Past Promises

50 THE FALL



Trap.

"The King is an easy feat for me, he will swallow everything that I feed him but the General..." the Royal Advisor closes his eyes and falls into deep thinking.

The Commander stays silent as he also tries to think a way to trick the General to fall into their schemes.

And I still trying to find a way to tell their plan to the General but I couldn't think of anything. Being ghost for years didn't help me in learning any ghost talents except for wailing and haunting.

And I don't think haunting will do any good for this situation, I'm trying to make the General listen to me not running away, or even worse, I could trigger an exorcism activity in the Palace.

I should just stay being an audience since my 'King's reign had already ended years ago.

"I know what to do," the Royal Advisor suddenly says and he opens his eyes slowly. His smirk always annoys me, "Gather everyone around and we'll meet after midnight." Then he calls his guard.

"Go to the General's residence and give this to the servant," he gives the guard two silver coins, "Make sure he does everything so the General knows about this, only the General. Go."

***

I followed the guard to the General's residence. He is being cautious for not letting anyone sees him and since there are only few people in the General's residence, he managed to sneak in smoothly. A servant comes to him and greets the guard, I guess he is a spy the Royal Advisor planted in the General's residence. The servant smiles widely when the guard handed him the coins and as hurriedly put it into his pocket for fear anyone sees it.

Then I follow the servant into the kitchen where other servants are gathering around and eating their dinner.

"Where were you?" Another servant asks.

"Oh, I was meeting my brother. I told you I have a brother working as a guard here. He told me he is granted three days off and he is going home, so he was just asking me if I have anything to give to our parents in the village."

"Oh." Then they continued eating silently.

"I just remember, my brother said he was guarding outside the Guest House where the Mings are staying and he said the Royal Advisor went there and stayed about an hour," he starts throwing bait.

"Ey, he must be mistaken. Why would the Royal Advisor stayed too long with the enemies?!"

"Are you saying my brother lied? And he also said he heard from the servants there," he gestures them to get closer, "They are having a meeting after midnight."

"So are you saying the Royal Advisor and the Mings are allies?!" Someone says with a shocked expression.

He warns everyone there.

Then after they finished eating, one of them excuses himself saying the General asked him to help to clean up his room. I followed him.

I slipped inside the General's room and see he's polishing his sword. Then the servant knocks on the chamber's door slowly.

The General goes and opens the door. "What is it, Servant Choi?" The General asks.

Servant Choi comes closer to the General and speaks to almost a whisper.

"Pardon me to have disturbed you, Your Highness, but I come bringing you an

unpleasant news."

The General looks around and then asks the servant to come into his chamber.

"What is the issue that keeps you awake, it's already near midnight."

"Your Highness, I heard that the Royal Advisor and the Commander are allies and they are having a meeting after midnight."

The General's face turns grim, "Who told you this?"

"Servant Man, he said his brother was guarding the Guest House and he heard

the servants' conversation."

"Then, it is not a reliable information," the General ponders.

"My apologies, Your Highness, I thought it's an important news that is why I'm in a haste. I care about this Nation, Your Highness. It didn't give me the life that I wished for but it gives me the one that I needed and I'm grateful every day. When I heard of this news, I couldn't put away my fear that someone is compromising this Nation's well-being and I don't have anyone else I could tell this worry except to you, Your Highness."

"I understand your frustration. I will have someone to look into it, let's just hope that this Nation is not in any danger."

The General sent Lieutenant Han to investigate about the matter and after more than two hours he came back with a dark expression; it carried both worry and anger at the same time.

Both of them sit on the floor with a table in the middle of them.

The Lieutenant's eyes are red, "General..." he hesitates.

"Whatever you had witnessed or heard, speak without any constraints." The General orders.

The Lieutenant takes a sip of the wine placed in front of him and with much effort he says with anger, "I believe the Royal Advisor is in hands with the Mings to plot a regicide!"

The General is taken aback by the news. It is indeed a big news. Whoever dares to mention the word regicide is bound to not see the next sunrise. He will be killed immediately!

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The General steps up and checks outside the chamber and he closes the door swiftly, "Slow down your voice, it is not a word to be thrown publicly." The General sits again and asks the Lieutenant to continue.

"When I arrived there, they are already gathered in a room. They were only few guards there, I guess they didn't want to make it obvious but they had the audacity to have a meeting about regicide in the Palace!" The Lieutenant grits his teeth and he gulps down another cup of wine.

"What did you hear?" The General calmly asks.

"From what I heard, the Royal Advisor was their leader and the Commander was hired or sent by the Emperor to help the Royal Advisor to carry out their treasonous plan. The Royal Advisor said that all the Ministers that willing to support them will be given rewards after their plan succeeded. Those traitors! They dare to speak of treachery under His Majesty's nose!" He suddenly withdraws his sword, "I'll kill those snakes!"

The General grabs his hand, "Calm down, you have drunk too much," he speaks with a low but firm voice.

The Lieutenant sits silently and indeed he is drunk, his eyes are half-closed, "What is your plan, Your Highness?"

"If they are planning a regicide then we have to be careful. They must have been planning this for long if they managed to make the Emperor joined hands with them."

The Lieutenant looks at the General, "We have to inform the King but we also must tread carefully, the King trusts the Royal Advisor and the Royal Advisor could use this to blame you of treason! He's a very manipulative man, I don't like him," then he drops to the floor, sleeping.