A few days after Sun Wen's departure into exile, the atmosphere in the secondary audience hall of the Imperial Palace was so tense you could cut it with a knife. Sun Hao, the Emperor of the Taijin Empire, sits on his throne with an unreadable expression as his eyes move among those present. Opposite him stood Taijian Li Ming, while behind him in a fan formation were Jiangjun Han Xin, Neingjun Liu Yan, and Yushi Dafu Zhang Wei.

  Sun Hao finally breaks the silence with a voice as sharp as steel “Taijian Li Ming, explain to me why you gave the order that Guifei Xiang and her daughter should not be accompanied by any maids beyond their Fei Yi.”

  Taijian Li Ming, a man accustomed to this type of interrogation, maintains his composure as he responds with a respectful bow “Your Majesty, I only followed what the law stipulates. According to the law, in cases of confinement or exile, only a limited number of servants are allowed to accompany the condemned.”

  Sun Hao's eyes flash with anger “I know that law, Taijian Li Ming. I also know that it has not been applied in centuries since the situation that motivated it was resolved. Why do you decide to enforce a law that almost no one remembers now?”

  Taijian Li Ming remains motionless, but his words show no doubt “My duty is to the law, Your Majesty. It is not my place to question its relevance, only to enforce it.”

  The silence that follows is almost palpable. Sun Hao looks at him with a mixture of frustration and disappointment, then sighs deeply, changing the conversation unexpectedly “Tell me, was your failure in the negotiations with the Zhang family so great that it caused you to forget your duties? Is the stain on your reputation so important that you decided to seek revenge against someone who wasn't even involved?”

  The change in conversation causes Taijian Li Ming to raise his head abruptly, fear showing in his eyes “Your Majesty, I don't understand what you mean. I have done nothing that could be interpreted that way.”

  “Really?” Sun Hao replies in a voice that could cut through steel. “I know about your maneuvers to obstruct the investigations into the assassination attempts on Zhāohuán Wen. And I also know about the reports you have been sending to my third son, Qiming.”

  Taijian Li Ming lowers his gaze as his face turns pale. The silence that follows is broken only by the accused's breathing, while the others present exchange furtive glances, aware of the gravity of the situation.

  Sun Hao continues speaking in a tone laden with disapproval "Because of a grudge from the past, you have betrayed one of your primary duties, which is the neutrality expected of you in court. To make matters worse, you have done so by supporting the Purity faction despite knowing my opinion of them. Taijian Li Ming, you have deeply disappointed me."

  Taijian Li Ming remains silent, his gaze fixed on the floor as the situation begins to grow uncomfortable.

  Finally, Sun Hao breaks the silence again with a calmer but firm voice “I should judge and execute you for what you have done, Taijian Li Ming. But in consideration of your years of loyal service and the fact that this is your only offense, despite its severity, I have decided to show mercy. You will not be executed, but you will lose your rank and become a simple Huànguān.”

  Li Ming flinches at the emperor's words, but does not protest. His body trembles slightly as he continues to stare at the floor while trying to process what has happened in the room. The others present look at him with a mixture of contempt and pity, aware of the humiliation he has just suffered.

  Sun Hao then turns his gaze to Neingjun Liu Yan and gives his next order with a wave of his hand “Take Li Ming to Shangshu to serve his sentence.”

  Neingjun Liu Yan steps forward without hesitation and grabs Li Ming by the arm with a firmness that makes it clear he will not tolerate any resistance. Li Ming struggles to his feet, still dazed, and allows himself to be escorted out of the room. Their footsteps echo on the floor until the door closes behind them, leaving Sun Hao and the other two men in the room.

  Without wasting any time, Sun Hao turns to Yushi Dafu Zhang Wei and gives him his next order “I want the Yushitai to search Li Ming's office to see what else they can find.”

  A smile of satisfaction crosses Yushi Dafu Zhang Wei's face as he bows deeply “As you command, Your Majesty.”

  Yushi Dafu Zhang Wei leaves the room, leaving Sun Hao and Han Xin alone in the audience chamber. Sun Hao watches the door close behind Yushi Dafu Zhang Wei before letting out a sigh, his face reflecting enormous fatigue.

  In the silence that follows, Han Xin, who had remained silent until then, steps forward and looks as if he is about to ask Sun Hao something, but Sun Hao stops him and says “Not here, let's go to my office. I need a drink after this.”

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  Han Xin nods and waits for Sun Hao to get up and leave the room through a side door before following him. They walk silently through the side corridors of the imperial palace and finally arrive at the emperor's personal office.

  Sun Hao enters his office and, as soon as he enters, goes to the table where the drinks are and silently pours himself a drink while Han Xin enters.

  “You know”, Sun Hao says to Han Xin as he enters the office. “I never thought I'd say this about anyone, but I'm going to miss her these two years.”

  Han Xin also approaches the table with the drinks and pours himself a cup as he asks “Guifei Xiang?”

