Disappearance of the Golden Emperor
Prince Li Jiawu of the Great Tang Empire frowned, his thick fingers tapping irritably on the polished wooden desk. He stared at the eunuch in front of him before finally letting out a great sigh and granting his servant permission to leave. The eunuch’s face was flushed with relief as he bowed and departed the prince’s chambers hastily.
“What do you think about all this… nonsense, Grand Eunuch Li?” He turned and glanced at the elderly statesman, who was reclining on a comfortable couch, attended to by two child eunuchs of his own. “Hm?” Grand Eunuch Li raised his distinguished head and smiled. “This matter of Emperor Taisheng ascending to Heaven?”
“Yes, of course. That is the matter to which I refer.”
“What of it?”
Prince Jiawu forced himself to swallow a retort at the Grand Eunuch’s disrespectful, mocking smile. It would not do for him to lose his temper – the Grand Eunuch’s backing was essential if he was to make sure that brat of a Crown Prince tastes defeat. “Do you not think it curious?” he said. “Even my mother, Lady Wu, has been picking up such gossip from the servants, and she has expressed her concern to me numerous times.”
“Yet we cannot stop them from talking, Your Highness,” drawled the eunuch as he raised his wrinkled hand for one of his attendants to massage. “It is an open secret that the Emperor had been seeking the fruits of immortality. If you were to insist on stamping out all talk of him succeeding… that would be rather naughty. Rest assured your brothers would spin it to your disadvantage.”
“But they are claiming to witness all these little omens happening all over the place! Incense smelling sweeter than usual, a shower of rain from a clear sky-“
“Patience, Your Highness.” The Grand Eunuch spoke crisply, cutting the prince short. “If you are concerned that this is the Crown Prince’s plot, planned in retaliation for sending him to Guizhou, there is no need to worry. My best agent has informed me that the Crown Prince is still agonizing over how to resolve his problem down south. He has no men to spare to meddle in Chang’an.”
Prince Jiawu looked unconvinced. Scratching his beard, he leaned forward on the table. “You mean… Gao Ying?” He whispered the name hesitantly, as if to say it out loud would invite some form of trouble. “Can we trust him?” Grand Eunuch Li shook his head. “Trust no one. This is a lesson both Grand Eunuchs Wei and Wang will learn very soon. They still believe he is working for them, when in truth he is working for me. I do not trust Gao Ying, but there is no benefit to him betraying me. We are all men of the world. We deal in tangible matters… certain rewards. After all, Your Highness, once the Crown Prince falls you are closest to the throne. It will not be long now. Soon we will be ready to tighten the vise around Li Shun’s neck.”
“Yes. Yes, you are right, Grand Eunuch. As usual,” said the prince with some measure of relief. “I am sure-“
An urgent knock at the door interrupted his words. “Who is it? What is it?” snapped the prince, his patience of late already tested sorely by the incessant rumours of his father’s ascension flooding the palace.
“Your Highness, prince! I… er…”
“Spit it out, servant!” grumbled Prince Jiawu as he got up from his desk.
“It’s news… from the palace physician, Your Highness. The Emperor seems to have awakened.”
The prince took an involuntary step back, his face paling. “W-what? Are you sure?”
“Your Highness, that was what the physician claimed,” came the reply. “P-perhaps you would want to see for yourself?”
“What is the surprise, Your Highness?” asked the Grand Eunuch calmly. “Though the palace physician assured us that the Emperor’s own actions have led to a coma, he also said that he was not certain if the Emperor would ever wake again. There was always a chance of this happening.”
“Yes, I understand,” replied Prince Jiawu, calming himself as he puffed his chest out. “The throne will be mine sooner or later. I must present a proper face to His Majesty. Come, Grand Eunuch, let us be the first to greet the Emperor.”
***
“Father, are you there?” shouted Prince Jiawu. There was no response – nothing had changed from the moment he arrived ten minutes ago. The door was locked, though the lights were lit. With a snarl, he turned to the physician. “You told me that His Majesty was awake. What is the meaning of this?”
