The Demon Lords

Chapter 487 12 Losing the Game_2

Comparatively speaking, the Yan Emperor possessed a natural-born dominance, while the Qian Emperor was free-spirited and expressive. Both were manifestations of personalities 'cultivated' to perfection.

They might seem similar to some extent, both being rather easygoing. The fundamental reason was their self-confidence, which meant they didn't need to deliberately put on airs or adopt a stern demeanor to assert their status.

In other words, who would want to live wearing a facade every day? Isn't it exhausting?

However, Emperor Jin was different. He constantly put on airs because, since his ascension to the throne, he had never truly experienced the feeling of supreme sovereignty. The more insecure a person is, the more they crave to "pose" outwardly to project a certain image of themselves.

Seeing Zheng Fan enter, Emperor Jin put down the porridge bowl, slightly puzzled, and asked, "Has General Zheng had his dinner yet?"

Even at this juncture, he was still trying to project the image of a ruler who respected the virtuous and talented.

Zheng Fan wasn't impressed by this display. If he had been completely ignorant of the situation, he might have been willing to play along with Emperor Jin, indulging him in a charade similar to Liu Bei dropping his son to win hearts. But now, he had no interest.

"Everybody out," Zheng Fan said gruffly.

Yu Ciming's eyes narrowed slightly. He waved his hand and gently ordered, "Everyone, please leave."

Soon, only Zheng Fan and Emperor Jin were left in the room.

"Is there any urgent military intelligence General Zheng wishes to share with Us?"

Zheng Fan sat down cross-legged before Emperor Jin. At this moment, Zheng Fan truly felt the difference in treatment stemming from power dynamics.

The Yan Emperor, the Qian Emperor, and even the two Marquises of North and South, were not ones to put on airs in his presence. They would often joke and banter casually, appearing very down-to-earth. This very approachability, however, was what made Zheng Fan tread cautiously, as if walking on thin ice around them.

But now, facing Emperor Jin, Zheng Fan felt he could be utterly brazen. Was he not, after all, bullying an emperor who was one in name only?

Ultimately, he realized, he too was judging people through tinted glasses.

"There's something I would like to clarify with Your Majesty," Zheng Fan said.

"Please proceed, General Zheng."

"Was Your Majesty's retinue overtaken by the Situ Family's rebel forces on the outskirts of Xinsu City?"

"Yes."

"Your Majesty should be aware that a contingent of the Yan Southern Peace Army is stationed in Xinsu City. The Southern Peace Army is an elite force of our Great Yan, renowned for its strict discipline; lapses and negligence are exceedingly rare."

"We know."

"To be blunt, Your Majesty, I suspect you were intended as a gift from my Emperor to the Situ Family."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jin seemed taken aback, apparently finding it hard to accept such directness. But being an emperor, his ability to adapt was strong. After a brief moment of shock, he immediately asked, "How did General Zheng discover this?"

"Xinsu City could not possibly have failed to react to a large army massing outside its walls. That's the only way I can interpret this."

"Then what does General Zheng intend to do? By harboring Us, are you not sabotaging your Emperor's plans?"

Zheng Fan shook his head and said, "Actually, Your Majesty, since you've met His Majesty, my Emperor, you should know what kind of person he is. I received no prior notice of this matter. Seeing you pursued, I took you in. Even if my actions disrupt His Majesty's plans, he wouldn't hold it against me."

"That's not necessarily true. An emperor's heart is as deep as the sea."

"Perhaps Your Majesty still doesn't understand me. I was the one who personally deposed the Third Prince of Yan."

Zheng Fan found it rather amusing. The matter of him deposing the Third Prince had almost become his defining characteristic, something he could bring up now and then to make his presence felt.

"Since General Zheng is being so candid, if that is indeed the case, how do you propose to handle the aftermath, General?"

"It's difficult," Zheng Fan sighed.

"Yes, it is very difficult."

Too many people had seen him. It would be impossible to silence them all.

"However, I have one strong point."

"We are listening."

"I always like to look at things from a positive angle."

"Oh, a good habit."

"What if this wasn't arranged by my Emperor?"

"Then who arranged it? Surely it couldn't have been Us, could it?"

Hearing this rhetorical question, Zheng Fan stared at Yu Ciming, a smile playing on his lips.

Yu Ciming also smiled faintly, meeting Zheng Fan's gaze.

「After a brief silence」

Yu Ciming nodded and said, "Well, what a coincidence. It was indeed Us," Yu Ciming confessed.

Zheng Fan quietly placed his saber by his side. He then inadvertently touched the Mo Wan at his chest and asked, "What does Your Majesty intend?"

This Emperor Jin was truly a troublemaker. First, he instigated a rebellion in his own country, and then he arranged for his own pursuit. In a drama, such a plot twist would be a blatant attempt to steal the scene.

"Since General Zheng has been so sincere and forthright, We shall not hide it either. The army outside the city was acting on Our Imperial Edict, having been ordered to lie in ambush near the capital city beforehand. The Yan Army in Xinsu City wouldn't dare venture into the capital city's vicinity to investigate."

That explained the whole matter. Zheng Fan was genuinely intrigued by this.

Indeed, if he were merely an ordinary garrison commander taking up his post, he might have been played like a puppet, led around in circles, thinking that an imperial princess of Jin had fallen from the sky for him to claim. Fortunately, the demon lords under his command were all sharp enough to detect that something was amiss.

Emperor Jin sighed, tapped lightly on the table with his fingers, and said, "For no other reason than to survive."

"Who wants to kill you?" Zheng Fan inquired.

"General Zheng, some people in this world do not live merely for the sake of living. Swordsmen live for their swords; scholars live for their poetry and writings. As an Emperor, if one is reduced to a mere figurehead, what meaning is there in life?"