“
Ouyang realized his hand was clenched around his chopsticks. He laid them down and said, “If that’s the case—my lord, why not ask the Prince of Henan if I can come with you to the Spring Hunt?” Esen looked up with delight. “Really? I will, gladly. The only reason I haven’t already is because I thought you’d never come. I know how much you hate smiling and making conversation.” “I suppose I should take my own advice. If the Great Khan knows your name, perhaps he should also know mine.” “This pleases me. Truly.” Esen attacked the steamed ginseng chicken with renewed vigor, smiling. The residence’s doors banged and slammed as if by angry ghosts, and Ouyang felt his ancestors’ eyes upon him as he ate with the son of his family’s murderer, the person he held dearest in all the world.
”
”