Chang's breathing remained ragged, his knuckles white where they gripped the bloodied cloth. The accusation about protecting Bella resonated deeper than any physical blow could inflict, hitting a nerve of guilt and failure he'd carried since signing her death warrant.
He stared at Cheng, seeing not his Empress but the architect of his current misery. "Demands?" he repeated bitterly. "You stand here threatening me after committing murder and then demand concessions?"
Despite his fury, curiosity tempered his voice slightly. "What could possibly justify this behavior? What makes you think I'll negotiate with a monster who delighted in sending innocent people to their deaths?"
His gaze flickered back to the cloth - simple cotton dyed with what was likely Bella's life force. "Tell me exactly what happened," he commanded through clenched teeth. "Where did this happen? Who witnessed it? I want every detail of how you arranged this execution."
"None of your business! What does it matter anyway. What's done is done! Now as for my demands" she paused to make sure that Chang was listening.
"Firstly, you will divorce most of your concubines. I wanted all but I won't leave my girls hanging. So I will give you the list of the few concubines that I may be a little tolerant to you sharing a bed with. But I will still stay as the one and only empress. Secondly, you give more lands and Shugodai offices to my clan. Thirdly, you will appoint my father as a Kokushi over half of the cities. And give Kenji more authority over the military."
As she mentions the conditions, Chang pales considerably as he realized that her plan was to trap him and give her people more power and jurisdiction leaving him almost powerless.
Lee Chang Hao listened to Cheng's demands with growing horror, his face draining of color as he processed the full implications of her proposed reorganization. Divorce his concubines, grant her family political offices, cede military authority - it was nothing less than stripping him of his absolute power and placing himself under her family's influence.
"No," he said flatly, dropping the bloodstained cloth onto the map table. "Absolutely not. These terms are unacceptable."
He paced away from her toward the window overlooking the palace gardens, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "You want to dismantle my rule bit by bit until I'm nothing but your husband figurehead while your clan controls everything?"
Turning back to face her, his expression hardened with determination. "I am the Emperor of Japan, not some puppet for you or your father to manipulate. Your actions are unforgivable - murdering my beloved and then expecting rewards in return?"She smirked.
"Why look look so downcast, you were willing to get rid of me and your concubines for that slut and I am sure if her clan and family were still alive , you will be more than willing to do everything I mentioned and more, even without her asking. I am your empress asking you. Just pretend I am her for a second if it will make it easier for you". A sudden rise of disgust washed over him as she suggested that.
"You are not her. And you will never be !!!!", he declared with annoyance ". Her expression soured from jealousy but she quickly masks it. "Good thing. Why would I ever want you to imagine me as a dead slut? " She snared. "Anyways, just give me what I demanded and I will forget your unruly act" she touch her aching cheek.
Cheng's casual dismissal of Bella's memory, coupled with her crude description, ignited a fresh wave of rage within Chang. He grabbed the map table for support, knuckles white against the polished wood.
"Do not speak of her that way," he bit out, voice dangerously low. "You have no idea what she meant to me, what she sacrificed for this empire and for *me*."
His breathing became rapid as he struggled to maintain composure. "She was worth a thousand of you - honorable, kind-hearted, everything you are not. And you killed her like she was trash."
He slammed his fist on the table, making several scrolls jump. "There will be no divorce of my concubines except by my authority alone. No land grants to your clan beyond what is already theirs by law. And certainly no military appointments for your brother."
Chang rounded on her fully, his imperial dignity burning through the cracks in his fury.