762 Identity Exposed! (1/2)
No matter how it played out, the news of the victory was circulated and reported directly to Tiantang City.
…
In the royal study, the emperor stood before a portrait of his eldest son with his arms crossed behind his back; the expression on his face was one of deep anguish.
”He's gone now— whatever hatred and grudges you bear between yourselves should be evened out by now, right?” He whispered softly towards his eldest son.
”Yes, I knew. I always knew, yet I did not handle it well — no, I did not.”
”All of you… are my children…”
”At first I thought I could take away everything he had - his title, his glory, his pride, or even his dignity… seize them all. I would only spare his life, yet… I did not do so in the end, just like how I couldn't save you. I shouldn't draw such comparisons now, should I?”
”However, from the way things played out until today, you've already taken back whatever he owed you on your own.”
”My heart... is filled with so much pain.”
”However, if I ever face you now, I would finally feel a little more at peace; whatever that was meant for you are all in the hands of your son now.”
”Now, the nation is at peace and the people are united; the Empire of Ziyou in the west will soon fall into place in Yutang's plans; oh, son, if only you were here to witness and handle all of this on your own — wouldn't that be great?”
”Your Majesty!”
It was Qiu Jianhan who had barged in urgently — his voice had reached the ears first before his physical being could be seen.
Following his yell, the surrounding vicinity of the palace abruptly lapsed into a state of absolute silence.
”Marshal…” Eunuch Li, the Minister of Internal Affairs, was bent over as he chased after the marshal like his life depended on it. ”O marshal, please wait— please allow this humble one to announce your presence and wait to be granted an audience with His Majesty—”
However, Qiu Jianhan had already barged in with huge and quick strides, sweating profusely.
”What happened?” The emperor was cloaked in brilliant yellow as he stood by the entrance to the royal study. His heart thumped erratically against his chest as he set sight upon Qiu Jianhan, who was coming towards him in an anxious manner.
He was not angry, and he would not be.
Qiu Jianhan had always been a man of reasonable conduct. Judging by how out of character he was, and how desperate he looked — to the point where he did not even bother to gauge his place before deciding to barge into the palace — it must be an urgent matter indeed.
And this, apparently, was some massive incident that was deemed unsolvable — even by Qiu Jianhan himself!
Reaching this inference, the emperor suddenly felt faint. His heart thumped a series of drumbeats against his chest like and he felt his mouth go dry.
The last time Qiu Jianhan was so out of character was… during the fall of the Nine Supremes!
What could this be about, now?
Matters that could not be resolved or handled by Qiu Jianhan were often matters that he could not handle as well!
”What happened? Minister Qiu, please calm down… whatever urgent matter must be addressed carefully and slowly — we should avoid panicking among ourselves.” The emperor implored worriedly. He did not forget to attempt to calm Qiu Jianhan's emotions, but of course, this was merely more inclined towards dissolving the tense atmosphere before them.
”Nine Supremes… Supreme Cloud…” Qiu Jianhan wheezed, drawing in large breaths. He was covered in sweat, his eyes a little glazed.
The emperor felt a tight knot in his heart and nearly passed out from the anxiety. He grabbed Qiu Jianhan's hand, imploring further, ”What's wrong with Supreme Cloud?”
They really could not be bothered about preventing panic among themselves now. Whatever that had to do with the Nine Supremes or Supreme Cloud was the most urgent matter in the world — one that could shake up the nation's existence to the core!
Qiu Jianhan had a frantic gaze in his eyes. ”Supreme Cloud's identity has been exposed!”
”Identity exposed?” The emperor echoed in a mumble and leaped up suddenly. ”Who is Supreme Cloud?”
”Yun Yang!” Qiu Jianhan's gaze bored into the emperor. ”It was the son of King Xiaoyao — Yun Yang.”
The emperor broke out in cold sweat. ”How was this exposed? How could it be him… t-this… it was really him after all. I've always suspected it was him, but… I've never thought of probing deeply… how was this exposed so suddenly?”
Qiu Jianhan wiped away a handful of sweat. ”As of now, the whole of Tiantang City knows about it already…”
The emperor started to move outside in large strides. ”What in the world happened to trigger this revelation? Who was it that found out about this?”