Returning to the palace after a deer-hunting expedition on a chariot driven by seven zebras, the king issued a controversial royal edict: "From now on, no expectant royal lady shall be allowed to enjoy any pre- and post-natal care." The pronouncement caused a stir among the royal ladies, particularly the daughters-in-law and married daughters, who wasted no time in consulting the queen consort and expressing their defiant amazement at the decree. The queen, though ostensibly unperturbed, had her mind racing to locate the possible reason behind the king's drastic decision.
The King's Reasoning
In the bedchamber, the queen argued politely with the king to understand the precipitating factor instead of directly confronting him. The king fulminated that during the hunting tour, he noticed some women of families who sit below the salt, with something slung behind their backs while they were snowed under with chores, errands, and labor. He asked his wazir what those hanging things were. The wazir apprised the king that they were the newborn babies of those women. The poor women could not afford a long, restful lying-in as they had to carry on their daily work to shoulder family finances. The king told the queen that he asked the wazir if those babies grew up as normal human beings. The wazir affirmed they would become the king's loyal masses and brave warriors. The king reasoned: if those women could resume their chores and labor soon after childbirth, why were expectant women and mothers of the royal family lavished with royal privileges of rest and care? The queen smirked and wished the king sweet dreams.
The Queen's Countermove
After a few days, the king felt like having a stroll in his royal gardens but flew into a fit of fury upon seeing the unkempt seedbeds and wilting plants. The king sent for the royal gardeners and threatened them with dire consequences if found guilty of negligence. The gardeners stood silent with heads down, trembling with fear. On being prodded repeatedly to divulge the reason or face the music, one senior gardener dared to speak after seeking security of life if anything hurt the king. He pleaded not guilty because they obeyed the queen's orders to not tend the royal gardens any longer. The king was taken aback and dashed towards the royal harem.
On seeing the irate king heading her way, the queen dismissed all the royal ladies and maids and welcomed him. The king, fuming with anger, inquired why she had forbidden the gardeners from tending the royal gardens. The queen asseverated that the royal flora could survive on their own like the wild plants in jungles do. The king huffed at the misplaced parallelism and argued that the plants in the royal gardens belonged to rare breeds and species needing special care to ensure their growth and beauty, while wild flora survived only in jungle habitats; nature had built them to survive in their respective habitats. "It's not a matter of what's good for the goose is good for the gander," exclaimed the king to rest his case.
The Queen's Point
The queen stood in front of the king and spoke smilingly: "That's the point, my lord. The newborns of the royal family and the ones you saw outside the four walls of the palace cannot be equated, as both types are meant for different roles in different environments." The king saw the point and expressed touché. But, in fact, he was beguiled and gaslighted.
Such sophistry and polemics the rulers use to placate the qualms of accountability, if they ever have, and to justify their own perks and privileges: medical treatments abroad, extravagant weddings, royal robes and accessories, luxurious vehicles, and elite lifestyles. Their chronic apathy towards their masses becomes all too obtrusive when we are disillusioned that they believe the miseries of the never-haves are the natural part and parcel of their existence. The belief in taxonomy based on birthright status justifies and perpetuates the divide between the ruler and the ruled.
