[Truper]

Tai-sui-xing, most exalted Minister of Rituals, led a grand procession though the winding streets of the Celestial City. The throngs of the people, dressed in their most splendid clothes, who lined the route were unaware of the doubts and anxieties that troubled the Minister, for as always his coutenance was serene, his posture erect, and he radiated the confidence befitting one who had risen through the ranks of the adminstration of the Middle Kingdom to the very pinnacle of power.

"All must go perfectly today" he thought to himself. "Nothing must mar the re-dedication of the Jade Palace, or my ancestors will curse my name, and my shame will be eternal." He paused in his reflections to deliver a blessing to a portion of the crowd whose celebrations seemed even more joyous than the rest, for even in the midst of doubt, he was aware of his responsibilites and his place in the Empire, and he knew that those whom he blessed would not forget the honor. "The rebuilding of the city and of the Palace after the Great Earthquake has gone as well as could be hoped" he thought as he went on, and all the vast procession resumed its stately pace behind him. "Still, who knows if there is not some hidden flaw in the way the Palace is situated or in its form? But considering what I paid to the masters of Feng Shui, there must not be. If there is, I will have their tounges torn out."

With this somehow satisfying thought, he and the procession reached the gates of the Palace, and he delivered the sermon he had been writing for the past three months. Long had he labored upon it, for he must weave together many themes celebrating the history of the Middle Kingdom, praising the labors undertaken by all the people in the rebuilding of the city, and most importantly, reflecting the hope that Yu-huang, the Jade Emperor, would find all their efforts pleasing, and would return to them. His long training served him well, and he delivered his sermon flawlessly, and he could see respect even in the faces of the Imperial Consorts and Eunuchs who stood near, and who had heard many sermons.

It was time now to enter the enter the building, and cut the ribbon which would mark the re-dedication of the Jade Palace, and complete the ceremony. He was handed the Jade Knife, for long a symbol of authority within the kingdom, and even as he severed the ribbon with a single sweeping stroke, a voice spoke from the Dragon Throne behind him. "Thou hast done well, Tai-sui-xing, and all my people, and I am well pleased. I shall this day make you Tu-di of the Celestial City, and your name shall live forever in honor". And Tai-sui-xing whirled about, and on his face was awe, for the throne was not empty, and Yu-huang, the Jade Emperor, Lord of the Stellar Lights, God of Near and Close, Commander of Truth had returned!