60 Shadow Guards (2/2)

The monarch had just taken over the governance of the country and already those white-eyed wolves were circling around His Majesty.

Ah!

The monarch must have suffered untold humiliation and degradation during his stay with the northern barbarians and now his own subjects were plotting against him.

Ah!

The monarch hadn't even married as of yet and didn't even have any offsprings to continue the line.

Ah!

Their pitiful liege. Ah!

They must protect him and let him enjoy the sweetness after he had tasted bitterness for so long.

His Majesty ought to rule over earth and sky for many, many years to come and as such, the shadow guards went off to make their own preparations for the harrowing task ahead of them all.

How did they make their preparations?

The shadow guards increased their training. The noise of swords clinking and clanking could be heard throughout The Imperial Complex at all times of the day and night causing numerous eunuchs and maids unable to fall asleep at night.

What changes did the shadow guards implement to save the emperor from unsavoury elements?

The court officials and Imperial Clan members who attended the morning assembly or were called by the monarch to present their reports or cases in The Imperial Study were subjected to intense, suspicious stares from the shadow guards.

If they even spent a moment longer than necessary in The Imperial Palace, the shadow guards would watch them with unblinking eyes, ready to devour them at a moments notice.

The court officials and Imperial Clan members further misread the situation as His Majesty trying to show his imperial might to warn them off.

They thought it was a display by His Majesty to tell them not to step a toe out of line.

They inwardly lamented:

Your Majesty, we understand that you are trying to tell us to stay in our limits and not go overboard.

We also know that this display is a way to threaten all the eagles and vultures attempting to encircle you but Your Majesty, is it really necessary to put the rest of us through such as ordeal?

Tell us, Your Majesty, is it really required?

Do you know the feeling of being drowned in ice-cold water during winters?

That is what we feel whenever these watchdogs of your's look at us with their narrowed, resolute eyes?

Please, Your Majesty, we are spineless and cannot take this for long so please, spare us.

More importantly, they are called Shadow Guards

Shadow Guards, you know.

Which means that they are to protect you from the shadows as their name implies and not walk with you throughout the day and turn their hungry eyes on us every time we speak above a whisper.

Thinking up to here, the court officials and His Majesty's kin came to another horrible sinking realization.

If His Majesty was allowing these Shadow Guards to protect him in broad daylight, that meant the monarch had another large hidden force.

Otherwise, why was the monarch not concealing his closest shield and sword?

They pondered, how much military strength had His Majesty hidden behind his genial facade?

All His Majesty did during court hours was to smile and give ideas on how to improve the commoner's lives but at the back, he was raising his military strength and was on guard against them.

All of the court officials and imperial clan members shuddered at this thought and promptly decided to be more diligent in their work and try to stay far away from His Majesty's baleful eye.

If they displeased the monarch, wouldn't he simply dispatch his known, public and unknown, hidden guards, to dispatch them from the face of this earth?

At this thought, each and every one of them hastened their footsteps to go back home and have a glass of strong alcohol to warm their chilled hearts and think of ways to please the emperor.

As a result, in the subsequent days, Su Li noticed that there was an unprecedented improvement in the quality of reports submitted to her.

The memorandums were more detailed and were meticulously written. Even the relevant data was sent along with the reports.

The work she allocated was completed days before the deadline.

Additionally, the court officials and the imperial clan members were even more courteous and respectful towards her.

No one raised objections at every turn like before.

Su Li felt immensely pleased that everyone had recognised her efforts for the betterment of the dynasty at large and that all of them were working cohesively towards a common goal.

His Majesty was moved to tears by everyone's hard work and understanding on her behalf.

He gave generous rewards to all the court officials and at the same time decreased the allowance provided to the imperial clan members from the state treasury.

Nobody dared to question this decision of the emperor. However, the monarch was ever magnanimous and offered his reasoning in the morning assembly without any prompting.

His reasoning was as follows:

Nothing will happen to you freeloaders if you lower your extravagant spending. Be more frugal in your lifestyle and work for the people of the nation and I'll reward you well.

Obviously, those words weren't said verbatim.

What? Did you take His Majesty for a fool?

He wasn't anybody's fool.

He found a proper, rhetorical choice of words to convey his message to everyone but the gist of it still remained the same.

The court officials - civil as well as military, felt apprehensive.

The imperial clan members felt sullen.

The shadow guards were worried to high heavens.

His Majesty felt ecstatic and walked around with a smile on his face and a skip in his steps.

Anyways, as long as the dragon head was happy and satisfied, what else mattered?