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The legend of the thousand pearls and diamonds crown

The kingdom of Zaza, known as the land of Treasures, bore witness to numerous tales that unfolded across the seven neighboring kingdoms, all in pursuit of the ample treasures in the land.

Legend had it that the person who possessed the precious treasure of Zaza would be the ruler of all seven kingdoms.

Among the enormous treasures scattered and hidden below the caves and mountains of Zaza lay a priceless crown worn by the first emperor and founder of the great Dein Zaza dynasty, Emperor Minglo Zaza.

Emperor Minglo Zaza had six sons born to him by his concubines, and there was conflict amongst the concubines on whose son would inherit the throne because Empress Dylia had no child to lay claim to the throne.

By the act of succession that established the Dein Zaza dynasty, the empress's son would be the heir apparent to the throne regardless of any child born before him.

Emperor Minglo loved the empress dearly, but her childlessness had strained their relationship as he needed an heir who would succeed him after his death.

They have tried to conceive for seven years with the help of the best doctors money could afford, but the result was not what they wanted.

Emperor Minglo, who was under immense pressure from his elders in the council, finally succumbed to pressure as he married four women from noble and royal families as concubines in a bid to solidify his reign and not be overthrown by his enemies who had their eyes set on his throne.

Empress Dylia had been against Emperor Minglo marrying concubines as she felt threatened by them. She loved Minglo and had faced many difficulties with him as a soldier before he ascended the throne.

Several assassination attempts on Emperor Minglo had been foiled in the past few days by the Royal Guards. This incident further intensified the pressure as the councils of elders feared what would happen should the assassination attempt be successful.

Concubine Lydia, the daughter of elder Buccha, one of the military leaders of the Southern tribe, gave birth to the first child, a son named Prince Raphael.

The southern tribe was delighted and proud to have the crown prince come from their tribe, but Emperor Minglo bestowed the title of prince of the realm instead of naming him his heir.

The other three concubines also gave birth to sons within three years, and Emperor Minglo bestowed the royal titles of princes to them without bestowing the title of crown prince to them.

Fabian was born the following year by Concubine Sonia and became known as the prince of the realm of Dein Zaza and Cylbud, as his mother was the daughter of the king of Sylbud.

The Councils in Chief thought that Emperor Minglo would name Fabian his heir as his mother was from a powerful royal family, but Emperor Minglo gave him the same title as Raphael.

Concubine Kleptricia and Lucia were relieved when they found out they were both with children after three years in the palace. They watched as days turned to months, eager to meet their son or daughter.

The day finally arrived on a starry night as both women gave birth to twin boys, which the subjects considered a blessing from God and a sign of good things to come in the kingdom of Dein Zaza.

In honor of the occasion, the palace held a feast to celebrate and welcome the newest members of the royal family.

As with his other two sons born, Emperor Minglo bestowed on Concubine Kleptrician twins the title of Prince Daluke and Dante of Dein Zaza and to Concubine Lucia's sons the title of Prince Hower and Howli of Dein Zaza.

Empress Dylia had not gotten pregnant despite the efforts of the best doctor in both Dein Zaza and other neighboring kingdoms. Empress Dylia became heartbroken and depressed as all treatment to become pregnant yielded no result.

The concubines were jealous of Empress Dylia because of the love and affection Emperor Manglo had for her and mocked her for her barrenness by flaunting their sons around the palace.

Empress Dylia retreated into her shell and rarely came out of her room. Her sudden withdrawal from royal life into seclusion worried Emperor Minglo.

To cheer her spirit up, Emperor Minglo opted to take her to her people to recuperate. Unknown to the Emperor and the Empress, she was with a child.

On their way to her village, Black Wood Pine, Empress Minglo began to experience pains around her pelvis before the nurse realized that she was in labor. Emperor Minglo was confused, and so were the maids and nurses accompanying them, as they were unaware she was pregnant.

Emperor Minglo ordered the carriage to stop just between the border of East Caswell and Blackwood Pine. Empress Dylia delivered her child, a son whom the Emperor named Minglo Caswell Zaza.

The kingdom rejoiced at the news of Empress Dylia giving birth to a son after eighteen years.

Emperor Minglo prepared a feast in honor of the birth of Prince Minglo Caswell Zaza and invited kings, nobles, and dignitaries of other realms.

When Empress Dylia brought the child to the banquet hall accompanied by her maids and bodyguards, Emperor Minglo stretched forth his hands to take the child from Empress Dylia, who happily gave the boy to his father.

Four months old Prince Minglo, arrayed in a royal blue robe with a matching cap to keep him warm, had fallen asleep when Emperor Minglo took him in his arms and announced his name to the people gathered at the feast and bestowed the title of the crown prince to him which caused a racket among his ministers and noblemen.

The ministers and the noblemen whose daughters were married to the king rebelled against the decree of Emperor Minglo as six other princes in their teenage years were before Prince Minglo.

The concubines had come from powerful families, which had influence and power and held key positions in the government of Emperor Minglo, who had enjoyed a peaceful reign for over nineteen years.

Empress Dylia feared for the safety of her young son, who was just a child and could not defend himself. Empress Dylia was from a poor background and did not have the backing of any nobleman to back her up in government, aside from her husband.

They had fallen in love when they were young, and her background had not been a problem as he was a young lord at the time, and love was all that mattered to them.

Empress Dylia, in her wisdom and trying to avoid a catastrophe that could usurp the throne, thought of an idea to calm the storm brewing amongst the concubines and their supporters.

Empress Dylia pleaded with Emperor Minglo to consider dividing the kingdom into six and each prince be made Lord over each city.

Emperor Minglo was hesitant, but considering how young Prince Minglo was, he obliged her request.

Emperor Minglo divided the kingdom amongst his six sons and left the throne of Dein Zaza to Pince Minglo when he came of age.

Emperor Minglo removed his crown, crafted with thousands of diamonds and pearls, with a finishing touch of gold around the edges, and buried it in an unknown location.

Emperor Minglo then made a decree that whoever found the crown of a thousand pearls and diamonds would become the unified ruler of the seven kingdoms. The other provincial kings would become city administrators managing the affairs of each province under the Ultimate Emperor of the unified kingdoms.

The other sons and concubines suspected their father of playing favoritism in making Prince Minglo the king of Dein Zaza, as they believed that was where he buried his treasures and the crown.

It has been years, and Jess wondered why the aristocratic blue-blooded elite devoted their time to seeking this treasure. They held onto it like some prophecy when they should be bothered about fixing the parsimony of the kingdom, not some fables.

Jess, a twenty-eight-year-old lady of the Smiths family, scoffed at the conception that the war had broken out because of this legend.

Jess felt that the tale was untrue as the writer of the legend only said that so that each prince could focus on their kingdoms without meddling or overstepping in the affairs of another kingdom.

Jess knew better than to believe in some fables passed down from generation to generation and wished the elders of Zaza would also put such legends behind them.

Never in her wildest dream did she believe in becoming a central figure in this fable as she believed it to be.

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