Chapter 258: Left or Right

"The Yue Dynasty, much like our nation before your imperial majesty’s ascension to the throne, has two dominant political parties. In fact, it has had these two parties for as long as their had been an empire in the east. Though through the centuries they had different objectives, ambitions, leaders and standing in the silver court, they had always retained their names. Never changing them. The Right Seat Party and the Left Seat Party. Governed for centuries by the aptly called Left and Right Ministers. The two closest advisors of the eastern sovereign. His hands and feet so to speak." The Golden Mask of the east spoke animatedly.

"We all know this Glee." I said, reclining in my chair, while my Eve lounged upon my lap. "What we need from you now is your insight into who might be the ones orchestrating the current coup in the halls of the Moon Palace."

"It has to be the Right Seat Party who are behind this." Nizam impatiently said then. "They’ve been out of favour for years. It has to be them behind this."

"And they are a highly aggressive faction, my liege. As we had witnessed a few years back, when they advised the emperor to wage war against us in the hopes of saving Zadkiel’s doomed kingdom." Isaac agreed with a thoughtful expression.

"...My engagement must have been the final straw for the disgruntled faction." Nizam said through gritted teeth, spilling the thoughts that have been haunting him for days now. "Their entire ideology stands on the principle of war and expansion. But with my engagement, and subsequent peace in the south, they must’ve felt themselves without hope for future political relevance for many, many years. Especially as the eastern emperor constantly favoured the Right Seats over them in recent years."

"It does seem like the most obvious conclusion." Eve said a second later as well, though her frowning eyes did not elicit the most confident sight.

But one of us did not seem to agree, as he began shaking his head.

"The militaristic and aggressive Left Seats." He said. "A common misconception." Glee quickly declared. "Even among those who dwell in the royal palace."

"Explain." I commanded.

"My lords, allow me to offer you a true view of the eastern empire’s political landscape in the last few years." He said. "The two power blocks are held up by two, competing ideologies and interests. Prosperity through internal cultivation and investment. And prosperity through external expansion and bloodshed. Held by the Right and Left Seats respectively. Thusly, the guilds, traders, even the farmers adore the Right. While the military is in the pocket of the Left. Has been for years now, my liege. The most recent Minister of the Left, lord Weiguo, has been trying to advance a strictly militaristic policy for years now. And I often hear that he uses you and our empire as prime examples for a war bred economy, and the wonders it could bring."

"But does this not drape even more suspicion upon the Left Seat Party." Horus commented. "As it could also finally explain why the emperor did not send one of the empire’s standard armies and instead dispatched his own. Because the traitors control most of the military."

"Indeed it does." Glee nodded. "But there are two reasons that leave that apparent cloak of apparent guilt utterly without merit."

"And they are?" I asked.

"My liege, lord Weiguo is a military man through and through. A retired general who spent his whole life guarding distant borders as even his own child and then grandchild was born. A people’s hero who’s image still evokes bows of respect in the border lands where he stood a stalwart guardian. He offered his youth, body and very soul for this stretch of land known as the Yue Dynasty. And I would even dare bet that if we were to search the whole world and comb through all of it’s history, we would find few who could ever match this man’s loyalty to his master."

"...But if this is true, and the Left Seat Party is beyond reproach, then what possible reason does the Right Seat Party have for possibly betraying the sovereign who has favoured them for so many years?" I asked after a moment’s thoughtful silence.

"Ah!" He exclaimed. "That my liege, is the second reason. Lord Ruiyuan, Minister of the Right and the master of the Right Seat Party, is a born and bred bureaucrat, my liege. A snake who’s poisoned fangs have found their way into one too many suspicious and convenient deaths. And more than once did he almost fall upon the sword of his insatiable ambition." He finished with what sounded like a cold sneer behind his obscuring mask.

"What time?" Isaac asked, leaning forward in intrigue.

