His Favored Empress

The Slums

Akechi helped him remove the small gold crown and hair sticks from his hair. When he was finished they stepped out fo the carriage. Kazim and Toshi stood outside waiting for him. The air here was sultry and clung to the skin. Shaugn forced down the urge to vomit and fanned the air in front of his face. His stomach roiled at the smell of burned wood, manure, urine, barbecue, and hay. He let out a small curse.

Pregnancy-super-smelling ability was no joke!

The guards formed two neat lines. Though they only carried their swords, they looked formidable with their dark clothing and indifferent gazes. The originally noisy street quieted down and pedestrians paused to see who was coming off the carriage.

Shaugn felt the weight of those gazes and acknowledged the people with a small nod. There were a few whispers back and forth discussing which of the nobility the carriage belonged. A sudden exclamation rang out and the streets became noisy again.

"It's the empress! The empress is here!"

"Beloved empress!"

"Empress, we love you!"

"Long live the empress!"

A wave of embarrassment washed over him as the people on the street professed their love and bowed down, touching their foreheads on the dirty ground – some of them barely missing puddles. Conducting his observations in secret was no longer an option.

He held his hand up and gave them a wave. "Thank you for your love. Please rise. I'm here to visit my people; to see how I may improve your lives."

A tall, robust man stood out from the crowd. His face was dark and he was covered in black soot from head to toe. His eyes were bright as he clasped his hands in front of himself. "Your majesty doesn't need to worry about us lowly dregs. We are content just seeing you with our own eyes."

The people around him nodded their heads and clamored in agreement.

"That's right, that's right."

"Just knowing we are in your majesty's heart is enough for us lowly folk."

"We are content knowing we are thought of."

Making note of their humble words, Shaugn turned to Kazim. Even though the people said so, he still needed to complete his mission. "Is there a place to speak publicly in this place?"

A thin older man dressed in bright robes pushed his way to the front. "We have a small square in the middle of the market with a raised platform we use for auctions. I don't know if this is good enough for his majesty?"

Kazim got Shaugn's approval before answering. "That's good enough. Please show me the way."

Word spread like fire that the empress was in the poor area. The people ignored their own business and lined up on both sides of the streets as Shaugn made his way to the auction place with his guards. They shouted their love and held their children up so they could see the beloved empress. Despite their excitement, the people were respectful and didn't squeeze the guard along the way. Flowers and handkerchiefs were thrown in their path from time to time along with coins or small buns wrapped in paper. Shaugn didn't take offense and instructed Kazim to pick up the people's tributes. He would donate them to the beggars around the city.

After a five-minute walk, they arrived at the center of the poor area. Shaugn climbed the wooden platform and looked out at the three hundred plus person crowd that had formed in front of the platform. There were men, women, children, old and young. Some were clean and some were dirty. Their clothes were faded, patched, or tattered. They were thinner than the people of other areas of the capital, but they were smiling and their eyes were shining bright.