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This plodding story about an Emperor poet finds Lee falling out of favor with his noble counterparts. His use of dragon symbols in his home are considered to be sacrilegious. An envoy is sent to plant the seeds of conflict within Lee's court. Soon the army and navy are moving against Lee, and his generals commit suicide rather that face the indignity of capture. Lee buries his head in the sand and continues to write poems, seemingly oblivious that his world is rapidly coming to an end. He composes a poem to defeat as the enemy approaches his castle. Fighting, singing, debauchery, and political intrigue swirl around the Emperor, whose reluctance to join the other provincial kings leads to his inevitable downfall.