Book 4: Chapter 8:
Fia stood on the balcony veranda outside her bedchamber, nervously looking down into the main courtyard below. There, her father, Hei Dong, was engaged in a lively conversation with Gui Zu and Ju Gong as they played a game of Xiangqi.
This was something that had become a routine of late.
Evey mid-morning, Gui Zu would engage her father with a lively game while they enjoyed tea and discussed business and politics with Ju Gong. This was all by design of course, and thankfully her father had become so engaged with the process that he looked forward to it each day now.
It was the perfect distraction.
But today was the day.
Today it was not just preparation.
Today she would have to count on their distraction for real.
Their sessions would last at least five games.
Which gave her at least three hours and hopefully longer if Gui Zu dragged out the time to make his moves as planned.