The Eagle and the Dragon, a Novel of Rome and China (Novels of Ancient Rome Book 1) by McIntyre Lewis F

Author:McIntyre, Lewis F.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lew and Karen McIntyre Authors LLC
Published: 2017-02-02T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 50: A PLAN FOR CLEMENCY

The emperor returned from his southern tour with a great deal more fanfare than on his departure, arriving at Luoyang’s south wall by the waterfront with a blast of trumpets and heralds announcing his arrival. He was riding in the rear of an ornate four-wheeled chariot with a low yellow umbrella over him to shield him from the sun and weather, side rails of gold-leaf dragons, with red and green trim. The chariot was accompanied by four very tall and muscular armor-clad Hanaean soldiers whose faces evinced no emotion or even thought; white cloths inscribed with five Hanean characters circled their close-cropped heads. The crowd gawked from a respectful distance as they escorted their equally impassive royal burden, sitting cross legged on purple silk cushions, through the Pingchengmen Gate and then directly into the southern gate of the palace compound. Inside the compound, a single trumpet blast, loud enough to be heard throughout the pavilion, announced his arrival. Long vertical flags of green and yellow, shaped like upraised knife blades emblazoned with Hanaean inscriptions, snapped erect on the parapets.

This done, the procession continued in silence north across the vast compound to the eastern palace itself, where the Minister of the Household stood awaiting him, flanked by six armed guards at the foot of the imperial stairs. He did his ritual obeisance, hands clasped in front of his bowed head, for about a minute, until the Son of Heaven acknowledged him. The Guangluxun then stood erect with eyes downcast, while the chariot escorts gently assisted Emperor He in dismounting. He ascended the palace steps slowly in silence, followed by the Minister of the Household and his guards. Inside, he was escorted to the royal apartments, where servants awaited to cleanse him of the dust of the long road trip, and dress him in his dark blue and black silk ceremonial robes. With him dressed, they fitted the ceremonial flat black hat surrounded by dangling jewels on his head. Any movement of his head set the tiny jewels to swinging just inside his eyes’ focal range, making him feel that he was in a swarm of insects.

About an hour later, he convened a meeting of his three Excellencies in the throne room for an update on events in the northern provinces during his absence. The three Excellencies sat on cushions on the floor, kneeling on their haunches, also clad in the dark blue and black silk robes preferred by Emperor He. After recapping a rather uneventful winter, the Excellency of the Masses requested permission to call in the tingwei to update the Son of Heaven on recent events involving the Da Qin envoys. The Minister of Justice was ushered in.

Emperor He listened impassively as the tingwei recounted how the Da Qin were wrongfully arrested by the Minister of Guards, based on inaccurate information, kept overnight in an abominable prison, but released the following morning with apologies conveyed in person by Minister of Guards.

“Tingwei Feng Chou, you did well to rectify a bad situation.

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