𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 1 - 𝕱𝖆𝖗𝖊𝖜𝖊𝖑𝖑 𝕱𝖆𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗!

"The Heavenly Emperor and his Heavenly Court – comprised by Deities and Angels - lord over the Heavens. The Heavenly Emperor wanted to experience mortality, so he created the world and the Goddess of Fertility birthed man and woman to populate it. The Heavenly Emperor observed the two humans and was moved by their piety, virtuousness and love for each other. When they died, the Heavenly Emperor allowed their children to keep inhabiting the world. Humans are descended from this First Couple."

- Imperial Records of the Golden Realm, Volume I by Chief-Scholar Dai Yijun

“The Golden Realm is comprised of four regions: the ancient North, the rich South, the seafaring East and the heretic New Province.”

- Imperial Records of the Golden Realm, Volume I by Chief-Scholar Dai Yijun

Heavenly City, Yang Manor

As the wooden sword struck upwards, it wooshed through the air. “Take that!” Yang Jing exclaimed. The child was no more than ten years old, with a lovely face, bright, blue eyes, and brown hair, yet he exuded the air of a conquering hero. As Jing prepared to strike once more, he heard someone clapping.

He turned around and noticed that Yang Wanli was smiling at him, his eyes full of pride.

“Father!” Jing exclaimed. Running towards him, he jumped into his father's open arms.

Wanli was a man advanced in age, as was testified by his long graying beard. Yet he could still inspire fear in others. He was tall, broad-chested, and had a flat, hard face. His scarred cheeks were testimony to his long military career. He was wearing a long silk, embroidered red gown.

“You’ve improved,” Wanli said as he embraced his son. “One day you might become an officer like your brothers.”

“I want to become a general like you!” Jing countered.

The father chuckled. “One day my child, one day…”

The family had gathered in the dining hall: the father, the mother, the four sisters, and three of the five brothers of Jing. The other two brothers were still on duty, stationed in the Grand Forts, far in the Northeast.

One by one, the maids placed the serving dishes onto the table, made of dark oak wood. The table was covered by a white tablecloth that had a bright, decorative pattern of red roses all over. The scent of the dishes filled Jing's nose and made his eyes water. The dish consisted of rice mingled with various vegetables and chicken that had been marinated with soy sauce and mingled with spices.

Jing held his chopsticks tightly and devoured the food like someone who had not eaten in days, much to the laugher of the rest of the family. Jing blushed a bit but ignored them. He was content with eating such delicious food. The spices burned his lips, tongue, and throat but he loved it.

“Father,” Jing said after finishing off his dish. “Will you be staying?”

Wanli sighed, “No. I’ll have to head back to the Grand Forts, so I’ll be leaving tomorrow morning. There are rumors that the damn Dwarves are planning something.”

A look of displeasure appeared in the mother’s eyes. She did not want her husband to swear in front of the children. Wanli gave her a slight, guilty smile.

“I am sure you will beat them!” Jing loudly exclaimed. “You are the best general of the Empire.”

“I am not that good a general,” Wanli replied. “I just happen to have some of the best and bravest men in the entire world under my command. It is the soldiers that keep our borders secure. It is they who bleed and die for the Emperor. Remember that. Never be arrogant and never forget the contributions of others.”

That evening, after completing his studies for the day, Jing went back to the Manor’s garden to practice once more his swordsmanship. He would swing his wooden sword left and right, striking at an imaginary opponent. As he did so, he suddenly noticed his father watching him, a wooden sword in his hands. “Father,” he greeted him.

“As I’ve said in the morning, you’ve certainly improved with the sword. But I want to test how you would fare against a live opponent.”

Jing nodded. He moved in swings the sword towards his father, who parried it easily. Wanli then struck hard. The boy countered each blow with a flash of speed. Wanli moved in his attack hard and swift, his blows raining hard on his son. The force of the blows knocked Jing backward. Wanli hit his son with the flat side of the wooden sword, causing Jing to fall from the blow.

