~The Hall of Peace- Imperial Court~
"Announcing the arrival of His Majesty, the Emperor and His Highness, the First Imperial Prince." The Chief Eunuch voice echoed through the hall.
I raised my left hand to the level of my waist, my palm facing the marble floor allowing His Majesty to rest his right hand on top of mine. His cold palm connecting into the back of my warm hand. The iron doors pushed open as the Emperor and I walked side by side on the red carpet that had golden dragons embroidered into them.
The court officials had arrayed themselves into two neat rows at either side of the hall according to their rank. The two rows were facing one another as they knelt down and bowed showing their respect to His Majesty and I,
"Long live the Emperor and the First Imperial Prince! May His Majesty and His Highness live ten thousand years accompanying each other!"
How eerily funny that sounded... I really wondered, did Imperial Father by any chance have a black heart against his own son? I could only sigh internally thinking about this matter since his death.
I escorted the Emperor to the Dragon Throne, both gracefully taking each step forward.
Even though the Imperial palace had many Dragon Thrones, the one in the Hall of Peace held the royal power of the Xu Lin rulers. The gold-lacquered throne stands on an eight-stepped platform, had three red gold-plated columns on each side, made of Nanmu (a type of a superior durable softwood), one of the most valuable and slow-growing trees in China. It was done with extraordinary craftsmanship and features ten gold dragons, all looking in different directions, while twelve gold dragons on the back look directly at the throne. The body of the throne was adorned with dragons and lotus petal patterns.
(Even though the structure is the same, this isn't really the one I imagined. It looks plain here but it's supposed to be a lot extravagant)
The throne was surrounded by animals and mythological creatures including elephants representing the stability of the Imperial Court and a Luduan (Luduan is a legendary Chinese auspicious creature. It looks like a deer with a green coat, the tail of a horse and a single horn on its head), symbolizing the Emperor's wisdom. It had a large Sumeru (most stable foundation used for pagodas) base and was difficult to lift or move due to its great weight. Right at the bottom of the dais were four bronze Imperial Guardian Lions that represented protection.
The throne was not particularly comfortable to sit on, but the Emperor had to use it since he was sitting symbolically at the center of his empire. One of the first divine rulers in Xu Lin demanded that all those who passed it should bow and show their respect to the throne as if it was part of the Emperor himself.
Reaching the top of the Dragon Throne, the Emperor gently removed his hand off mine as he sat down. The beads of his crown made an audible sound in the quiet hall when he moved. Taking two steps back I bowed to him and walked to the side where my seat was located four feet away. As soon as I took my seat, the Emperor's deep voice resounded in the hall,
"You may rise."
The officials stood up, their heads still lowered.
"The court will now commence!" The Chief Eunuch proclaimed, standing at the end of the stairs.
Minister Jin, the person in charge of the Ministry of Justice, stepped forward with a scroll and passed it over to a eunuch. The said eunuch handed it over to the Chief Eunuch, who then delivered it to the Emperor.
Minister Jin took a quick glance at the Emperor, who was now opening the scroll, "Your Majesty, as per the request of the civilians, this subject has investigated the matter of Bu Dong school."
The Emperor read the contents for a while before handing it over to me through the Chief Eunuch.
His Majesty finally ordered, "Speak."
"Reporting to Your Majesty and His Highness, for more than three and a half years, Bu Dong, a private medical school managed by a scholar in the suburbs, has continued to produce several physicians that lacked in both knowledge and experience. Originally these students had sat for the Imperial Examinations but failed due to the difficulty of the entrance exams. The scholar by the name of Han took these students under his care. The scholar not only shamelessly neglected his duty to provide the students with appropriate medical knowledge without enough facilities, but he also cheated the families and took their money. None of them suspected of his cunning methods until the students who believed they were full-fledged doctors started to tend to people who needed medical assistance. All most every patient had been prescribed with the wrong medicine that had caused their health to greatly deteriorate. They had failed to perform proper treatment on the patients which had later led eleven people to die. The furious citizens are now protesting against the scholar and demanding to close down the school. They want justice for the dead family members by punishing the physicians responsible for their deaths. This subject has already arrested the scholar Han and his followers. The scholar had pleaded guilty while his followers begged to be spared since they were deceived. May this subject know what Your Majesty and His Royal Highness wish to do with them?"
