A Way Out
First, the Emperor wasn't old at all as he thought, second he couldn't ignore the possibility of all his detective deductions about the Imperial family being all wrong. Since he assumed Xiu TianZhao had to be the Emperor's son and as the Second Prince means the First Prince which should be the Crown Prince should be older, since Xiu TianZhao looked older than Si Ning then the First Prince should be closer to his thirties or in his thirties which means the Emperor should be in his fifties or sixties. All the time he spent to assume without even trying to investigate had all gone to waste and now he was starting to regret not asking Ah Dai about the Imperial family and one look at the Emperor, Si Ning knew his deductions were all wrong.
The Emperor could be Xiu TianZhao's older brother and just being in the presence of the Emperor he laughed at the temporary imperial residence was enough for him to wish the ground to open up and swallow him.
Thinking about his dinner for two and the second person not showing up, he couldn't help but think if he was supposed to dine with the Emperor probably because his troops suffered most in the war and he basically won the war for Xiu nation but all he did was stupidly laugh out loud at him because he assumed the Emperor was a guard just because he was dressed in black and after comparing his cloth with those hidden guards he couldn't help but laugh.
Thinking back to that time Si Ning realized he didn't take a careful look at the Emperor's robes and even though it was black if he had taken a careful look maybe he would find out the robes looked expensive or different. The dinner he had was too extravagant and if he wasn't so concerned about how to fill his stomach he should at least go and make inquiries from Xiu TianZhao or find Lin Fan but his senses couldn't resist the aroma of the food and he spent his time eating the delicious food.
For Lin Fan to lead him to the direction of the pavilion and for the Emperor to be standing close to the pavilion and if Si Ning wasn't so happy of assuming the Emperor was a secret guard then he could have at least noticed the Emperor seemed to be waiting for someone. Why didn't he consider that Xiu TianZhao might not be the only member of the Imperial Family that was around?
Liu Zhicheng was his boss in the modern world but why would Si Ning think that in this world he would have a higher rank than him. Was assuming his previous boss rank being lower than his was something to be happy about?
Thinking back, Si Ning could swear he heard Liu Zhicheng called him 'Si Ning', not Young Master or General but he called him by his name yet Si Ning was busy laughing and he even dares to call the Emperor by his name. Still, he couldn't help but think Liu Zhicheng might not have the same name in this world.
Why was he thinking about this now? It seemed to be in the courtroom and seeing the Emperor made him remembered all that happened and Si Ning wanted nothing more than to rewind the time to the day he and Xiu TianZhao visited the Imperial residence.
Since he had insulted the Emperor then the next thing was to think of how he would meet his end. Death by a thousand cuts, death by decapitation, or death by hanging. None of this method of dying seemed easy and Si Ning had to take a deep breath since to think of how he would meet his end shouldn't be something he should waste his time thinking. He knew he shouldn't waste his second life and he should think about surviving rather than thinking about death.
The first survival method Si Ning thought of was to escape yet he couldn't just escape with his family and their personal servants and leave the rest of his troops to the mercy of the Emperor. The escape plan might even lead to not only his death but the death of his entire household.
The best solution was for him to admit to his crimes and if he was lucky for committing the crime of laughing at the Emperor then he may end up being flogged. Then if he was extra lucky of not being thrown in the prison he could stay at home for months to recuperate alongside making his series of beauty products to help the scars fade away and take care of his skin then during that time he would push all his responsibilities on Chen An and after recovering he had to find a suitable bride from a powerful family to marry and try not to offend the Emperor or any member of the Imperial family ever again then he would make sure it all turned out to be a win-win for everyone.
Even if he marries doesn't mean he couldn't enjoy himself or take in lovers since this life having multiple affairs was something seen as normal and maybe he would even gamble like once in a blue moon.
".... General Si Ning." Shao Lang gave Si Ning a slight nudge.
Si Ning almost jerk in surprise as he came fully aware of his surroundings, all his thoughts melting away as sweat slide down his face making the light powder on his face sticky. His gaze was directed at the Emperor and all he could see was a cold stare directed at him just like Liu Zhicheng the CEO of Elite Entertainment he knew.
"General Si Ning your report."
Si Ning raised the stack of papers he was holding yet his eyes couldn't see a thing and his mouth could not move. The words on the paper he had written had become so small he had to raise the papers closer yet he couldn't form a word.
"Are you alright?" Shao Lang whispered.
Si Ning ignored him and focused on the paper before him. "Your servant..." His voice wasn't audible enough to be heard across the hall.
For Si Ning to shout and get a hoarse voice was something he wasn't fond of but the hall was so quiet that if a pin drops at that moment it would be heard. Si Ning knew they were all waiting for him to read his reports and even if he talks so low it would be heard but the cold sweat that kept running down his back made him more aware of how nervous he was. As an Actor being nervous wasn't part of him but he was only nervous because he didn't want the Emperor to send him to his deathbed.
"Your Servant... Your Loyal Subject.." Si Ning blinked trying to think of the proper word to address himself. "Your Servants pay his respects to his Majesty..." He had to stop as he doesn't know if he was supposed to greet the Emperor kneeling or standing or he was supposed to just read his reports and disregard paying his respects to the Emperor.
Si Ning couldn't continue since he had no idea what was right or wrong then the only solution was to find a means to escape. If he escapes the courtroom then he would be able to strategized but till then he had to feign to collapse.
First Si Ning made the stack of papers fall from his hands...
"General Si Ning..." Shao Lang called.
Then Si Ning made sure to fall slowly to the floor to avoid hitting the floor hard. To make his fake fainting realistic Si Ning shut his eyes and laid still on the floor.
Damn reading the report!
"General... Si Ning!"
"General Si Ning..!"
As long as he stays in the court, he would never open his eyes.