“You are good,” the father smiled, “but you still need lots of training and hard work to become a warrior.”

Emperor Zhao Qi strolled the Imperial Garden. The garden had all kinds of colorful spring flowers. On the other side was a manmade pond, and on top of it was an extremely grand pavilion, with lotus flowers growing on carp trees. Further up was a forest of peach blossoms, apricot trees, and pear trees.

The Emperor was in his early twenties. He had a fair appearance but did not inspire fear or much respect. The top half of the Emperor's clothing was black while the bottom half was crimson, symbolizing the order of Heaven and Earth. A dragon was embroidered on his clothing. The robe was fastened by a golden belt. The Emperor wore a crown topped with a longboard that leaned onward. Chains of beads hang front and back, twelve chains each. The jade beads were threaded with silk. Hairpins were used to fasten the crown on the hair.

As he approached closer to the pond, he saw a woman gazing at the sight along with a eunuch carrying a zither in his arms. The woman was in her early twenties. She was tall, lean and lithe. Her black hair was down to her waist. Her elegant face was painted with light plum blossom makeup. She was wearing a long white dress.

“Cao Lin,” Emperor Zhao softly uttered her name. “I knew I would find you here.”

The woman turned around and flashed a bright smile. “Your Majesty knows how much I love this view.”

“It is lovely, indeed… But you are far more beautiful.”

Her cheeks colored, and she looked away. “Please, your Majesty, allow me to dance for you.”

The Emperor nodded. Under the melodious and graceful sound of the zither, so elegantly handled by the eunuch, the girl began to dance. She was fluid, ethereal as the music. As the music soared, so did she move closer to her Emperor. She sensually moved her body against his. His hands moved to her waist. He embraced her into his arms and passionately kissed her.

The young eunuch was sitting on a high-backed wooden chair behind the massive desk that dominated the chamber of his office, sipping a cup of tea and reading over some documents. The office was opulent with silver carpets, rich wood furniture and beautiful paintings hanging on the walls. The man was in his late twenties. He had a pale complexion but his face was beautiful and his eyes bright blue. He had long black hair, was slim and wearing a long green embroidered robe. His fingers spotted shining golden rings.

As Chancellor of the Golden Realm, Cao Sui was the most important man in the Empire after the Emperor himself. All state affairs were managed by him and all important documents and decrees had to pass by his office.

A loud knock was heard behind the door. “Huh?” Sui exclaimed.

The door slightly opened. “Minister Yi requests an audience!” a servant announced.

“He may come in,” the Chancellor replied.

An old man with gray hair and beard entered the room. He was dressed in a long robe embroidered with golden silk. “Chancellor,” he bowed slightly. Yi was Minister of Justice, responsible for the judicial and penal system of the Empire.

“Minister Yi,” Sui grinned, “to what I owe this pleasure?”

“My Ministry has a case that might interest you. Minister Feng’s fourth cousin is accused of murdering the son of a local potentate during a brawl at a brothel.”

“Mmm… Interesting.” Feng was Minister of Revenue, in charge of collecting taxes, handling state revenues and gathering census data. He was the only one who dared challenge Sui in the Imperial Court. “Can we tie the cousin to Feng in some way?”

“I believe I can persuade some witnesses to claim that Feng tried to silence them, but I don’t know how believable that would be. Feng has a reputation for righteousness. Would his Imperial Majesty really believe that he could do something like this?”

“As long as my sister fucks him, he will believe absolutely anything she says,” Sui laughed loudly. Yi tried to keep himself composed but couldn’t help to chuckle a bit.

Cao Lin was Sui’s younger sister. Her beauty and charms had captivated the Emperor and soon enough she had become his favorite Consort. With her patronage, Sui rose through the ranks and eventually became Chancellor in the span of only a few years. Some courtiers thought Sui was simply a lackey of the Lin, an incompetent man who rose to power only thanks to the whims of the Emperor. But the cunning eunuch proved them wrong. He established a firm hold on government and executed a number of his opponents after a series of 'anti-corruption investigations' while others were mysteriously assassinated.

