Chương 27: Chapter 25 Interlude 6 (R)

A few days after Sun Wen's departure into exile, in the secondary audience hall of the Imperial Palace the atmosphere was so tense it could be cut with a knife. Sun Hao, the Emperor of the Tianjing Empire, sat on his throne with his expression imperturbable while his eyes moved among those present. Before him stood Taijian Li Ming, while behind him in a fan formation stood Jiangjun Han Xin, Neingjun Liu Yan, and Yushi Dafu Zhang Wei.

Sun Hao finally broke the silence with a voice as sharp as steel "Taijian Li Ming, explain to me why you gave the order that Guifei Xiang and her daughter were not to be accompanied by any handmaidens beyond their Fei Yi." Taijian Li Ming, a man accustomed to this sort of interrogation, maintained his composure as he replied with a respectful bow "Your Majesty, I merely followed what the law dictates.

According to the law, in cases of confinement or exile, only a limited number of servants are permitted to accompany the condemned." Sun Hao's eyes glinted with a flash of anger "I know that law, Taijian Li Ming. I also know that it has not been applied in centuries, since the situation that motivated it was resolved. Why do you decide to enforce now a law that almost no one remembers?" Taijian Li Ming remained motionless, but his words showed no doubt "My duty is to the law, Your Majesty.

It is not my place to question its relevance, only to apply it." The silence that followed was almost palpable. Sun Hao observed it with a mixture of frustration and disappointment before sighing deeply, changing the conversation in an unexpected way "Tell me, was your failure in the negotiation with the Zhang family so great that it pushed you to forget your duties? Is the stain on your reputation so important that you decided to pursue revenge against someone who didn't even take part?"

The shift in the conversation made Taijian Li Ming raise his head sharply, with fear creeping into his eyes "Your Majesty, I do not understand what you are referring to. I have done nothing that could be interpreted in such a way."

"Truly?" Sun Hao replied in a voice capable of cutting through steel.

"I know of your maneuvers to obstruct the investigations into the assassination attempts on Zhāohuán Wen. And I also know about the reports you have been sending to my third son, Quiming." Taijian Li Ming lowered his gaze as his face went pale. The silence that followed was broken only by the breathing of the accused, while the others present exchanged furtive glances, aware of the gravity of the situation.

Sun Hao continued speaking in a tone laden with disapproval "Out of an old grudge you have betrayed one of your principal duties, which is the neutrality expected of you at court. And to make your actions worse, you have done so by supporting the faction of purity despite knowing my opinion of them. Taijian Li Ming, you have deeply disappointed me." Taijian Li Ming remained silent, his gaze fixed on the floor as the situation began to grow uncomfortable.

Finally, Sun Hao broke the silence again with a calmer but firmer voice "I ought to put you on trial and execute you for what you have done, Taijian Li Ming. But in consideration of your years of faithful service, and given that this is your only failing despite its gravity, I have decided to show mercy. You will not be executed, but you will lose your rank and become a mere Huànguān." Li Ming flinched at the Emperor's words, but did not protest.

His body trembled slightly as he kept staring at the floor while trying to process what had just happened in the hall. The others present looked at him with a mixture of contempt and pity, aware of the humiliation he had just suffered. Sun Hao then turned his gaze toward Neingjun Liu Yan and gave his next order with a gesture of his hand "Take Li Ming to the Shangshu so he may carry out his sentence."

Neingjun Liu Yan stepped forward without hesitation and seized Li Ming by the arm with a firmness that made it clear she would not tolerate any resistance. Li Ming rose with difficulty, still stunned, and allowed himself to be escorted out of the hall. The footsteps of both echoed across the floor until the door closed behind them, leaving Sun Hao and the other two men in the room.

Without wasting time, Sun Hao turned to Yushi Dafu Zhang Wei and gave his next order "I want the Yushitai to search Li Ming's study to see what else they may find." A smile of satisfaction crossed Yushi Dafu Zhang Wei's face as he bowed deeply "As you command, Your Majesty." Yushi Dafu Zhang Wei left the hall, leaving Sun Hao and Han Xin alone in the audience chamber. Sun Hao watched the door close behind Yushi Dafu Zhang Wei before letting out a sigh while his face reflected an enormous weariness.

In the silence that followed, Han Xin, who had remained quiet until then, took a step forward and seemed about to ask Sun Hao something, but Sun Hao stopped him to say "Not here. Let's go to my study. I need a drink after this." A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Han Xin nodded and waited for Sun Hao to rise and leave the hall through a side door before following him.

They crossed through the side corridors of the Imperial Palace in silence and finally arrived at the Emperor's personal study. Sun Hao entered his study and, the moment he was inside, headed for the table where the drinks were and poured himself one in silence while Han Xin came in.

"You know", Sun Hao told Han Xin once he was inside the study.

"I never thought I would say this about anyone, but I'm going to miss her these two years." Han Xin also approached the table with the drinks and poured himself a cup as he asked "Guifei Xiang?"