“B-b-but Your Highness, I did see his silhouette through the windows. I tried opening the doors but he grunted at me. Then, I smelt sulphur. Your Highness, you understand very well that His Majesty dislikes people entering his quarters when he is performing alchemical experiments!” protested the physician fearfully as he shrank back from the angry prince.
“Oh, brother, what is this? Were you threatening Father’s personal physician?” Prince Jiawu cursed his luck as he saw his younger sibling arrive with a cocky grin. “This is none of your business, Zhuangchen.”
“How can it be none of my business?” laughed Prince Zhuangchen. “I heard from some sources that Father was awake. With all these recent rumours of him ascending to Heaven bodily… well, you know I just had to take a look. I am sure the rest of our siblings will be here quite soon.” Prince Jiawu narrowed his eyes, glaring at his younger brother. Could he be the one who had spread those rumours? It was possible, thought Prince Jiawu. Zhuangchen was a conniving little bastard, like his mother. Lady Wu often complained about the two.
As the two princes waited impatiently in front of the doors to the Emperor’s personal chambers for their father to respond, more and more of their siblings arrived. There were princes and there were princesses, and they began calling out to their father, begging for him to say something.
“It looks like it is going to be a long night, my friends.” Grand Eunuch Li bowed to the other Grand Eunuchs, a fair distance away from the royalty. The Grand Eunuchs Li, Wei, Wang and Zhao – the real powers behind the government – would not have missed this for the world, despite their advanced age. As the minutes ticked by, Prince Zhuangchen spoke up. “This could be dangerous. What if His Majesty has collapsed again?”
The royal siblings looked at each other worriedly. “Well…”
“If he hasn’t, and you broke in, he would be quite angry,” muttered the young Princess Taile. The one unspoken thought running through most of their minds was if it was okay to just leave the Emperor to his own devices. After all, even if he died… Grand Eunuch Li sidled to the perplexed Prince Jiawu and whispered in his ear. He broke into a brief grin before loudly declaring, “I will take responsibility for this. We break down the door. It is our own father! Should we not be concerned? This is not the time to worry about his wrath – I will suffer it gladly if it means he is healthy and well.”
Saying that, he threw his strong body against the door. It creaked, but did not fully give way. The Emperor’s chambers were well-barred. He tried again. The perplexed guards and his siblings began to help out in a rare show of brotherly cooperation. Finally, the door was thrown open and they stumbled into the room.
“Father! Father, where are you?” shouted Prince Jiawu as he strode around the quarters, looking for the Emperor. It was a large chamber, complete with its own study and the Emperor’s alchemical benches. There was a large cauldron boiling over. The stink of sulphur filled the air, and the heat was unbearable. Dozens of royal princes and princesses fanned into the room, looking for the Emperor, but he was nowhere to be found.
“This is impossible. How can he not be in here?” Princess Taile peeked under the large royal bed, but saw nothing except dust. “The door was barred and we had to break it down. Where would Father have gone?”
“He must have been here until recently,” said Prince Zhuangchen, looking at the cauldron, his gaze calm and calculating. “The fire was lit not an hour ago. Could he have left before we got here? Physician, you were here, were you not?” His question was phrased accusingly, as if the physician could be guilty of some deception.
“Impossible,” said the physician nervously. “I-I was in front of the door all this time! I never left! The guards could testify to that!”
“I am afraid Father could not have left before we got here,” said Prince Qi, looking more closely at the cauldron. “Do you see how this boiled down? I know a bit of alchemy myself. The cauldron was probably lit no more than ten minutes ago. That means it was done while we were all outside.”
“It could be that Father heard us shouting and became annoyed,” murmured Princess Taile. The royal siblings started muttering worriedly. They knew the Emperor tended to have a temper when he was interrupted with his alchemical work. “Then where is he right now? That is the question, isn’t it?” asked Prince Zhuangchen testily. “Perhaps he went out of the window,” ventured Prince Qi.
