Volume 2 Chapter 22

  The wedding was brief and informal. The Justicar claimed that his voice was sore, and wished to keep things brief. The happy couple kissed, and their hands were bound together by the hand of the emperor, and they were led to the master bedroom where they were expected to consummate the marriage in privacy.

  Kora blushed a little bit when Renton had informed her mother of this requirement of their household, but Toh Zang assured Renton, who had not been wearing his mask at the time, that it would be of no trouble. She said ‘The servant of the emperor is welcome sleep in any bed that belongs to a member of the Zang family,’ and this pleased Renton. He put his mask back on and said so as the emperor.

  After the wedding, as the family was settling down, Kora was walking with Renton one last time before he departed. She had been considering carefully his proposal, and she came to a conclusion.

  “Renton, I have decided that I wish to become a servant of the empire,” she said outside the path to the forest where the blackspire tree stood.

  “Are you certain?” Renton asked. “It is no easy thing to be a servant of the empire. I would know that myself. I often regret my decision to be a servant of the empire, and yet it is a burden I bear proudly.”

  “I’m certain.”

  Renton put on his mask. “Repeat your intent.”

  “I wish to become a servant of the empire,” she told the justicar.

  “The ears of the emperor have heard your intent. The voice of the emperor commands you thus. Appear before the front gate of the imperial palace as soon as you possibly can. Present yourself to the guards present and tell them that you have been instructed by the emperor’s voice and the emperor’s hand to appear. Answer all questions put to you by the loyal servants of the emperor. Follow imperial custom while visiting the emperor’s palace to the est of your knowledge and ability. Do you hear these commands of the emperor?”

  “I hear these commands,” Kora said formally.

  “Will you obey these commands of the emperor?” Renton questioned.

  “I shall travel to the front gate of the emperor’s palace and present myself for an audience with the emperor. I shall follow the traditions to the best of my ability. I shall answer all questions put to me honestly,” Kora said.

  “The emperor’s ears has heard your intent to become a servant of the empire. The emperor’s voice speaks to you thus. When you see the emperor’s face, you are not to act surprised. Do you believe that you can follow this direction?”

  “If I am permitted to see the emperor’s face, I shall be honored. Whatever he looks like, I vow not to be surprised by his appearance,” she stated.

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  “The will of the emperor is that you live a long life in service of the empire, Kora Zang. You may be permitted to take upon yourself an imperial name and to cast off your milk name. The voice of the empire instructs you to begin considering what you wish your imperial name to be,” the justicar informed her.

  “If that is the will of the emperor, then I shall accept this honor,” Kora said.

  Then Renton took off his mask and they continued walking, having settled the formality of the situation. Two hours later, the Zang family appeared in the courtyard once more and watched as Renton Shen, loyal servant of the emperor, vanished in a bolt of lightning.

  It was only later that they realized that he had taken Kora Zang with her.

  That evening, Rukas and his wife vanished from the Zang compound. Toh Zang, Kora’s mother, found a letter upon her bed. It was sealed by an imperial stamp using the stationary of the house, which had been taken from her own desk. The cultivators of the Zang family gathered to read the letter.

  Toh Zang broke the seal herself and scanned the contents quickly. She frowned as she puzzled out the meaning. Then she read them aloud to the rest of the family.

  “These are the words of the emperor, written by his right hand at the instruction of his will. The words of the emperor’s will are thus. All members of the Zang family who bear loyalty to the emperor are ordered to present themselves before the imperial court as soon as possible. They are to bear with them all of their mortal servants. Their home shall be under the protection of the emperor until they return.

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  “They are additionally instructed as follows. They are to send their swiftest messenger to the outer court to arrange the details. They are required to attend before the last day of the tenth month of the year that this letter was received by a representative of the Zang family. If they require assistance in following the commands of the emperor, they are instructed to request the assistance of a loyal servant of the emperor.

  “Let it be known to the Zang family that the will of the emperor has taken their daughter hostage to ensure their compliance to the commands of the emperor. If they wish to have their daughter returned to their family, they are to submit a request to the emperor’s hand.

  “I hereby sign this letter in the name of the emperor,

  “Renton Shen.”

  Toh Zang began to feel ill as she read the contents of the letter. The logistics of the command were impossible, for to bear with them their mortal servants would take months of work. Still, they began the preparations for the journey, sending Sean Zang ahead to arrange things with the servants of the emperor.

  They were very troubled by the fact that their daughter was referred to as a hostage. They were more nervous about disobeying the will of the emperor, however. Regardless, having gone through the process of preparing for an imperial audience before, they knew that they would not be required to wear fancy clothing, as they were expected to wear the clothes that were given to them after they bathed in the imperial hot springs.

  That lightened the burden considerably. They traveled to the nearest city and began buying horses for their servants.

  And that was how the Zang family came to own two hundred horses.

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