Volume 2 Chapter 29

  “Now that we’re alone, will you tell me what the heck that was all about?” Tan asked.

  “You’re the emperor now, obviously,” Renton said. “Come with me, I need to get dressed.”

  “Why exactly did you take off your clothes in the first place?” Tan asked as they walked through the imperial halls.

  “To show my humility,” Renton answered. “To humble myself before my people. To show that my power comes not from my symbols nor the investments of office. It’s the same reason I asked you to dress in the clothes that you’re wearing now. The crowd has seen you dressed as a farmer, and they have seen you dressed as an emperor. They have seen you without a shirt, they have seen you blindfolded. They have seen you fight and they have seen you fly. I assure you, these are things that will be remembered long after today.”

  Tan frowned. “Okay,” he said. “But it’s really just until the sun sets, right? I’m not emperor for life?”

  “When is an emperor not an emperor, Tan?” Renton asked.

  “What?”

  “Think about the question. When is an emperor not an emperor?”

  Tan thought for a moment. They walked through the imperial gardens, and he picked a peach. He ate the peach, and his uncle did the same. As they continued to walk, a servant appeared with some clothes, which his uncle put on.

  “I can think of three ways,” Tan said. “When he dies.”

  “Correct.”

  “When he abdicates, like my father.”

  “Correct.”

  “And when someone proves that he is not,” Tan said.

  “Also correct. How would one show prove that a man is not an emperor?”

  “Make him say it,” Tan said. “Or kill him, I suppose.”

  “Also correct. You’re a very clever lad. I’m so proud to have you as my nephew. I hope that you enjoy your visit to my house as much as I enjoyed visiting yours,” Renton said.

  “Yeah, thanks Uncle Renton,” Tan said, and he ate another peach as they walked together. He blinked, for he wasn’t quite certain when the peach had been placed in his hands, or by whom. It tasted delicious, however, and he ate another bite, allowing the juice to stain his chin and make his hands sticky.

  ~~~~~~~

  Outside, the crowd roared with excitement as a man in a mask climbed onto the battlements and called for silence. He cried out and called, but the children in the audience were too excited to stop talking and shouting the name of the boy sitting on the emperors chair, or the one walking in the garden. Cries of “Pao!” and “Tanshen Shenlong!” echoed outside the palace of the Blue Dragon Empire.

  Finally, the crowd was quiet enough for the man in the mask to make an announcement.

  “Your emperor, the emperor has made the following decree. Your emperor spoke these words, and I repeat them to you, having been empowered to speak in his stead. I say these words in the voice of an emperor!” the man shouted, and the crowd cheered.

  Once they had settled down again, the man began to speak loudly enough that all could hear.

  “By tradition, the emperor of the day’s throne shall not be moved during the day. It may be moved only at night, and only at the permission of the emperor of the night. Petitions to move the imperial throne shall be submitted in writing to the guard of the gate of the palace of the Blue Dragon Empire—”

  The children began to settle down as they realized that this wasn’t really part of the show, but just another public announcement. The nobles, on the other hand, were listening with intent. They had just been handed a major defeat at the hands of their emperor. Only some of them realized how thoroughly they had been bested.

  But still they began to plot.

  “Finally, the emperor of the night is looking to purchase milk names,” the guard announced. “Any child wishing to sell their milk name shall be asked to appear before the guard at the front gate of the palace. They shall be given in exchange for their milk name an imperial name. This shall be done by either the emperor of the day, or the night, or the stars, or the sun, or the moon, or the sky. It shall be done by the emperor of colors, or the emperor of—”

  Again, not all of the children were listening, but the adults were.

  “The emperor of the night hereby makes the following promise. Any orphan who presents themselves to the emperor of the night shall never be turned away. They shall be clothed, they shall be fed, and they shall be welcome in his palace. He simply asks that they kowtow to his throne before they leave his home. If this is an acceptable trade, then the orphans wishing to kowtow before the throne of the night shall be asked to present their milk name to the guard at the front gate of the palace of the Blue Dragon Emperor.”

  The crowd listened, but began to tune the man out.

  “Finally, the next act of the play shall begin when the child who’s milk name is Pao shall bow before his master,” the man said. Then he took off his mask and threw it into the crowd. He bowed to the crowd, climbed off the battlement, and walked up to the throne of the day. He whispered something in the ear of the boy sitting there, who was about seventeen years old. The earth trembled slightly, and everyone shifted on their feet.

  Pao abruptly stood up. He took five steps forward, turned around, and he kowtowed to the throne of the emperor.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Then he swiftly ran through the front gate of the palace, but he stopped on the way to take a bath.

  ~~~~~~

  Sean Zang waited patiently before the imperial throne room. He waited, and he waited, and he waited.

  Finally, a man and a young boy, about the age of thirteen, appeared before him. It was a man that he had seen before, and he knew his name, and he knew that this man was a justicar of the emperor. Therefor, he promptly kowtowed without being told.

