Emperor Sqin' (Themiclesia)

Grik
Emperor
Portrait in 1989
Reign	2 May, 1921 – 3 Dec, 2016
Coronation	1 June, 1921
Predecessor	Mjen-tsung the Tranquil Emperor (文宗和皇帝)
Regent	Empress Dowager Kaw (to 1936)
Born	綏 (snul) (1916-03-21)21 March 1916 Nja-'rjem Prefecture
Died	3 December 2016(2016-12-03) (aged 100) Kien-k'ang, Tuan-lang, IAR, Themiclesia
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 Sje-mra Grik (司馬翮) Era name and dates Griam-'an (咸安): 31 Oct. 1921 – 18 Nov. 2017 Posthumous name Illustrious and filial emperor (孝顯皇帝, hruh-hian-gwang-tis) Temple name Shljaps-tsung (世宗)
Father	Prince Brjiang of Nja-'rjem
Mother	Princess Consort Kaw of Nja-'rjem

Emperor Shljaps-tsung (世宗皇帝, Shljaps-tsung ghwang-tis), born Sje-mra' Snul (司馬綏) on Oct. 5, 1916, was the sovereign of Themiclesia from his ascension on May 2, 1921 until his death on Dec. 3, 2016; his regnal era was Griam-'an (咸安). He is 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

Shljaps-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. Shljaps-tsung was fifth cousin to the reigning Emperor. His father died of pneumonia in 1917, which made Shljaps-tsung heir presumptive at the age of 2. Little is known about his childhood, though it is assumed that, even in a princely house, Shljaps-tsung enjoyed more intimacy with his family than any of his predecessors did.

Shljaps-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; Shljaps-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 following nine years, Shljaps-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, Shljaps-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 Shljaps-tsung now held court without the attendance of his mothers; accounts show that Shljaps-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; Shljaps-tsung held court with great enthusiasm, heralding a brief era of restoration of court ceremonies.

In 1936, Shljaps-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 Shljaps-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.

Shljaps-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, Shljaps-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, Shljaps-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 Shljaps-tsung was said to have some personal views on Shogo as well. Shljaps-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, Shljaps-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 Shljaps-tsung learned that Shogo may have had a role in sending infiltrators to assassinate him, Shljaps-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, Shljaps-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 Shljaps-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, Shljaps-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."

Shljaps-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, Shljaps-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, Shljaps-tsung ordered a special envoy to deliver a birthday gift to Shogo and the Empress-consort. In 1970, Shljaps-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, "[Shljaps-tsung] is very affectionate and grateful of the contributions that Dayashinese-born individuals have made in Themiclesia." In the 1992 televised address Shljaps-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 Shljaps-tsung passed away. King Howard of Anglia and Lechernt was also present. Shljaps-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, Shljaps-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 Shljaps-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.

Assassination attempts

Date	Place	Perpetrators	Perpetrators' affiliation	Details	Perpetrators' fates
Jan. 2, 1939	Skwjan-lang Palace	Kurobe no Masato	Dayashina	Rushed with two rifles into the palace, shot by guards	Died of excessive bleeding
Mar. 15, 1940	Outskirts of Blem-tsi	Arasaki Murakami	Dayashina, Themiclesia	Planted explosives along road, triggered by a car carrying flowers	Arrested and convicted
Apr. 29, 1940	Blem-hme' Palace	Takahara no Imabito	Dayashina	Hid in truck and smuggled into palace, fell into pond	Arrested then died of pneumonia
Jul. 3, 1940	Tek-lang Palace	Ishinaka Komiya	Dayashina, Themiclesia	Member of Themiclesian Marine Corps, delivering message to Ministry of Finance, questioned for carrying pistol then rushed for the Palace Hall; stopped by the Gentlemen of the Corridor with halberd	Died of excessive bleeding
Sept. 22, 1940	Blem-hme' Palace	Asukara no Takimushi, Ookoro Takesari	Dayashina, Themiclesia	Members of Themiclesian Marine Corps, escaped from nearby garrison with grenades and rifles, attacked palace gate in the night; police alerted	Committed suicide in custody
Feb. 13, 1941	Blem-hme' Palace	Konoe no Asomi, Akisaki Imonaro, Oonoue no Fumimaro, Moriumari no Roshin	Dayashina, Themiclesia	Member of Themiclesian Marine Corps, forced into the palace with supply wagons, entered the Enclosure; stopped by desert and soup chefs with cauldrons and tables	Arrested and convicted, pardoned in 1948
May 5, 1941	Skwjan-lang Palace	Hanamiya Hashimoto	Themiclesia	Member of Themiclesian Marine Corps, lost inside palace	Died of metathesizing pancreatic cancer
Jun. 26, 1941	Blem-hme' Palace	Inasuki Atakami	Themiclesia	Member of Themiclesian Marine Corps, scaled palace walls with machine gun tied to his back; gun discharged when falling from wall, wounding himself	Arrested and acquitted due to lack of evidence; decapitated by other members of Themiclesian Marine Corps whose identites are unclear
Oct. 30, 1941	Gwrjing-ghar Palace	Yamabe no Oshimaro	Dayashina, Themiclesia	Member of Themiclesian Marine Corps, thrown off the Palace Hall by a Tribune of the Hall	In hiding until 1948, died of cartel violence in 1982 in Maracaibo
Feb. 27, 1942	Gwrjing-ghar Palace	Ichiro Yamamichi	Dayashina	Dayashinese (not naturalized) restraurant owner, attempted to break into palace with a chef's knife, with "Dayashina Victory" banner tied to forehead	Declared legally insane
Nov. 13, 1943	Gwrjing-'an Palace	Komi no Masabito	Dayashina, Themiclesia	Member of Themiclesian Marine Corps, rammed into the palace with a truck, overturned at Carriage Stop Gate, oil tank conflagarated	Died of severe burns