His Favored Empress

Humbled Noble

(Lord and Minister are used interchangeably here.)

Minister Midas had many years of experience dealing with the shrewdness of other ministers in the court. While he was nowhere near as good as the best of them in terms of deception and manipulation, he was much better than the worst of them. The son of a long line of nobles, he'd been born and bred for the court. Outsmarting a low born duju was nothing. He chuckled to himself.

Too easy. Like taking candy from a baby. He'd twist the empress around until he was dizzy and disgrace him before the crowd. He stroked his beard and smiled.

Shaugn tapped the fan in his palm as Midas mulled things over. The other minsters gathered in twos and threes whispering amongst themselves trying to guess what Midas might ask. Occasionally they'd look in Shaugn's or Lord Midas' direction.

Running out of patience, Shaugn cleared his throat. "Shall we debate, Minister Midas? I do have other things to do this day."

Midas puffed out his cheeks as the other ministers laughed softly. He rose to his feet and saluted. "Very well. I accept."

Shaugn tapped his fan on the edge of the table. "Good. This will be a one-on-one debate. You can ask for clarification if you do not understand the topic. There will not be any outside assistance or input from others."

Midas nodded in agreement.

"Do you wish to have the others give the topic or – "

Not waiting for him to finish, Midas cut him off. "I'll come with the topic."

Scoffing softly, Shaugn straightened his posture and put away his smile. "Say."

Lord Midas took a few steps to the center of the room. His voice was clear and powerful reaching every ear. "Some people are born high and destined for greatness. Some are born of the mud and don't have high hopes. However, if one were to work hard to rise up from their beginnings and achieve greatness does that make them as high as the noble born?"

Biting the inside of his cheek, Shaugn forced himself not to laugh out loud. This idiot was so simple and narrow minded he made it too easy. Who couldn't see the insult hidden in plain sight? Forcing himself to be serious, Shaugn gave a slight smile. Pretending to be clueless, he scratched his cheek. "Before I answer, I need clarification."

Midas lifted his chin as if looking down on him. "You said."

"Your scenario assumes that there is a ... ranking system on humans in a society where the nobles occupy the highest position simply by being born into the nobility without having to do anything other than exist."

Everyone paused. Minister Midas frowned slightly.

Idiot. Shaugn folded his hands in his lap. "Meaning, some lives inherently are more important or significant than others from birth. Or to say simply, a noble is more important than say...a farmer or soldier even though nobles do less work than a farmer or soldier and are taken care of by both."

There were slight whispers between the seated ministers. 

Shaugn continued. "I remind you that a few ministers in this room are the children of farmers or descendants of farmers and soldiers. Are you saying that no matter what they do – even if they pass the test and hold positions in the court – that they are nothing compared to ministers that are born of the nobility? Nobel minsters that are fed and protected by the blood, sweat, and tears of their kinfolk."

The ministers' whispers grew louder, and they spoke faster trying to express their views. Not only did the empress not answer the question, but he even asked Minister Midas a question far more profound than the original that would affect how he would be perceived by the ministers and the guards from here on. The guards glanced at Shaugn in surprise then turned to Lord Midas.

How could Midas answer without offending the entire room? Most of the ministers present were from lower ranked and common families. A few were even from poor or farming families. Even among the guards some were orphans or displaced refugees. They had all risen up from their roots and become the best of the best.

And these people talk. Once word got out, his reputation would be stained. Minister Midas could feel sweat roll down his back. He severely underestimated the empress.

The ministers stopped talking and waited for an answer.

Midas took a handkerchief from his sleeve and dabbed the sweat at his temples. How to answer?

Noone moved a muscle. The air seemed to drop to freezing as many of the gazes turned unfriendly the longer Midas didn't answer. Shaugn was the only one sitting with a shit-eating grin covered behind his fan.

Realizing he'd been set up, Midas grit his teeth and glared at the empress. "What do you mean by this, empress?"

"What do you mean?" Shaugn gave an innocent shrug. "I merely asked you to clarify your question so I can give a proper answer."

Midas smacked his table making the tea set rattle. "You're trying to disgrace me."

Shaugn tilted his head to the side with a playful smile. "Am I or did you do that all by yourself by offending everyone in this room when you opened your mouth?"

Unable to restrain his emotions, Midas stepped forward and roared, "You-!"

Multiple schwings filled the chamber as the guards drew their swords and aimed them at the enraged minister. A few ministers ducked behind their nearest peer to avoid the sword's sight.

Minister Prakha stood and saluted Shaugn with his waist bent so he was parallel to the floor. His muffled voice shook as he tried to diffuse the situation. "E-empress, it's a waste to continue. Minister Midas has shown he holds nothing but contempt for anyone not born of the nobility."

Lord Guo, minister of the interior, also stood and deeply bowed. "That means he did not mean to debate you seriously; merely to embarrass you."

"Yes, empress." Minister Ruten also spoke up. "Since this is the case, we should eject him from these proceedings and find someone with a better mentality to carry out the empress' orders."

Other ministers stood and echoed the others. "Yes. Remove Minister Midas and stop wasting time, empress."

Shaugn held up his hand to quiet the room. He signaled the guards to sheath their weapons and step back to their positions. Once everyone settled, he stood from his seat. His smile widened as he looked down at the embarrassed minister of industry. "Seems that regardless of background, there are people willing to work wholeheartedly for this lowly duju."

Midas's face turned from red to blue and the veins on his forehead and neck snaked under his skin.

Shaugn walked slowly around the room with one hand behind his back and fanned himself lazily. "Even though your peers wish to expel you from this chamber, I'm of the mindset that we don't have to like each other to work together to achieve a common goal."

A few ministers nodded in agreement. He turned and looked at Midas. "Am I right?"

Defeated, Midas released the death grip he had on his robe and dropped to his knees. "I have been humbled, empress. Forgive this minister's arrogance."

The fan snapped shut. Shaugn walked back to his seat and dramatically flapped his robes behind him as he sat. He looked around with determination. 

"Let's get down to business."