The Emperor of China patiently waited for their response.
The Captains directed their attention to Li Shang and Mulan. They were the only ones with enough information to answer the Emperor's question.
Even General Li focused on them.
Seeing everyone focusing on Li Shang and Mulan, the Emperor shifted his gaze to them as well. He narrowed his eyes with a patient yet solemn aura.
Li Shang and Mulan each took a deep breath, gathering their bearings as the tension in the room rose.
They gazed at one another and nodded.
'I will go first,' Li Shang indicated with a glance.
They had both prepared communication signs they could use silently in the presence of the Emperor so they wouldn't come across as disrespectful.
Li Shang cleared his throat. Then he explained everything that had transpired from the moment the Huns captured him and his troops to the moment Mulan and Aladdin rescued them. He revealed everything he had learned about the Metal Men.
The Emperor of China listened attentively, his expression shifting from shock to bewilderment and then amazement.
Even the captains paid close attention, displaying various degrees of emotion. Although they had heard about how Li Shang had survived at the Huns' camp, they didn't know the details.
They also hadn't been paying attention to his briefing to the General because they were still reeling from the shock of going to war against inhumane magical beings.
Now learning what had happened, they were filled with awe and realisation.
Li Shang concluded his explanation. He shot Mulan a glance.
Even though Mulan had filled him in on everything that had transpired during these past few months, Li Shang could sense that she was hiding something from him. It wasn't noticeable at first because he had been on edge during the war against the Huns.
And now that the war was over, he could notice subtle details in her reactions that he might have previously missed.
Because of the nature of their current situation, he hoped 'Ping' would reveal whatever secrets she was hiding at the moment.
After Li Shang finished speaking, silence hung in the air.
The Emperor of China and the Captains slowly processed everything they had just heard.
"This is honestly hard to believe," the Emperor of China stated.
If it weren't for the fact that the people before him were his most trusted General and Captains, who were ready to lay down their lives for the Empire of China, he would have thought they were conspiring with the Huns and deceiving him.
Because who could believe such outrageous claims…
Surviving and fleeing from the Huns' camp…
The Huns going missing for several weeks after the brutal onslaught of their forces…
A battle against mysterious magical Metal Men claiming to be the Huns…
And they hadn't even brought back any evidence, claiming that the pieces of armour had turned to fine dust and mixed with the snow, and that they weren't sure if that curse would fall upon China if they brought it back.
It was essentially word of mouth.
He still had a thought but quickly shook it out of his mind. He decided to trust his own judgment rather than a fleeting sense of crisis at the unknown.
General Li and the Captains nodded as well.
"If we hadn't seen it ourselves, we would have believed that someone was trying to ridicule our intelligence… But unfortunately, it is true… I… We confirm everything with our own lives," General Li said, his aged face tired, but his head raised high.
The other Captains showed determined expressions, showing that they had no reason to lie.
The Emperor of China let out a long exhale. "I believe you. I do not think that you would tell me such an unimaginable lie."
General Li's and the Captains' shoulders sagged in relief.
The Emperor of China nodded. He glanced at Mulan with interest. "Is there anything else you would like to add?"
He noticed that she was the only one wearing a conflicted expression.
Surely there wasn't anything else to add after what he had just heard, right?
The Emperor of China hoped so. Still, he awaited her reply.
Mulan knew that if she didn't confess right now, there was no telling what would happen if they learned she was hiding her true identity.
Everyone seated around the table had now shifted their attention to her, awaiting her response.
Li Shang winked at her, as though telling her not to worry and to speak freely.
'If only he knew,' Mulan exhaled inwardly.
Regardless, it was now or never!
"I have something that I'd like to say," Mulan said. "…Actually, it's more like a confession."
A deep frown settled on the faces of everyone present, clearly not expecting her to say such words.
Li Shang furrowed his brows. He cast Mulan a questioning look. But she ignored him. Catching his father glancing at him, he shook his head in response, indicating he had no idea what was happening.
"What do you mean by 'confession'?" the Emperor of China asked with a solemn gaze. He weighed what this confession could be and decided to wait until he heard what it was before giving a final judgment.
Mulan gulped. She realised that depending on her response, this might be her last day on Earth or a story she would live to tell another day.
She stood up from her cushion and knelt down. She bowed, pressing her head against the floor.
"Mulan, what are you…" Li Shang wanted to say. But Mulan swiftly cut him off with her loud voice.
"I am not who you think I am."
Li Shang swallowed back his words. His eyes shook as though he had heard something unbelievable.
"Emperor, this is—"
"SILENCE!!" the Emperor said without allowing Li Shang to speak.
Li Shang sealed his mouth shut immediately. He trembled in his seat.
He glanced at his father.
General Li shook his head with a worried expression on his face, indicating that he should not speak.
Li Shang bit his tongue and lowered his head.
"…Continue," the Emperor of China said.
Mulan continued with trembling lips. "…Ping does not exist. He is an alias that I used to join the army in place of my father after discovering that he was unfit for war."
She paused, allowing her words to settle in the air.
