𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐲'𝐬 𝐇𝐮𝐬𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝 || 敵の旦那様 (𝐁𝐋) ✔ [COMPLETE]

58. Final Negotiations

Emperor Guang, shaken by this sudden reaction from the usually apathetic Haoran, asked, "Why would you say so, Imperial General?"

The rest of the emissary who left for the declaration of war filed into the royal hall one by one as they took their places in order. The minister of war in particular, who wanted to have a word with the Emperor in the confines of the royal hall felt overcome by confusion at the sudden commotion he encountered. The rest of the party craned their necks in curiosity too.

"Your Majesty." General Haoran's nails sunk into his knees in anguish. "I cannot, as the General of this country with good conscience, let the Empire's scavenge for vengeance wither without being fulfilled. It is not one or two soldiers that died, Your Majesty. It is uncountable. I plead with Your Majesty to grant amnesty to their souls and anoint purpose to their death by subjugating Silver Mountains. That was the one goal in my comrades' measly life as they toiled away in the battlefield."

"You're forgetting something, Imperial General Haoran." The crown prince of Silver

Mountains spoke through clenched teeth, "It is not just Blazing Sun that lost soldiers. Every year we conducted burial ceremonies with sometimes nothing but the crow-fed arms of the soldiers who lost their lives on the battlefield. It takes one to kill another in battle–I ask of the General to not forget that we too have our losses."

"But it seems," General Haoran's throat throttled as he said, "that Silver Mountains have more to lose in this battle than the Blazing Sun, and consequently, it seems it is we who'd end up getting the short end of the stick. Because if it weren't so, you wouldn't be here, begging."

The crown prince shot him a vicious glare.

The glare sent sparks running down Haoran's spine because it was familiar. Very familiar.

The crown prince wasn't wholly unfamiliar to General Haoran because he had crossed swords with him on the battlefield multiple times–after all, he wasn't simply the crown prince of the country. He was also the Imperial General of Silver Mountains, wielding the entire army of the Silver Mountains under his thumb.

Large eyes, he had inherited the same large eyes that Fu Lin did. General Haoran hadn't noticed it before but now he could see vague traces of Fu Lin in him; his eyes and even the space between his brows resembled Fu Lin's. However, due to the dignified and fiery temperament he carried himself with, he was hardly mistaken for a fool, unlike his younger brother.

The minister of War promptly butted in, understanding he wouldn't get a chance like this again.

"Your Majesty." He bowed and began, "I, as a minister of the Empire, completely understand the General's concerns regarding the death of his comrades. However, it also has to be stated that by continuing the war only more deaths would pile up! I implore and beg of you, Your Majesty, please consider the consequences of continuing this blood feud any longer and be the benevolent one to put an end to this. Revenge is a vicious cycle Your Majesty and can consume one whole."

"Grand words." The Emperor looked at the Minister, rather entertained. "For someone who kept screaming about how the finances for the war weren't sufficient just last week. What made you suddenly change your mind?"

The minister of war suddenly blushed. And that blush was enough for the Emperor to guess that Silver Mountains had indeed serviced him quite well, that this sense of sudden patriotism was also coming from the bias of such service.

Regardless, the Emperor sighed as he thought, there is a point to the words he advocated even if the origin of such feelings came from impure bribery. He couldn't fault the Silver Mountains for doing what they did either–it was a necessary modicum of sucking up to people after all.

"Imperial General." The Emperor faced Haoran now. "What's your take after the minister's input?" The General shot him a piercing glance. "I still do not advocate the idea, Your Majesty."

"General." Emperor Guang began tapping his fingers again. "It seems there is something else that I'm unaware of that keeps you restless and on edge. What is it?"

General Haoran tensed.

He knew it was futile to conceal it from the Emperor any longer. Even as the knowledge of it sank, he still refused to admit its presence–his eyes never straying from the floor to meet the Emperor's gaze. His Emperor was waiting patiently for his response, never pinning the fault of hiding something from him on Haoran. The next moment he had resolved himself, meeting the Emperor's piercing eyes evenly and dusting his doubts off as he walked out of the royal hall.

When he returned in his hand was a gunny bag–a full and large one. He overturned the bag, spilling its contents in a shower of parchment notes with burnt edges.

"Your Majesty," he said placidly as stood unwavering before his liege, "these are the correspondence notes that Silver Mountain maintained with the seventh prince during his stay at the Zhou Manor. And in none of these letters, by that I mean not in one letter, have they expressed their desire for peace or virtue. It was repetitively written

with insinuations of revenge and vengeance at heart and that is why, Your Majesty..." He almost growled out the last part. "Silver Mountain absolutely cannot be trusted."

The crown prince stared daggers at him. "Do you have no heart, Imperial General?"

"Generals do not have hearts," Haoran replied. "Shouldn't you know that better yourself, Imperial General of Silver Mountains?"

The Emperor, who had his gaze glued on the notes, now looked up. His fingers, holding the notes, creased against the burnt edges as he faced the crown prince.

"Go back to your Silver Mountains and tell them," the Emperor seethed, "that akin to how there cannot be two lions within a jungle, for the entirety of Kanglun it is only 'I' and my esteemed monarchical sovereignty that shall prevail. From henceforth, the Blazing Sun, upon my order, would establish an aggressive military policy against Silver Mountain and you should partake in the war, even if you're unwilling! And even if you submit yourself, every member of the imperial family shall be slaughtered on site regardless of whether they beg for their lives."

"I shall be the one to end this resentment," he said with finality, "and I shall be the one to unify the two countries by massacring every member of your imperial family...

Every. Damn. One." 

* * * * * 

⸜(*ˊᗜˋ*)⸝ Hmm, it got a bit late than I intended but there it is! I hope you enjoyed <3 

The Emperor has lost his last thread of patience. What do you think is going to happen next? 

(¬‿¬ )

Don't forget to vote, comment, share and follow!