This is the first part of the new chapter. Since the chapter is quite long, I decided to split it into two parts.

1. Do you wish to have split chapters, in case a chapter is longer than 5000 words, or do you want to read it as one chapter?

2. What do you think about the OCs?

3. Is there a specific viewpoint you want to read about, before you have to stick to Hakuyuu and Hakuren for the rest of the story?

4. Any critic you want to give me? Any wishes?

Guest: Yes, Magi would have been different, in case Hakuyuu and Hakuren were still alive. Their deaths had a great impact on Kou and on Hakuryuu's development - both Hakuryuu and Kou had a great impact in the story. It is hard to say how much Magi would be different, but there would definitely be a difference.

I hope you can enjoy this chapter. The next part will follow soon.

(Edit: Put more line breaks in it. I hope it is better to read now.)

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Hakutoku had lived for many years now, but never before had he felt so miserable. He wasn't sure how he even had managed to get out of bed – Gyokuen was still there crying. At the moment he was on his way to a meeting, which was called in because of Hakuyuu's death. Some of the older nobles were worried about the empires future – or so they said. It was obvious that they only cared about themselves and their position. Hakuren would be a good emperor, Hakutoku was sure of that, but unfortunately many nobles were not happy with him. Hakuyuu was an extremely serious person, which resulted in him being unable to tell when someone made a joke. Also he was very smart and curious, so he was willing to learn new things, which was a good thing, since one always had to learn and improve. Ever since Hakuyuu was born people expected great things from him. Everyone was sure that he would sit on the throne one day, they were fine with that. Now everything had changed, their ideal king candidate had died suddenly and left them with his younger brother, who never had the chance to prove how great he was on his own. Because of his more laid-back nature and optimistic thinking, Hakuren was looked down upon. A ruler had to be realistic and not hope for the best! A ruler had to take everything serious and not lazy around or postpone his duties. When one gave Hakuyuu and Hakuren some paperwork, Hakuyuu would immediately start taking care of it, while Hakuren would let it be until the day he had to finish them. However, in the end Hakuren would do his work, just a little bit later than his older brother. This was nothing bad in Hakutoku's eyes. Of course, he wished Hakuren would take things more serious, but as long as the work was done and correct he saw no reason to complain. Maybe this was because he was Hakuren's father, since the other nobles seemed to think such a behavior was inexcusable and would make Hakuren a bad candidate for the throne. How stupid! Hakuyuu and Hakuren were quite different in their behavior, but they both shared their love and loyalty towards their family and empire. Hakutoku was sure, that no matter what, Hakuren would do everything for the empire – even giving up on his laid-back lifestyle. But for now he had to endure the gibberish of those old nobles and there still was their royal guest. Instead of this superfluous meeting he should meet with their guest and apologize for calling him here and send him away straight away. It really was a tragic coincidence that Hakuyuu died, when the other king arrived. At the moment Hakutoku regretted to have written the letter to the other king. With it he had made the empire vulnerable and in the end it was for nothing.

