Being emperor is far from easy; It is a demanding and relentless life, full of obligations and few moments of rest. However, despite his many responsibilities, the emperor always found time to deal with secondary but still significant matters.

One day, Xiao summoned one of his assistants and ordered him to call the general of his army. They had scheduled a meeting to assess the current state of the armed forces. However, in an extremely rare occurrence, the commander was nowhere to be found in the palace. The emperor knew that the commander was the most loyal and meticulous person he had ever met – missing such an important meeting was completely strange.

After a brief investigation, Xiao learned from the soldiers that the commander had embarked on a mission that he had explicitly prohibited. The mission itself had little strategic importance and the risk it entailed was unnecessary, especially at a time like this.

The commander returned late at night. Despite the late hour, the emperor remained in his office, awaiting his arrival. He was sitting at his desk, absentmindedly flipping through a stack of papers when he heard the door open. His gaze remained fixed on the documents before him, his head resting on his hand.

"I didn't allow you to go."

The emperor's voice was calm and steady, but beneath its surface was a quiet storm of suppressed anger—although in truth it was just disguised concern.