After quite some time of heated discussions, silence falls between the two men.
General Wu pours a cup of liquor to himself, faking calmness as he speaks -So what are you going to do in the end?- he asks toward the man in front of him
-Nothing, I don't agree with this verdict. If they simply asked me to bring her back for a quick trial I would have agreed, but they are simply asking too much from me...-
-Even if that is considered a crime?- asks Wu
The other general sighs -I'm not saying that I will stop them from making "justice". I will go back with Miss Ying once the war is over and stand trial myself, if my choice regarding this verdict is considered a crime-
General Wu squits his eyes and ask him one final time -Are you completely sure about your choice?-
-I have no regrets- firmly declares Cai
-Every well then, let's end it here- he nods and bids them farewell
Besides them Qin Luo widens his eyes as he looks toward the oddly calm man who walks away with a smile -Just like that? All these hours of discussion and it resolved so easily?- the two older men share a worried stare with eachother -Weird... I wasn't expecting such a reaction either- says XuWen -Maybe he too was growing tired of this meeting-
With a loud sigh from all three of them the topic gets quickly put aside...
-Let's not tell anything about this whole thing to Miss Ying, let's just tell her that since the Court didn't see this as a urgent matter, once the war is over we will have to undergo a trial- says General Cai but the young man quickly interrupts him
-Wouldn't it be better to ask her opinion tho? Maybe she can find out what's going on in Wu's head- he says but the other man shakes his head -The matter have been postponed, let's not worry her for now. She just need to focus on getting back to the battlefield, we'll need to regain the men's trust in her step by step... I feel like we're getting closer to the end of this War-
Qin Luo nods and soon after the three men all return to their tend.
...
I enter the tend in a rush after seeing Qin Luo approach, I walk behind him and close the tend's door behind us
-So?-
He turns around with an awkward smile -Oh right... You must have been waiting, but thankfully we received quite a positive reply from the Palace-
I frown lightly, I honestly didn't expect him to say that -Quite positive? How much positive are we talking about?-
-They Court still wants to examine your case personally but that is for a later time, they understand the importance of you being here and will allow you to fight this war till the end since you're a key element for this conflict. Later you will need to go under process and bear any consequence of your actions, but I believe that they will eventually close an eye if you succeed in ending his war- he says winking at me
-So I'm finally allowed back on the battlefield?- I ask with a lot of anticipation
-Yes!- he replies with a smile
I cannot honestly believe in such a good outcome... I won't completely avoid punishment later on, but still I can finish this tedious task first. That man really managed to help me with the verdict, I shall see that nobody bothers him in my side as s thanks... I initially doubted his words, but it turns out that he wasn't lying and even proved himself to be a potential ally if kept at a safe distance.
Taking a breath of relief I seat down and start to realize the actual meaning of these words...
I can go back to the battlefield... After so much time and with all that happened along the way... It feels like I had been threw into a endless pit and finally got rescued.
-It's going to be a long journey to regain everyone's trust, but at least there's a possibility now- I tell him -With not only the Generals, but also the Court, approving me. Surely I can be seen as a reliable commander and maybe one day lead them to victory... It won't be easy, but if they entrust don't go acting on their own and following many different paths...- I sigh
-Ah that is... A lot of planning to do- says Qin Luo a bit uncertain before continuing -Let's first of all think of a few way to earn the most easily swayed men's trust as quickly as possible, let's create a whole propaganda. We'll think about the most obtuse ones later, it will be easier like that. If the majority of the soldiers believe in you, then those gossipers will lose credibility-
-Mhn- I nod -But lets not forget that the most important things is still fighting, without that there's nothing left-
He smiles at my little scolding and sears beside me -Of course of course, let's have a drink now... It's one little victory in all this mess afterall-.
...
General Wu enters inside his tend while his second in command is reorganizing some of the maps laying around -Sir? You look oddly serene- he notices his barely visible smile, one that is typically seen on those who finally acquired what they desired
-Indeed I am- he removes his coat and approach the table, opening once again the private parchment he received from the palace -General Cai refused to follow the orders-
The young man jolts -Are you completely sure about that, uncle?-
The older man nods -I asked him three more times before finishing the meeting- the guy looks uneasy while speaking his next words -So are you going to kill him?-
-Yeah, with the power bestowed me from the Court I will give him the rightful punishment. He is nothing but a traitor at this point, we can finally remove such a thorn from our side... This is how you conduct the troupes my child, not with kindness and faith but with discipline. You're learning it the hard way, but it's for the best if you will be my successor one day...-
He smirks in a twisted manner -And that day is still quite far, I will need to be turned into ash for me to finally pass my men to someone hahaha!- he laughs patting the man's shoulder -Rejoice! For your uncle will soon be standing beside the Throne if I keep helping the Emperor with his enemies and who knows... Maybe that brat will be my in-law soon!-
The boy juos forward for the strong hit on his back -You're aiming for the throne now, uncle?-
The older man recomposes himself and coughs a couple of times -Not the throne, but stability... You understand right? In these dire times we need to secure ourselves a good spots if we don't want to meet our end, that's all. The closer to our crazy Emperor and the safer our family is... I really wish for the Emperor to accept one of my daughters as a gift and have his first Heir as part of our family, so nobody will hurt us... Hopefully the Emperor's himself don't fall dead too soon due to his weird mental state, he needs to hold on untill he has his first child-
The young man nods confused at the amount of words his uncle throws at him -Anything for our family!-