The Emperor and I keenly listened to the report, thinking for a while before he first decided to talk in a deep tone, "Scholar Han shall be given a hundred strikes for the act of deceit. He shall not be given medical assistance for his wounds. As for indirectly leading his followers into killing eleven civilians, he shall be thrown into a lifetime in prison. General Su, what do you suggest be the best punishment for his followers?"
He was still continuing to refer to me as a General in the Imperial Court, which was considered highly discourteous. Even a commoner can become a General. Especially with the amount of power I hold as the First Prince and as the man who held the most sacred power within the Imperial palace beside the Emperor himself, it was obviously far greater than a mere General, the difference was like heaven and hell. If it was someone else on this seat they would have argued with His Majesty on this matter.
He was watching me with his usual grim face as my voice resounded in the hall, "They were the victims of a dishonest scholar, however, they still held a portion of responsibility to their dead patients. According to the report, they continued on performing medical acts despite having patients who suffered from the medicine they prescribed and even died by their own hands. This is considered as being highly neglectful towards the wellbeing of their patients as a physician. Henceforth, they shall be forbidden from participating at the Imperial Examinations and performing medical acts. They will receive a punishment of sixty strikes. Medical assistance will be allowed later. As for the ones who were responsible for the deaths of the patients, they will be imprisoned for fifteen years. Double the prison time if the said follower had killed two or more patients ...I hope this incident will set an example for future scholars and physicians who would attempt to act dishonestly and treat their patients' life with less importance."
Indeed, the Emperor was the law in a nation but our nation had reformed since the late Emperor's death. All because of his last will. The will had allowed me to stand hand-in-hand with the Emperor in the form of power, which also included the right to bestow punishment to wrongdoers in-place of His Majesty. If His Majesty doesn't agree on the punishment, then there will be a voting system. The other matters discussed in court was also handled in the same manner if there were to be disagreements between the Emperor and I. The officials have the chance to only agree or disagree with our decisions. If I get more votes, then I could proceed with my choice. But until now I had never gone against his choices, instead, it was the other way around. Surprisingly with His Majesty's temper today morning, he actually silently nodded at my decision.
The court proceeded with few other discussions and the old officials presenting a petition regarding an official who was accused of elegant bribing yet there weren't any actions taken upon him due to lack of evidence, which was the nature of this kind of bribe. The procedures ensure the bribing money was whitened. Consequently, this creates the perfect room for excuses for the corrupted official allowing them to escape from legal punishment. One reason he was proved to be innocent was that there were no records of the transaction. The official had also argued the antiques and the calligraphies were all fake.
His Majesty's sharp gaze landed on the said frightened official who stood at a corner, visibly shaking from head to toe. The man was sweating buckets as he knelt down repeating the same old excuses.
"The eyes of the avaricious (greedy) are like a pitcher (jug) which will never get full (they desire everything they see)." His Majesty stated this casually yet my breath hitched as my vision lightly blurred, my mind clouding with a thick shadow, replacing it with a cold, dark and bloody cell. He was saying the same exact words scrutinizing me with his indifferent eyes as if I was nothing but an ant he could crush ruthlessly.
I frowned at the sudden memory. I didn't recall the situation at all. Although it was reasonable since I had been losing consciousness frequently, time and time again, during my torture period. I lost count of how many days I'd been at the cell. It was four days but to me, it felt like a month. My last moments in that rotten torture cell was a very vague memory due to the severe damage I'd received both physically and mentally. Four days of constant torment had already made my body beyond repair. It only got worst when I was dragged around the city for three days continuously like a street dog. It was the worst nightmare anyone wished could never bestow upon them.
I blinked once and twice yet again startled at the same memory. I'm sure when he was saying these words he had been holding onto something that should have originally been mine. How did that fall into his hands? Considering the great importance of it, I frowned at the lack of awareness I had about certain things. How could I not remember this earlier? It seemed like I had most of my memories from my last moments blurred out.
A cold glint swept across my eyes as I peeked at His Majesty who was still speaking. I took a deep breath before letting it out.
"Your Majesty it would be better to look for someone who could confirm whether these artifacts were actually fake," I suggested to His Majesty. I was indirectly telling him to personally examine the goods since he was knowledgeable about antiques and calligraphy. He lightly raised an eyebrow at that and ordered,
"Look for an antique and calligraphy expert. Let him examine them and give me a report on it. Other matters regarding this case will be discussed after. The court is dismissed. Minister Jin, stay behind."
