BOOK 11: CHAPTER 39: THE TRIAL OF KANG (1)

“Lord Lu,” stammered Kang, having finally seemed to realize just howbad this situation could become for him.

“Do not speak again,” commanded Sen. “Your words will not be required to settle this matter.”

“Lord Lu! I must protest!” shouted Kang. “I am guaranteed the right to—”

Sen crushed the man to the floor with the barest application of his auric imposition.

“Guaranteed?” asked Sen to no one and everyone. “The right? Guaranteed what right and by whom? General, do you still not understand? I fear that my reluctance to interfere too heavily in mortal affairs has confused you. I have chosen to allow most laws to stand as they are because I have no interest in rewriting them. The bureaucracy was built around them. The people understand them. They are a flawed but adequate measure for those who live in the kingdom.

“You, however, are not most people. You are a general in my army. An army that is preparing to march even as we speak. Your actions have threatened to disrupt the orderly functions of that army. Something which could and very likely would endanger the lives of the very people you are supposed to protect. The people of this kingdom. I could put you to death on those grounds alone, but you’ve also sought to undermine a hero of the land.

“I cannot allow such uncertainty about another general to go unaddressed. That is why I am holding this trial. That is why representatives of the noble houses are here. To be provided with the truth of matters. A truth that they will faithfully and accurately report to others,” said Sen, briefly sweeping his gaze across the gathered nobles. “As for you, General, let me be perfectly clear. When you stand in my presence, you do not even have a right to the air you breathe. So, remain silent, or I will silence you. Am I understood?”

Sen released his auric imposition and waited as Kang slowly got to his hands and knees. The general stared up at him, and Sen had the odd impression that it was the very first time that Kang had seen him for what he was. The nascent soul cultivator who ruled the kingdom. The general couldn’t hold his gaze for more than a second or two before looking away. The man got up onto obviously shaky legs and nodded his understanding.

“Good. Now, I wish to be done with this quickly. General Mo, please step forward and tell everyone what you told me.”

Mo Kegong, it had turned out, was not a very good actor. Sen supposed that he should be grateful for that trait in general, even if it was inconvenient for their purposes today. Fortunately, save for one or two comments, the man wouldn’t have to do much acting. The other general dutifully took his place before the throne and related how one of Kang’s subordinates had come to him with a tale of betrayal and coups. The only part that really differed from what Mo had originally told Sen was what came next.

“Knowing that Kang despises me,” said General Mo in a somewhat convincing voice, “I was suspicious that he was trying to trap me and reported the incident to you.”

“And what did I tell you then?” asked Sen.

“You told me to leave the matter to you.”

“And did you follow that instruction?”

“Mostly,” said General Mo, looking sheepish.

Those words surprised Sen, and he recalled one of the many lessons that Auntie Caihong had tried to cram into his mind about being an effective tyrant.

“People will surprise you, Sen.”

“In what way?”

“In all manner of ways,” said Auntie Caihong with a weary sigh. “Usually, they’ll do things that you asked them not to do or even ordered them not to do.”

“Why would they do that?”

“Because they’re stupid. Or they think you’re stupid. Or they think they know better than you about some specific thing. Or they’ve been threatened. Or they’re being driven by some ulterior motive you didn’t know about, like greed or jealousy. Or—"

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“Lots of reasons,” said Sen, gently cutting the woman off.

“The worst part is that it will always come out at a time and place that makes it impossible for you to discuss it with them privately.”

“So, how do I prepare for something like that?”

“Work on keeping a straight face. Don’t act more than the tiniest bit surprised, and make sure you lace anything you say after with clear annoyance.”

So, he did his best to keep his expression neutral.

“Mostly?” asked Sen, lifting an eyebrow and letting annoyance creep into his voice as he’d been instructed.

General Mo shot a hesitant look at the still-trembling figure of General Kang before he spoke in a pained voice.

“Yes, Lord Lu. Mostly.”

“And in what way did you not follow that instruction?” asked Sen, letting more annoyance paint his tone.

“I had some of my men look into what General Kang’s men were doing. Making sure they weren’t hoarding supplies or taking secret steps to prepare for a hasty departure,” said the now very nervous General Mo. “I believed it needed to be looked into, just in case it wasn’t a lie.”