Inside the palace were different meeting rooms, depending on the reason for the meeting. For example there was a very spacious room next to one of the many libraries for the war meetings, because it there was enough place for all the maps and the many people, who were involved. Also when they needed to look something up – for example about a certain region – they could go into the library – the two rooms were connected with a door – and get a scroll, which would contain the needed information. It saved time! For a smaller meeting like this one, it was enough to have a small room, which was near the emperor's work place – so he didn't have such a long way back after the meeting ended. Also it was quite convenient when an emergency meeting was called in, since he also only had to make a few steps to reach the room.
Inside said room it was already quite noisy. Hakutoku was the last person to arrive to the meeting and everyone else was already discussion with each other. When seeing this Hakutoku could only sigh and shake his head. He knew that not everyone here was loyal towards him and his family, actually most of them were only interested in their own wealth and strived for power. Unfortunately, he couldn't just throw those people out, since they all held an important position and going against them could cause a civil war. It was not impossible to get rid of them, but it was a long and exhausting process. And as soon one was gone, there was already another one to fill in the place. Sometimes he wondered whether he was the same as them. It was easy to see the bad sides of another person, while it was easy to overlook your own. Without saying a word Hakutoku walked up to the other side of the room and sat down at the table. Shortly after the noisy died out and the nobles also sat down. No one said anything for a minute or two, because they expected the emperor to speak first. However, the emperor had no intention of saying anything, because there was nothing he had to say. It was them, who had wanted this meeting – bothering him with it right after he had left Hakuyuu's deathbed –, so they should say whatever they felt was needed to be said. Usually the order of the nobles was decided by their position and importance, today this was a little bit different. Only the oldest demanded their "assigned" place, while the rest sat down whether they wanted. It was obvious that they had group together. Those who thought Hakuren should be the next emperor sat on one side and those who thought it was better to give the throne to someone else – in most cases it was either themselves or one of their sons – sat on the other side. There were a few exceptions. One of those exceptions was the young woman right next to him on the right side. Some saw it as an offence that she was allowed to sit this close to the emperor. This place was supposed for the most influential nobles and not for a woman of low birth. Her father was indeed a very influential man and had a good reputation, but his second daughter was the child of him and a commoner – some even said she had been a prostitute – therefore she was looked down upon. Being a woman and being a bastard was not favorable. The reason she was allowed to sit next to Hakutoku, was his high opinion of her. Despite all the odds against her, she managed to draw attention to her political skills. She was quite smart and was a fast learner. At first there had been rumors that Hakutoku was interested in the young woman – when he recognized her she was nothing but a mere child – and some even went as far as to say that he and she had an affair. The drama he had with Gyokuen was only topped by Hakuryuu's abduction. However, this were nothing but rumors, however he indeed had the intention of marrying her to Hakuyuu. He had already talked with her father about it and the other man also had approved – who wouldn't have? The own child marrying a prince, the future emperor at that, meant more power and influence. No one would let this opportunity go. To not make things harder for her, the two men had decided to keep the engagement a secret. If words were loud that she was engaged to Hakuyuu, people would accuse her of taking advantage of the royal family and that she only had her position because of the emperor's favor, which was not true at all. She had worked hard for what she had now. Not even her father had given her any support, but now he was suddenly proud of her.
Usually when two nobles decided to have their children marry each other, the engagement was announced to everyone – this was to ensure that no one could back out of it all of a sudden – and sometimes even a contract was made. The latter was the case in the engagement of Hakuyuu and Fei Lien. Since Hakutoku didn't want to announce the engagement for Lien's own good, her father wanted a contract to be on the save side. Of course there was nothing he could do in case Hakutoku changed his mind, but without any serious grounds the emperor would throw shades at himself. Serious grounds were for example the death of one of the two or when the marriage with another princess was necessary for protecting the country. The first example was the case here, and honestly, even if Hakutoku hadn't liked Lien and the idea of Hakuyuu marrying her, he would have preferred his son to be alive and marry her than Hakuyuu being dead.
Although there was the option of her marrying Hakuren, Hakutoku hadn't thought of this yet and if one asked him, Lien and Hakuren wouldn't fit each other. In his opinion Lien and Hakuyuu would be a great couple, because they completed each other and therefore would bring out the best in the other one, which would be beneficial for the empire and its growth. Lien was smart, well-mannered, loyal, ambitious, had a curious side and because her mother was a commoner, a marriage would have sent a signal to the citizen that their social status did not matter in the empire, because they all were equal. Yes, a marriage between Fei Lien and Hakuyuu would have been the best! Sadly this wasn't possible anymore.

