~~~
“Your Majesty, this year’s harvest…”
“Your Majesty, the Red Sky Pavilion’s representative has arrived. Regarding the matter of the imperial treasury…”
“Your Majesty! Duke Wei threatens to declare himself independent! He demands that…”
“Your Majesty, the cooks have notified me that…”
“Your Majesty, there are reports coming from Stone River City. It seems that…”
Again and again, the pattern repeats itself. It has been that way since Liu Jin returned to the Storm Dragon Empire. To make matters worse, the Storm Dragon Palace has finished repairing itself, meaning there is no longer any reason not to use the throne room.
Every time Liu Jin sits on the throne to hold court, he finds himself missing the old conference room. While he understands certain trappings must be kept, he really wishes the throne weren’t so overtly gaudy. It is not just made of solid gold but also encrusted with dragon fangs the size of a grown man. It makes it look like the throne was a dragon’s mouth about to snap shut.
It didn’t look that way before. Supposedly, the throne, as well as the entire palace, changes to suit its ruler. The throne’s new ominous and menacing shape seems to be how the Shadow of the Storm Dragon manifests its favorability. His sleeping ancestor seems to think that intimidating everyone the second they enter the throne room is helpful, which it is. The menacing visage discourages his advisors from bringing up shallow matters.
Still! It is the principle of the thing that matters here!
“That was the last issue of the day, Your Majesty,” General Nie Dan says once everyone else has been dismissed. “Considering how mundane some of these concerns are, you should consider spacing out court sessions more.”
Liu Jin smiles humorlessly. “Am I so easy to read?”
“Hardly,” the general replies. “However, I have ample experience in this matter. No one will complain if you take more time for yourself. The treaties with the Eternal Flame Clan and the Red Sky Pavilion are already a great aid to our country. There is not a single person who doubts you.”
“I seem to recall hearing about someone rising in rebellion not two hours ago.”
“An unimportant matter,” General Dan replies. “Duke Wei is nothing more than a pathetic dog who refuses to admit he picked the wrong side. I will take care of his tantrum tomorrow.”
Liu Jin laughs. According to the reports, Duke Wei has managed to raise an army of ten thousand, yet General Nie Dan makes dealing with his rebellion sound no different from throwing out the day’s trash.
To an Emperor Realm cultivator like him, the level of effort must be about the same.
Now that the Storm Dragon Empire has no immediate threats left to deal with, General Nie Dan can act with significantly greater freedom. This has, in turn, left the rest of the army with more time to work on building roads and repairing the damage done during the civil war. It is a slow process, but things should quicken once the flying items from the Red Sky Pavilion arrive.
“Should I be the one warning you about overworking yourself, general?”
“On the contrary, Your Majesty. My work is my pleasure.”
~~~
“Enough already! Get your paws off me, you unsightly mutt!”
“Is there really any need to be so rude?” Liu Jin asks while writing on his desk. The brush in his hand moves with quick, elegant strokes. “It likes you, so you might as well enjoy the attention,”
“How long will you keep up this useless pretense?!” Qing Guo yells at his cousin while trying his best to keep the damned dog from getting its drool all over his face. “I know this thing is not alive!”
“I am afraid that information is outdated,” Liu Jin says as he continues writing. Qing Guo, who has had calligraphy lessons since childhood, cannot help but feel a little jealous of his skill. “The dog is fully sentient now. Its attachment to you is genuine, though part of it might have been shaped by the imprint leftover from past experiences.”
Liu Jin’s casual announcement surprises Qing Guo so much that he loses his grip on the dog, earning himself a lick across the face.
“What do you mean it is sentient?!” Qing Guo yells, hurriedly trying to wipe the drool off his face. “You can’t just say something so outrageous so casually!”
“Truly? I would think being Emperor makes me obligated to say outrageous things casually.”
“You are just playing with words now!” a red-faced Qing Guo yells, trying to get the dog under control. “You are enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“I have no idea what you mean, cousin.”
In the end, it takes several minutes for Qing Guo to get the dog to calm down, something he achieves by letting the creature bite on his sash. As a cultivator in the True Realm, it would not have been hard for him to subdue the dog using force. That he did not says many things, as does the way he pets the dog’s head.
