196 Phoenix

The wolves act together to nefarious ends (1).

Liu Yao folded his arms behind his back as he gazed down at the ministers lying blatantly to the face of their liege and felt a profound sadness. It was a monumental sort of pain to have to come to terms with, a pang aching through his chest as he heard his dynasty creaking and groaning to a halt, the broken wheels that struggled to move it toward snapping into two beneath the weight of corruption and treachery.

This was what he lost Ziyu for? This was what tried to take Ziyu away from him again?

Not worth it. Meaningless.

He regarded his right prime minister. "Setting aside the matter of the secret passages…Beloved Subject Ren. What do you have to say about Beloved Subject Yuan's accusations?" He used the term of address so perfunctorily but the irony was not lost on him.