'Why aren't you here yet?' Mulan thought, silently making a wish for Aladdin to arrive. She didn't know if he could hear her. All she knew was that Aladdin was more magical than anything she had witnessed and had made a promise to her, so he would surely keep it.
'Please, I'm waiting for you.'
Mulan continued, "My name is Mulan... Fa Mulan. I am the only daughter of Fa Zhou, Head of the Fa family. That is my true identity. I plead that the Emperor show mercy on your humble subject!"
BANGG!!
Captain Fan, Captain Wu Chen and the other captains slammed their fists against the table as they stood to their feet.
"How dare you impersonate an imperial soldier?!"
"Outrageous!! Outrageous!! Why have you been hiding such a secret from us?"
"What else are you hiding from us? Are you colluding with the Huns? Are you related to the witch?! Reveal the entire truth now!"
They spoke in harsh and bitter tones, but their eyes were filled with conflicting emotions.
Among them was General Li, whose expression seemed to have aged several years in an instant.
After all, this was someone who had saved his son and their soldiers from the Huns.
He... or at least she, had led the war against the Huns.
If she were truly a spy for the Huns or involved with them in any other way, then she had no reason to wait until those moments had passed before revealing her identity.
Still, General Li understood one fundamental truth.
Even if she wasn't either of those things, she had broken one fundamental rule of the Empire.
A woman had joined the army!
And they had watched it happen. They had even fought alongside her.
If Mulan herself had deceived all of them into believing that she was a man, then who was to say that the Emperor wouldn't judge them over the Metal Men, which they had all vividly experienced?
Even if he wanted to, he couldn't say anything without provoking the Emperor's scrutiny even further.
Nonetheless, if anything went wrong, they still had one last trick that was sure to be successful.
They hadn't placed Advisor Chi Fu with the group to prevent revealing everything to the Emperor and having him collapse from shock.
When the time was right, and the Emperor still didn't believe them, they would strike with one final piece of evidence.
Li Shang sat rooted in his position. He could barely believe his ears.
His Lieutenant... someone whom he had come to regard as his brother and had trained with... was a woman!
It was as though someone had poured a bucket of cold water over him, causing all of his hair to stand on end as he realised, just like his father and the others, the severity of this revelation.
"Is there anything else you would like to add?" The Emperor of China narrowed his eyes at the kneeling Mulan.
"No. That is all." Mulan shook her head. She didn't dare raise her head.
"I see," the Emperor of China muttered, almost inaudibly. "General Li, did you have any idea that you had recruited such an individual into your army?"
"No..." General Li rose and knelt, bowing before the Emperor. "Forgive me for my negligence, Your Majesty. I will take full responsibility for whatever punishment you wish to place on me without complaint," he said in a weary voice.
Witnessing this scene, the Captains also rose and fell to their knees.
Li Shang felt his sweat pouring onto the floor.
Silence filled the room.
"Get up and take your seat," the Emperor of China said in a commanding tone.
General Li slowly rose back up and sat down.
The others followed suit.
Even if they wanted to remain kneeling out of shame, the Emperor's words were absolute.
"Call in the guards and have them take Fa Mulan to confirm that she is truly a woman."
A guard standing beside one of the pillars nodded silently and walked out of the chamber. He led the guard standing outside into the room.
"Follow him. He will lead you to a much more appropriate place so the maids can confirm that you are indeed a woman."
Mulan rose to her feet. She bowed to the Emperor. Then, to General Li and the Captains, who were all her superiors.
Her gaze lingered on Li Shang with a forced smile.
Li Shang looked away and trembled uncontrollably.
Mulan looked to the side with a downcast expression. Just as she was about to follow the guard out of the chamber...
RUMMBLEE!! RUMBLEE!!
The ground beneath their feet shook. The entire chamber followed soon after. The teacups fell from the table, shattering on the floor.
"PROTECT THE EMPEROR!!" General Li shouted. He and the Captains immediately grabbed their weapons.
The guards within the chamber pulled their weapons as well and surrounded the Emperor. Those stationed outside poured in and joined them as well.
They all thought that an enemy had broken into the palace, so they immediately prepared themselves for battle.
"What's happening?" Li Shang asked in apprehension.
Although the chamber had ceased to shake, the ground still shook at various intervals.
Unlike the others, he didn't think that this was an enemy invasion. He believed that they had truly wiped away the Huns and that this was entirely something else.
As for what it was...
Li Shang wasn't sure. He clenched his jaw as he glanced at Mulan.
Mulan stood alone in a daze despite the chaos unfolding around her.
There was only one thing on her mind at the moment....
"It can't be," Mulan muttered, breathing heavily.
Her eyes stung as tears gathered around them.
"He really came."
Suddenly, countless powerful trumpet blasts reverberated through the walls, settling within their ears.
Accompanying it was a sudden, declarative announcement.
"MAKE WAY FOR EMPEROR ALLIII!!"
***
A/N:Li Shang had nearly executed Mulan after discovering that she was women, despite her role in saving them from the Huns.So, I figured that was an appropriate reaction if her identity was revealed in the presence of the Emperor of China.