"Yes, Father, I am here." Unlike his father, Prince Ozai's voice was calm and reserved.
No one could have guessed that this man would one day become far more authoritarian than his predecessor.
"Ozai, I want you to thoroughly investigate all the events related to this night. I expect a detailed report by tomorrow."
Azulon shared a deep bond with the Fang family. Back when Sozin was Fire Lord, the Fang family had already forged a close friendship with him.
The noble family's support for Prince Iroh was no coincidence, as they were well aware of Azulon's paternal love for his eldest son.
After ascending to the throne, the Fang family became one of Azulon's closest confidants.
Had the Fang family not demonstrated considerable merit on the battlefield, thanks to Iroh's remarkable performance, Azulon would never have diminished their influence under superficial pretexts to banish them to the city of Yu Dao.
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This event caused the Fang family to lose a tremendous amount of political influence within the Fire Nation.
Recalling his subsequent decision, made without real evidence beyond suspicion, Azulon felt a pang of guilt in his arid heart.
When the Fang family was sent to guard the city of Yu Dao, they had lost too much of their overall power.
The only advantage they retained was their wealth, thanks to the reputation of their forges and their unmatched production of ironwork.
Two-thirds of the Fire Nation's weapons and armor were produced there; it was no exaggeration to say it was the industrial heart of the Fire Nation.
'What have I done? I lost a loyal family due to baseless suspicions… I only wanted to test them, but…' Azulon had waited too long before recalling the Fang family to the capital.
This loss affected him not only mentally but also in the trust that other subjects placed in him.
"Father, your son has already sent men to investigate when the pillar of light appeared. The general sequence of events has been established, but the detailed report will only be available tomorrow." With these words, Ozai produced a scroll from his sleeve and respectfully presented it to him.
This act somewhat satisfied the old Fire Lord, who regarded his advisors and officials as incompetent.
He even began to suspect them of conspiring against the Fang family, as they were among those who had planted the seed of suspicion in his mind.
"Because of the vigorous suppression carried out by my father in the past, the mountain bandits harbored resentment. That's why, following a leak of information about the Fang family's arrival through the valley today, they were ambushed by bandits. Father should know what happened next," Ozai explained in a polite tone.
Azulon looked at the scroll, his face grim. With a wave of his hand, he tossed it, and it burst into flames in mid-air.
Its contents would remain known only to him and Ozai.
"Send troops to suppress the bandits tomorrow! Ensure they are exterminated along with their kin!" Azulon roared in a commanding voice.
The officials accepted the order and gradually withdrew from the great hall, leaving Azulon and Ozai alone.
"Ozai, you've done well. This time, you will lead the suppression of the bandits. Do not forget to cut the grass and uproot the roots properly; I don't want some vengeful son emerging out of nowhere."
After calming down, Azulon's face paled, and he appeared somewhat frail.
At this time, Azulon was already gravely ill, his body weakened by ailments inherited from his early campaigns against the other nations.
He no longer had the vigor of his youth. Without his persistent ambition to conquer the world, he would have passed away years ago.
The old sovereign wanted to see his father's dream fulfilled through his reign.
"Furthermore… *cough*… find out why the Fang family appeared outside the Fire Nation capital and what exactly that pillar of light was… *cough*…" Azulon said before a series of coughs into the palm of his hand.
"Yes, Father. Please take care of your health. Your son will now take his leave."
Ozai withdrew from the great hall, leaving only Azulon coughing dryly on the throne in the vast space.
…
At the end of the meeting, no one noticed the young girl hidden behind a pillar.
Azula's face seemed to be mulling over the information she had gathered.
After a brief moment of silence, the young girl murmured a single word: "Interesting."
She was truly intrigued now.
Azula had originally intended to return to her room once the meeting was over.
Yet, driven by curiosity and instinct, she decided to follow Ozai to his office.
In Ozai's office, he stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at a portrait of Azulon hanging on the wall.
The atmosphere in the room was heavy, and the image of Azulon stood atop a strange sea turtle.
According to the texts Ozai had read, this painting symbolized the many victories achieved by the Fire Nation in its wars against the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribe during Azulon's reign.