“There is a slight problem, however,” Yi replied. “Minister Feng has the backing of General Yang Wanli. He commands over 100,000 crack troops in the Grand Forts. If Feng is slandered and arrested, I believe Wanli might descend with his army on the capital. If he does so, we will not be able to do much to stop him.”

“Wanli has long been a thorn on our side, and he has been trying to depose me. This might actually be our chance to get rid of him and the Yang Clan and install someone loyal to the Generalship of the Grand Forts. We can credibly accuse him and his clan of collaborating with Feng. This is high treason and punishable by death.”

“If framing Feng isn’t enough to get Wanli to rebel, framing him and his family will certainly be!” Yi protested.

Sui dismissed the possibility with a wave of his hand. “Not if we move first. Wanli’s family is here in the capital. If Wanli understands that his family will be exterminated if he refuses to takes his own life, he will do so without a hint of hesitation. He is too ‘honorable’ and ‘virtuous’ and ‘loyal’ to let them die for him.” Sui paused for a moment to take a sip of tea. “Of course if Wanli suspects that there is danger, he will take his family away from the capital. This is why I want you to not give any indication of our plans: no whispers, no rumors, no courting for support, and no indication you are pursuing the case. When we declare Feng and Wanli traitors, only the Emperor and a select group of officials should know about it. That way we can take them by surprise.”

“I will be preparing the necessary legal documents and pressing the witnesses to testify as we wish. When your Excellency is ready to move against Feng and Wanli, the Ministry will have all the documents necessary to legitimize your moves.”

Jing let out an “oof!” as he rushed inside the Manor, a small stream of sweat running down his face. After an hour of sword training, he was exhausted. He wanted to eat something and go take a nap. As he walked through the Manor’s corridors, he could hear his father talking but he couldn't make out what he was saying. He sounded like he was worried, so Jing approached the room from which the sounds came on his tiptoes. He held his ear to the door, listening.

“His influence in the Court is malicious,” an elderly voice complained from inside the room. Jing recognized the man as Bai Jian, the Undersecretary of Revenue. He regularly visited the Yang Manor when Wanli was there.

“I concur,” Wanli replied. “The Chancellor is corrupt and decadent, but alas there is not much else we can do but petition the Throne and hope that his Imperial Majesty will reconsider things.”

“Sui knows you are trying to persuade his Imperial Majesty to dismiss him and fears the loyalty you inspire among the troops. He views you as a dangerous rival. I believe that sooner or later he will make a move against you. You’ve seen what he’s done to others who’ve dared oppose him.”

“I do not think he is that bold. He may have the favor of his Imperial Majesty right now, but his Imperial Majesty knows of the loyalty of the Yang Clan. For generations, we’ve defended the borders of the Realm from Dwarf invasions. We’ve bled for this Empire. My father was slain on the field of battle. His Imperial Majesty knows that every single member of the Yang Clan is ready to die for him, and won’t believe evil slanders against us.”

“I hope you are right, but I fear his Imperial Majesty is going down a path he will come to regret…”

It was so early in the morning, that there were several stars still visible in the sky. However, as the sky lightened from the oncoming sun, the stars began to fade. The morning was so quiet, that one could almost hear the flowers opening their petals, begging the sun for the life.

Wanli was standing in the garden of the Yang Manor, looking at the morning sky. He would have to leave once more his home in a few minutes and head back to the cold, barren lands of the Grand Forts. Suddenly he heard the sound of footsteps. He turned around and saw Jing.

The young boy ran at Wanli and hugged him tightly. Tears overflowed Jing’s eyes and tracked down his cheeks, as he held his father close. “Return safe,” he softly murmured.

“I always do,” Wanli reassured his son. “I’ll be back. Do not worry. I need you to stay strong and focus on your studies. Listen to Uncle Luo.” Jing let go of his father and nodded. Wanli smiled and ruffled his son’s hair. “Now go back inside and sleep. You need to be well-rested to do well in your studies.”