mistaking the seriousness of his purpose there. Fei Long should have guessed from the title that the dour-faced Tong was an imperial censor. These officials were responsible for investigating the inner workings of each of the government ministries.
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