The column rode out within the hour, and Yuan watched from the courtyard until Jian's silhouette grew small against the horizon and finally disappeared entirely, the ache in his chest settling into something he'd have to learn to carry rather than something that would simply pass with time.
It was, he told himself, a different ache than the one he'd carried through the first departure. Less helpless. Steadier, somehow, underneath the grief of it — purpose, rather than pure dread. He'd promised himself, and Jian, that he wouldn't simply wait this time. He intended to keep that promise.
He found Lei in the study within the hour, already surrounded by reports, his expression grim with the particular focus of a man determined to make the most of the responsibility he'd claimed.
"I want to help," Yuan said, without preamble. "Properly. Not simply pacing hallways and waiting for news this time."
