Chương 25: Scheming emperor
"Your majesty, ten villages have been destroyed and the bandits don't seem to be stopping there."
"How many wives and children does he have and how are their characters?" The emperor inquired.
"He has one imperial consort, fifteen concubines, and twenty children. The whole family except the tenth concubine and her daughter are bullies. They bully the citizens, kill, and rob them of their belongings." The minister of war reported.
"No redeeming qualities?" The emperor's gaze was still on the report he was reading, but half of his attention was on what was being reported.
"No, your majesty. Two of the princesses got themselves a harem of men in their palaces, including married men. They either kill the wives of the men that complained, or sent them to brothels."
The emperor raised a brow when he heard that. A wicked smile played on his lips as he commanded. "Send the whole family except the tenth concubine and her daughter to war with the bandits.
Put them in the forefront and let them battle with their lives. Make sure they are dead before you send reinforcement to the soldiers. This should be the last time we shall be hearing about bandits appearing in our eastern Yang. If you don't eradicate them all in this war, then you are not fit to be our Hua Xia's minister of war."
"Y– yes, Your majesty." The minister burst out in cold sweat. Can the emperor be any more heartless?
After the minister of war had returned to his spot, the minister of rite, an old man with the support of a third ranked official wearing a blue court robe stepped forward and was about to kneel when the emperor waved at the old man.
"You are excused," he said with an air of nonchalance, although there was an illusion of respect in the way he spoke to the man, it was faint and nobody caught it.
"Thank you, your majesty!" The man bowed slightly and saluted. Even though he was excused from kneeling, it doesn't mean he shouldn't bow.
"Your majesty, it has been twenty years since you succeeded the late emperor and you have been a great leader to the people. However, your majesty, every Kingdom needs an empress to help the majesty in running the affairs of the kingdom in regards to the women folks.
The women's court has been barren for twenty years without a leader for the women and the kingdom is having a hard time dealing with some women who have started to take filial piety lightly.
The imperial consorts and concubines of the four states of Hua Xia kingdom have not been attending court sessions with the empress and for that, some of them don't know the rules that applied to them. They still see themselves as empresses even though Hua Xia kingdom is supposed to have one phoenix who is supposed to be sitting beside the son of heaven.
The concubines' chambers have not been visited by the son of heaven since they were made concubines. Your majesty, is the son of heaven not planning to have an heir?"
The old minister looked at the emperor who was equally looking at him with a bored expression on his face and sighed before gesturing to the junior official to help him kneel down.
In the whole of Hua Xia kingdom, only this old man would dare talk to the emperor like he was lecturing his children without getting punished. The people have tried to dig into their relationship but couldn't find out anything.
The second the old man knelt down, all the other officials and ministers, including the crown prince went down on their knees as they all kowtowed, urging the emperor to make things right.
"Your majesty, please give the kingdom an empress! Give the kingdom an heir!" They chorused.
The emperor watched them as they continued to kowtow. Their roaring voices were starting to give him a headache, so he took a book from the desk in front of him and slapped it on the desk, making a loud 'bang.'
When he had successfully gotten the attention he needed, he shifted his gaze from one person to another, scrutinizing their hypocritical faces.
"Before the concubines were forced into our harem, what was our deal?" He asked as his gaze stayed on the old man for a while before it shifted to other ministers who were tongue-tied.
"If we could remember correctly, we didn't want concubines but you all forced them into our harem and told us that they were only there to fulfill the custom. So what changed?
About our empress, we are still searching for her. When we get her, she shall climb to the phoenix seat."
"Your majesty, you have been telling us this for the longest time already, the kingdom–"
The emperor cut the old man off and glanced at everyone while asking: "Who among the concubines shall we bestow our favor? Our harem has fifteen daughters from your families. So, who shall we make the grandfather of the emperor's son?"
Seeing how all the officials were looking at him in confusion, the corner of his lips raised.
If hitting the emperor wasn't a crime that warrants beheading the perpetrator and the banishment of his family, the old man swore in his heart that he would have smacked him on the head for being so scheming.
The emperor and the old man started an eye contest with rage boiling in the old man's eyes while the emperor was a step away from laughing out loud.
"Minister of rite is tired, get him to stand up." The emperor commanded and the eunuchs immediately hurried to the old man and helped him up.
The old man looked around him. He was the only one standing and the rest were still kneeling. 'This evil child! He is punishing them!' the old man thought in his mind.
"Come back in the next court session to tell us the concubine you have chosen. Meanwhile, while asking us for an heir, you shouldn't forget that the kingdom already has a crown prince, unless you want his head severed for the upcoming crown prince."
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