Echoes.
It's afternoon and as everyday at that time, he is reading the reports coming from the various parts of the nation, when someone asks for an audience.
He allows the person to come inside.
It's an Imperial Guard, sent by General Zhendong himself.
The man approaches, kneels and prostrates himself to the Emperor. "Shiix Xu, Jeonha... I was sent to inform you that, earlier this afternoon, in the outskirts of Taifuan... your... nephew was caught in the attempt of robbing a passerby..."
"My nephew?" he asks, baffled. There must be a mistake.
He quickly reviews each of his nephews in his mind: Liang, son of the Archduke of Suhyen, third richest person in the country; Florian, the son of the King of Heinmenhos... a Castle, the richest family of the whole North; Song, the minister of finance and second richest man in Xhuanghen after himself, the Emperor, and his younger brother Jin, obviously rich enough to never possibly lack a thing in life.
"Ye, Jeonha... even General Zhendong struggled to believe it..."
"Who is this nephew then?"
"Lord Zhou JinGoo, Jeonha..."
He blinks, thinking about it. After a brief reflection, he comes to the conclusion that it is simply impossible. "There must have been a misunderstanding. What was he trying to take? Were there witnesses at all? Who reported him?"
The guard looks very uneasy and nervous. "Jeonha... I caught him on the fact. He beat the man... I reached him just a moment before he took the purse and started to run."
He shakes his head. "Why in the world would someone as rich as him do something like that? It's nonsense!"
"Please Jeonha, I'm only reporting what I saw, I don't know anything more..."
"Did someone pay you to damage his reputation? Were you blackmailed?"
"Aniyo, Jeonha..."
"Where is my nephew now?"
"I escorted him to the Imperial Prison..."
LianBi frowns and glances at HyunKi. "Commandant, interrogate him under truth serum." The poor guard, he means. Then glances towards the entrance. "Warn Minister Zhou immediately. I shall send someone to the Imperial Prison soon."
And indeed the servants write to Song to warn him that Jin was arrested and taken to the Imperial Prison, but without specifying why.
He allows the person to come inside.
It's an Imperial Guard, sent by General Zhendong himself.
The man approaches, kneels and prostrates himself to the Emperor. "Shiix Xu, Jeonha... I was sent to inform you that, earlier this afternoon, in the outskirts of Taifuan... your... nephew was caught in the attempt of robbing a passerby..."
"My nephew?" he asks, baffled. There must be a mistake.
He quickly reviews each of his nephews in his mind: Liang, son of the Archduke of Suhyen, third richest person in the country; Florian, the son of the King of Heinmenhos... a Castle, the richest family of the whole North; Song, the minister of finance and second richest man in Xhuanghen after himself, the Emperor, and his younger brother Jin, obviously rich enough to never possibly lack a thing in life.
"Ye, Jeonha... even General Zhendong struggled to believe it..."
"Who is this nephew then?"
"Lord Zhou JinGoo, Jeonha..."
He blinks, thinking about it. After a brief reflection, he comes to the conclusion that it is simply impossible. "There must have been a misunderstanding. What was he trying to take? Were there witnesses at all? Who reported him?"
The guard looks very uneasy and nervous. "Jeonha... I caught him on the fact. He beat the man... I reached him just a moment before he took the purse and started to run."
He shakes his head. "Why in the world would someone as rich as him do something like that? It's nonsense!"
"Please Jeonha, I'm only reporting what I saw, I don't know anything more..."
"Did someone pay you to damage his reputation? Were you blackmailed?"
"Aniyo, Jeonha..."
"Where is my nephew now?"
"I escorted him to the Imperial Prison..."
LianBi frowns and glances at HyunKi. "Commandant, interrogate him under truth serum." The poor guard, he means. Then glances towards the entrance. "Warn Minister Zhou immediately. I shall send someone to the Imperial Prison soon."
And indeed the servants write to Song to warn him that Jin was arrested and taken to the Imperial Prison, but without specifying why.
1 | May 15th 2019 10:08
"I didn't want to stay away from home... you can't understand... I need that money, that prostitute took everything I had...!" As if it had not been him to willingly pay him.
"Don't abandon me here..." he sobs in such a miserable tone. "Hyung..."
He wraps his arms around his legs and leans his head on his knees. "Let's pay someone to cover it up, hm? If we pay that man enough he will change version, he will blame someone else..." He is not rational at all.
He covers his face with hand. No, he just can't tell him, he doesn't manage to.
"I just... wanted it..." He can't even come up with some logical lie. The effects of withdrawal are starting to kick in.
"What will happen to.me now...? What will they do to.me...?" He sounds quite desperate.
Not even he knows what that lie was supposed to mean, his mind is so blurred at the moment. "I don't know... I don't know why i did such a thing, it was so.unlike.me... It couldn't really be me..." He sounds worse than a madman.
He shakes his head many times. "Ani, please, no doctors... I don't need them... they can't help, please I promise... this time it is the last time, I will get better for real, I will do everything...!"
He sighs and shakes his head about the alcohol. "Maybe..." Then covers his head with both arms.
He bursts in tears at his words. "Why can't you leave me be...?"
"Forgive me hyung... please, forgive me if you can..." And he is not saying it just to be a lickass of the last minute.