Chapter 57: The Furious Emperor Yongchang Early the next morning, in Taihe Hall, Emperor Yongchang sat upright upon the Dragon Throne.

He was still wearing the same bright yellow imperial robes and crown from yesterday. The beaded tassels of his Imperial Crown swayed gently before his face, concealing every trace of emotion in his eyes amidst the curling blue smoke rising from the incense burners on both sides of the grand hall.

Inside the hall, the civil and military officials were lined up on both sides, kneeling in a dense crowd across the floor. These were all people whom the new dynasty had not yet had time to reward and promote, and all of them were on the Eldest Miss's list.

Yet, in the entire hall, Grand Duke Su was nowhere to be seen.

Once the morning court procedures were completed, Emperor Yongchang spoke of the rewards and promotions, saying that a preliminary plan had been drafted.

He made a gesture, and the eunuch standing in attendance beside him unfurled a scroll of yellow silk imperial edict and began to read it aloud.

The eunuch's voice was sharp and thin, echoing beneath the dome of Taihe Hall, clearly delivering each official post and name into the ears of everyone present.

Emperor Yongchang's face darkened inch by inch from the moment the eunuch read out the very first name.

Not a single name on this list overlapped with the one he had discussed with Grand Duke Su in Qianyuan Hall yesterday afternoon.

From the Three Chancellors and Nine Ministers, the Ministers of the Six Ministries, and the Chief Ministers of the various courts, down to the governors of each commandery and the commanders of each army, they were all names he did not recognize.

Every single appointment was like a pre-carved seal, slammed onto the imperial desk before him with a thud, requiring neither his vermilion brush, his approval, nor even his nod.

After the eunuch finished reading, the civil and military officials throughout the hall knelt down in unison, crying out, "Your Majesty is wise!"

The voices of dozens of people joined together, shaking the carved window lattices of Taihe Hall so much that they trembled slightly.

Emperor Yongchang sat on the Dragon Throne, the beaded tassels of his Imperial Crown obscuring his face so that his expression could not be seen clearly.

After a long silence, he waved his hand and dismissed the court.

With a dark face, he walked back to Qianyuan Hall.

He swept all the brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones on the Dragon Desk to the floor in one fell swoop. The cinnabar in the inkstone splashed onto the bluestone floor, splattering into an eye-catching red.

Several young eunuchs were so terrified that they knelt on the floor, trembling, not daring to make a sound.

Just then, Zhou Ming paced in from outside the hall.

Stepping unhurriedly over the threshold, he looked at the scattered mess on the floor, showing no expression of surprise on his face.

"Why is Your Majesty so Life Qi?"

Zhou Ming's voice was not loud, and even carried a hint of a gentle smile, as if asking a throwing-tantrum child why they were throwing things.

Emperor Yongchang whipped around.

He did not have Grand Duke Su's shrewdness, nor did he have Empress Su Mingyue's composure.

With trembling fingers, he pointed at Zhou Ming, his eyes bloodshot as he spoke through gritted teeth:

"It's you... It's you!"

"Why must Your Majesty be so angry?"

Zhou Ming bent down to pick up the inkstone from the floor, wiped it with his sleeve, and placed it back on the Dragon Desk.

He straightened up, met Emperor Yongchang's slightly reddened eyes due to anger, and said in a steady tone:

"Your Majesty, you only need to sit well upon your Dragon Throne, and this world will still be yours."

"The Eldest Miss said that Your Majesty does not need to worry; she will guard this world well for you."

"Your Majesty only needs to live peacefully in the Imperial Palace, and then the world will be at peace, and you will have no worries at all."

After speaking, Zhou Ming paid no further attention to Emperor Yongchang, turned around, and walked out.

The doors of the hall slowly closed behind him, and silence once again descended upon Qianyuan Hall.

Only a few young eunuchs remained kneeling on the floor, trembling as they cleaned up the shattered porcelain pieces, sneers hanging on the corners of their mouths as they worked.

Emperor Yongchang stood behind the Dragon Desk for a long time.

The bright yellow imperial robes and crown weighed heavily on his shoulders, and the beaded tassels of his Imperial Crown swayed gently before his forehead, every single bead seeming to mock him.

"Someone, come." His voice was incredibly hoarse.

A young eunuch who was crouching on the floor picking up the broken porcelain pieces looked up, his face still wearing an expression of fear and trepidation.

