The Emperor's Daiyu (BWAM)

16) Gates of the Palace

Xiang

Emperor Xiang" General Jung and a few soldiers greet me on horseback as I reach the gates of the palace. The gray skies looked solemn on a day that was meant to be festive.

"Any recent developments?" I ask him, pulling on the reigns of my steed.

"No. We still are trying to decipher who the man was. I suppose the note will be the answer to our questions" His eyes drop to the letter in my possession.
Even I hadn't opened it yet. I was too nervous to face its contents for it would reveal what I already knew.

The list had been compromised.

I ignore his words, staring into the distance as I guided my horse to steady. "Take me to the body. I must see for myself" We rode our horses to the perimeter of my palace until we stopped at the post where the body laid.

I hopped off my horse, braving myself to approach the spear. The scene was unsavory, to say the least, although it was not a sight unfamiliar to me. I was used to blood and gore having been raised under the harsh rule of my father. It was the wounds that troubled my spirits.
Fresh blood dripped down each of the man's temples. Each of his ligaments had been torn from limb to limb. If it weren't for the fact that his head was still attached, he would barely pass as human.

Although he was dead, his eyes were forced open and a large number was scratched onto his chest.

"幺"

"One?" General Jung's voice snaps me back into my reality. "Any idea who could have done this?" General Jung hummed, already conspiring with the next plan of action.

"I have many enemies general" I try to bite back my sarcasm but I couldn't help it. Although I was emperor of my Dynasty that sprawled over every region in the northern and eastern provinces, I was not favored.
I was cold.
Harsh.
Distant.
Unforgiving.
Just like my father.

He shook his head, annoyed at the validity of my words.

"There are dignitaries here General. Officials, rulers, imperial forces." I curse to myself, thinking of the wedding party housed just a few meters away. "We must increase security"

"Of course emperor. Already on it"General Jung shouts a few commands at the soldiers before guiding his horse to my side.

"There has been talks emperor." General Jung looks at the man maimed on the spear. His voice was low but cautious. His words were meant for my ears only.

"There are always discussions. About me and what I do"

"The letter"

"I have not had a chance to read it" I confess truthfully. I was avoiding it.

"Avoidance may seem like the easy option emperor but eventually, the issue will present itself again and again"

"You sound like a fortune teller Jung" I scoff. He laughs before turning his horse around, leaving me to think.

——-

I head back to my room, hoping my Daiyu wasn't too worried. The journey to the outskirts of the palace had taken longer than expected.

My mind still ran wild with the recent events. A dragon had had just died... on my rule. The Tai Yen was my responsibility. I was the last dragon head ordered to destroy the list and I had failed to do that.

What would the other 10 heads think of my negligence? Was it even possible to right my wrong? It was the only time a dragon head on the list had been killed.

"Emperor Xiang" I hear Chancellor Hui's irksome voice from the distance.
How inconvenient.

Chancellor Hui bowed before my feet before rising.
His eyes trailed to the note sticking from my robe.
"I just heard of the recent events emperor. They are unsettling, to say the least," His words were purposeful. He was one of the few men who knew of the Tai Yen. "You disposed of the list emperor? Correct?" Chancellor Hui whispered, making sure no one else heard his query.

"Are you doubting the capabilities of my intelligence?" I push him against the wall, easily towering over his stature.

"No. No. Emperor. It is just...the compromise has shaken the dynasty."He took note of my menacing glare and before trailing his words. He knew he had overstepped his boundaries.
How dare he challenge my authority!

He understood his folly and bows once again before retreating from my presence.

I needed to see my Daiyu; I was kept away for far too long. Maybe she had seen something or someone and was too scared to tell me? There was no way the list could have been compromised...she had been so careful.

I pull the note from my robes once I saw that the coast was clear and break open the red seal.

One by one the list will shorten
12 dragon heads will have their plans thwarted.
Ten will turn to Five
Then five will turn into two,
Until finally, the last one to be killed, will be you.

I crushed the paper between my fingers, annoyed at the contents of the note. 

How could I be so foolish?
I had been so preoccupied with protecting my dynasty that I had failed to neglect the contents of the list.

I was the last of the twelve.
The last Dragon Head was me.

——-

Author Note

Me writing that poem and imagining it over a migos beat