***
"Mercy! Please stop! Ahhhhh!"
Another blood-curdling scream echoed throughout the stonewalled room. It was dimly lit, musky, and devoid of windows, which hinted at its underground nature. The screamer, a woman, had her hands chained to the ceiling. She was dressed in rags that barely covered her privates, clinging onto her malnourished body. Looking closely, one could see that she was once a pretty woman in her late twenties or early thirties and a descendent of noble birth. Unfortunately, her pretty skin and face were now marred by numerous welts, bruises, scars, and cuts. Her hair was a tangled mess of weeds, and her stench was most foul. It was clear that she had no hygiene here. Blood, both fresh and dried, dirtied her rags and painted a horrific picture. Her noble appearance was ripped apart, leaving nothing but a hollow shell of her former self. She was like a living corpse! She wished for the sweet relief of death!
The torturer gave her a stoic gaze and ignored her cries. Cracking their barbed whip across the ground left deep grooves in the stone. The torment it could cause against human flesh was too terrifying to imagine! The woman did not have to imagine for long, since the torturer raised their hand and slapped it across the woman's bare chest. Thwap! Another horrific scream coursed out from her strained throat, along with a flesh stream of blood, the pain making her faint instantly. The blood splashed on the coat of a third nearby person, who was quietly watching the scene. The torturer immediately panicked and apologized profusely. None of the prisoners would have believed it if they saw this. That masochistic and inhumane torturer that reveled in misery and torment was scared of something? The suns and moon would sooner flip than that happening! And yet it did. Therefore, the cloaked person must have a monstrous status, as great as the suns and moon themselves!
"It's fine." The person smiled ominously, the sight of which sent chills down the torturer's back. "This is why I wore a cloak. Continue."
"O-Of course!" They were about to grab a bucket of water to splash on the woman when the person frowned.
"What are you doing?"
"Waking… her up again," the torturer replied carefully.
"That won't be necessary. Whip her until she wakes up."
"Understood!"
Twenty minutes later, the person exited the room where the torturer was cleaning up the corpse. Casually throwing their bloodied cloak into a fire, they revealed their neat appearance underneath. No one would have expected it to be Prime Minister Pon-Wai, the second most powerful man in the Xingyuu Empire! Everyone thought of him as a proper upstanding man with nothing behind his smile; however, there was a reason why people ducked their heads and changed their paths whenever they saw him in the Imperial Court. People would often 'disappear' whenever they treaded on his bad side and never return. No reasons, no explanations, and no investigations were given. They would simply vanish. It was the same fate regardless they were high nobles or lowly peasants. Everyone had a darker side, and he was no exception. When he returned to his quarters, Minister Keigon and several ministers were waiting. They knew his destressing methods, so they were not about to ask nor hassle him about it.
Minister Keigon asked directly, "Did you hear?"
"Yes, I did," he answered coldly. "I never expected the Quiton Gates to fall. Tell me everything."
Another minister spoke up, "This is what happened…"
"The Featherwind Sect… As expected, they had a hand in this. That must be how the Imperial Princesses, Imperian Qiang, and Princess Elizabeth survived Liguang." His smile faltered ever so slightly. Since he negotiated with the Li Family and gained control of the Shui Family, he thought the future would be smooth sailing. He would rally the empire's powers against the kingdom and thoroughly crush them! Everything looked promising until today. When he remembered his confrontation with Minister Daiyuu, his blood boiled again.
"Why did your armies retreat from the Quiton Gates?" he shouted.
"…Who knows?" Minister Daiyuu said evenly.
"You're the patriarch of the Shui Family. You should know!"
Facing that accusatory tone, the man did not flinch. "I gave you my seal and my authority as the patriarch. I have no access to anything beyond what you give me, so how could I know anything else?"
"The Shui Family wouldn't move without your orders. You must have instructed them beforehand."
He spread his hands helplessly. "If the entire empire is rioting as we speak, then the situation in the Shui Family must have been too grave to ignore. In times of an emergency, the elder council can act as they wish. This has nothing to do with me." Once more, he deflected the blame onto someone else. Talking with him was like talking to a wall. There was no point.
