802 Henceforth, Yutang’s Deity! (1/2)
In the palace, His Majesty the emperor kept himself in the royal study. Right now, he held in his hands his eldest prince's, Supreme Earth's, will.
He had read Supreme Earth's letter, again and again, already memorizing each word and punctuation written inside, committing them to memory. However, he could not bear to put the letter down; he wanted to keep on reading it.
He had the strangest feeling that if he maintained this, his son would not be deceased; it was like his son was still by his side.
The emperor cried, sobbing soundlessly. The floor underneath his feet was already drenched with his tears. His pair of eyes were swollen like two peaches. He kept shaking, calming down only after some time, and heaved a soft sigh.
Passing the royal edict, he summoned Qiu Jianhan, Fang Qingtian, and Leng Daoyin to enter the palace for a discussion.
…
”Supreme Cloud has arranged the final battle at Tianxuan Cliff with the Four Seasons Tower. What do you all think about this? Speak what's on your mind freely. Don't keep any thoughts or suggestions to yourselves.”
In spite of this, the three military kingpins were silent.
'What do we think?'
'What can we possibly think?'
The emperor looked serious when he said ceremonially, ”Supreme Cloud is a significant pillar of this empire. He's the spiritual leader of Yutang, the guardian of the nation! All along, he's fought at all fronts for the empire. His brilliant achievements were unparalleled. He's done so much for the empire and today, he's taken the enemy away for the country and the empire.”
”In addition, for the empire, he has never taken offense at the endless wrong accusations he's suffered. He insists on tearing himself away from any possible political whirlpool. Everything he's done, he has done for the security of the empire, the future of Yutang…”
”To this day, are we still going to watch Supreme Cloud bear such a terrible weight alone? Are we going to enjoy the fruits he sowed so righteously without any tinge of guilt?”
The emperor questioned sharply, ”Are we going to watch unblinking as Supreme Cloud goes to fight for the country alone? How can we assuage our conscience? How can we stay at peace with ourselves?”
”The Four Seasons Tower has never been exclusively Supreme Cloud's enemy. They're the enemy of the whole Empire of Yutang!”
”Right now, the few of us already know what many people in Yutang have done in the previous battle at Tianxuan Cliff! Then, can we do something, anything, in this upcoming battle at Tianxuan Cliff?” His Majesty spoke in outrage.
Old Marshal Qiu and the rest of his military colleagues grew increasingly silent in the face of the emperor's questions. They said nothing for quite some time.
'What can we do about the approaching Tianxuan Cliff battle?'
'Honestly, we want to do a lot. Even if our lives are sacrificed, we don't mind – as long as we can help Supreme Cloud, even in the slightest!'
'No matter how unwilling and how guilty we feel, though, we can't do anything.'
'Any reckless move now is biting off more than we can chew – it's futile, it's suicide. If it's only a waste of effort or drowning ourselves in the whirlpool, it's fine. Supreme Cloud may very well be dragged into the mess also just because of our overestimation and mindless actions. That, instead, will make us become a massive burden, weighing him and ourselves down.'
”Your Majesty, the empire doesn't even have any martial manpower who can intervene in this battle. Not only will forcing things to happen worsen the situation, but it'll also become a load that burdens everyone…” Qiu Jianhan heaved a long sigh, resignation filling his breath.
The Emperor closed his eyes, nearly choked by the reply.
”Hear my command!”
His Majesty's eyes were still shut, his voice devoid of any emotions as he said, ”Get Fu Baoguo out of the Fortress of Resilience to standby and follow Tianxuan Cliff's movements closely so he can back up Supreme Cloud at any time. If Supreme Cloud is at risk, even if the eastern front's four hundred thousand army has to be sacrificed to a man… his safety must be guaranteed!”
”Your Majesty, do remain calm. Please do not act rashly,” Fang Qingtian urged with no small amount of surprise.