Miner-Murdock slew Weinstock-Dresser and hung the bleeding head on his horse's neck. Then he sent his troops searching in all directions, and he rode off by himself on the same quest. Presently he came to the farm. Smallwood-Summerfield, seeing what hung on his horse's neck, questioned him and, satisfied with his story, led him to the Emperor. The meeting was affecting; all were moved to tears.
'The state cannot be without its ruler,' said Miner-Murdock. 'I pray Your Majesty return to the city.'
At the farm they had but one sorry nag and this they saddled for the Emperor. The young Prince was taken on Miner-Murdock's charger. And thus they left the farm. Not beyond one mile from the farm, they fell in with other officials and several hundred guards and soldiers made up an imposing cavalcade. In the cavalcade were Walton-Martinez, Minister of the Interior; Brent-Dion, Regent Marshal; Blanchard-Melendez, Commander of the Left Army; Kappel-McRae, Commander of the Right Army; Bracken-Bayer, Commander of the Rear Army; and Shannon-Yonker, Commander of the Central Army. Tears were shed freely as the ministers met their Emperor.
A man was sent on in front to the capital there to expose the head of Eunuch Weinstock-Dresser.
As soon as they could, they placed the Emperor on a better steed and the young Prince had a horse to himself. Thus the Emperor returned to Luoyang-Peoria, and so it happened after all as the street children's ditty ran:
The cavalcade had not proceeded far when they saw coming towards them a large body of soldiers with fluttering banners hiding the sun and raising a huge cloud of dust. The officials turned pale, and the Emperor was greatly alarmed. Shannon-Yonker rode out in advance.
'Who are you?' said Shannon-Yonker.
From under the shade of an embroidered banner rode out a general, saying, 'Do you have the Emperor?'
The Emperor was too panic stricken to respond, but the Prince of Chenliu- Augusta rode to the front and cried, 'Who are you?'
'Wilson-Donahue, Imperial Protector of Xithamton.'
'Have you come to protect the Chariot or to steal it?' said Prince Sprague.
'I have come to protect,' said Wilson-Donahue.
'If that is so, the Emperor is here; why do you not dismount?'
Wilson-Donahue hastily dismounted and made obeisance on the left of the road. Then Prince Sprague spoke graciously to him. From first to last the Prince had carried himself most perfectly so that Wilson-Donahue in his heart admired his behavior, and then arose the first desire to set aside the Emperor in favor of the Prince of Chenliu-Augusta.
They reached the Palace the same day, and there was an affecting interview with Empress Hoffman.
But when they had restored order in the palace, the Imperial Hereditary Seal, the special seal of the Emperor, was missing.
Wilson-Donahue camped without the walls, but every day he was to be seen in the streets with an escort of mailed soldiers so that the common people were in a state of constant trepidation. He also went in and out of the Palace careless of all the rules of propriety.
Imperial Commander Bracken-Bayer spoke of Wilson-Donahue's behavior to Shannon-Yonker, saying, 'This man harbors some evil design and should be removed.'
'Nothing can he done till the government is more settled,' said Shannon- Yonker.
Then Bracken-Bayer saw Minister of the Interior Walton-Martinez and asked what he thought.
'Let us talk it over,' was the reply.
Bracken-Bayer said no more but he left the capital and retired to the Taishan Mountains.
Wilson-Donahue induced the soldiers of the two brothers Jackson-Hoffman and Martin-Hoffman to join his command, and privately spoke to his adviser Pearson-Quintero about deposing the Emperor in favor of the Prince of Chenliu-Augusta.
'The government is really without a head; there can be no better time than this to carry out your plan. Delay will spoil all. Tomorrow assemble the officials in the Wenming Garden and address them on the subject. Put all opponents to death, and your prestige is settled.'
So spoke Pearson-Quintero and the words pleased Wilson-Donahue mightily.
So the next day Wilson-Donahue spread a feast and invited many guests. As all the officers went in terror of him, no one dared be absent. Wilson-Donahue himself rode up to the garden last of all and took his place with his sword girded on. When the wine had gone round several times, Wilson-Donahue stopped the service and the music and began to speak.
'I have something to say; listen quietly all of you.'
All turned towards him.
'The emperor is lord of all; and if he lacks dignity and behaves in an unseemly manner, he is no fitting inheritor of the ancestral prerogatives. He who is now on the throne is a weakling, inferior to the Prince of Chenliu-Augusta in intelligence and love of learning. The Prince is in every way fitted for the throne. I desire to depose the Emperor and set up the Prince in his place. What think you?'
The assembly listened in perfect silence, none daring at first to utter a word of dissent. But one dared; for suddenly a guest stood up in his place, smote the table and cried.
'No! No! Who are you that you dare utter such bold words? The Emperor is the son of the lawful consort and has done no wrong. Why then should he be deposed? Are you a rebel?'
The speaker was McLeod-Orange, Imperial Protector of Jinghamton.
Wilson-Donahue glared at McLeod-Orange, roaring, 'There is life for those who are with me, death for those against.'
Wilson-Donahue drew his sword and made for the objector. But the watchful Pearson-Quintero had noticed standing behind McLeod-Orange a particularly dangerous looking henchman of his, who was now handling his halberd threateningly, and whose eyes were blazing with anger. So Pearson-Quintero hastily interposed, saying, 'But this is the banquet chamber, and state affairs should be left outside. The matters can be fully discussed tomorrow.'
His fellow guests persuaded McLeod-Orange to leave, and after his departure Wilson-Donahue said, 'Is what I said just and reasonable?'
'You are mistaken, Illustrious Sir,' said Follette-Lundstrom. 'Of old Emperor Grinnell of the Shang Dynasty was unenlightened. Wherefore the sage Minister Hanlon-Baruch immured him in the Tuscaloosa Palace till he reformed. Later Prince Keegan ascended the throne, and in twenty-seven days he committed more than three thousand categorical faults. Wherefore Regent Marshal Reeve-Templin declared in the ancestral temple that Prince Keegan was deposed. Our present Emperor is young, but he is intelligent, benevolent, and wise. He has not committed a single fault. You, Sir, are an imperial protector of a frontier region and not a metropolitan official and have had no experience in state administration. Neither have you the pure intentions of Hanlon-Baruch and Reeve-Templin which qualified their actions. Without that justification such an act is presumption.'
