Emperor Sqin' (Themiclesia)

Emperor Hên′
Emperor of Themiclesia
Reign	16 May, 1923 – 3 Dec, 2016
Coronation	16 May, 1923
Predecessor	Emperor Mjen
Successor	Current emperor
Regent	Empress Dowager Gwidh (to 1936)
Born	娞 (snul) (1916-03-21)21 March 1916 Nja-'rjem Prefecture
Died	3 December 2016(2016-12-03) (aged 100) Kien-k'ang, Inner Region
Burial	Tjaw Mausoleum
Empress Hruh-'an (孝安皇后, m. 1937)
Issue	Crown Prince Tjaw-brjiang Prince Ruai of Djang' Princess T'jang-nglakw
Full name Slje-mra′ Snul (司馬娞) Era dates 8 Nov. 1923 – 18 Nov. 2017 Posthumous name Illustrious emperor (顯皇帝) Temple name l′jabh-tsung (世宗)
Father	Prince Kl′ang
Mother	Princess Dowager Krjong

Emperor L′jabh-tsung (世宗, l′jabh-tsung), born Slje-mra' Snul (司馬娞) on Oct. 5, 1916, was the sovereign of Themiclesia from his ascension on May 16, 1923 until his death on Dec. 3, 2016, becoming the longest-reigning and oldest monarch in Themiclesian history. His reign saw remarkable events as the Pan-Septentrion War, the implementation of universal franchise, the Themiclesian Economic Recovery, and the Great Depression of 1978.

Early life

L′jabh-tsung was born the eldest son of Prince Brjiang of Nja-'rjem in the latter's residence in Nja-'rjem Prefecture in the small hours of the morning on Oct. 5, 1916; his mother is the Princess Consort Mo'. Though he not born heir, it became apparent soon that he would inherit the throne. The reigning Emperor, Muk-tsung, suffered from infertility, and none of the issue of his five predecessor survived. L′jabh-tsung was fifth cousin to the reigning Emperor. His father died of pneumonia in 1917, which made L′jabh-tsung heir presumptive at the age of 2. Little is known about his childhood, though it is assumed that, even in a princely house, L′jabh-tsung enjoyed more intimacy with his family than any of his predecessors did.

L′jabh-tsung was his parents' only offspring. At the age of 3, renowed historian Prof. Lang of the University of Rei-tju was retained as his tutor. He was invested as heir apparent on Mar. 3, 1920; from then, he lived in the East Palace, the official residence of the imperial heir. Upon investiture, he took Empress Ru' as his legal mother, such as the law required. Lang and a handful of other scholars instructed him in history, literature, philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, fine arts, and music. Little more than a year later, Emperor Muk-tsung fell into a pond under suspicious circumstances; though rescued within minutes, water accumulated in his lungs, triggering an acute infection. Muk-tsung fell into a coma and died on the following day. Empress Ru' chaperoned the four-year-old to the throne before the remains of the late emperor, and courtiers accepted him as the new sovereign on the same day.

Minority

The edict of succession was passed by Empress Ru', who thereby became Empress Dowager; L′jabh-tsung's own mother, Prince Consort Mo', was made Imperial Consort Dowager. As the Emperor was only 4 years of age at that point, Themiclesian law required a regent to act on his behalf, until he is of majority age at 20. The court appointed both the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Consort Dowager as co-regents, and for the fifteen following years, L′jabh-tsung sat with his two mothers each morning audience and listened to its proceedings.

Perhaps the greatest threat to the dynasty came during the Nationalist Revolt of 1932.

Early reign

On Mar. 21, 1936, his 20th birthday, L′jabh-tsung underwent rites of majority at the Great Temple, where previous emperors were venerated. A great banquet followed the complex ceremonies. Arriving at the Great Temple in his regents' processions, he left in his own. Adulthood meant L′jabh-tsung now held court without the attendance of his mothers; accounts show that L′jabh-tsung was very conscientious about his duties as emperor, even if largely cermeonial. His predecessor, Mjuk-tsung, often cancelled audiences, believing they were too early in the morning for his health; L′jabh-tsung held court with great enthusiasm, heralding a brief era of restoration of court ceremonies.

