The King of Su, Ru Fang, looked the part of someone who had been in a coma for the last couple of years.
His skin was sallow and stuck tight to the bones of his face. He must have been a handsome man once, but the poison had sapped all of his vitality away. Now, he most closely resembled a walking corpse.
Maybe now that he was awake, and eating solid foods once again, he'd recover some of his lost energy, but somehow Chu Yun doubted it.
Looking down at the King of Su from his throne next to Xiao Zai's, he thought the old King would never be the same again.
Next to King, the Queen Consort and the Third Princess were kneeling on the ground in supplication. A needlessly humiliating display -- since they had been treated with nothing but courtesy and no one was blaming them for Ru Long's actions.
Ru Long was currently being restrained in a circle of guards in one corner of the throne room. His hands were manacled at the waist, but his mouth was free, and prone to twisting itself into superior smirks and letting out derisive chuckles.
"We are truly grateful for his Majesty's the King of Zui help in uncovering Ru Long's treasonous plot, however we must insist that he be relocated back to Su."
Xiao Zai nodded gravely. "Now that his Majesty the King of Su is here to escort him, we naturally won't object."
Actually, Chu Yun objected a little.
It was definitely better if Ru Long left Zui as his father's responsibility rather than theirs, but who was to say he would be adequately punished there?
Also, there was the matter of how Ru Long had been allowed to do as he pleased for so long. There was no doubt in Chu Yun's mind that he'd had help.
"We'd also like to know if his Majesty found any evidence regarding Su's national reserves being diverted for his Royal Highness' use?" Chu Yun asked, placing his hand over Xiao Zai's inner wrist casually.
The King's voice faltered when he mentioned 'offspring' -- and while the word usage put him at a distance from his own children. Chu Yun got the impression his goal was only to shield himself from his own guilt.
Maybe if he had come back for Xiao Yao he wouldn't have died.
Maybe Ru Long's sister wouldn't have disappeared.
Chu Yun was keeping a close eye on the King's body language and expressions, but he couldn't help noticing the trembling of the Queen Consort's slight frame. She hadn't moved from her deep prostration, but her hands were curled into fists on the rug in front of the stairs leading up the dais.
"Before his Majesty goes on, would her Royal Highness the Queen Consort of Su like to say something?" Chu Yun said, interjecting during a lull in the King's speech.
All eyes turned towards her.
She wavered in place a moment longer before climbing unsteadily to her feet. The King of Su extended a hand to help her up, but she summarily rejected it.
"I suppose it is better that these things come to light here in a strange land, in front of strange people, rather than in our nation with our own subjects as witnesses to our shame." The Queen Consort of Su squared her shoulders and raised her chin, looking defiantly up at the dais.
"I'd never begrudge my husband his duties as King, and father to all our nation. I have always welcomed all the members of the royal harem, and endeavoured to foster an harmonious relationship between us all." Her voice faltered. "Which is exactly why I couldn't bear it when I saw that despite my own respect for his sacred duties, he would throw it all away for such a trivial matter as love."
Xiao Zai met the Queen's fiery gaze with a level look. "Surely not. The nation always comes first, I agree with her Royal Highness on this regard." Slowly, he rose from his throne and walked up to the edge of the dais, his hands clasped behind his back.
"Except, this matter wasn't all that trivial, was it? It involved a member of my family, my uncle." He turned to look in Hui Lang's direction. "Of course since his death was brought about by my father we'll have to consider ourselves even."
Chu Yun rapped his knuckles over the armrests of his chair, humming pensively. "Even though one must wonder what would have happened if her Royal Highness hadn't warned him...."