The hall grew silent. Neither the commandant nor the dowager could understand why despite finding out the truth, Mehran kept it secret. The queen alone didn't care, and in despair, crawled toward Mehran's leg:
"Mehran, I was forced by the dowager! I never wanted to do this! For the sake of our 50 years of marriage, please don't do this to me! I beg you, please forgive me!" The queen broke into tears, and banged her forehead against the floor. For the queen to reach the Daoist Realm at 70, she naturally benefitted from Mehran's experiences and guidance. Even though the king focused primarily on state matters, the little time he had left, he gave her without fail. But some could only see things from their own perspectives, refused to acknowledge the difficulties of their partners, and vented their frustration in the worst ways imaginable.
As gentle as ever, Mehran held the queen's hands and helped her up. "You misunderstand. I am disappointed, not angry. How could a king lose his mind for cheap dirt? What you do with yourself is your matter. Sadly, as the Dark Stone High King, there are laws I need to follow," Mehran replied, and yanked the queen's crown off her head. The contrast between his words and deeds made the queen lose all hope. The furious royals shivered, the nobles cowered, and the commandant broke into a cold sweat.
The gentler and sweeter Mehran appeared, the more extreme his next actions were. On the contrary, the angrier he looked, the more lenient he became. In that instant, all wished to scream: "Your Majesty, please scold us silly!" But didn't have the cheeks for such words.
"Since you've all grown quiet, I suppose I can freely use my royal powers. Very well, queen, you will be burned to death. The law and all, you know. Commandant, you will be castrated and sold to the Barking Slave Brothel, and dowager…dear mother...difficult," Mehran stressed the last three words, stepped toward the dowager, and gave her a gentle pat on her head.
"I can't kill my mother. Regardless of what she does to me, I cannot lash out. Those are the ancestral rules, and I shall not defy them. So…" Mehran glanced at the dowager's prominent relatives, who all stood in the aristocracy's ranks, "You will choose for her, and I will choose for you. Depending on your choice, your house may not have a tomorrow," Mehran explained. The dowager's elder brother was the first to stand up:
"Those vile creatures have brought eternal shame on our house. Your Majesty holds the world in his heart and is ever-merciful, but we can't spare them! We will handle the dowager through family law, pull out her entrails, dig out her eyes, bathe her in honey, and let legions of insects devour her alive!" The dowager's elder brother offered, and instantly, the other clansmen kowtowed and asked for the same punishment. Some even argued that the queen should suffer the same fate, the royals gave such words firm support, brightening Mehran's smile.
From the Abdication Settlement's leaders, the dowager, queen and commandant turned into the worst criminals in the country's history, with fates 1,000 times worse than death awaiting them all. Imagining their noble bodies torn and defiled by base insects, the queen and dowager lost their minds, and hugged Mehran's thighs.
"Mehran, I carried you for nine months, got rid of all your brothers so that you could claim the throne, raised and nurtured you the best I could! If not for me, how could you be here? Please give me a dignified death!" For some, dignity was more important than their lives.
"Mehran, remember when you held me on a bed of thornless roses, promising to protect me for a lifetime? Where are those words now?!" But for others, life mattered above all.
Mehran ignored them both. Knowing that his fate was set in stone, and eager to commit suicide, the commander stood up, faced Mehran with a vicious sneer, and boldly declared: "At the end of the day, I still screwed your wife. Since you can't avenge that, I suppose it's fair that you lash out the best you can. Still, the fact remains that...hehehe."
Strangely, Mehran's smile grew more radiant, and he tapped the commander's shoulder, "I suppose it's time I let you meet my family. Children, ladies, come on in," Mehran said, and spread out his arms toward the door. As if they'd been waiting at the door all along, 12 women and 35 men walked in, ignoring the startled officials, nobles and royals to walk toward Mehran. Their appearance threw the court into chaos, and the commandant above all couldn't understand the meaning of their presence. Was Mehran planning to not even let his wives and children off the hook?
But as such words trailed in his mind, ladies and gentlemen kneeled before Mehran and said in tandem:
"Beloved husband, long may you reign!"
"Royal father, long may you reign!"
The commandant wanted to say that they were kneeling toward the wrong person, that he wasn't a king yet, but seeing how they didn't bother glancing at him, and stared at Mehran with complete love and devotion, he teetered, gasping for breath.
In his 120 years of existence, the commandant believed that his greatest achievements weren't his victories on the battlefield, his conquest of the queen, but his nine wives and thirty children—all equally outstanding and devoted to him. First, 3 daughters—then within 32 years—27 sons. Even his daughters gave birth to 8 prodigious sons. He enjoyed countless praises, lauded as the Father of the Nation.
But within five seconds, all this went down the drain, and Mehran dealt the final blow:
"I suppose I need to explain. Since you had to drop your pants in my house, I went ahead and did the same in yours. Thanks to my 100 selfs disguised as various established members of your household, I screwed your wives, screwed your daughters, and made them give birth to one big, happy family for me. But unlike you, I'm clever enough to let the kids know early who daddy is. That's how you take control of a man's household. In your next life, take notes and..." Mehran raised his right foot, and kicked at the commandant's crotch!
BANG!
Flung by the kick's impact, the commandant soared toward the ceiling—encasing himself within.
"Do better…" Mehran added, but his words fell on deaf ears. This succession of blows were too much for the commandant to bear, his blood vessels bursted, and for the first time in 120 years, he suffered a stroke. The queen and dowager had it no better. The queen's organs spiraled out of control, the dowager's eyes glazed over, and the two broke down subsequently.
Ignoring them, Mehran lowered his gaze toward his children and ladies, motioned for them to stand up, then glanced at the officials:
"Across the next month, we will hold a Royal Examination to choose an heir among the princes. Afterward, I will retire as King Emeritus. I've raised them to treat one another with love and courtesy. No need to fear princely strife," Mehran said. But at that time, seven of the frightened officials shot toward him at a speed that transcended all mortal limits.
Knowing that he could not fight celestials head on, Mehran initially planned to blow up the castle, himself and all troublemakers, in a single night. But since he now had a reliable backer, he didn't bother triggering the formation.
One shockwave thundered before Mehran, and the seven celestials flew toward the ceiling, with one foot mark on their broken faces.
To the court's awe, Lord Revelation appeared before the king, as usual, shrouded in golden light.
"Thank you, sir, for your assistance. Mehran Hisyar, at your service!"