Section Seven: Elder Council
The history of the Elder Council went like this: Zichuan Yun, a hero of his generation, spent half his life fighting in iron and blood, laying the foundations of the Zichuan Family. In his later years, his mind and physical strength gradually declined, and he found it increasingly difficult to bear the burden of leading the family.
But he was far too attached to power and stubbornly refused to step down. Though his mind was no longer clear, he still insisted on personally meddling in every matter, waving his hands around and issuing random orders all day. His moods were erratic too; whenever anything displeased him, he would howl, "Kill him! Kill him! Drag him out and chop off his head!" Nearly a hundred personal attendants died under such orders, and sometimes even the family's civil and military officials were caught up in it.
The great general Ming Lan had only returned in triumph the day before when, during an audience, he dirtied the beautiful carpet in the Commander-in-Chief's Mansion with his shoes. Zichuan Yun immediately behaved like a child whose toy had been broken, crying and screaming, "Kill him! Kill him!" Thus, the famed general Ming Lan was executed for no reason at all. His final words to his son were, "Make sure you wipe your shoes clean!"
Even more absurdly, when Zichuan Yun awoke the next day, he asked those around him, "Why hasn't Ming Lan come to see me yet? I've been waiting for him for ages!" The guards stared at each other. He had completely forgotten the order he had given the day before!
As time passed, Zichuan Yun's forgetfulness became more and more severe. The meritorious officials and nobles feared nothing more than receiving a summons from him: "Old friend, I