King Dodd
Dodd, the king of the Xaiwen Kingdom, was half leaning back in the big chair, his eyes half-closed, seemingly asleep, but he was actually listening carefully to the eunuch Kwen, who was standing by, reading to him the memorials submitted to him by officials from various provinces.
Such memorials continued coming to him every single day, tens of them, sometimes hundreds of them, which meant that Dodd had to spend more than ten hours every day on listening to them and giving instruction or commands. Because, for the past tens of years, he had to read these documents for a long time every single day, and as he was getting older, his eyes were prone to stinging, so he had to use a eunuch to help him read these documents. The eunuchs would stand up and read out loud to him, while he closed his eyes and listened with his ears.
This seemingly simple task was a huge challenge for both Dodd and Kwen.
There were memorials sent from all over his kingdom, each one claiming it should be given precedence: they came from small areas, large cities, and even from other countries—countries of dependency. Each wanted to have the privilege of being chosen by the king and receiving support, assistance, or protection from him; but because the demands were so many and varied, and since the king had not enough energy or time in choosing which ones needed immediate attention, the process became quite difficult. But worse than that, there was always bad news coming in from time to time.
When a disaster occurred like an earthquake, drought, or flood, the king's first reaction would naturally be to direct aid to those affected. But after the problem was resolved, the king would then forget about it, and no one would ever know whether their lives had been saved, or if the calamity had left behind suffering and distress. This was what happened to the people at Vrepool, one of his provinces, where an epidemic caused some fatalities and considerable damage. When the illness ended, the king ordered that his province provide compensation to the victims, but no one knew how much money was owed to whom, or even if anyone had received anything. That same year, a neighboring province suffered a terrible famine, and its people begged to be taken under the king's protection. He granted them his protection, but when the food arrived, there was none left for the people of Vrepool. After that, even though the people of Vrepool asked to come to his court, the king refused to see them. And so they went to beg in front of his palace gates, where they were beaten and arrested. They were then sent to prison.
The worst of all bad news was the war. Although the kingdom hadn't been at war for almost a hundred years, any movement or skirmish on the border caused great anxiety and stress to the king. During the past year, several conflicts arose between neighboring kingdoms, and because of this, the king had to send troops to guard the borders. At the same time, he had to keep soldiers ready to go to fight whenever the condition was out of control. For a long time, the king did nothing else except worry about the situation.
All of this made the king feel very tired, and in addition, the fact that he was getting old and could no longer do all the work himself further added to his exhaustion. As he listened to Kwen read, he felt exhausted and depressed as well, and his eyelids grew heavy and his head began to nod. He did not want to hear what Kwen had to say next, and yet he forced himself to listen attentively.
As for Kwen, it was not an easy job for him either, and although he was used to the task, he was also tired. His face was sunken, his eyes red and bloodshot, and his forehead was covered with sweat. He thought he should let the king rest and close his eyes for a moment, but he knew he couldn't do that. He had to continue reading until he finished the document. He was standing by the side of the king, with his legs straight, his body slightly bowed forward to show respect to the king; he kept going with his voice loud so that the king could hear clearly, and his mind focused so that he would not make a mistake. He kept his posture for several hours, and could not go to the toilet, because of which he did not dare to eat or drink until he finished his work and was dismissed. Kwen had worked for the king for many years, but he had only one request: he wished to be allowed to return to his hometown and live in peace among his relatives and friends. He liked his life at court, but he missed home—the green hills, the quiet countryside, and his parents. In those days, it was customary for servants to have requests to be fulfilled before they died; now he had to wait patiently for his king to grant his wish.
Dodd woke up suddenly. He opened his eyes wide and stared straight ahead. He looked at Kwen. He said, "Read it again!"
This particular document began: "The King's Majesty sends me herewith the memorials submitted by provincial officials concerning matters of policy and administration in their respective regions…" When Kwen saw that the king was a bit excited, he hurriedly read the same script again from the beginning.
An official of a southern province wrote to the king that on the day Prince Min was born, there appeared traces of a legendary dragon in their area. There was thunder and lightning, and many people saw a huge beast like a dragon looming between the clouds, making a deafending roar. It was as tall as a mountain and moved quickly toward the sky. Then it disappeared into thin air, leaving behind a wind. Some people reported seeing the shadow of a creature falling down from heaven onto earth, and others claimed to have seen a light shooting across the heavens. Others pointed out the coincidence and suggested that perhaps it was just a meteor shower, but still more people insisted it must be the appearance of the legendary Dragon. The whole region was shaken by excitement, and everyone was talking about the event. Many people believed this phenomenon was proof that their newborn prince was the chosen one, who was destined for great things. Others said the appearance of a dragon in our kingdom on the day of the birth of a royal son was a great omen of good fortune and a sign that the new prince would be blessed by the heavens and would lead the country to glory in the future. Then, in the end, the report concluded with the statement that dragons were believed to bring good fortune, so please issue orders for a ceremony to celebrate the birth of the prince and the appearance of a dragon!