Sen didn’t say anything as he counted down in his head from fifteen. This was a pretty innocuous bit of overstepping, and it wasn’t going to ruin anything, so he wasn’t actually angry at Mo. Still, the general should have discussed it with him before taking an action like that. Letting the man stand there and worry while Sen just looked at him would, with hope, scare him enough to avoid future missteps of a similar kind.

“General Mo, did it not occur to you that I would have someone look into that matter? Someone who could not be caught doing it?”

Maybe I should thank Mo after this, thought Sen. He hadn’t planned for this possibility, but it was a golden opportunity to build the myth of his invisible spies. The story would become all the more potent when Misty Peak appeared from nowhere later. Nonetheless, he had to publicly admonish the general for his mistake. From the look on Mo’s face, it genuinely hadn’t occurred to him that Sen would take a step like that.

“Lord Lu, I apologize for underestimating your wisdom. I hope my mistake didn’t interfere with your plans.”

“It didn’t. This time. We will speak about your punishment later. Aside from that investigation, did you follow my instruction to leave the matter in my hands?”

“I did, Lord Lu.”

“You didn’t confront General Kang with the accusation?”

“I did not.”

“You didn’t tell anyone else about what his aide told you or your suspicions about that story?”

“No, Lord Lu.”

“Thank you, General. You may step back.”

Mo seemed quite eager to return to the wall where his supporters waited. Sen paused until everyone had settled down again. Then, he turned and fixed his gaze on a tall, handsome man in the crowd of Kang supporters. A group composed of people who all looked like they wished to be spirited away to absolutely anywhere else. Given how grim some of their expressions were, he suspected they might have even accepted being carried off to a battle against spirit beasts if it meant escaping the throne room.

“Huang Muyang,” said Sen, and watched the tall man seem to shrink in on himself. “Step forward.”

The man did as commanded, but it was obvious to everyone that he was taking his time about it. I wonder if he’s hoping that some benevolent deity will strike him dead before I make him talk, mused Sen. No such intervention from the heavens was bestowed on the man. Despite his slow pace, he was soon standing before the throne and staring straight down at the floor. Kang was obviously trying to communicate something to the younger man with his eyes. Huang Muyang, however, was resolutely avoiding eye contact with Kang and everyone else.

“Huang Muyang,” said Sen in a gentler tone. “I’m given to understand that General Kang has been something of a patron to you. Is that correct?”

“Yes, Lord Lu,” whispered the man in a barely audible whisper.

“I expect that some of his other supporters have already threatened you with retribution if you speak against him, haven’t they?” asked Sen.

Huang Muyang said nothing, very loudly. Sen sighed.

“I won’t make you answer that question because I know it’s true. It seems that some of your compatriots have forgotten an important fact,” said Sen, turning to look at the group. “I’m a cultivator with exceptionally sharp senses. I’ve heard every word spoken in this room since you all arrived. I’m not impressed with people who threaten a man’s wife and children. Not. Impressed. At all.”

“Lord Lu,” said a man who had been keeping a very low profile since Sen’s arrival.

Sen turned and looked at Chan Dishi, who was lounging against a wall away from everyone else.

“Yes?”

“I’m not impressed with such men, either. I would be happy to remedy the problem of them still being alive if you’ll grant me the pleasure. All you need to do is point them out,” said the core cultivator.

He also said it while wearing a malicious grin that even Sen found off-putting and was probably terrifying to the mortals in the room. Sen was certain that Chan Dishi also knew exactly who had made the threats, but the other cultivator was doing his part to make this moment as frightening as possible. It was working if all the wide eyes around the room could be taken as an accurate measure.

“Of course,” said Sen.

Without even looking, he reached out with air qi, seized the men in question, and yanked them across the room. There were shouts and muffled cries as he deposited the men in front of Chan Dishi. The other cultivator’s face went from bright, cheerful, and a touch insane to lethally serious in a heartbeat.

“You know,” he said, addressing the cowering men, “if you’d just threatened to kill him, I’d have made this quick. Threatening his family, though? You better settle in, because I’m going to make this hurt. And I’ve got nothing better to do for the rest of the day.”