At one point, the man in black who had carried Fang Yuan arrived in the room.
He carelessly tossed the boy onto the floor before giving a respectful salute to his master.
However, Ozai ignored him and began a monologue about his life.
"My father is the most powerful Fire Lord I have ever seen. Under his leadership, the Fire Nation is invincible," Ozai began in a respectful tone.
"When I was young, I firmly believed that even if the Avatar appeared, my father would defeat him."
The man's eyes gleamed with nostalgia for his former self.
"But now, he is old. As soon as he named Iroh the crown prince, I knew he had grown weak," Ozai declared, as if justifying himself.
"He is no longer as unparalleled as he once was. He lingers in the past. He knows that if I ascend to the Fire Lord's throne, I will surpass him. Yes, he fears I will succeed where he and his father failed!"
This far-fetched hypothesis seemed to satisfy the man.
"After all, how am I inferior to Iroh? Father, answer me!" Ozai tore the portrait of Azulon from the wall and stomped on it.
"So why did you bring him to me? Did I not say to leave no one alive? Must I be more explicit?" After venting, Ozai turned his attention to his subordinate.
"I would not dare. After eliminating Fang Ling, the head of the Fang family, and his guards, I saw the pillar of light erupt in the distance. After it vanished, I went to investigate and found this was the only living being present," the man said, pointing to Fang Yuan at his feet.
Upon seeing Fang Yuan's face, Ozai recognized the young master of the Fang family from a portrait of the Fang family members still on Iroh's desk.
"So that pillar of light was caused by him? I've heard he's a firebending genius. From your description of the power generated by the pillar of light, I imagine even Avatar Roku, at his age, likely couldn't have managed that," Ozai said, looking at Fang Yuan's youthful face with rare surprise.
"This subordinate does not know. It's just that when he arrived at the scene, he found this person was the only survivor," the man in black lied.
"Then why not kill him? Did you feel pity?" A cold glint passed through Ozai's eyes.
His plan risked being ruined because of this young boy, and he could not allow that.
"I believe this person should not be killed for now, especially since the Fire Lord is aware of the matter. If he were killed immediately, clues would surely be left behind, and Iroh's men might find something. Leaving a survivor could dispel His Highness's suspicions, which is why this subordinate first brought this person to Your Highness," the man in black said, bowing further with clasped fists.
Ozai's face flickered between light and shadow in the candlelight. His words were accurate.
If no one was left alive, Iroh's men would grow suspicious. Keeping him alive, however, could serve as a witness to prove the killers were bandits.
Moreover, if no Fang family member survived, the remaining Fang family members in Yu Dao might prevent the reclamation of the Fang family's assets.
If a Fang survived, Ozai believed he could manipulate the situation to make them willingly relinquish the Fang family's assets.
Upon reflection, Azulon already seemed inclined to grant him control over two-thirds of the Fire Nation's weapon and armor production.
By then, Ozai concluded he would have the strength to rival Iroh.
However, one final crucial step remained, but it was still too early.
"You may leave," Ozai said, waving his hand to dismiss him.
Behind a tree in the courtyard, Azula peeked out, half of her small face cautiously observing the entrance to Ozai's office.
Earlier, she had seen the man in black carry a young boy inside, carelessly.
Unfortunately, Azula could not get too close to her father's office.
Although she had eavesdropped on Ozai's conversations multiple times, whenever the man in black was present, Azula was always discovered if she got too close.
Her current position was at a safe distance determined through multiple tests, but at this distance, she could hear nothing.
She had also asked her father who the man in black was, but received only evasive answers.
Azula was neither foolish nor naive.
She had already deduced that the man in black was carrying out tasks for her father.
What kind of tasks? Acts that her grandfather Azulon must not know about.
Soon, Azula saw the man in black leave the courtyard, still carrying the boy.
Azula glanced at Ozai, who was seated in the office, then quietly followed the man.
Unfortunately, she missed the words muttered by the Fire Lord's second son.
"Yes, I must still wait… Father will soon depart for the spirit world for good."