After kowtowing and repeating their customary farewell wishing both His Majesty and I a long life, the officials exited the hall. I spoke, "Minister Jin, I* have a very important job for you. But make sure no one hears a word on this matter."
(*Please note that all this time, throughout the story he had been using the formal 'I' that refers to his title as the First Imperial Prince. This is something similar to how the Emperor refers to himself as I/Us/We. Sorry I was too lazy to use italics or bold it. Only with the Empress Dowager, he uses the informal 'I'.)
"Yes, Your Highness." He respectfully bowed, his wrinkled face had turned stern realizing the seriousness of the matter.
After explaining the situation about the guards, Minister Jin was ordered by His Majesty to investigate their families thoroughly. We all knew that the culprits behind the attack on the Imperial Palace were up to something bad in the near future. And I was well aware that this matter had something to do with Empress Dowager's assassination. They had been hiding in the capital for what reason other than this? They were seeking an opportunity...
I stood up from my seat and stepped down the throne. Shang Mo quickly handed me a scroll which I gave to the Minister.
"This is all the information regarding the case. Also, there are little details that could be helpful for your investigation. You can do what you deem fit. But make sure they don't end up with a mental trauma like your other victims." I gave him a warning with my skeptical eyes.
He smiled awkwardly, "This subject understands, Your Highness."
But soon his face sank and he hurriedly stuttered, "Y-Your Highness. T-That..."
He looked in disbelief, "Your Highness, your n-neck is bleeding! How?"
Minister Jin knew I was never the type of person to get injured by others since I was too strong to be taken down even by a scratch and no one would dare to harm me. My skin had always been free of scars. Even though I'd received plenty during the war, the magical herbs in Xu Lin could easily make them disappear. It's just that no one knew that the eternal wounds lie within the insides of my body.
"Who would dare to harm Your Highness's divine body?" His eyes narrowed in anger.
My mouth twitched mentally facepalming.
"It is I who dared to harm our dear General. Does Minister Jin have a problem?" His Majesty raised an eyebrow in question, his chin resting against his fist. This posture was too overbearing even making my heartbeat rise a few times. Not because I was scared but because I was once again mesmerized by his sophisticated movements. I hope I didn't sound like a masochist. It's just that, I was hopelessly in love, no matter what this man did was way too beautiful in my eyes, except for the fact that he can be unreasonable at times.
Minister Jin gasped in shock. Even though the Emperor had argued with me numerous times, this was the first time he'd attempted to physically harm me. I mentally lit a candle to the now shivering Minister. The confused minister dropped to his knees and begged His Majesty, "This lowly subject wouldn't dare question His Majesty's actions. This ungrateful subject has crossed his line! This subject deserves death."
"Of course you do!" The Emperor's surprisingly calm voice boomed in the hall.
"But, since it was a mistake I'll let you go this once. Now, get out." He ordered. The poor old man quickly scampered away, even forgetting to bid me farewell. I'll let that pass for now...
My amber eyes locked with His Majesty's midnight ones. We had a staring contest seemingly lost in each other's eyes. He wouldn't look away even as he gracefully walked down the steps, stopping two feet away from me. To me who was stared at for who knows how long, my forehead started to sweat awaiting his next move.
"Purposely letting him see you like this so that he could inform Imperial Mother?" It wasn't a statement but a question. Well, it's not me who told him to inform everything His Majesty did against me to Mother Empress.
"I should have just killed you back then." He spits out those words with so much venom and walked past me.
I could only blankly stare at the throne as I heard the sound of his steps slowly fading away.
My face contorted in pain. I could only breath heavily as I clutched onto my chest trying to ease my burning heart. I should already be used to this type of treatment. Yet why do I break every time he had hurt me?
Shang Mo worriedly came running over to me. His expression was filled with distress too. His face was too easy to read. I'm sure the boy was thinking something like, "I wish I could be of some help to His Highness."
Letting out a long sigh, I lightly smiled at him to assure I was fine and soon headed to Tianshang palace. After all, I didn't have time to feel heartbroken. There was something more important I needed to confirm first...
A/N: Yet another delayed chapter. Sorry bunnies! But this was almost 3000 words long. Anyway, thank you for reading everyone. Please do comment on your thoughts and vote if you enjoyed it. I appreciate it a lot!