Chapter 285: Throne

~~~

“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.”

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

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?”