The Revolting Peasantry

‘Is it that bad?’

‘Yes.’

‘Oh.’ The emperor stared deep into his aviary. Birds he almost understood, in as much as an emperor needed to understand anything. After all, he had advisors for that sort of thing. But people, he did not understand people. He glanced up at the chancellor. ‘Why are they revolting?’

The emperor could see that the chancellor was struggling to make sense of it himself. The chancellor turned to the soldier in the ragged uniform with the soot marks – and what looked like d...