  “Tan, why do you think that this man kowtows to us?” Renton asked rhetorically.

  “He must recognize us,” Tan said.

  “Indeed. Man, why do you kowtow?” Renton Shen asked.

  “I kowtow to the emperor.”

  “Which emperor?” Renton asked.

  “The emperor of the Blue Dragon Empire.”

  “Yes, you do,” Renton said. “Let it be known that you kowtow to not one, but three emperors. You kowtow to the emperor of yesterday, the emperor of today, and the emperor of tomorrow. Will you testify to this fact?”

  “With a blade at my neck I will testify to this fact,” Sean said eagerly. “May I see the daughter of my house? Her name is Kora Zang, and I was told that she was taken hostage by the emperor.”

  “You may see Kora Zang before leaving, should you promise to perform for me one task,” Renton said. “I ask for you to kowtow before the throne of the night.”

  “Simply tell me where it is and I will,” Sean Zang said.

  “You see how eagerly this man obeys my will, Tan?” Renton asked. “Why do you think he does that?”

  “He wants to see Kora,” Tan said. “I didn’t know she was in the palace. Can I see her?”

  “Let’s go see her together, the three of us. How does that sound, Sean Zang? Will that appease your duty to your family?” Renton asked

  “Yes! Please, allow me to see my niece,” Sean said.

  “My left hand visited your mountain the other day, you know,” Renton said conversationally. “Walk with me, Sean Zang.”

  “Yes,” Sean agreed, and he stood and he walked with two emperors.

  “As I was telling my nephew here, who has been crowned the emperor of the day, I am very good at arguing with people. I usually win, one way or another. Let us make you and I a little bet. In exchange for the daughter of your house being returned to you, I shall give you a task. If you complete this task during the year of the dragon, I will give the daughter of your house her freedom. Do you accept this challenge?” Renton asked.

  “I pray only that you give me a task that is within my reach, so that I may accomplish it,” Sean said.

  “Very well. I task you with something I believe you have done before. I task you with speaking to the emperor of the wind,” Renton said. “He lives in the city of Mosanatos, and you are to convey to him my words. The words you are to convey to him are thus. ‘I have proclaimed a child of heaven. He has given me the mandate of heaven, and I task all sitting emperors to prove that it is not so. My name is Renton Shen.’ Can you repeat that message to the emperor of the wind?”

  “I...will commit it to memory.”

  “It’s very important. I will write it down,” Renton said. “Since it’s so important, I’ll write it down in your presence, and allow you to read it before it is sealed. Do you understand what is being asked of you?”

  “I am to deliver your words, and a letter, to the emperor of the wind,” Sean said. “I will complete this task as though my life were on the line, for I love my niece.”

  “You see how he speaks to his emperors, Tan? He is a very loyal subject, don’t you think?”

  “I don’t really get it,” Tan said. “What’s happening?”

  “Remember your questions, write them down, and ask my master scribe to educate you,” Renton said. “Anyway, let me write this message, since it’s so important.”

  Promptly, three servants appeared carrying a desk, a chair, a pen, and an inkwell. He looked around and frowned. “Who forgot the parchment?” he asked.

  “I don’t know,” one of the servants admitted. “I’ll go get some.”

  “Very well,” the emperor of the Blue Dragon Empire said. “I’ll wait.”

  A few moments later, the servant returned with parchment. Renton wrote the words that he had said. After a moment, he had finished.

  “There,” he said. “I have signed this letter in the name of two emperors. When it is signed by a third, it shall become a truly heavy burden. Are you certain that you are ready to bear this weight, Sean Zang?”

  “I shall do my best to fulfill your will,” Sean Zang said.

  “Now then, let’s add the name of the emperor of the day. Tan, write your milk name for me on the paper.”

  “Huh?” Tan asked.

  “Just your milk name. You understand what I’m asking of you?”

  “I guess,” Tan said. He sat at the desk, took the pen from his uncle, and signed a piece of paper.

  “There. Now then, read the document back to me to make certain you understand it, Sean Zang,” Renton said.

  Sean Zang did.

  “Excellent. Oh, and I hereby release the hostage that I have been holding. Kora Zang is free to depart the imperial palace at her will,” Renton said. “But her name is no longer Kora Zang. She may select an imperial name of her choosing, and she may proclaim it upon the throne of the emperor of the day. Do you understand what I mean by that?”

  “No, your imperial highness, I’m afraid I don’t,” Sean admitted.

  “Very well. I’ll explain to Kora after you have departed on your mission,” Renton said. “You may depart our presence now.”

  Sean Zang kowtowed, and he flew off into the sky. Tan watched him go.

  “Wasn’t he here to see Kora?” Tan asked.

  “No. He came to see me,” Renton said. “He’s my newest messenger, and he carries with him the mandate of heaven.”

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