A Thousand Petals

@PLG: i think you're being phenomenally naive about how Court Politics worked in this sort of situation.  I mean yes, he almost assuredly knows that she did this, but he has no proof, and even if he did they stated the Empress has a significant amount of political clout.  Best Case Scenario killing her 'only' results in the remainder of his realm being unstable and cold with few potential brides who will actually be brave enough to actually give him an heir.  Worst Case Scenario it tears the country apart into a Civil War, or brings in a foreign power if she is a foreign princess.

Well, it does indicate in the chapter released after my comment that this empress comes from a powerful foreign land.  That does modify the situation.  But it's hardly naive to suggest something that, frankly, was not infrequent, and all the more so in Asia where the imperial absolute rulers tended to be a little more absolute.  To the contrary, I think you and perhaps even the author are being naive in imagining that there would be major repercussions.  Princesses were used as tools of politics, they did not drive them.  

Bottom line:  Emperors who execute plotters live longer than emperors who fail to execute plotters.  If there is naivete it is in suggesting otherwise.  Let people get away with schemes and even if their current plot fails, you're seen as weak and then pretty soon the court is looking elsewhere for direction and you can't take a step without tripping over a new intrigue.

@PLG: i think you're being phenomenally naive about how Court Politics worked in this sort of situation.  I mean yes, he almost assuredly knows that she did this, but he has no proof, and even if he did they stated the Empress has a significant amount of political clout.  Best Case Scenario killing her 'only' results in the remainder of his realm being unstable and cold with few potential brides who will actually be brave enough to actually give him an heir.  Worst Case Scenario it tears the country apart into a Civil War, or brings in a foreign power if she is a foreign princess.

Yup, she's planning on passing the kid off as her own. He'd best be quick with the killing.

On another note I find myself REALLY wanting to know what program the artist uses for these pages. So pretty! But way too precise (and probably fast) for real water color but the blends are spot on.

Maybe I'm too Western in my thinking.  Yes, being cuckolded was a worry--but much less so for the king/emperor, precisely because you could just have anyone involved killed.  Any questioning of your manhood vis-a-vis cuckoldry would be more than made up for by the increased respect for your manhood vis-a-vis power and violence.  So take for instance Henry VIII; he did in more than one wife on the pretext that she was cheating.

But sure, if allegations of cuckoldry aren't to your taste, he could say she's plotting against him (which she is).  But we're agreed that his obvious best move is to be one empress lighter.  Which in turn means if she was smart, she would not have made that his obvious best move.

Huh.  Well, in a comic who knows what's going to happen.  But it's not a smart move on the empress' part.  If I were that emperor

Spoiler

The moment I found out my lover had been killed, I'd know exactly who did it and I would be very, very angry.  I'd also know that pregnancy wasn't from me.  I'd denounce her as an adulteress and have her executed.  I wouldn't need proof, I'm the friggin' emperor.  If I had the mores of that kind of time, before we got to the execution I'd put her to the question, along with all her close retainers, and make them dish on exactly who got the assignment.  Those guys would also be put to death in unpleasant ways.  And next time I had to marry for political reasons, my new empress would know not to fuck with me.

Doubtless the empress is someone it would be a political problem to have killed.  But first, I wouldn't care--not that state of mind.  And second, any political problems from offing her would pale in comparison to the problem of having her still alive, plotting against me while she brought up an heir who wasn't my son.  Soon as that kid is born, she has a huge percentage in killing me so she can rule as regent in that kid's name.  Letting her live long enough to get in that position would be foolish.

It is likely, for the sake of the plot, that this emperor is not savvy or ruthless enough to follow that course of action.  But a medium competent emperor of medium ruthlessness would.

So I'm torn about this.  I like the art, it's different, more painting-ish, and the little kids are really cute and stuff.  And characterization has been brought in pretty deftly in brief strokes, giving you a feel for people despite a pretty fast pace.  But I don't trust the plotting at this point, it seems kind of manipulated.  It's odd the way tragic plots can require more fiddling with realism than happy ones.

I think it's more likely that the Empress isn't with child at all but that she's planning on stealing the lover's child and presenting it as her own. Also in that time being cockolded was a serious fear of royalty, one that would have far reaching implications if it was known to anyone and I'm also pretty sure he's been sleeping with her plenty, despite his not liking her all that much.

Still I agree, he'd be best served killing her immediately. As in right the fuck now, before a child can appear. After that if his kid is still out there it'll be easier to find them, as the Empress doesn't seem to be the type to have retainers who would follow her orders and keep her secrets long after her death.

Oh my... the artwork is incredible! 

Huh.  Well, in a comic who knows what's going to happen.  But it's not a smart move on the empress' part.  If I were that emperor

It is likely, for the sake of the plot, that this emperor is not savvy or ruthless enough to follow that course of action.  But a medium competent emperor of medium ruthlessness would.

So I'm torn about this.  I like the art, it's different, more painting-ish, and the little kids are really cute and stuff.  And characterization has been brought in pretty deftly in brief strokes, giving you a feel for people despite a pretty fast pace.  But I don't trust the plotting at this point, it seems kind of manipulated.  It's odd the way tragic plots can require more fiddling with realism than happy ones.

I wanna read this to see how it is, but for some reason it seems like there are loading issues...

It might be good now. Also now wondering why it is not allowing me to read as a strip.

I think while it's a webtoon, the pages are distinctive and don't flow straight onto each other if that makes sense T_T

I wanna read this to see how it is, but for some reason it seems like there are loading issues...

It might be good now. Also now wondering why it is not allowing me to read as a strip.

Well this seems interesting for now, so i will follow to see how this goes.