Conquering the Emperor

Chapter 214: Crisis

“I’m so glad that we wrapped up the war with a clear victory. There should be peace for a long while and the emperor is undoubtedly pleased,” Shin said with relief.

“Peace is a good thing...” Ren muttered.

“Who knows? Before we both know it, you’ll be sitting on the throne as the next emperor already. With this much achievement and acknowledgement, nothing can possibly go wrong. I can’t wait for you to take over as emperor,” Shin said with clear satisfaction.

“Watch what you say. You could get executed for saying things like that. I’m not in a rush to take over the throne from my father...” Ren warned.

“If I were you, I’ll want to succeed the emperor as soon as possible...before the opposition makes a ruckus...” Shin said grimly.

“I think they already have...” Ren said as his mood darkened.

“What is that?” Shin asked as he peered over at the paper that Ren was holding.

“An urgent summon from the emperor and the high court...” Ren replied followed by a sigh of annoyance.

“Any idea what it could be about?” Shin asked.

“I think I have a pretty good idea. As we’ve agreed before, if anything happens, you’ll take Rin away and keep her safe,” Ren said emotionlessly.

“Of course...” Shin replied with a nod.

“Let’s go...” Ren said.

...

“The crown prince and general Shin is here,” a eunuch announced as Ren and Shin entered the high court.

The emperor along with the empress sat on the throne. To the side were senior members of the high court. Ren’s eyes glanced over at his younger brother who was sitting to the side, and he sighed, knowing well what this was all about.

“Greetings to the emperor, empress and senior members of the high court,” Ren said formally before he bowed slightly.

Shin quickly did the same.

“Take a seat, Ren,” the emperor instructed as he gestured to an empty chair that had been prepared.

Ren took his seat while Shin quickly melted into the shadows as he stood at the side of the large hall. His role was simple, he would listen and if Ren’s worsts fears materialized, he will quietly slip out of the hall and take Rin somewhere safe. He prayed silently that it wouldn’t come to that.

“Now that the crown prince is here. I would like to start the court session. From the rebellion of the Town of the Amber Leaves in the recent war by joining forces with the enemy empire, it is clear that the town had betrayed the empire leading to the loss of many lives and a war that lasted for more than three months,” the representative of the high court started stating the context for the trial at hand.

“The improvement plans for the town of the Amber Leaves as well as the punishment for the Elders of the town have been discussed and approved by the emperor already,” Ren said calmly. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

“That is true; however, many have raised dissatisfaction regarding the fairness and extent of the punishment,” the emperor said grimly.

“By ‘many’ you mean Prince Kin and the Empress?” Ren asked bluntly.

An uncomfortable silence filled the large hall at Ren’s shocking words. The senior court members didn’t know what to say and the emperor wasn’t sure how he should respond.

“Well? Why don’t we let Prince Kin speak? I would like to hear his case as well” Ren suggested.

“Very well,” the emperor replied. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

Prince Kin got up from his seat before turning to address the emperor and members of the high court.

“I personally believe that the punishment that the crown prince proposed for the town of Amber Leaves is too lenient. Although he proposed the execution and replacement of all Elders and senior members managing the town, he left out the punishment for many related parties. Usually, punishment for treason and betrayal is strict and includes punishment for everyone living in the town,” Prince Kin stated his case before pausing to see if anyone had anything to say.

Seeing that everyone was still listening and there seemed to be no question or objections, he continued with making his case.

“It is commonly known that the current Lady White Lotus is a political hostage and offering from the town of Amber Leaves. Although she is apparently now the crown prince’s favorite, there is no reason why her town should be treated differently compared to the others. In addition, it is expected by custom and law that the political hostage be punished for the crimes committed by their village. I mean, isn’t that the whole point of taking political hostages in the first place? To make the town behave itself...” Prince Kin continued with his case as he tried to convince the emperor and the court members.

“What do you propose, Prince Kin?” one of the court members asked.

“I believe that the crown prince has intentionally lowered the punishment for the town of Amber Leaves and for the Lady White Lotus herself because he favors her. This is unjust and so I demand that the court punishes The Lady White Lotus by executing her to make her pay for the crimes of treason committed by her town,” Prince Kin said firmly before bowing his head low.

Once again everyone was silent and deep in thought. The atmosphere was tense, and it seemed like everyone was waiting for the crown prince to at least say something in his own defense. Ren, on the other hand, wasn’t pondering what to say in response to these accusations that had just been made against him and Rin. Instead, his eyes glanced over to his friend who had started moving before slipping out silently from the hall.

Ren let out a sigh of relief after he saw that Shin had left swiftly without attracting anyone’s attention. That wasn’t difficult, given that everyone’s attention was focused on Ren. While everyone mistook Ren’s sigh of relief for distress, Ren had already decided what he wanted to say. Sending Shin off to save Rin also allowed him to make the proposal that he was going to make. Otherwise, Shin would have stopped him...

--To be continued...