Volume 2 Chapter 30

  After Sean Zang was seen by the audience flying out of the palace, the emperor of the night and the emperor of the day met with two young girls in the presence of twenty servants.

  “Hello Kora,” Tan said.

  “Hello Tan. Hello Renton. I’m pleased to see you. It makes me much less nervous,” Kora said. “Tan, is it true?”

  The servants around them scribbled furiously on their parchments.

  “Is what true?” Tan asked.

  “That you’re the future emperor?” Kora asked. “That once your uncle dies, or steps down, you’ll be the heir of the emperor?”

  “I guess,” Tan said. “If I want to be at least. That’s what my family has been saying anyway, and here I am. I’m pretty sure someone would have contradicted them if I wasn’t really the heir of the emperor at this point.”

  “Yeah, good point. Renton, thank you so much for bringing Tan here. It makes me less nervous to meet the emperor again,” Kora said.

  “It’s a pleasure to see you, as always, Kora. Tell me, is it true that your family once asked permission to marry into mine?” Renton asked.

  “It’s a little.”

  Abruptly, Kora realized whom she was talking to.

  “But, wait, you’re not…” she said. “You were at the gate!”

  “What?” Renton asked.

  “When I met the emperor, you were the man who opened the gate for us. I know that is true, I remember your face when my mother you the letter,” she said.

  “It’s true. I was waiting for you to arrive that day. I made a bet with myself that you would. When you arrived on time, I decided to welcome the Zang family as my guests. Since you then welcomed me as a guest, I decided to honor your family by inviting them to visit once more,” Renton said. “However, this time, they shall not be compelled to kowtow before my throne.”

  Kora frowned. “I’m not really sure I understand.”

  “You don’t have to,” Renton said. “By the way, I saw your uncle earlier today. He’s agreed to perform a service for me. He was very eager to complete it, wasn’t he Tan?”

  “Yeah, he flew off as soon as you handed him the letter. What happens if he loses the bet you made with him, Uncle Renton?”

  “Hmm? What bet? Oh, right. Well, nothing, I suppose. Kora, I have a request to make of you. Would you be willing to be crowned empress of tomorrow?” Renton asked.

  “What?” she gasped.

  “It’s a heavy burden to bear. I simply ask that you proclaim your milk name on the throne of today, tomorrow. Do you understand?” Renton asked.

  “No,” Kora said.

  “Will you do as I ask anyway?”

  Kora thought for a moment, then nodded. “Very well, your majesty. I shall proclaim my milk name upon the throne, if that is your will.”

  “Right. Very good. The stars are aligning. Tan, you really are the child of heaven, did you know that?” Renton asked.

  “I guess,” Tan said. “If you say so.”

  “I do say so. And you should listen to me, I’m the emperor.”

  A few minutes later, a boy named Pao appeared before the emperor of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He was dressed in finery, and freshly bathed. He bowed before Renton Shen, as he had been instructed.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  He also bowed before Tan Shen and Kora Zang. This fact was witnessed by many people, and they each signed their name to the documents attesting to this fact.

  “Welcome into our presence, Pao. How was your bath?”

  “It was quite pleasant,” Pao admitted. “Have I screwed anything up so far?”

  “No, you were quite exemplary. I have one last task for you before you go to bed tonight, and then you may spend the rest of your life living as you please. Will you do this task for me?” Renton Shen asked.

  “Yes,” Pao said without hesitation.

  “I wish for you to appear on the throne of today and announce the name of the Empress of tomorrow,” Renton said. “Will you do that?”

  “Um, sure. What exactly do you want me to say?”