The one who broke the silence was a young man three heads away from Hakutoku on the left side. He had taken over his father's place. It was a good thing to also have young people in his inner circle. Young people could bring new ideas and cause improvement.
"Your majesty, we all are sorry for your loss. The crown prince was dear to us all, but we must clear, who will succeed you, when the time has come."
It seemed like the man wanted to say more, but bit his tongue. It was true that Hakutoku wasn't young anymore and he even tried to stay away from the battlefield as much as he could, because he was too old for this, and sooner or later he also wouldn't be able to fulfill his role anymore. His eyes had gotten worse the last few years and he wasn't as fast as before. Furthermore, he also didn't want to rule any longer. His time was over. With barely twelve years Hakutoku had to take care of the empire, because his father had died. Until he was considered an adult, it was the council that ruled, but he was the person, who had to stand in front of the people. Now, many years later, it was time for his son to take over the responsibilities of emperor. His original intention was to give the crown to Hakuyuu after they conquered the main city of Gai. If things had went as plan, this would have probably been at the end of the year. So the empire would start into the next year with a new emperor. The plan was now in ruin. And although Hakuren could easily take over his brother's role, there was still time needed to get over their loss and for the nobles to accept Hakuren as the new crown prince. This was very important, because in case they were dissatisfied there was the chance of them rebelling against the crown. Nobles were quite wicked people.
"There is nothing to discuss about. Hakuren will be the next emperor. He is my only son now. So who else could take the responsibility of ruling upon themselves? Hakuei and Hakurin are way too young for such a thing and both are girls. Hakuryuu was kidnapped a long time ago and is probably dead and last but not least Hakuyuu is dead. However, you all should know this already."
Until now Hakutoku had never paid much attention to the other man. There was nothing remarkable about the young noble – he looked like his father and shared the same views on matters.
"Prince Hakuren is a fine young man, but he doesn't fit the throne. He is too laid-back and lazy to be a great and strong ruler. Until now he had never shown any interest in politics, actually he always seemed quite bored when attending our meetings, if he attended them. Someone like that is not suited to rule an empire."
"Your name was Mao Yazhen, if I remember correctly. You only joint us a few months ago, so I think that you may not know how often Hakuren really had attended a meeting. Hakuren attended as many meeting as Hakuyuu did. Furthermore, please don't forget that Hakuren is also responsible for the army. Sometimes his duties there interferes with the meetings and he needs to make a decision. There is nothing wrong with prioritizing his military duties, especially when he thought that Hakuyuu would be the next emperor. Hakuren will be my successor."
With this things could have been done, but unfortunately it wasn't. After Hakutoku finished his last sentence, Yazhen tried to convince him again and explain to him, why Hakuren was not suited. It was obvious what those nobles had in mind. They could become the emperor either by marrying a princess, but for this there shouldn't be a male hire around anymore, or by being crowned emperor by the previous one – well they also could start a war, but this was always a very risky thing. So they wanted to make Hakuren look bad in his father's eyes, so he decided to give the throne to one of them. If one of them would marry Hakuei, the first princess, there would still be Hakuren, whose right to the throne would be higher than theirs. So, it was saver to become emperor by being crowned the next ruler by the previous one. Hakutoku had no intention of doing so. This meeting was just a waste of time, but there was nothing he could do. The nobles wanted to talk, now they had talked and so Hakutoku thought this was over. Obviously this wasn't the case. Yazhen tried to convince him that Hakuren was unfitting for the throne and was supported by a bunch of other nobles. Hakutoku didn't say anything anymore and so those, who were on Hakuren's side, saw it as their duty to defend the second born prince. It became quite noisy again. Normally when Hakutoku said the discussion was over, the discussion was over, but today was different. It even seemed like the nobles had forgotten about him. He didn't mind it that much. They could talk as much as they wanted, his decision was made and he would make sure that they would change their minds as well.

