Lady Meilin is seduced by her green tea brother-in-law everyday-Chapter 252: Empress Hui’s rally.
At a stadium in the city, thousands had gathered for the Imperial war against bad technology forum. They were dressed in black and white shades as instructed. Someone had advised the Empress that it was the color of revolution. Empress Hui was standing in the middle of he field on a high stage, the highest platform. Behind her were stairs leading down from the platform.
Royal agents were standing on those stairs, to her sides, directly behind her and in front of the stage. Drones streaked the air above the stadium from high above, watching the people, but mostly keeping an eye on the platform.
Empress Hui wore white, not silk but something made from eco friendly materials. Shd hated how it felt on her body and the almost too fresh scent of natural dye and fermented earth. But she did not show it on her face as she smiled at the crowd that had turned up to listen to her talk.
She could hardly believe that all those people had come out for her. What was even more unbelievable was that the Emperor had released her from confinement so soon and the Empress Mother was helping her rebrand her image.
Empress Hui stepped forward. The microphones activated, transporting her nervous breathing to the crowd before the start of her speech.
"Welcome to the Imperial war against technology forum." She started, in a shaky voice.
The crowd cheered her enthusiastically. She has been doing various interviews, talk shows and giving small planned speeches in different venues, speaking on the dangers of technology. This was the first large crowd she was addressing and she was nervous.
"The warning has been sounded by others before me, great men like philosophers and wealthy men that brought some of this technology to life." Her voice cut through the air.
The crowd parted as a minister arrived. Press cameras shattered and anti fans of the Empress’s new war secretly passed the shirts they would use to express their displeasure.
"It does not make sense that our children speak to mirrors, first thing before their own mothers in the morning. It is not right that our teenage daughters reach for metal and put it on their ears to talk to friends and boyfriends before greeting their mothers and fathers. We cannot laugh anymore as our toddlers turn down outdoor recess in preference for machines."
The royal agents besides the empress got nervous when a bright light suddenly reflected. Threats had been made, many of them and they had urged her to be more careful. She had been told to take this forum indoors where the environment could be more controlled but she refused. Out here, there were many threats and the empress had refused to used the high tech gadgets for protection as it would kill her message and her new brand.
"We cannot buy milk in some stores without our fingerprints and irises being scanned. Why? Can someone tell me why you need to know the color of my eyes before I can drink milk?" She asked.
A murmur spread through the crowd like wind. An applause broke out in one section. Someone spilled soda and a girl screamed. A lot was going on in the crowd and it all served to increase the unease of the royal agents.
"Machines know us better than we know ourselves and each other. They keep our secrets, our memories, our deepest desires, our fears and our dreams. They advise us on our futures, the shapes of our bodies, what to eat, wear, drink or when to go to sleep.
We have become so reliant on them that we cannot do without them. We worship them like gods, forgetting that we built them. I think that AI assisted machines mourn for us--they cry for what has happened to mankind.
I was walking down the halls of the royal palace the other day when I overheard a member of my staff telling another that she had a new baby. When I turned around to congratulate her, I found out the new baby was a flying car!!!"
Behind the crowd, on the far South edge of the stadium a bearded man that was almost dressed like a police officer reached into his coat. Inside the pocket was a small gun, it had been placed in the bathroom long before the forum started. He aimed it upwards, looking forward like any other supporter of the Empress and pulled the trigger.
The sound of the gunshot was extremely loud like fireworks being set off. The Empress was pulled down by an agent before her head could be blown off. The bullet hit another royal agent in the shoulder. Screams broke through the crowd and camera flashed quadrupled.
Agents unsheathed their weapons, drones descended. From the drones, a voice announced. "Nobody move, follow the protocol of gunshots being heard in a large crowd. Squat down, lower your heads and start evacuating in an orderly manner as instructed. If you have a medical emergency, raise your hand and a drone will lift you away."
As the people squatted down, shivering and sniffling was heard. Drones and the police continued to search for the shooter.
Two guards grabbed the shooter in silence as soon as he was identified and he screamed for freedom as he was dragged into a waiting unmarked SUV.
"We are cyborgs and we are here to stay. You will not unplug us you bitch! Technology reigns."
Royal agents rushed the Empress out of the stadium first and shoved her into a car that was armed with all the latest technology she was raving against. She did not argue about it, in fact, she hoped that it worked as intended to keep her safe.
Three hours later, Empress Hui was in her office, watching the news in the royal palace, trembling as she tried to grip a cup of tea firmly. Her six advisors were debating on the rest of her planned rallies, would they be cancelled or not?
"Cancel them." She said quickly.
"No." Advisor Ji An refused strongly. "This is a good thing. Empress, you are a heroine that has just survived an assassination. We can build on this and spread your fame further. You are the most unpopular empress of our empire. This is your only chance to turn things around." She snapped her fingers. "Put her back in the dress she was wearing, put some fake blood on her face and lets go to the hospital and sit with the family of the agent that was shot."
The Empress agreed and Ji An excused herself. She went to the bathroom and sent a text. [Swan on route to hospital]
A thumbs up was the response she got and the messages disappeared.
In the hospital, agent Ji Waning who was supposed to be in critical condition was sitting inside the hospital room, eating a hamburger.
In the base of the Imperial army, the shooter that had been transported there secretly was removing his fake beard and mask. It was none other than the Imperial commander Jun Mingzhe.
