Chapter 66: The Forbidden Invitation
The brass bell in the Civic Trade Council’s chamber echoed thrice before silence took hold.
Sunlight filtered through the stained-glass dome above, casting fragmented hues of red, blue, and gold onto the hardwood table below. Around it sat the key architects of Aragon’s eastward momentum—engineers, diplomats, scholars, and merchants—all waiting for the Prince to speak.
Prince Lancelot stood at the head of the table, hands behind his back, eyes focused not on the council, but on the map laid out before him—an expanded parchment of East Asia, marked in recent ink with new trade routes, rail line proposals, and provincial annotations.
"We stand," he began, "at the edge of something more delicate than conquest."
His voice, as steady as the ticking of the Council clock, drew their full attention.
"We have laid seeds in Yunnan. Not garrisons. Not banners. Seeds. And they are growing. But seeds must be nurtured, not yanked from the soil before their time."
Councilor Ramirez, a merchant-turned-diplomat, leaned forward. "Yunnan is welcoming, but isolated. If we are to move beyond, we must prepare for resistance. The Qing court is ancient, and wary."
"They’ve seen what Europe can do when it wants territory," added Scholar Marina Bell, brushing a loose strand of hair from her brow. "We offer knowledge, yes—but who’s to say they won’t see a sword hidden behind our pen?"
Lancelot nodded. "Which is why we’ll send no soldiers."
He reached into his coat and placed a rolled document on the table.
"This," he said, unsealing it, "is the outline of our next delegation. A scientific and philosophical mission. No arms. No uniforms. Just thinkers, builders, translators, and teachers."
"An embassy of minds," Juliette murmured, admiring the layout.