“Cousin,” Qing Guo says. The unfamiliar word sounds odd on his lips, “an explanation would be appreciated. Such an outrageous comment cannot be taken seriously, but I cannot deny what my senses reveal to me. This creature is not what it was. How?”
For a moment, only the sounds of Liu Jin’s brush strokes and the dog’s pants can be heard in the room.
“I… had the right ingredients,” Liu Jin says, picking his words carefully. “A body that had no life. A life that had no body.”
Over the next few minutes, Liu Jin gives his cousin a brief summary of what his experiment entailed and how it came to be. It is not the sort of thing he would usually divulge, but the dog is too attached to Qing Guo for him not to notice its changes.
Besides, cruel as it might sound, there is no one Qing Guo can tell about it.
“Cousin,” Qing Guo says, pale-faced, “some would consider what you did unnatural. Your continued interest in the arts of those who infected our country is… wrong. Profane.”
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Liu Jin breathes deeply and puts his brush down.
“You might be right,” Liu Jin says. “What the Felshcrafter did was profane at a very profound level. His arts and methods were despicable.”
“Then why?”
“I… am not sure how to explain it,” Liu Jin says, looking at the dog. “From the very first moment I encountered their arts, I felt the need to understand them better. When I look at them, I do not see only ugliness. I see potential that has been twisted for the sake of cruelty. A part of me is fascinated by them.”
The scenes shown to him by the memory jade flash through his mind. Liu Jin closes his eyes.
“Perhaps it is just wishful thinking on my part. If you will not accept that reason, at least accept this: If we do not understand the Death Fashioning Scripture, we will have no chance against them when they return.”
“That…” Qing Guo shivers. “Very well, Your Majesty. At the very least, I cannot argue with that.”
Even if he probably wants to.
A moment of awkward silence falls over the cousins.
“What is that document you have spent so much time writing anyway?” Qing Guo eventually asks. “Is it really so entertaining you’d ignore my plight?”
“Agricultural reforms.”
Qing Guo’s body goes still, his hands still holding onto the dog’s paws.
“I beg your pardon?”
“Did you know that General He made several revisions to the laws to incentivize farmers to plant crops with high cultivation potential?” Liu Jin asks.
“Well, that’s natural, is it not?” Qing Guo asks, shrugging. “Food is not a relevant necessity once one reaches a high enough realm except for pleasure and cultivation. There is no need to bother with lesser crops.”
“That might be true of the nobility and the higher ranks of the army, but the common people still need to eat normal food,” Liu Jin says. “Food that is too rich in Qi will only hurt them. However, General He was more concerned with providing delicacies to the court than he was with ensuring the people were healthy.”
There are also Murong Bang’s territories to consider, which are a tragedy of a different sort. For years, the Storm Dragon Empire was ruled by three different sets of laws. Now that the empire has been unified, a large amount of time has been devoted to creating a unified system of laws using General Nie Dan’s territories as the base.
“We have been discussing it recently,” Liu Jin says as he continues writing. “Farmers need to be incentivized to produce crops that can be eaten by normal people. Transport would have been an issue before, but thanks to the Red Sky Pavilion, I am fairly sure the army can mobilize the crops where they are needed.”
Qing Guo shakes his head. “You thought that far? Impressive.”
“I didn’t think of anything,” Liu Jin corrects him. “I just happen to be surrounded by people who do. I merely try to help those ideas along however I can. It is nothing special.”
Qing Guo shakes his head, holding the dog to his chest. “An issue occurs to me. Crops don’t grow overnight. I am assuming General He Bin’s territories are well stocked, but Murong Bang’s territories must be on the verge of starving.”
“We do not lack the means to buy food. Thanks to General He Bin’s practices, we have a surplus of prized crops to sell. Besides, the demand for food in Murong Bang’s former lands is not as high as you’d think. Their population is far smaller than you’d expect,” Liu Jin says, sighing. “For obvious reasons.”
Another silence falls over the room.
“Sorry,” Liu Jin says. “I should not have brought up something so morbid.”
“No, cousin,” Qing Guo says. “Unlike your fascination with the macabre, that is not something you need to apologize for. Shameful though it may be, it is the state of our country. However, the issue remains, where are we going to get the crops until the farmers start working?”
“That,” Liu Jin looks up. “I might have an idea.”
~~~
“You evil, deceitful man!”