"The time when the old Yue Emperor found out about his many shady dealings and ordered his execution. And it would’ve happened too, if not for the greatest grace the Gods gave him. His wife. She begged the old emperor to allow her to carry the burden of her husband’s foolish mistakes." He explained as the sneer behind his mask seemed to stretch even further.

"Tianlan’s father killed his wife?" I asked in interest.

"Indeed my liege." He nodded, before he then muttered with a short lived sombre tone in his voice. "She was too good a woman for him."

"Revenge?" Isaac and Abraham looked at one another then, disregarding Glee’s final mumble.

"You seem pretty biased Glee." My Eve noted with a passive expression then, her unseeing eye locking onto his own.

"Never my lady!" He resolutely replied. "But I do not deny my hatred for the Right Minister. He has been a foul shadow upon my operations for many years now." He admitted a moment later.

"Ruiyuan’s reputation and done deeds for the sake of climbing the greased political ladder provide concrete proof of competence and a clear showing that he is not above dirtying his hands to get what he wants." I began. "His wife’s execution give us a possible motive. But as far as I know, Ruiyuan has been often described as one of Tianlan’s most faithful and devoted servant. And I am also aware that he has been married several more times through the years, while being blessed with no less than five children and over a dozen grandchildren. His first wife’s death might not weigh as much on him as we might think. Especially with the offender having long been dead."

A silence fell over us again.

"Anything else comes to mind Glee? Anything that could prove useful?" Asked Isaac.

He nodded. "Emperor Tianlan, true to his reputation as the Golden Glutton, despised any action that required the expenditure of more Darr than absolutely necessary. And more than once both the Right and Left Parties have suffered because of it. Either due to promises that could not be fulfilled, or critical operations for them fell through as a result of it."

"Nothing more?" I asked. He shook his head.

"He didn’t seem to be so gold obsessed when I met his during the Banquet." I said in a whisper, as I reclined back in my seat, my chin pinched between my thumb and index finger in a thought.

Silence returned to us then, as we all became absorbed in our thoughts again.

"But one thing remains." I said a few minutes later, breaking the quiet.

"What is it brother?" Nizam asked.

"How this whole mess was allowed in the first place?" I said. "The eastern empire, much like my own, is guarded by no less than three tenth rank masters as well. Fengying the Bow Queen, the woman who reigns as the pinnacle of all experts when related to the bow arts. Jianguo the Unyielding, the oldest among the three, and this age’s most supreme master of earth magic. And Jingwen the Silent, the finest wielder of wind magic in the world. All loyal men and woman of the Silver Court. All fully capable of easily undo the mess currently plaguing the palace halls."

Everyone grew frigid in their seats, as I spoke into existence the matter that they all had considered and did not want to face. Before we all then turned to Glee again. Yet he simply shook his head a dejected bow of the head.

"So you don’t know either." I muttered.

"This fact suggests two most likely possibilities." Eve spoke up, crossing one leg over the other, as she folded her arms beneath her generous chest. "The first is that all three of the tenth rank guardians of the east are in cahoots with one another to bring down the House of the Moon Goddess. Or at least two of them are, and are actively supressing the final loyal third."

"Judging by the fact that the imperial family did not fall in a single day, this seems to suggest the latter, my lady." Abraham quickly added, reasonably.

"The question is, if that is true, who is our one remaining ally?" I asked to one in particular.

"Well there’s only one way to truly find out, isn’t there." Eve lightly smiled, as she extracted herself from my lap, and headed to the nearby shadows cast by the swaying light of the candles.

"What do you mean sister?" Nizam asked, perplexed, but she did not answer him, as she slowly sat upon the ground.

’As always she is nothing but grace.’ I thought, looking at her, as I then noticed Nizam turning his questioning gaze to me instead.

"You forget who my wife is dear brother." I smirkingly said, as I returned my focus back to her. Just when small ripples of divine power began to echo silently from her kneeling frame.