Chapter 6 - Courtly Intrigues
With Sacramento under his control, King Thao I moves the royal court into the Imperial Palace; ostentatiously, this is to minimize bureaucratic waste and consolidate the Governatus office with his own royal office, but in reality it makes a clear statement to Emperor Reuben II: King Thao I considers himself the true Emperor of California.
King Thao I resumes the building projects left fallow by Emperor Reuben II in favor of his great golden throne; he focuses on building up the royal bedchambers, to better accommodate his growing family and court. The fact that it allows for more direct intrigue and threats never crosses the king’s mind.
To pay for the renovations to the Imperial Palace, he ransoms off the five members of House Yudkow that he somehow acquired during the Sacramento War, for a rather tidy sum and numerous angry letters from the enraged Emperor.
Unfortunately, suddenly having control over Sacramento doesn’t make most of King Thao I’s problems go away, but instead amplifies them, as he now has to run almost all of the Imperial bureaucracy by himself. It is extremely stressful.
It doesn’t help that Emperor Reuben II constantly sends missives demanding the return of Sacramento to him; the Emperor censures him, barring him from the Imperial court. Of course, the fact that King Thao I controls the Imperial court and bureaucracy seems to completely go over his head.
The streamlining of bureaucracy continues, resulting in a more centralized government, with less delegated powers for the prefects. Since the reforms directly benefit them, the prefects are quick to approve them.
In November of 2683, Valleyan scholars uncover old texts that talk about the “King of Sacramento;” apparently before Elton the Lawgiver was Emperor of California, he was simply the king of Sacramento. Eager to draw more parallels between himself and the Lawgiver, King Thao I revives the old title and crowns himself as such on November 16, 2683. Emperor Reuben II declares the act the highest treason, but his voice is quiet all the way in Las Vegas.
Word of King Thao I’s support for the sciences and arts have reached the secretive Ivy League; a loose confederation of universities, philosophers, teachers, and learned men, the Ivy League is part secret society, part social club. When the king makes his interest in such a group known, Dean Antipas invites him to join. King Thao I is only too happy to accept.
Towards the end of November, King Thao I prepares to make the journey to Las Vegas, to see if the Emperor can be made to see sense and recognize his claim on the Kingdom of Sacramento. Prefect Tubrog is again made regent of the Valley.
When the peasants of Colusa hear that the king is gone, they immediately rise up, demanding rights and privileges generally reserved for the aristocracy. They are just as quickly put down by the battle hardened Valleyan army.
King Thao I arrives back in Sacramento in May of 2684, bringing news from the Imperial Court: while the Emperor was vitriolic as always, the bureaucrats still recognized Governatus’ authority. In the end, Emperor Reuben II is powerless to stop his bureaucracy or King Thao I’s influence over it; not only is his Imperial Censure removed, but his claim to the Kingdom of Sacramento recognized.
In July, the king starts writing his first work for the Ivy League; he decides to copy liberally from the Lawgiver’s essay on the nature of the soul, The Unbroken Wheel, reasoning that the Ivy League has not often encountered Cetic thought and philosophy.
King Thao I continues to reform the remaining Imperial bureaucracy still in Sacramento, this time focusing on the religious offices. He quickly determines who still supports the Emperor and quietly removes them, usually by offering them early retirement with a large lump sum of gold. By the end of August, every teacher and philosopher in Sacramento are singing his praises.
Emperor Reuben II continues to demand Sacramento back, this time by claiming that several properties within the city belong to House Yudkow. Without any prompting, the Imperial bureaucracy quickly proves that this is not the case, greatly embarrassing the Emperor.
In October, Queen Opal is once again pregnant, this time with the king’s second child. When the queen informs her husband, he expresses his joy, but gently reminds her that he has his hands full running the Imperial bureaucracy and that she is fully capable of taking care of herself.
At the start of 2685, King Thao I finishes his essay for the Ivy League; he quickly submits it for their approval. He hopes that none of their scholars are well versed in the intricacies of Cetic philosophy.
Unfortunately, the king’s focus on his writing is put to an end when is wife goes into labor; apparently it is difficult one, and the king calls in his court physician, who was so helpful with Opal’s last birth. He is able to help somewhat, though only time will tell if he truly did anything.
Concerned with the health of his wife, King Thao I is able to find some small distraction in the arrival of a merchant from far off Brasilia. His stories of the August Empire of the south transport the king to another land, one full of Imperial splendor and noble knights. When the merchant leaves the following day, he presents King Thao I with the gift of a eunuch named Alcomendras, which the king happily accepts.
Not long after the merchant leaves Sacramento, the king receives the news that Queen Opal has died giving birth to his newest child, a small, sickly girl his wife named Alice, before passing away. King Thao I blames himself for his wife’s death; he was too distracted with ruling that he lost sight of what was truly important. He vows to take care of little Alice and ensure that she survives to adulthood in atonement for his hubris.
Not long after his wife’s death and the birth of his daughter, King Thao I prepares for another journey to Las Vegas; this time he plans on bringing his family with him, partly to watch after his son and daughter, partly to show young Pollock how much of a fool Emperor Reuben II is. Prefect Tubrog is once again made regent of the Valley, having proven himself a reliable and loyal man.
King Thao I arrives in Las Vegas in April of 2685, and is immediately greeted by a young, shy woman who introduces herself simply as Jessica Norris; Jessica is one of the Empresses’ handmaidens and had been sent by the Emperor to greet his Governatus. Perhaps it is the fact he has just lost his beloved wife, or perhaps it is because Jessica shows a keen interest in administration and business, but whatever the reason, King Thao I falls in love with her at first sight. He asks her to marry him after a whirlwind of romance in Las Vegas; the stunned Jessica happily agrees, and the two are soon wed at one of Las Vegas’ many temples.
While he’s in Las Vegas, the Ivy League finishes reviewing his paper; it turns out his bet that the members of the League did not know Cetic philosophy pays out, as they lavish his paper with praise and claim it provides insight into the deepest part of the human soul.
The king doesn’t forget his primary reason for coming to Las Vegas; he shows Pollock the ins and outs of the Imperial bureaucracy (or at least, the little that exists in the new Imperial court), while also making sure he knows that Emperor Reuben II is a complete buffoon. He leaves the court with even more power than he had before, leaving the Emperor to fume and fret in his sad and shabby court.
The king has barely returned to Sacramento when yet another letter demanding the return of the city to the Emperor arrives; King Thao I has had enough with the toddler masquerading as the Emperor of California and pens his very own letter to the Emperor.
The letter details the many failings of Emperor Reuben II and how he has lost the Prime Mandate that originally empowered Elton the Lawgiver to unify the many people of California; instead, he claims that that Mandate now exists with him and House Armour. He draws parallels between himself and the Lawgiver, how he has reformed the Imperial bureaucracy to be more efficient, in spite of the Emperor’s efforts to hamstring him. He concludes the letter demanding Emperor Reuben II immediately step down and give him the throne, as it is the only logical and true thing to do; to do anything else would mean war, a war that the Emperor has no hope of winning. King Thao I begs the Emperor to choose the choice that would allow California to continue on as a single, strong state, instead of one divided.
The Emperor, predictably, chooses war.