Dragonkeeper

“The imperial dragons really belonged at the imperial palace in Chang’an. That’s how it had been for thousands of years. A shaman should examine them daily, divining the Emperor’s future from the dragons’ behavior. If the dragons frolicked happily in the pleasure gardens, it was a good sign for the empire. If they sulked and didn’t eat, it was a bad omen.”

This passage introduces the crucial idea that dragons are a very real part of the Han Dynasty’s rule, and the explanation also introduces the basic premise of the novel: that people who care for the natural world are bound to care for the rest of the world as well. The dragons are an omen because if the emperor cares for them, he will care just as assiduously for his empire. Because omens and fortunetelling are real in the world of the novel, this paragraph also establishes the quasi-supernatural aspects of the story, foreshadowing the appearance of fantastical feats and deeds.

“The girl had no idea what her master had in mind. Lao Ma seemed to know, though. She shook her head and chanted prayers of forgiveness.”

The fact that Lao Ma already knows what Lan is planning suggests that Lan has pickled dead dragons before in order to escape punishment. Given that two dragons remain when there were once 12, the narrative obliquely suggests that Lan has been shirking his duties for many years. Lao Ma’s refusal to intervene also illustrates Lan’s intense control over Huangling, for even though he is doing something cruel and evil, nobody has the will or the inclination to stop him.