In the Imperial Study of Great Qiu's Imperial Palace, the emperor rested against a cushioned couch. After sitting for a while, he began to doze.
The Old Emperor was nearly eighty, a ripe old age among Great Qiu's monarchs. His fifty-one years on the throne were also unrivaled in all its history.
Over the years, he had heard plenty of flattery about being "an emperor unparalleled through the ages" and reigning "for a thousand autumns and ten thousand generations," and it had only swollen his original ambitions.
The Old Emperor had already outlived quite a few princes and princesses.
The most pitiful had been the First Prince, who spent forty years as Crown Prince and died of old age without ever ascending the throne. Since then, the Old Emperor had never appointed another Crown Prince.
Many in the court understood what was on the emperor's mind.
The Four Dragon King Cult had shown the emperor genuine hope. The divine medicine the Dragon Kings initially provided through the High Priest, along with their magical blessings, had kept the Old Emperor full of vigor for a long time. During that period, he had even favored several newly admitted Palace Maidens.
Four dragons ascending to heaven, immortality without aging.
That was the promise the emperor had received. He had also personally witnessed the Divine Abilities of those around the High Priest. To him, whether the Dragon King statues fell was unimportant. What mattered most was the High Priest's promise.
Just then, the High Priest of the Four Dragon King Cult hurried in behind a eunuch. The Old Emperor seemed to awaken at the sound of his footsteps and stared toward the other side of the Imperial Study's curtain.
The High Priest stopped short. Though old, the emperor still exuded an imposing presence, and