58 Confused (1/2)

Slowly the laughter petered out and His Majesty stood still - without blinking and looking lost in his thoughts. His face had turned chalk white.

If Ning Fu still couldn't perceive that he had misunderstood His Majesty's intentions, he wouldn't have been able to rise up the ranks in the army and become The Unit Commander of The Devil Snare Army.

He worriedly stepped towards His Majesty to ask for forgiveness but with his single step towards the other person, he saw how His Majesty flinched and recoiled back from him. In his haste to get away from him, the emperor lost his footing, stumbled over the table behind him and nearly fell backwards.

”Your Majesty” Ning Fu called in a panicked voice. Before he could do or say more than that, the emperor reacted violently.

”No! Stay away. Don't come closer.” Su Li tried to speak over the lump in her throat.

Ning Fu watched the most revered person under heavens, shaking like a leaf that was adrift in the wind.

His Majesty bowed his head, put his face in his hands, and just shook.

Ning Fu himself felt at a loss as to how to rectify his blunder, therefore, he kept quiet to let the monarch gain control over his emotions.

What had happened?

He still couldn't seem to wrap his head around it and didn't know where to start.

What had triggered such a response from His Majesty?

What had His Majesty sought after in his eyes?

His loyalty? His ambition? or something else that he couldn't comprehend?

After a minute or two, His Majesty lifted his head and Ning Fu watched as all emotion was wiped off from the emperor's face. He still looked pale, however, there was no sign of tears in his obsidian eyes.

Ning Fu thanked his lucky stars for small mercies. If he had really made the Son of Heavens cry and it had spread around, wouldn't that mama-bear in the Inner Palace do away with his head? That would be akin to out of the frying pan, into the fire.

His Majesty glanced his way, however, the very next second he diverted his gaze as if loath to even tarnish his eyesight by looking at him.

Ning Fu thought he must look unsightly in His Majesty's eyes. The emperor had taken time from his busy schedule to speak with him and he had misunderstood him to such a degree.

His Majesty gave him a derisive laugh once again and walked towards the jar of wine.

He watched in stunned silence as His Majesty removed the cover of the jar, tilted his head as far back as it could go and drank the entire jar of wine. Some of the wine dribbled down His Majesty's chin but it was as if His Majesty wouldn't stop until the entire jar had been emptied into his stomach.

Ning Fu wanted to rush up to the monarch and stop him but decorum and the difference in their positions stayed his hand. He could only try to stop the monarch with a contrite, ”Your Majesty” but to no avail.

The proud emperor drank the entire jar of wine and with a bitter laugh dropped the jar on the floor where it smashed into slivers of glittering fragments.

Ning Fu felt that it wasn't the wine jar that had shattered, perhaps, it was the harmonious relationship between a sovereign and his subject that was broken to pieces and was scattered between them.

Su Li turned toward The Unit Commander and she felt something awful and painful rising in her chest. She croaked, ”Take a clear look Unit Commander. There was no poison in the wine.”

Ning Fu lowered his head to the ground with a resounding thump, ”Your Majesty, It was this lowly official...”

Su Li cut him off with a laugh but there was no humour in it, only pain.

Su Li thought that no one would have seen the pain in it, however, it was glaringly obvious to Ning Fu.

His Majesty wiped his face with the back of his hand and with a defeated look in his eyes, he again turned his face away from Ning Fu.

His breath hitching furiously, the monarch said, ”Unit Commander, I know, I know you are loyal to me. Since ages, most of the generals have been loyal to their monarchs, it has always been the monarchs who have been suspicious without any cause. Their own unfounded doubt and fear led them to kill innocents. But am not like them.”

Ning Fu, ”Your Majesty...”

His words were again cut short.

His Majesty railed on and questioned him furiously, ”Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty. Is that the only thing I am worthy of in your eyes, Unit Commander? Is it that the person you vow your loyalty to isn't worth your trust? You are ready to kill and be killed for me or even by me but you don't feel that am worth placing your trust in? Is that it?”

Ning Fu shuddered at His Majesty's words. He felt a bone-deep chill at what His Majesty was saying. With a slight tremble to his voice, he replied, ”Your Majesty, it isn't like that.”