In 1936, L′jabh-tsung was matched with Kah Pu-gwra the granddaughter of retired prime minister and Lord of Kaw-lang Kah K'ang. On Jan 5, 1937 the Emperor married his 21-year-old bride, whom he had never met before. Revelries raged through the land, almost as though the war was forgotten. The new Empress' four brothers were all made peers on the day of their marriage. As with most Themiclesian royal couples, the two met only a few times a year, and most communication between them were via their respective secretaries. As Empress, Pu-gwra spent the first year building her household, which administration overwhelmed her. With scores of desirable court positions within her gift, she was pestered by suitors of all description. Some of her choices were attacked by the press, but the Prime Minister personally wrote in her defence, for which she was grateful.

In 1939, the encroaching Menghean invasion forced L′jabh-tsung, along with his government, to evacuate to Blem-tsi, a coastal city. There, he insisted on holding court without interruption and at the traditional time—three hours before sunrise, described as "draconian and medieval" by foreign visitors.

L′jabh-tsung's stay in Blim-tsi was hectic and belaiden with dangers. The Emperor's guards, which once numbered in the thousands, had been deployed to fight at the front, leaving him open to predation. Dayashina's operatives infiltrated the Themiclesian Marine Corps, which guarded the city's ports and some of its infrastructure. During his seven-year stay there and in other coastal cities, there were no fewer than forty attempts on his life; in half of these occasions, the conspirators were apprehended within walking distance of the emperor, and in two they came face-to-face with the monarch before being foiled. Seven attempts were known by Themiclesian marines, until a mysterious series of killings eliminated a large number of Dayashinese infiltrators. It is rumoured that Dayashinese-born marines grew weary of the infiltrators and executed them; this was never proven, and the killers never identified. In 1948, the government issued an amnesty for all crimes commited in Themiclesia, except those who have made an attempt on the Emperor's life and have not surrendered themselves to the police before 1949.

During the war, L′jabh-tsung made numerous efforts to contribute to the war. His decision to quarter his food budget was highly praised and publicized by the government, officially described as "an act of empathy never before witnessed in history". Historians note that, on a comparative basis, the Themiclesian emperor had the one of the largest food budgets of any monarch, regularly employing over 250 chefs of various specializations in his private kitchen. His private dinners consisted of 52 main dishes, plus a roughly equal number in appetizers and desserts. It is also noteworthy that the "dishes" are large bronzeware, each with a capacity that would "feed a battalion of soldiers easily". Though in Themiclesian society there was no cultural objection to such lavishness in the monarchy, L′jabh-tsung's frugality won the monarchy much popularity.

Relationship with other monarchs

Emperor Shogo of Dayashina

The two monarchs are, in their later years, close to each other, but their first impressions of each other was neutral at best and more likely negative. Much of this is due to the effects of the Pan-Septentrion War, but L′jabh-tsung was said to have some personal views on Shogo as well. L′jabh-tsung first learned of Shogo upon the latter's ascension in 1940, when the Minister of the Left (foreign secretary) read reports on the event. According to some reports, L′jabh-tsung's said he hoped "Shogo would be different from the last one". The Minister of the Left replied that the "differences [Shogo] makes would be minimal." However, when L′jabh-tsung learned that Shogo may have had a role in sending infiltrators to assassinate him, L′jabh-tsung spoke of Shogo as "this person" (是人), possibly indicating he found Shogo beneath the status or expected conduct of a monarch.

After the war, L′jabh-tsung's views on Morohito began to change. In 1947, several Dayashinese citizens petitioned his court, accusing certain Themiclesian officers (who participated in Dayashina's occupation) of slandering Shogo . Though he did not personally intervene, he told Privy Councillors that he could not approve of "the ignorant slander alleged", possibly suggesting L′jabh-tsung thought of his own critical views as justified, but those of the officers as borne out of ignorance. At the height of the Dayashinese food shortage, L′jabh-tsung instructed courtiers to send $50,000 in relief, saying, "If he can destroy his country, he certainly can rebuild it. If he fail, we shall assist him in a small way and show him how. All deserve to have a full stomach and a roof free of holes, here or there."

L′jabh-tsung made a state visit to Dayashina in 1960. He was highly impressed by the rapidly recovering Dayashinese economy and the kind reception of Dayashinese people granted him. In the state dinner, L′jabh-tsung congratulated Shogo on the success of his country's economy and the wealth of his people. On this visit, the Themiclesian Marines provided the Emperor's ceremonial guards, showing that the wounds Dayashina caused in Themiclesia had healed; after he left Dayashina, the Gentlemen-at-Arms returned to this role. In 1968, L′jabh-tsung ordered a special envoy to deliver a birthday gift to Shogo and the Empress-consort. In 1970, L′jabh-tsung gave personal permission for Dayashinese scholars to enter the Enclosure and study the location where Dayashinese paratroopers died of starvation in his palace.

