"Oh... and Sun Quan."
"They were all rebels, but they were also heroes of their age!"
"Zhen hated them, but Zhen respected them too!"
"They made Zhen what Zhen is! They forced Zhen to achieve these great deeds!"
Liu Xie held a wine cup in one hand and pounded the Dragon Desk heavily with the other.
Every blow sent a tremor through the hearts of all his ministers.
The Great Hall was utterly silent. Everyone kept their heads lowered; no one dared look up at Liu Xie, at this Son of Heaven whose sharp edge was fully bared.
"But alas, they are all dead."
"Without them as enemies, Zhen is lonely. Who knows whether the future will bring rebels like them, forcing Zhen ever onward until a flourishing age is ushered in."
Liu Xie spoke with a heart full of feeling. His gaze swept over the court officials in the hall before finally settling on Cui Yan, Dong Zhong, and the others.
Cui Yan and the others distinctly felt the Son of Heaven's gaze turn toward them. For a moment, it was as though thorns were digging into their backs. Every hair on their bodies stood on end, and cold sweat involuntarily broke out on their foreheads.
Fortunately, the Son of Heaven's gaze did not linger on them for long and soon moved away.
"Zhen does not wish them peace in death. Zhen wishes them another life, so they may be Zhen's enemies once more!"
Liu Xie drained the wine in his cup in one gulp, then hurled the cup to the ground, smashing it to pieces.
"Your Majesty-!"
All the ministers and soldiers dropped to their knees.
"Your Majesty..."
Her eyes filled with worry, Lü Lingqi stepped forward with Zhen Mi to support the somewhat unsteady Liu Xie and