Dodd rose from his chair with joy and applauded unceasingly. "Good! Very good!" he shouted.
Seeing how happy the King was, Kwen kept bowing and congratulating him.
"What's the name of that place, again, where the dragon appeared?"
"Your Majesty, it's called 'Mountain Town'!" Kwen was also happy for his king.
"Never heard of it."
"Our kingdom is vast, with countless cities, towns, and villages. It is normal that the names of these small places are not heard of," Kwen rushed to explain.
"You are right. Then, you go announce a proclamation to the whole country announcing the birth of the prince and the appearance of the real dragon, and then the whole country celebrated for three days."
"Yes, your Majesty! I'm going to prepare it right now!" Kwen turned around and walked toward the gate of the hall, but was suddenly called back by the King.
Dodd was pacing back and forth in his hall, hands behind his back, thinking hard about how to deal with this important situation he was currently facing. The power struggle in the palace made him very sensitive and cautious.
Dodd Alart, the king of Xaiwen Kingdom, had 9 daughters and three sons. His first son was Hugon, 22 years old, whose mother was king's consort Hui; the second one was named Hudd, 21 years old, the son of king's consort Airi; then the third one was named Min, just born, the son of the Queen Ysout. According to tradition, Dodd should pass the throne to the first son of the queen, who was Min in this case, but it was not absolute, there were precedents of passing the throne to other royal sons.
Consort Hui's son, who was 22 years old, was his first son to be born. It was believed that Hui's son Hugon would be the heir to the throne, and Dodd had been carefully grooming him, let him lead the army and manage the affairs of the country. Hugon worked hard and did not let him down. Dodd's thoughts were well known to everyone, but he never publicly announced Hugon as the heir to the throne. Instead, he often mentioned another royal son, Hudd, who was 21 years old and the child of Consort Airi.
Hudd was thought the most beautiful and handsome young man in the kingdom, and he loved to play chess and gamble, and he was famous throughout the land. People considered him to be clever, witty, and full of charm, and he was popular among women too. Unlike his elder brother Hugon, Hudd seemed to enjoy being surrounded by girls. He was a big flirt, and he enjoyed having fun with them every chance he got. However, he lacked leadership skills, and he was not particularly talented or intelligent. No matter how much he studied, he could not get better grades than average, nor did he possess outstanding talents or abilities. Nevertheless, he was charming and attractive, and therefore, people generally regarded him as a potential candidate for the throne. So far, however, he had never shown any interest in politics. He preferred playing and gambling, spending time with girls, and enjoying his freedom rather than taking responsibility.
The palace seemed to be calm, but in fact there were various dark currents: all the officials were choosing sides, hoping that the side they secretly support would succeed the throne, so that they could gain the most benefit in the future. Moreover, all the ministers were scheming and plotting against each other. The king had appointed some of them as advisers, but others were jealous and suspicious, trying to find ways to oust the king's favorite advisors. Everyone wanted something from the throne, and the more powerful they were today, the greater their chances would be tomorrow. There were precedents of the throne being overthrown through internal strife and assassinations, and so Dodd was extremely careful.
He regretted what he had just said. After much deliberation, he felt that he should not make such an announcement now, but should instead keep a low profile: he should not associate the appearance of the dragon with the birth of prince Min, nor should he celebrate it with great fanfare. This would not only bring turmoil to the court, but might even bring danger to his young son. If someone decided that the appearance of a mythical dragon meant misfortune for the monarchy, and if they started spreading rumors about it, then disaster could ensue. On top of everything, the whole country was already experiencing drought, famine, and disease in some places around the kingdom. The authority needed to spend money on food and medicine. They didn't need additional expenses incurred by celebrations. Therefore, after considering all these factors, Dodd changed his mind.
"Cancel the announcement. Tell that official who submitted this proposal to shut his mouth up, and not mentioned this again to anyone. Otherwise , I will exceute him. The celebration of the birth of prince will be limited inside the palace. That's all. Go do your job!" Dodd waved his hand to dismiss Kwen.
When he walked out of the hall, Kwen thought to himself, "It's like being with a tiger to service a king. A moment ago, he was happy, but now he's suddenly upset. I really can't understand what is in his head."
When Kwen left the hall, the king went to his chamber and took off his crown. He sat down in front of the window, leaned against its frame, closed his eyes, and sighed deeply. He was exhausted. He was always worried about his children and their futures, and he was constantly concerned about the political climate within the kingdom. But he also understood that he had no choice; he could not change his fate, and neither could he avoid doing what he was supposed to do.