Naturally, this enraged the prime minister more. He gave Minister Daiyuu a cruel gaze. "You might not care what happens to you, but what about your daughter, Minister Chan?" The look in his eyes was enough to frighten the woman listening.
"You must be tired. The prime minister I know wouldn't utter such crude threats." Clearly, the man did not take the bait.
"Of course, it was a mere slip of the tongue. Please pay it no mind." Prime Minister Pon-Wai smiled in response. The shift in attitude was even more terrifying than before. "So, you're absolutely certain that the actions of the Shui Family had nothing to do with you?"
"Correct."
"…Very well. That being the case, I will take my leave here. I will return should I learn anything new." He then turned around to leave, missing the sharp glint in Minister Daiyuu's eyes.
Returning to the present, he asked the critical question, "What about the Li Family? How have they responded to their patriarch's survival?"
"They haven't commented yet, but they did promise to stall the kingdom's advance for as long as possible."
Minister Keigon snorted. "If they attacked when they should have, then we wouldn't be in this mess."
"They should know their fate should we lose, so it's unlikely they betrayed us. It's most likely the work of Imperian Qiang or the Imperial Princesses," Prime Minister Pon-Wai analyzed. "Still, the situation is dire. Our main defensive line was broken, and our army was scattered. How soon can we regroup our forces?"
"There are few defensive options in the core provinces, so we might have to rely on Yongtein for our final line of defense. We should be able to gather a defense in two weeks."
"Too slow. The kingdom will be knocking on our doorstep soon. Assemble a defense within three days."
"Three days?" the ministers repeated in disbelief.
"Three days or less. Otherwise, when the kingdom comes, I'll give them your heads first."
"Right away!" they scurried away, leaving Minister Keigon and the prime minister behind.
"What will the patriarch of the Jun Family be doing then?" he asked with a sideways glance.
"The Jun Family's territory lies between the Quiton Gates and Yongtein. When the kingdom marches south, they'll go through my territory first. I have a duty to my people, so I'll be returning to lead them instead."
"You're the Minister of the Military before the patriarch of the Jun Family. You have a duty to safeguard the interests of the Xingyuu Empire, not your own. We'll need your assistance in the coming battle."
"I'll be leaving my Second-In-Command, General Fai Moklan, in charge of Yongtein's defense. You have no need for concern."
The prime minister clicked his tongue. "The Jun Family stands no chance against the Alzar Kingdom, especially with the Featherwind Sect by their side. Your best chance is to assemble your family's forces alongside the empire's in Yongtein for a final decisive battle."
"And abandon my own people?" Minister Keigon smiled wryly.
"You would rather betray the empire than your own people?" he hissed.
"…Prime Minister Pon-Wai, I've been meaning to say this for some time now, but your priorities are flawed. One day, you'll understand what I mean and come to regret your life's decisions."
"What did you say?" For once, his ever-present and ever-unnerving smile disappeared, only to be replaced by a very dangerous and cold expression. Even the news of the Quiton Gates or the argument with Minister Daiyuu failed to dull his 'smile', yet a simple sentence from Minister Keigon managed it. Suffice to say, he was totally furious! His rage lowered the temperature of the room, making anyone shudder from fear. Like an uncaged beast ready to tear everyone into pieces, his presence was truly monstrous!
Unfortunately, Minister Keigon was unaffected by such pressure and replied, "I'll do everything in my power to stop the kingdom's advance, but in case I don't, I wish you good luck. May we meet again." Before he got his reply, he took his leave. He said what he needed to say. Whatever the prime minister said afterwards was irrelevant. He would do what he needed to do. That was it.
Crash! Prime Minister Pon-Wai suddenly swept everything off his desk in a fit of fury. Stacks upon stacks of important documents, once meticulously sorted and organized, were sent flying throughout the room. A water jug was also knocked over, converting the papers on the ground into an inky mess. He stood in the center of the maelstrom by himself, the prime minister of the Xingyuu Empire.