KongArt Week Stories

The Emperor's Secret - Part Eighteen

It was over. It was finally all over.

Kongpob slumped himself over on his throne, watching as the officials filed out of the main hall. The last of the officials who were on Korn's side had finally been rounded up and exiled for their treason. It had taken them many many years to gather enough evidence against them all but they had finally done it.

It had been so long since he was able to put his guard down like this. The court of officials he had working with him now were all handpicked by either himself or Prae. They were slowly working to change the system and ways of the past. Gone were the days of only the rich families holding posts. They had made sure that all officials were chosen based on merit, not familial ties.

One of the changes that Kongpob had been particularly proud of was that education was no longer limited to just the males. After much discussions with the officials of the courts (and much rejections), Kongpob had finally put his foot down and insisted that education was to be made available to those who wanted it and to the female population as well. With Prae by his side, the new policies of rule were rolled out much faster than he had expected as well.

The members of the court also had stopped giving him grief over having heirs as Dae grew up strong and intelligent under all their watchful eyes. The young prince had proven himself to be a bit of a young genius and with the birth of the new princess from Lady Prin, the court officials were appeased for a little while. The whispers were striking up again but with the aggressive moves that the young Emperor had systematically taken in his ten years of reign, the officials now knew better than to challenge Kongpob.

Kong rubbed his temples hard. Tomorrow was his anniversary with Arthit and he had been planning something special for the other for the longest time. The morning court session had obviously overrun thanks to the never ending reports and he was now running late. He had wanted to discuss things with Prae but based on the time he had left, that was no longer an option. Sighing, he sprang to his feet and marched out of the hall, much to Oak's chagrin as he struggled to keep up behind his long legged Emperor.

~***~

Arthit watched questioningly as he watched the Oak pack box after box into the small horse carriage that was parked at the back of the palace. This was not the usual carriage that Kongpob used. It was far too small and inconspicuous. The usual one the Emperor used was gaudy and required at least two horses to move it. But this one? This one reminded Arthit of the one that Kongpob used to travel around in when he was just Kong. So while he was baffled, he stared at it somewhat longingly, reminiscing a little of the past.

When a pair of strong arms encircled his waist, he didn't even flinch, patting the hands that were resting on his tummy lovingly. A little sigh was heard in his ear before a small kiss was planted on his cheek.

"All done for the day?" He asked quietly, smiling. It was always Kongpob's habit to seek refuge with him whenever he needed to relax.

"Mm.. I had wanted to end it earlier but Yim had too many ideas for the new schooling policies."

Arthit smiled. He knew that while Kongpob complained, he was more than happy to see the changes that were taking place in the country now. He had worked so hard to overthrow all the old ways and thinking of the previous court officials. Yim in particular was one of those who had benefited from the new regulations of choosing officials for the court. Gone were the days of family connections and aristocracy. Officials like Yim were chosen based on merit and performance, his own humble beginnings were of no concern to Kongpob.

And boy did Kongpob prove the court right. Yim quickly became Kongpob's right hand man when it came to the implementation of his many policies. His ideas were brilliant and his advise were wise and well beyond his age. With Yim by his side, Kongpob quickly saw the fruition of his ideas come to life. Not only that - he had Prae.