Zi Shou had specially chosen this dog from the West Garden. Its coat gleamed, and it was very clean.
But its most distinctive feature was the clothing it wore.
Dressing a dog was unusual enough. Even more baffling was that this dog wore official robes.
Zi Shou was borrowing ideas from a later ruler again. He had copied Emperor Ling of Han's West Garden and Palace Market. Selling offices and titles could wait until the nobles made money from commerce, but he certainly could not pass up the dog officials.
Emperor Ling of Han loved keeping dogs. He even called them "my beloved ministers" and dressed them like people, complete with official hats, robes, and sashes, before taking them to court.
He had also devised ways to make the palace maids around him mate with these dogs, watching from the sidelines with boundless delight.
Historical records had documented these appalling acts of bestiality. Zi Shou could only marvel at how many tricks Emperor Ling of Han had up his sleeve, using every conceivable means to degrade the palace maids around him for his own amusement.
Zi Shou could not bring himself to carry out that inhuman business with dogs and palace maids, but dog officials were an idea worth borrowing.
"My beloved minister, rise."
R-rise?
The ministers were baffled. They raised their heads and looked around in bewilderment. Who was His Majesty speaking to?
The Eunuch leading the dog felt as though thorns were digging into his back. Stiffly, he raised his hand.
Then the dog that had just entered the hall stood on its hind legs and began tottering along.
Its movements caught everyone's attention. The ministers looked closely and discovered that the dog wore official robes exactly like theirs!
Led by the Eunuch, the dog made a circuit