"Your majesty, I think there is no need for you to waste your precious time here."
Fei Lien had leant forward and spoke to him in a soft voice, so that the other nobles wouldn't hear her. Although this was probably not necessary, since everyone else seemed quite busy with their very loud discussion whether Hakuren was suited for the position as emperor or not.
"Lien, be honest, do you think Hakuren will be a good emperor or do you think someone else should be my successor?", Hakutoku, who was one of the few people that called her by her first name, asked.
When he already had wasted his time with showing up here, he should at least try to get an honest and valuable opinion. All the other men inside the room were only interested in their own wealth and power, however Lien was fine with what she had. The well-being of the citizen and the empire in itself were more important to her than her status or money. She wasn't corrupted yet.
Lien leant back again, her head title down, the index finger of her right hand on her chin and the left on her right elbow. Her light brown hair partly covered her face, so Hakutoku couldn't see it, since he looked at her profile. However the man sitting across from her, saw her frowning. She was thinking hard about Hakutoku's question.
After she thought about it for a few minutes she faced Hakutoku and said: "It depends on when he should become emperor. I don't think he will be a good ruler, if he had to take the crown now. However, in a few years, I think, he will be ready and then he will be a good emperor. He is different from prince Hakuyuu, but that doesn't make him worse than his brother. On the battlefield he has already proven that he is reliable, can make decision even under pressure and doesn't give up, no matter what. For now I think he should learn how to interact with other politicians in regular situation. From what I have seen until now, prince Hakuren seemed to know what to do and say, when he is in a meeting or on a political gathering. Unfortunately, when he is in private it seems that he is unsure what is allowed to say and do. As emperor he has to keep his act together at all times – the enemy will use any insecurity against him. Moreover, prince Hakuren adored his older brother very much, so I think it is safe to assume that he will not accept the throne, because it should belong to prince Hakuyuu. He needs more time to mourn over his loss – we all do."
Hakutoku took her words to heart and thought about them a little bit. Lien more or less had the same opinion on this matter as him. Hakuren was not raised as future emperor, but as advisor and general. Hakuyuu on the other hand was raised as future emperor. From the very first day he had been born, people had pressured him with his future responsibilities. Looked very closely to his actions, his behavior and would immediately judge him. There was no leeway for him. Hakuren on the contrary had it easier in that aspect. No one expected much from him. Yes, he had to be well educated and when meeting with other royals and representing his country he had to behave well, but anything else was not so important. Hakuren would just be one of the many advisors and just one of the many generals. Only his position as second prince made him special, made him different from all the other generals or advisors. With the right education and some time Hakuren could be a suitable replacement for his brother. The second prince was a fast learner, so there was no reason to be worried that he might not learn everything before Hakutoku would die. Furthermore, Hakutoku had no intention of stepping down from his position – yes, he had planned to do so at the end of the year, but the year wasn't over yet and it was normal to change plans from time to time.

