"Whether those people will be injured depends on whether you give the order." Suzaku raised his head, his voice tightened due to suppression, "It does not depend on whether I have walked through this passage."
"Very good, you have begun to understand the command relationship correctly." Lin Cuo on the radio actually expressed approval, "So we can sit down and talk about the orders you received in the past."
Suzaku's shoulders suddenly moved, and Li Xingke immediately tightened his grip on his hands.
At this moment, another voice came from the entrance of the passage.
"General Li, please let him stand up."
Kaguya Sumeragi walked in without the smile he usually wore when facing Camera.
When Suzaku saw her, what he was about to say suddenly stopped. After a moment, he called out the name with some difficulty, "Kaguya Sumeragi..."
She walked up to him, looked up for a while, then suddenly clenched her fist and hit him hard on the chest.
This punch was far inferior to any of Li Xingke's interceptions above. Suzaku clearly had time to avoid it, but his body just froze and he let his fist fall.
"This is not an order from Government-in-Exile." Kaguya Sumeragi took his hand back, his fingers already hurting, "It's my own."
"I know you're angry, but--"
"You don't know."
She did not raise her voice, but Suzaku felt more uncomfortable than hearing any rebuke.
When she was a child, she always followed him. The tree at the shrine was too high for her to climb, so she called him back. When the adults talked about something and wouldn't let her in, she pulled his sleeve and asked if there was another door for the Prime Minister's children. When Lelouch and Nunnally were first brought here, she secretly asked him why they couldn't even leave since they were guests.
Now, she stood among a group of Great Han officers, wearing the emblem of the country that had lost its homeland on her chest, but the look in her eyes when she looked at him was strange.
Kaguya Sumeragi Looking at the logo on the imperial military uniform, a chill surged up in my heart.
Genbu Kururugi's only son, the person who should know best why this country exists, not only did not commit suicide with the demise of the old government, nor continued to organize armed resistance, he even refused to live as an ordinary person, and chose to wear the uniform of a conqueror.
The most unpleasant word in her mind almost reached her lips, but she finally swallowed it.
"After your father died, I kept thinking that at least you are still here. You know what the royal family has lost, and you also know why those who stayed in Kyoto must bow to the empire. Later I found out that you had taken the initiative to work for them."
Suzaku's expression changed. "I didn't join the empire for myself."
"I know that you are always doing it for others. For strangers, for order, and for the possible changes in the future." Kaguya Sumeragi stared at him, "But why do you always pay the price for the person who originally believed in you the most?"
He opened his mouth, but couldn't answer immediately.
"When Operation White Chrysanthemum, I was also at Goryeo. Do you know what the children asked when those alarms sounded? They asked why Britannia came after they had already left their own homes."
"That time there was a problem with the empire's authorization. I will investigate it myself."
"Oh? You still have to go back to the person who gave you the authorization to investigate?"
Suzaku finally raised his head. "What about you? You know exactly what Great Han's Regent is doing, are you prepared to explain it to him?"
Kaguya Sumeragi's eyes moved towards the broadcaster.
That Regent is indeed shameless, so shameless that even his allies want to beat him up.
But the same person with power, Lin Cuo, first handed Area 11's army, Government-in-Exile's temporary territory and international seat into her hands, and then confidently asked her to take on more tasks; Suzaku asked them to continue waiting, waiting for the empire to be willing to recognize him, waiting for him to climb to a high enough position, and waiting for the day when the conqueror was willing to change his rules.
After such a comparison, she actually felt that even Lin Cuo's shameless face was much more pleasing to her eyes.
At least he knows what he needs and is really capable of getting it.
"I will not explain every order for him." She looked at Suzaku again, "But he recognizes my country, and the empire you are loyal to does not. For me, this is not a sentence that can be put aside first."
Lin Cuo happened to pick it up. "Your Highness Kaguya Sumeragi said it very well. This is exactly Great Han--"
"Regent, Your Highness, shut up first."
There was silence on the radio for a while, and Li Xingke felt for the first time that at least this trip back to Luoyang was not a complete waste of time.
Kaguya Sumeragi reached out to Suzaku: "I request to see you, and I also request Great Han not to hand you over to a force that may use forged orders again. You can think that my judgment is wrong, but today, you should at least listen to what I have to say."
"If I stay, the others can leave?"
Lin Cuo immediately answered, "This Regent respects the opinions of the allies."
Suzaku slowly released his fist. "Then I will stay, but I definitely did not apply for Area 11's transfer of citizenship, nor did I give up my military position."
"I heard you."
As soon as Kaguya Sumeragi finished speaking, the news screen above the channel switched screens.
"Urgent news from our station. Upon request from Area 11 Exiled Administratum, Great Han has successfully protected the son of former allied Prime Minister Genbu Kururugi. Mr. Suzaku Kururugi has decided to stay and communicate directly with the legitimate political representatives of his country--"
Suzaku looked up suddenly.
"That's not what I meant!"
"He said you decided to stay, which is indeed true." Kaguya Sumeragi heard that Great Han had begun to introduce the two thousand years of allied protection tradition in the second half, and his forehead jumped slightly, "It's just the other parts, you will gradually get used to it in the future."
Li Xingke put the scabbard back to his waist and cursed in his heart for being shameless.
But when he listened to the broadcast, he couldn't deny another meaning: If the big man didn't even dare to protect the allies he recognized, and the emperors and politicians of the allies, then the so-called mutual defense would be nothing more than an empty name.
Lin Cuo has made things extremely ugly, but is using the power of the country to tell all those watching that Great Han's admission is more than just words printed on paper.
This thing has value.
Worthy and should be done are obviously not the same sentence, but Lin Cuo always has the ability to let the first sentence happen first, and then leave the latter sentence to him.
On the central stage, Lin Cuo has faced Camera again.
"I want to explain that this is not my personal whim, nor is it because Her Highness Kaguya Sumeragi is young, beautiful, and good at diplomacy that I pay special attention to her request. Great Han Protecting allies is a national tradition, a Common Defense obligation, and it is also part of our restoration of political credibility in the East for two thousand years."
"In addition, the outstanding heirs of the Ashford and Stadtfeld families have proven through practical actions that the imperial aristocracy is also willing to participate in the new era led by Great Han. We don't ask about origins, only abilities; we don't ask where we stood in the past, only where we are willing to go today."
Milly directly turned on the internal communication button. "Regent, me hosting the game does not mean Ashford has changed his allegiance!"
"Of course, we respect Ashford's independent judgment."
"Then you just--"
"So what I said was about participating in the new era, and I didn't say that you surrendered to Great Han."
She stared at the screen, unable to find the words to refute.
However, Lin Cuo has returned to the public Camera, announcing that the competition will continue as usual. Some representatives of the empire left early to adjust their schedules, and it will not affect other contestants to receive bonuses.
The next scrolling subtitle is the new senior technician salary encashment and military family housing registration announcement.
Luoyang In the cafeteria of a factory, two workers were still arguing about whether Suzaku was considered to be detained. The third person had already moved closer to the screen and looked carefully at the date of the replacement allowance.
"Don't argue for now. Did he just say that the balance of the technical positions owed to us last year will also be made up?"
"Said."
"Then turn your voice up a little louder. Don't scold me about diplomatic matters until your salary is paid."