  “Yes”, Sun Hao replies. "She's the only one of my consorts who never sought to marry me and still believes that I shouldn't be and that doing so was a mistake. And despite that, or perhaps because of it, she is the only one who has not asked me for special privileges for her family or tried to insinuate her own agenda to me. When I am with her, it is one of the few times when I don't have to worry about maneuvers and conspiracies, and I can relax and just enjoy myself and hang out, even when we are not engaged in more... physical activities."

  Han Xin nods in understanding and says “I knew there had to be some reason why she was your favorite consort for so long, but that doesn't explain the whole Li Ming thing.”

  Sun Hao drinks from the cup he has poured himself and asks Han Xin in reply “Did you ever find out how Xiang became my consort?”

  “No, at that time I was in the south dealing with a flood of beasts. When I returned, you were already married, and I simply assumed that some clan had foisted her on you for some favor and didn't give it any more thought.”

  Sun Hao sits down in a nearby armchair and says to Han Xin “That's correct, but there's something else in between that is the cause of Li Ming's resentment.”

  Han Xin sits down in another armchair with his drink and takes a sip while waiting for Sun Hao to continue his story.

  “From what we know, it all started when the Xiang family, a small noble clan under the banner of the Zhang family, did them some kind of favor”, Sun Hao begins, playing with the cup in his hands. “And it seems that to repay that favor, the Xiang family asked them to marry one of their members to someone from the court, a noble, an official, or something like that.”

  Han Xin nods, imagining the scene, as such deals are common, but noticing the discrepancy, he asks “And how did the request of a nobleman become the emperor? That leap is too big.”

  “That is the reason for Li Ming's resentment”, Sun Hao replies with a sad smile.

  “At that time, we were in talks with the Zhang family over the transfer of a small, low-grade spirit stone mine that had been found near their property, and Li Ming had decided to personally take charge of the negotiations.” “The Zhang family was offering a significant amount for the mine, but Li Ming was determined to get as much as possible out of the deal”, Sun Hao continues as he takes a sip from his cup.

  “You can imagine how ecstatic Li Ming was when the Zhang family suddenly offered a marriage to the imperial family along with the payment.”

  Han Xin took a sip from his own cup and replied “I can imagine. The Zhangs have always refused to join the imperial family by blood, so for Li Ming, it would be like he had achieved the greatest accomplishment of his life.”

  “And that's how he thought at the time”, Sun Hao continues. “Eager to complete the deal as quickly as possible before they changed their minds, the treaty between the two parties was drafted as quickly as he could and was eventually signed in a grand ceremony, as he wanted to publicize his great achievement.”

  “And I can imagine what happened next”, Han Xin replies. “Was there some kind of trap in the treaty?”

  “Yes, a very simple one that he overlooked in his haste”, Sun Hao replies. “The treaty clearly states that the Zhang family would provide a woman from a noble family to be the emperor's consort.”

  Han Xin thinks for a moment about Sun Hao's words and finally realizes the problem, so he replies “I see, they say they will provide a woman from a noble family, but they don't specify that she must be from the Zhang family itself.”

  “Exactly”, Sun Hao replies. “But Li Ming, in his rush to close the deal, didn't notice such an obvious flaw in the wording, so you can imagine his face when he realized he had been cheated and the Zhang family presented a member of a lesser noble clan he had never heard of.”

  Han Xin sighs, knowing Li Ming's personality, and replies “It's a miracle he didn't kill himself right then and there because of his mistake.”

  Sun Hao nods and continues his story “Exactly. But he decided to channel all that anger toward the person he saw most often at court, and although he never did anything too scandalous, he did make Xiang's early years difficult.”

  “But as always happens, time calmed him down and he ended up letting go of his resentment”, Sun Hao continues. “Until Wen was born with her problem. And although this is my assumption, I think he blamed himself for what many considered a disgrace to the family because of his mistake and for allowing Xiang to marry me.”

  Han Xin nods in understanding at this assumption and replies “But there's a big difference between that and conspiring with the purity faction. Do you think someone is behind it?”

  Sun Hao snorts and says to Han Xin “It's clear that my father is the source of this whole problem, so I think it's time for me to pay him a visit at the sect.”

  Han Xin looks concerned and says to Sun Hao “Don't do anything too crazy. Even though you are now the emperor, he is an elder of the sect and has been for a long time.”

  Sun Hao smiles smugly and, raising his right hand and clenching it into a fist, it is suddenly engulfed in fire.

  Han Xin is surprised to see this and asks “Have you finally succeeded?”

  Sun Hao nods as the fire on his fist fades and says to Han Xin “The other day, I finally harmonized my elemental fire core, and so the time has come for me to pay a filial visit to my father and kindly ask him for some advice. I know that since he became an Elder, he has neglected his cultivation and training to enjoy his privileges, so I have to make it clear to him what the consequences will be if he doesn't leave my daughter alone."