The Emperor's Neck and the General's Tears

There is a man banging his head on the palace floor, his whole body trembling like an aspen tree.

He is Kang Mu, the Empire's foremost meritorious subject and the Iron General known as the Invincible.

Standing before him is the Emperor, his face flushed redder than a jujube, trembling uncontrollably.

"General... must I kill you scoundrel to live, or must I die so I don't have to see this mess!"

At the Emperor's roar, the General wipes away his tears as if feeling wronged and shouts.

"Your Majesty! I assert that all of this is solely, without a doubt, the result of my loyalty, thinking only of Your Majesty's safety!

Now, what on earth happened to bring things to this point? Let's go back in time a little.

The Most Dangerous Consideration in the World

Their bond began on a blood-soaked battlefield.

General Gangmu was always by the young Emperor's side back then.

The General's loyalty was unrivaled. However, his method was a bit... unique, wouldn't you say?

Whenever the Emperor reached a riverside thirsty during a march, the General would invariably block his path before he could even quench his thirst.

"Your Majesty! Please stop! The enemy may have poisoned this river. Let me drink it first, and if I don't get an upset stomach, then please drink it!"

And then he would gulp down the river water.

The Emperor was safe thanks to the General's sense of taste, but when it came time for him to drink, he had to consume the muddy water that the General had stirred up completely.

The same was true in front of a broken bridge. "Your Majesty! This bridge may collapse. Please cross first and ensure its safety before you take your first step!"

After the General stomped across, the Emperor had to cross the already tattered bridge, sweating profusely.

Even in front of a royal table laden with delicacies, the General's 'preemptive strike' did not stop. "There might be poison, so I will taste it first!"

In the end, the Emperor would often find himself in the position of having to eat the 'confirmed(?)' leftovers that the General had chewed and left behind with relish.

Up until this point, the Emperor just laughed it off. "Haha, that fellow is quite peculiar, but a truly precious loyal subject," he thought.

Not today, my dear!

Time passed, the empire became peaceful, and finally, the day of the royal wedding the Emperor had so eagerly awaited dawned.

The bride was a peerless concubine from a neighboring country! The Emperor found himself humming a tune at the thought of spending a cozy night away from the General's dreadful 'excessive loyalty', just for today.

But alas. Just as he extinguished the candle and was about to enter his chambers, a familiar shadow leaped out of the darkness!

"Your Majesty! Wait a moment! Please stop!"

The Emperor was horrified. Surely, surely... it can't be? "General... why are you coming out of here? How dare you! With a grim expression, the General shouted like a warrior going into battle on which the fate of the nation depended. "Your Majesty! The Concubine who has come today is from a foreign land, so her true intentions are unknown! Who knows if a dagger is hidden beneath the bed, or if there is a poisoned needle in her bosom! The Emperor clutched the back of his neck at a sense of foreboding. "So... surely not...?" "Yes! I checked first! Whether the bed is sturdy, whether there are thorns in the bedding, and... whether the Concubine's character is worthy of serving Your Majesty—I personally experienced it firsthand! I have experienced it firsthand! The Emperor's scream echoed through the palace.

"Damn it! Today is the first day I take a concubine! Why did you check that first!!!"

The General felt wronged. He could not understand why the Emperor was furious today, as he had merely drunk water first, crossed the bridge first, and eaten his meal first, just as he usually did.

The General spoke, his voice trembling with tears until the very end. "Your Majesty... I only wished for Your Majesty's journey to be safe..."