"Who do you think would be a better emperor Hakuyuu or Hakuren?"
Lien looked at him in confusion.
"No one is better or worse. Both have their own way of doing things and their own priorities, but in the end both would improve the empire. The question is just, what would improve first. Prince Hakuyuu is a more traditional person, while prince Hakuren prefers to try new things out and break traditions. These two ways are not superior to each other. They are both good. However they will lead to different futures, but no matter what future it will be, I am sure it will be a great one for our empire", she answered honestly after thinking about the question for a short moment.
"And when do you think will Hakuren be ready for the throne? In three years? In five years?"
Hakutoku was curious about her answer. She was probably the only person here that would not speak after his mouth or try to convince him that another person should get the throne instead of Hakuren. For her nothing would change, no matter who would be the emperor one day.
"Well, I would say we should give him three years at minimum. It is quite hard to give a concrete answer, because his development depends on so many things."
"On what, for example?"
"For example, when will he be over his older brother's death and can accept his new role? How will the other nobles react to him? Will they maybe accept him or will they try to oppose him? How will the war go on? When will we win against Gai and Go? In what state will the empire be then? Will Hakuren still be alive in three years?"
When she said the last sentence, she lowered her eyes to the table. In her opinion it was a valid question. No one had expected Hakuyuu to die so soon and no one expected Hakuren to die soon as well. But now they shouldn't be so sure about that. What if Hakuren also got sick with this strange illness? Or he could get killed on the battlefield. Also there was the option of him being kidnapped like his younger brother, although she doubted this one. Hakutoku stayed silent for a while. He knew she was right, but the thought of Hakuren dying as well hurt. His youngest son had been kidnapped eight years ago and was probably dead, his oldest son had died yesterday and now he only had Hakuren left, who would still be on the battlefield and fight for the empire and thereby would risk his life. Losing one child was hard, losing a second child was worse, but losing the third child would probably be the end for Gyokuen and probably for him as well. Even when he did not show his love for his children often, it didn't change the fact that he loved them. So losing them was also hard for him.
"Miss Fei is right. Hakuren may not be the best candidate at the moment, but this doesn't mean that he never will be. My son has fought alongside the prince and only had word of praise for him. Prince Hakuren is ready to die for his people, for the empire. He fights alongside his soldiers and commands them well. Always their well-being and the victory in mind. We all have started at the bottom, so why should we judge the young prince differently? I don't see a reason to call Hakuren unfitting for the crown. He is young and can still improve."
The person, who had spoken was an old man to Hakutoku's right. The man once were a general in the army, but left the army to become the head of his family and enter the political field. His oldest son Yu Quan was now a general in the army as well and fought alongside Hakuyuu and Hakuren against Gai and Go. The second son followed his father in the political field, but there was nothing remarkable about the boy. Yu Sheng's second son was more free spirited and therewith went against his father's believes. On the one hand, Hakutoku was of the opinion that such people were needed, but they also had to be good politicians or else they would be nothing but dreamer. Dreamer was the perfect description for Sheng's son. His first son was more serious and stern, but also very kind, he was more a traditional person. It was a little bit similar to Hakuyuu and Hakuren, although those two were no dreamers. They were both very realistic.
Hakutoku thought about the words he had heard. He may already have decided to give Hakuren the throne one day, but it was always good to have people agree with your decision. Also this meant Hakuren would at least have to supporters. The other nobles, who were on Hakuren's side, only thought about their own good and not about the empire or who would really fit the crown. They probably thought, when they supported Hakuren they would get points with the emperor. They were wrong in this regard.
Yu Sheng and Lien were different. Sheng was quite old already and soon his second son would take his place. There was nothing for him to fear. He had served the empire well and was hold in high regards by most of the other nobles. His first born son Yu Quan had made a name for himself. Sheng had no reason to please the emperor anymore. The worst that could happen to him would be to lose his position and his family being casted out of the palace, but no one would want to lose a great and loyal soldiers as Quan and Sheng himself would leave soon anyway. Lien's situation was the same. There was nothing for her to lose besides her position. However, she hold it very dear, since she had worked so hard for it and she was proud of it. Still in the end, there was no reason for her to toady to the royal family, especially not when it had been the emperor himself, who had sought her father out for a marriage between her and the former crown prince.

"It is good to hear that the two of you support Hakuren. He will need people like you at his side. You know, even when he always acts as if everything was fine, he is very judicial with himself and therefore he often doubts himself. I hope you can help him to improve and become an emperor fitting for the Kou Empire."
With these words Hakutoku stood up and left the room. His leaving was noticed by the other nobles, who immediately also rose up on their feet. Some followed Hakutoku outside, while some others remained in the room. Mao Yazhen's looked at Lien with a smile. Somehow Yazhen had found out about the engagement between Fei Lien and Hakuyuu – Lien assumed some of the father trusted advisors had leaked the information – and he was not pleased with it. He was one of those men that accused her of getting her position by using dirty methods – like having an affair with the emperor. In his opinion she should finally marry a man of her status and become a mother – like all women should do. Politic was only for men and not for emotional people like women.
With large steps he made his way to her.