Wen Shu requested a private audience three days later, and against Jian's better judgment, insisted it include Yuan Wei directly.
"I understand your reluctance, Your Highness," the envoy said, seated across from them both in a small receiving room, his careful diplomatic pleasantness fully intact despite the tension thick in the air. "But the message I carry concerns Yuan Wei specifically. I don't believe it would be properly received secondhand."
"Then deliver it," Jian said, his patience visibly thinning. "Directly, without further theater."