“I thought I was supposed to be a hopelessly honest man,” Liu Jin replies.
“That makes it worse!” Song Daiyu replies. The golden-haired member of the Five Blessings Group manages to glare angrily at him despite her body being held in a perfect bow. “I have been ignored, Your Majesty. Put aside like some bothersome pest! Cast out and played with! You have made this Song Daiyu your personal toy!”
Liu Jin sighs, suddenly glad there is no one else in the room. Song Daiyu very clearly enjoys saying outrageous things. However, Liu Jin can sense genuine irritation underneath the act.
“You wanted a meeting with City Lord Chu,” Liu Jin points out. “I facilitated that. Since then, his star has only risen. What is there to complain about?”
Song Daiyu’s golden eyebrows twitch.
“You are the Emperor!”
“I know.” Liu Jin sighs sadly. “I really did not mean for that to happen, but everyone tells me I was deluding myself by thinking it wouldn’t.”
“Who cares about that?” Song Daiyu says, finally rising. “I have spent weeks trying to set up a meeting with you, and you have ignored me! Does it amuse you to deny me, Your Majesty? If so, you will doubtless make women unhappy!”
“Being the Emperor does not put me in charge of negotiating every agreement the Storm Dragon Empire makes. City Lord Chu is far more suited for that sort of thing,” Liu Jin points out.
“What about our friendship, Your Majesty?” Song Dayu pleads dramatically, holding a hand to her chest. “Do our childhood memories truly fail to move your heart?”
“My childhood memories tell me you were thinking of business even back then. Why would I want to negotiate face to face with someone who is a better negotiator than I?”
Song Daiyu blinks. “Flattery? Very well, praise me more. However, that does not make me less upset. You are only meeting with me now because there is finally something you want.”
“I would assume the money we’re going to spend would be the thing that makes you happy,” Liu Jin says dryly. “How much has Song Clan benefited since the day we met?”
“Considerably,” Song Daiyu replies without shame. “The Song Clan’s status in relation to the other ruling families of the Five Blessings Group has risen quite a bit. Maybe a little too much. The assassination attempts grow a little tiresome.”
“...I am not sure if I should apologize.”
“Oh, it is nothing worth talking about, though if you feel you have to spend more because of it, do not let me stop you,” Song Daiyu says, sitting on a couch and crossing her legs. She holds the list he prepared and glances over it carefully. “Only this? You realize you are dealing with the Five Blessings Group, right? If it exists, we can find it and sell it.”
“I will leave the more complicated purchases to City Lord Chu,” Liu Jin says. “This is more than enough, though if you could find some farmers to lend us, that might be good.”
Song Daiyu blinks.
“You want to… rent farmers? Whatever for?”
“The state of Murong Bang’s former territories is deplorable. It would not surprise me if many of the people there have forgotten how to farm. They have been living in chaos for far too long. There is also the state of the land to consider. It might be better to have experts available to instruct and help them.”
“That might be possible to arrange,” Song Daiyu says. “However, there is one issue that cannot be overlooked. I am afraid this business cannot proceed until it is dealt with.”
“Oh?” Liu Jin blinks and tilts his head. “What is it?”
“Have you talked to Xiao Shuang yet?”
Liu Jin immediately looks away.
“Fiend! Demon! Cad!” Song Daiyu says, pointing at him. “For how many weeks have you had that mirror already! How can you torture such a lovely girl?”
“I don’t need you to tell me I am in the wrong,” Liu Jin says, rubbing his forehead.
Even Lu Mei found the time to talk to him about that despite how she has been feeling after the way things ended with her parents.
He needs to talk to Xiao Shuang. He knows that.
“Every time I hold that mirror, I think of something else I need to take care of first,” Liu Jin admits. “It’s small of me. I know it.”
And yet, he is afraid.
Song Daiyu crosses her arms. “It is no fun if you are just going to admit it. You are not a small man, so go ahead and contact her already. Nothing is stopping you now.”
“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”
They both hear the soldier’s footsteps stomping across the hall. The man stops before his door but does not open it, kneeling before it instead.
“An emissary from the Eternal Flame Clan has been sighted at the border, your Majesty!” The soldier says, panting as he tries to regain his breath. “He says his name is Feng Zhuo!”
Song Daiyu’s palm meets her face with impeccable accuracy.
~~~