Kuro: A Land in Eternal Night

Chapter 23.1: The Dragon Emperor

Zhao Zeng

"An invasion of Mystika is all we have left as an option," said one of the imperial advisors, his voice carrying strength in the great hall.

The great emperor Zhao Zheng, the thirtieth-generation descendant of the great Dragon Emperor shook his head. He grew weary of the proceedings. The gathering of minds was seated at the lavish war planning room of the Winter Palace. Gold adorned every corner of the room, and gilded lilies accentuated the ornate cabinetry. Rubies and jade lined the portions of the room that met the ceiling. The emperors of Yin believed the glory of the world beyond needed to be reflected in the world of mortal men as well. Birds of paradise perched on artificial trees, flexed their wings made of carefully spun silk; their wooden husks carved exquisitely by master craftsmen and adorned by only the most expensive of jewels. They looked alive in the glittering splendour of the room, for no expense was spared in the great gathering room.

The lavish decor was doing no favors for the emperor's disposition, however. Zhao Zheng's patience was wearing thin. Between the constant prattling of his advisors and the highly charged political landscape, he was caught between a rock and a hard place. And the problem at hand, finding a practical solution to the growing threat in the North, had been lost. The incessant jockeying for position and the all-important task of looking intelligent in front of the smartest people in the room, all took priority over solving the problem.

It was not as though Zhao Zheng was a stranger to all this. Growing up as a member of the imperial family, he had been trained from birth, taught to tell good from evil, to heed the wisdom of the ancients and to utilize it for the good of all. He knew to measure a man not by his words but by his actions. Miyun had always doubted his ability to see into the hearts of men, but it wasn't that he couldn't. Part of his problem was that he could - most certainly clearer than most men.

He could see the ones that spoke in beautiful tongues of noble deeds and yet he could hear their foul aims as if they were speaking clearly. He feigned ignorance only because such an act was useful. Why let your enemies know how intelligent you were? It was far better that they saw only an emperor blind to the truth, although no one could ever accuse Zhao Zheng of being foolish.

"The four kingdoms abound with stories of the evils that are growing in the North." One of the so-called wise magistrates interrupted his reverie sounding very intelligent indeed. It was evident the old cuckoo had practiced his speech well into the night. The colors he wore were especially chosen as well, fine woven silks of exceptional color; only the famed phoenix could have had brighter colors. He wore them with an air of dignified pomp, giving him the appearance of a learned scholar. He paced his steps, taking great care to stand in the positions of power, making use of visual cues to ensure that he would get the majority to side with him. Zhao Zheng sneered at such displays of 'intelligence'. In his mind, such endeavors were a waste. He smiled and nodded politely nonetheless.

Ah, but how the mighty had fallen. He needed to keep reminding himself that he was the current Dragon Emperor. It was a pity there were no wars to be fought with men these days. Those were real battles, not battles with foes that hid in the shadows.

It was partly why he had sent prince Xin off to his very first mission. He was so sure that this mission was going to be a good learning experience for the boy. Miyun had never forgiven him for it, of course. She kept saying the boy was not yet ready to become a man. Zhao Zheng knew the real reason: that the desert did not differentiate boy from man, prince from pauper. The perilous desert of Yin claimed what it wanted to claim. It was the way of life in the Winter Desert. He had not given up hope that the young prince was alive, but he was a realist after all. If his son was dead, it was time to accept the reality of things as well.

The calming sounds of a troupe of stringed musicians in the background lent an air of quiet to the gathering. Zhao Zheng was grateful for the distraction. He stopped listening to the minister of military affairs at this point. If none of his generals were concerned, there was no need to listen to a minister who had seen no real battle, and who was unable to insight into something he was ill-equipped to chime in on. But such was the nature of politics, for the minister of military affairs was the cousin of Yin Zhou, great King of the Western Desert, and it was only fitting that nobility had a place in Imperial Government. Sometimes Zhao Zheng questioned the entire system.

Something about the ongoing tirade caught his attention, however: "...certain reports have said that the Dark Priestess has been spotted in the forests near Umi in Taiyou-Shi. If the Dark Priestess has returned, what signal does that portend? Why has she returned after being gone for all these years? Did she find something in the darkness?"

"I would like to hear an account of this report," Zhao Zheng interrupted. "Upon whose knowledge is it based? Has Vannah Searra von Talthys decided to once again show herself in the world of the living?"

The minister of defense nodded in satisfaction. Zhao Zheng nodded back, not in satisfaction, but in deep agreement. "Idiot. Now tell me what I really need to know."