  “Let’s write it down. Will someone please give my nephew a pen? It’s time to see if that tutor I sent him was worth a damn.”

  ~~~~~

  While Tan was busy writing the mandate of heaven, lightning suddenly struck the gatehouse of the front gate of the palace of the Blue Dragon Emperor. The crowd once more gathered, and they waited to see the next act of the show.

  Soon, a mortal man wearing a mask was seen climbing atop the guard house. He was old, and he was fat, and it took him a while to complete his task. When he was atop the tower, he began his proclamation.

  “Here ye, here ye, here ye. The emperor of today has received a mandate from heaven. He has signed it with his milk name. This mandate was ratified by the emperor of the night. Here ye here ye here ye, when this mandate is ratified by three emperors, then it shall be deemed the true mandate of heaven. All ye who wish to claim the title of emperor are called to sign this mandate. If you wish to sign this mandate, present thyself to the emperor of the wind, who does rule in the city of Mosanatos. If you wish to contest the mandate of heaven, do present thyself before the throne of the night in the year of the dragon.”

  “Here ye here ye here ye, the emperor of the Blue Dragon Empire does proclaim this the first day of the year of the dragon. Let this mark the first day of the rule of the emperor of the night. When the sun does set, he shall permit his loyal subjects to kowtow before his throne. If you wish to present thyself to the emperor of the night, trade him your milk name, and you shall be permitted to kowtow before his throne.

  “This ends the proclamation of the emperor of today. Call ye out the name of the emperor of today, and his voice shall appear.”

  The fat man then climbed down from the battlements, walked through the front gate of the palace, and was seen to enter the men’s bath.

  The crowd began to call the name of Tanshen Shenlong.

  Shortly afterwards, a boy named Pao appeared. He bowed before the subjects of the blue dragon empire, and they cheered and cheered. He was seen to take a letter from his pocket, break the seal, and read from the missive.

  “My milk name is Pao,” he said. “I was bid read these words in the name of the emperor of today. I hereby announce the name of the empress tomorrow. Her name shall be Kora Zang. I carry with me the mandate of heavens, and let anyone wishing to prove it is not so take it from me. Tomorrow, lightning shall strike from the heavens and announce the begin of the rule of tomorrow’s empress. You shall recognize the face of the emperor, at least, if you have ever seen the face of the emperor of the night. I sign this with my milk name.

  “My name is Tan Shen. My family name is Shenlong. I was asked to write this by my uncle. I am asking my servant to return the mandate of heaven to me and to burn it with fire. This is the first day of the year of the dragon.”

  Pao then put the missive back in his pocket, kowtowed before the throne of today, and was seen returning into the depths of the palace while the crowd cheered in applause.

  The nobles continued to seethe. And they continued to plot. But ultimately, they had to watch the end of the play to know how to respond.

  As the sun began to cross the heavens, night did approach. Abruptly, lightning struck the guard tower once more. From it emerged the emperor of the night. He was dressed modestly, and he bore no crown, no sigils of office. Nothing but a simple robe.

  He spoke these words. “Hark ye and listen. This is the final act of today. The first day of the year of the dragon calls to a close, and I bid ye, parents of the children of the Blue Dragon Empire, do put thy children to sleep. The play shall resume in the morning, when everyone is rested and ready to see the next act. I do announce that the child of heaven shall sleep in the imperial bed tonight, and any who wish to see him may call out his milk name in the morning and he shall appear. If ye wish to petition of the emperor of the night, do present thyself to him in his throne room. Until then, he shall stand guard over the child of heaven.”

  He then climbed down off the battlements and stood before the front gate.

  He stood vigil all night long, but nobody did dare approach him, save for a few young children. They gave him their milk names, and he bid them enter his palace, where a servant did escort them into the bathhouses of the palace of the blue dragon empire.

  What they told the emperor of the night was not recorded, for the children whispered quietly in his ear.

  When the morning came, lightning struck the guard tower once more. The men and women who had been watching the front gate snapped to wakefullness, and the emperor of the night made the following proclamation.

  “I go now to wake the emperor of the day. He’s a lazybones, so he probably didn’t hear the thunder. You shall know him when he takes his throne.”

  Abruptly, lightning struck once more, and the man at the gate was gone.

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