“This is the third floor,” sighed Prince Jiawu. “At his age he would really have to be an immortal if he managed to pull that off.” There was a deep silence as everyone in the room stared at him. They had all heard of the rumours. Prince Jiawu scowled back. He was feeling a growing sense of disquiet in the back of his head. “A-anyway,” he continued, trying to take charge of the situation, “The windows are all closed. There would be no way for someone to close it if they had jumped out.”
He tugged at his robes – he was feeling rather hot. It looks like his siblings felt the same; the hot cauldron and that foul smoke coming from it was making the room very uncomfortable to be in. “Let us order an all out search of the palace and retire to Lengchang Hall to discuss what happens next,” he said. There were quick calls of agreement – none of them wanted to be in the room any longer.
***
Prince Jiawu had always found the cool fans of Lengchang Hall soothing. He did not get to enjoy it for long, however. Scant minutes after all of them had arrived, a messenger ran in. The Emperor had been spotted. They instantly rushed out of the hall, to the front of Linde Palace. As he ran, Prince Jiawu found his steps unsteady. It must be the tension and the stress, he thought. It had been a long night after all, and he had had little rest this past month.
His feet stopped. He looked up.
That was the Emperor, floating in mid-air.
There was no doubt about it – though he could not make out every detail of the man’s features in the night, he saw enough to be certain. He was in his royal robes, his hands outstretched.
“O sons and daughters of the wise Sage Emperor Taisheng!” A beautiful female voice resounded around the courtyard, apparently coming from thin air. It was a voice that lodged itself firmly inside Prince Jiawu’s skull, beguiling and attractive yet authoritative. “You are blessed indeed to witness this moment of your father’s ascension.”
“What is this? Who are you?” Prince Qi called out.
“I am the Queen Mother of the West, Xi Wangmu. I have been the patron of your father’s research over the years, imparting the knowledge of immortality unto him. And now, forty nine days after he succeeded in synthesizing the Elixir of Life, his transformation is complete,” declared the voice. “Behold, descendants of Huang Di, the birth of a new immortal to join the celestial ranks!”
There was a bright flash in the sky. Golden light flooded his sight. Prince Jiawu averted his eyes, pained from the glare. As it subsided, he saw that many of his siblings had fallen to their knees, kneeling before the strange sight. He found himself inexplicably doing the same. The voice continued, “With the Emperor Taisheng’s ascension, his earthly throne is now vacated. The Jade Emperor has decreed in his wisdom that the succession shall be performed in accordance to the laws of the dynasty and the express wishes of the great Taisheng. There will be no strife, only peace.”
Prince Jiawu stared into the lights, trying to gather his thoughts properly. The atmosphere was overbearing – he found it hard to think. Was this divine presence? He would not know, as he had never been in a god’s presence before, but it had to be.
“What does that mean?” asks Princess Taile, looking up at the floating Emperor in confusion. The Emperor waved his hand across the gathered crowd in response and shook his head. The voice spoke, “Emperor Taisheng has selected his heir years prior to his ascension. His name is known to the people, and he will be next to rule after his father. The Crown Prince Li Shun has now succeeded the Mandate of Heaven from his father, and will rule as wisely as his forebears had. Thus Heaven has decreed.”
“But-“ Prince Zhuangchen attempted to speak out, but another flash of light sent him back to the ground, prostrating in front of the gods.
“The Will of Heaven is absolute and just,” said the voice sweetly. “Stay strong on the path of virtue, O sons and daughters of the Sage Emperor. Remember, the gods are always with you…” There was one last flash of golden light, brighter and more painful than any that had come before it, as the voice faded away. He thought he could almost see the visage of a beautiful heavenly maiden within that light. When Prince Jiawu recovered his sight, he saw the Emperor’s robe fluttering down from the heavens. It fell, together with a clattering sound – staggering to his feet, he saw a wooden tablet, inscribed with writing.
The siblings got up, looking around in awed confusion. Prince Jiawu picked up the tablet and began to read from it, in full view of his siblings, the Grand Eunuchs, and a gathering of servants and guards.
It was a divine mandate that declared the succession of the Crown Prince Li Shun to the throne of the Great Tang Empire.
