Meng Lin stood silently, expressionless: "There is an imperial edict!"
After a moment of silence, Su Ziji wore a smile that was not quite a smile.
When two armies fought, legitimacy was paramount. Since they had already rebelled, why would anyone kneel and respectfully wish the emperor well?
Seeing that Su Ziji had no intention of kneeling, a greenish hue flashed across Meng Lin's face before he continued: "Imperial Grandson, your father held the position of the bright heir, yet he walked the path of depravity, alienated good men, and proved unable to uphold the ancestral vessels to continue the dynastic line. Originally, he ought to have been demoted to a commoner, but as We suffer from illness, mindful of the grace of father and son, We grant him leniency and pardon."
Speaking up to this point, his voice grew louder and louder.
"You were originally born of a concubine. After careful searching and selection from the dirt, you were one day elevated to the nobility of a duke, made Prince Dai, and even entrusted with the affairs of state. The imperial grace bestowed upon you reached the utmost grandeur, and your titles and ranks exhausted the limits of favor."
"Nothing in the nurturing of all living things is greater than Heaven and Earth; nothing in love and reverence is heavier than ruler and kin. Therefore, for a subject, loyalty is prized above all; for a son, filial piety is paramount."
"We ask Ourselves how We loved you—it was truly where Our heart was focused, and both inside and outside the court knew it. Yet now We ask you, you eagerly gather death-defying retainers, recklessly draw vicious men to your side, and today you even lead an army here. What is your intention?"
"Pulling back from the brink of the