Chapter 36
Swenshion stood before the mirror, marveling at the effects that a few weeks of living in the imperial palace had on him. Eating the food that the emperor served, bathing in the imperial baths, and being served by the imperial servants, he appeared to have regressed ten years or more.
He smiled. And there were certain other benefits as well. The imperial servants were quite discrete, and the door to Lokari’s room was right next to his. Nobody had questioned why the bedsheets of one of their rooms were often unslept in, nor had he heard any scandalous rumors.
Yes, entertaining the job offer from the emperor himself had been a very good decision. Gaius had been eliminated from the candidates, as had most of his other serious rivals. One young man remained who had just passed the service exams last year. He was a clever man, but Swenshion remained confident in his own ability to appeal to the former Earth Emperor.
He sighed and finished dressing. If he wasn’t selected, then he’d have wasted a significant amount of time being pampered. Hopefully, however, being on a short-name basis with the emperor would be worth something , even if he didn’t earn the official record of having performed a deed worthy of formal recognition.
Once he’d finished combing—the gray was gone and his hair was thicker than it had been in a decade—he stepped out of his room and made his way to the dining area, where the other guests of the emperor were already eating. He sat and waited to be served, a young woman bringing a bowl of soup to him just a moment after he’d sat.
He savored each spoonful of the cabbage soup. It was a simple recipe, yet delicious for the rich Qi that had been grown into it.
“So tell me, Swenshion. What do you think of the Silver Dragon?” a voice said.
Swenshion looked at the speaker. It was his chief competition for the position of tutor to the emperor’s nephew, the young man who had only recently passed the service examinations.
“I shall rest easier when he is brought to justice and beheaded,” Swenshion admitted. “As will the world itself, I believe.”
“So you’re not of the opinion that this is a part of a cycle?” the young man pressed.
“There are many cycles in the world. The births and deaths of humans are mirrored by the births and deaths of empires. But the four empires are young yet, as such things go, and strong and healthy. The founders still reign in the other three empires, and the fire emperor of the Blue Dragon Empire is a strong leader who has proven himself worthy. The claims of the Silver Dragon of decadence and injustice are inflated and unwarranted. A mask that he puts on to disguise his own greed and lust for power.”
“But you believe that the Blue Dragon Empire will die someday?” the young man pressed.
“Is this how you usually win arguments? By putting the words you wish to argue against in the mouths of your opponents and expecting them to play along?” Swenshion asked.
The young man’s mouth opened to say something, then paused as he realized that he’d been called out. “I apologize. What do you believe the future of the empire looks like?”
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“It is far too early into the rule of the Fire Emperor to predict the fate of the entire empire. He may rule for a century. A millennia. Eons. The fate of the empire is in his hands, and I do not know his mind well enough to say what he will do with it, so I do what I always do when I do not know the answer. I wait and watch in silent observation,” Swenshion said.
“But you believe that the rule of the fire emperor will end?”
“All things end. They said that Haoatonian Shenlong would rule for one hundred thousand years, but he grew tired of this world and decided to ascend after merely six centuries. If his second son shares his restlessness, who is to stop him from following his father to the next world?” Swenshion said. “I see no other way that his rule would end but that, but only the emperor himself can tell us whether or not such a thing would ever happen, and I would not presume to ask him.”
“You—”
The door opened, and Renton Shen stepped inside. The dinner conversation ended abruptly, and the diners all rose and bowed to the servant of the empire.
“I will be journeying to Lima City in the morning. Those who wish to meet my brother and interview for the job of tutoring my niece and nephew may come with me. Please, continue to enjoy my hospitality in the meantime,” Renton said, then he bowed at his guests and left.
While everyone at the table had stood when Renton had appeared, Swenshion could tell at a glance by their expressions who knew and who didn’t know. Renton Shen introduced himself as a servant of the empire. Those who did not know better transposed that claim into ‘servant of the emperor.’ The difference between those two positions was as vast as the heavens and as wide as the sea.
Swenshion glanced at his competition and saw that the young man looked annoyed at the interruption. Whether Renton was a servant of the emperor or a servant of the empire, he was known to be a powerful cultivator and outranked all of the guests of the emperor by a significant margin, demanding their respect. Mortals who were expected to bow and scrape before cultivators could not always hide their resentment when something as small as a conversation was interrupted.
“As I was saying—”
“I’m hungry, and not for conversation. Tell me, Guy, what is the sound of one hand clapping?”
“You know as well as I do that it is silence,” the young man said.
“Let us enjoy the sound of one hand clapping for the rest of this meal, if you do not mind,” Swenshion said, and proceeded to ignore the man for the rest of the night.
In the morning, he woke and dressed early. He informed the young servant outside his door that he was ready to serve the empire at the emperor’s pleasure, and twenty minutes later, Renton Shen appeared at his door.
Swenshion bowed politely to the young man, then looked about. “How will we be traveling? How long will the journey take? I packed my things, but I confess I’m not entirely certain what it is that I should bring. I have only the goods I brought with me for the original audience.”
“What you need will be provided for you during your employment. Assuming you meet with my brother’s approval, but I foresee no difficulty there. You are the only candidate, after all.”
Swenshion’s eyebrows rose. “What of Guy?”
“I was listening at dinner last night. I will not entrust my nephew to such a vapid man, I only allowed him to be strung along because he was good at provoking others,” Renton said. He stepped over to the luggage in the middle of the room and swiftly swept the items into a storage ring. “Is there anything else?”
“No,” Swenshion said. “I’ve nothing else in the palace that belongs to me.”
“Very well. Prepare yourself, I’m told this is somewhat disorienting,” Renton said. He held out his hand, and Swenshion’s eyes opened wide as he realized that he was about to join his luggage.