Chapter 269: Heart III

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Night falls over the palace. Most servants have already retreated to their quarters, and the only soldiers still awake are those keeping guard around the perimeter. The rooms that were full of activity mere hours ago are now empty and dark.

Liu Jin rather likes it like this.

The young ruler closes his eyes and leans back into his seat. He is in the same room where today’s meeting took place. It is much more relaxing without dozens of people talking over each other and the constant requests for his input. Life would be so much easier if it was always like this. If only he could disappear into the darkness.

“You have been doing much lately.”

Liu Jin nearly falls out of his seat.

General Nie Dan had not bothered lowering his Qi. While he usually keeps it low enough to avoid overwhelming everyone else, it is still high enough that everyone in the palace knows where he is at all times. Despite that, Liu Jin did not notice his approach. The general is simply too fast. He can be anywhere he wants in a literal blink of an eye.

“General Nie Dan,” Liu Jin says, struggling to keep his voice even. “I was not expecting you.”

“Clearly,” General Nie Dan says dryly. “You have yet to fully recover from the battle. Despite that, the notion of appropriate rest seems foreign to you.”

“I do much because there is much to do,” Liu Jin counters.

“Is there?” the general challenges. “The pacification of Murong Bang’s former territories goes well. Your uncle’s Brotherhood of Thunder has been of great aid in that regard. Lady Bai Wen has also proven enthusiastic in the endeavor. Some of the nobility tried to cause trouble, but they are largely under control now. The Storm Dragon Empire is closer to peace than it has been in decades. There is no need for His Majesty to keep occupying himself.”

Liu Jin smiles, but there is no joy in it.

“Can someone like me really be called the Emperor?” Liu Jin asks. “It is no secret you are the strongest and most capable person here, general. My position facilitates this transition, but that’s all there is to it. Eventually, I will have to answer to the Eternal Flame Clan, and my return from there is uncertain.”

General Nie Dan looks at him.

“If you really think that, why not stay here instead?”

Liu Jin blinks.

“That would anger the Eternal Flame Clan, general. You know this.”

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“Our alliance with the Eternal Flame Clan has been fruitful, but we no longer need to depend only on them. Other parties have made their interests known,” Nie Dan says. “The Five Blessings Group, in particular, has been rather forward lately.”

Liu Jin immediately thinks of Song Daiyu. The girl has already sent countless letters to him from Rumbling Thunder City. Some are friendly. Some are playful. Others are downright mercenary. Most likely, it is a result of how surprised she is.

“The Eternal Flame Clan might not like it if you decide to stay here indefinitely, but they would be foolish to risk angering you,” Nie Dan says. “Especially with the eyes of the Divine Frozen Palace so close.”

The face in Liu Jin’s mind changes to that of Lady Bai Wen. She is not in the palace right now, but his last conversation with her is still clear in his mind.