As both monarchs aged, it seems their differences in the past, though not entirely forgotten, were ignored in favour of interaction. In the 1980s and 1990s, the two met in five occasions, and the presents given by the Themiclesian side has waxed in value (monetary or sentimental) each time. A Privy Councillor expressed anonymously in 1989, "[L′jabh-tsung] is very affectionate and grateful of the contributions that Dayashinese-born individuals have made in Themiclesia." In the 1992 televised address L′jabh-tsung made, he expressed remorse for the "iniquitous and prejudicial" measures Themiclesia implemented in 1933 that mainly targeted Menghean immigrants, though it was understood a certain number from Dayashina were impacted as well. He offered his apology to "the victims of legislation that has been repealed in 1947 and others that have been unfairly impaired by its operation". The following year, an edict was issued to "restore all rights to those who have been excluded from the amnesty of 1948", amongst whom were the Dayashinese assassins that were not convicted prior to 1948.

The final meeting between the two monarchs occurred in September, 2016, only months before L′jabh-tsung passed away. King Howard of Anglia and Lechernt was also present. L′jabh-tsung was 100, King Howard 98, and Emperor Shogo 90; the Themiclesian media labelled it as "the most ancient meeting between three people". During this visit, L′jabh-tsung had become less talkative than he was, and even for short distances required the aid of a man-pulled carriage, to the surprise of the visiting monarchs. When questioned, Themiclesian physicians answered that L′jabh-tsung was merely showing "inevitable signs of ageing" but "was in remarkably good health for a man of his age, with lucid memory and few chronic problems". However, the recent passing of the Empress (aged 101, in 2015) had robbed the Emperor of some of his spirits and impulse to speak.

Death, burial, and succession

L′jabh-tsung died in the late afternoon on Dec. 3, 2016, after suddenly collapsing backwards from his usual mattress. He was was immediately supported by his attendants, and nurses carried him in a stretcher to an infirmary that has been established in the Enclosure for ease of access. Various monitors were attached to him by its staff. Physicians arrived within several minutes, but the leading physician said that the symptoms are indicative of acute cardiac failure, and in his senility nothing could be done to resuscitate him. The Director of the Bedchamber gave the signal to ring the emergency bells throughout the palace, as the Emperor was placed into his usual carriage and moved to the Great Hall. He was laid in the throne with life-sustaining devices still attached to him. The Gentlemen-at-Arms were mustered and ordered to notify all ministers, members of parliament, and other high officers of the state to assemble. About an hour after the Emperor became unconscious, he passed away under the watch of the leaders of the executive and legislative branches.

While he was unconscious, the Council of Protonotaries retrieved an agreed-upon draft for the last edict, which an Inner Attendant read to the unconscious monarch and then sealed with the Emperor's hand. The Prime Minister, kneeling before the thorne, accepted the edict. The Secretary of State for Defence then ordered the Royal Signals Corps to place all military units on alert and the palace gates to be shut. The Crown Prince, who had been visiting Dayashina, was requested to return to Kien-k'ang in preparation for ascension. The following day, the Emperor's body was dressed in full regalia and laid in a coffin. While the government did not issue any statement as to the Emperor's death, conventional and social media has widely reported the same, upon knowing the palace gates have been suddenly closed and visitors' appointments cancelled. The media reacted to the usual procedure of locking the palace until the successor has been retrieved and arrangements for ascension made.

On midnight, Dec. 10, the Cabinet, a delegation of the Council of Protonotaries, Inner, Cavalier, and Ordinary Attendants arrived at the East Palace, where the Crown Prince resided. There, the Prime Minister read the late Emperor's final edict and invited him to enter the Hian-lang Palace. The Crown Prince arrived at the Great Hall and prostrated twice to the Emperor's coffin, which was still in the throne. The bells rang again, summoning all civil servants above the Ninth Class in the capital city to assemble at the Front Hall. At about 2:30, the late Emperor's coffin was enclosed in six successive sarcophagi, which was then hauled out, with the Crown Prince at the head of the procession, to lie in state at the Ramp of Guests (the west set of steps leading up to the Dais-gjek-den). Then, helped by the senior officials, he ascended the throne in full view of the assembly of the civil servants. The late Emperor's final edict was read a second time to assert to the assembly the legitimacy of the succession. At the same time, the passing of L′jabh-tsung was publicly announced, and all officials, civil and military, began to observe a 27-day period of mourning starting on the 10th.

Assassination attempts

Main article: List of assassination attempts on L′jabh-tsung