"Yes", Sun Hao replied.

"She is the only one of my consorts who never sought to marry me and still believes she shouldn't be one and that doing so was a mistake. And in spite of that, or perhaps because of that, she is the only one who has not asked me for special privileges for her family nor has she tried to insinuate any agenda of her own.

When I am with her, it is one of the few moments when I don't have to worry about maneuvers and conspiracies, being able to relax and simply enjoy myself and pass the time even when we don't engage in more… physical activities." Han Xin nodded in understanding and told him "I knew there had to be some reason why she has been your favorite consort for so long, but that doesn't explain to me the whole business with Li Ming."

Sun Hao drank from the cup he had poured and asked Han Xin in reply "Did you ever know how Xiang became my consort?"

"No, around that time I was in the south dealing with a beast tide. By the time I returned you were already married, and I simply assumed some clan had foisted her on you for some favor and didn't give it any further thought." Sun Hao sat in a nearby armchair and told Han Xin "That's correct, but there's something more in between, which is the cause of Li Ming's grudge." Han Xin sat in another armchair with his drink and took a sip from it as he waited for Sun Hao to continue his account.

"From what we know, it all began when Xiang's family, which is a small noble clan under the banner of the Zhang family, did them some kind of favor", Sun Hao began recounting as he played with the cup in his hands.

"And it seems that to repay that favor, Xiang's family asked them to marry one of their members to someone at court, a noble, an official, or something of the sort." Han Xin nodded, imagining the scene, since deals of that kind are common, but noticing the discrepancy he asked "And how did a noble's request turn into the Emperor? That leap is too large."

"That is the cause of Li Ming's grudge", Sun Hao replied as he sketched a sad smile.

"At that time we were in talks with the Zhang family over the cession of a small mine of low-rank spirit stones that had been found near their holdings, and Li Ming had decided to handle the negotiations personally."

"The Zhang family was offering a significant amount for the mine, but Li Ming was determined to extract the maximum possible from the deal", Sun Hao continued as he drank a sip from the cup.

"You can imagine how ecstatic Li Ming was when suddenly the Zhang family, along with the payment, offered a marriage with the imperial family." Han Xin took a sip from his own cup and replied "I can imagine. The Zhang have always refused to join with the imperial family by blood, so for Li Ming it must have been as if he had achieved the greatest accomplishment of his life."

"And so he thought at the time", Sun Hao continued.

"Eager to complete the deal as quickly as possible before they could change their minds, the treaty between the two parties was drafted as quickly as he could manage, and in the end it was signed in a grand ceremony, since he wanted to give publicity to his great achievement."

"And I can imagine what came next", Han Xin replied.

"Was there some kind of trap in the treaty?"

"Yes, a very simple one that he overlooked due to the haste", Sun Hao replied.

"The treaty clearly states that the Zhang family would provide a woman of noble family to be the Emperor's consort." Han Xin thought for a moment about Sun Hao's words and finally caught the problem, so he replied "I see. They say they will provide a woman of noble family, but they do not specify that she must necessarily be from the Zhang family itself."

"Exactly", Sun Hao replied.

"But Li Ming, in his haste to close the deal, did not notice such an obvious flaw in the wording. So you can imagine his face when he realized he had been swindled and the Zhang family presented a member of a minor noble clan he had never even heard of." Han Xin sighed, knowing Li Ming's personality, and replied "It's a miracle he didn't commit suicide on the spot for his blunder." Sun Hao nodded and continued his account "Exactly.

But all that anger he decided to channel toward the person he saw most often at court, and although he never did anything too scandalous, he did complicate Xiang's stay during her early years."

"But as always happens, time gradually calmed him down and he ended up setting his grudge aside", Sun Hao continued.

"Until Wen was born with her condition. And although this is a supposition of mine, I believe he blamed himself for what many considered a disgrace to the family, due to his blunder in having allowed Xiang to marry me." Han Xin nodded in understanding at that supposition and replied "But from that to conspiring with the faction of purity is a long distance. Do you think someone is behind it?"

Sun Hao snorted and told Han Xin "It's clear that my father is the source of this whole problem, so I think the time has come for me to pay him a visit at the Sect." Han Xin's face grew worried and he told Sun Hao "Don't do anything too crazy. Although you are now the Emperor, he is an Elder of the Sect and has been one for a long time." Sun Hao smiled as he put on a smug face, and raising his right hand and clenching it into a fist, suddenly it became enveloped in fire.

Han Xin was surprised at the sight and asked "You've finally done it?" Sun Hao nodded as the fire on his fist faded away and told Han Xin "The other day I finally harmonized my Fire elemental core, and therefore the moment has come for me to pay a filial visit to my father and kindly ask him for an exchange of advice.

I know that since he became an Elder he has neglected his cultivation and training to enjoy his privileges, so I have to make clear to him what the consequences will be if he doesn't leave my daughter alone."