"Drag these dog servants out and execute them!"

The young eunuch was stunned for a moment, then lowered his head and continued to pick up the broken porcelain pieces on the floor.

No one else in the hall reacted either.

An old eunuch peeked out halfway from behind a pillar, glanced at Emperor Yongchang, and then shrank back.

The Imperial Guards outside the hall stood straight, their armor gleaming coldly in the sunlight, completely motionless as if they had not heard the commotion inside the hall at all.

Emperor Yongchang's eyes widened, the bloodshot veins from his anger at Zhou Ming just now still lingering in his eyes. The muscles at the corners of his mouth twitched a few times, and he suddenly laughed.

It was not a loud laugh, nor was it a sneer, but a dry, short laugh squeezed from the depths of his throat.

He sat back down on the Dragon Throne, ripping off his Imperial Crown and throwing it onto the Dragon Desk. The beaded tassels clattered against the inkstone in a chaotic, crisp sound.

"Good. Very good."

After saying those two words, he closed his mouth and did not make another sound.

Qianyuan Hall fell so silent that only the rustling sound of a broom sweeping across the golden brick floor remained.

Su Yongxin stood in front of Yongning Gate, having already waited for several hours.

He had rushed over from the Marquis's Manor early this morning, wearing a brand-new purple silk robe with a jade-inlaid belt tied around his waist. His chin was tilted up slightly, and his brow carried a hint of the pride characteristic of the Su Family.

Since Grand Duke Su entered the Imperial Palace yesterday, no news had been sent back.

He had waited in the Marquis's Manor until midnight and sent several waves of people to inquire, but all of them were turned away at the door.

He had come again early this morning. Even after the morning court dismissed, he did not receive an imperial decree summoning him, and his name was not even mentioned on the list of rewards and promotions.

The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became, and the more anxious he became, the angrier he grew. In the end, he simply stood in front of Yongning Gate and shouted loudly at the guarding Imperial Guards:

"I want to see Your Majesty! Go in and report that his maternal uncle is waiting outside the gate for his audience!"

Anyone else would certainly not dare to clamor like this at the entrance of the Imperial Palace, but Su Yongxin was different.

He was Emperor Yongchang's maternal uncle, Grand Duke Su's eldest son, and a meritorious official of the Su Family who had escorted Your Majesty all the way north during their escape from Qingzhou.

In his view, Your Majesty's ability to ascend the throne was entirely due to the full support of the Su Family, and as the eldest son of the Su Family's main line, there would surely be a place for him among the Vice Ministers of the Six Ministries.

This was something his father had personally promised, and he wanted to ask clearly why this imperial edict was so late in coming.

The guarding Imperial Guards remained expressionless, completely ignoring him.

Su Yongxin grew even angrier, taking a step forward to push past the Imperial Guards and force his way inside.

Several more Imperial Guards flashed out from both sides of the gateway, their spears crossing before his chest with a sharp "shua."

Su Yongxin's face flushed red. "You dare block me? I am Su Yongxin! I am Your Majesty's maternal uncle! You bunch of..."

He was unable to finish his sentence.

Zhou Ming did not show his face in person; he merely passed under the eaves on the inner side of Yongning Gate and waved to the Imperial Guard captain.

The captain quickly stepped forward, and Zhou Ming whispered a few instructions.

The captain cupped his fists expressionlessly, turned to lead two Imperial Guards forward, and said coldly to Su Yongxin:

"Master Su, please follow us inside."

Su Yongxin thought someone was finally willing to lead him to see Your Majesty. He straightened his lapels, snorted coldly, and walked inside with his head held high behind the captain.

The captain led Su Yongxin through several corridor gates, walking into increasingly remote and deeper areas.

The high walls on both sides were cold and damp, and not even a single eunuch could be seen in the corridor; only the footsteps of the few of them echoed on the narrow stone path.

Su Yongxin finally sensed that something was wrong and stopped in his tracks. "This is not the way to Qianyuan Hall. Where are you taking me?"

The captain ignored his questioning.

Two Imperial Guards flanked him, holding his arms, and without stopping their pace, they brought him straight to Wenhua Hall.

The moment the hall doors opened, Su Yongxin saw Grand Duke Su sitting on a low couch inside the hall.

Grand Duke Su was still wearing the same python robe from yesterday, sitting before a square table with a chessboard laid out on it, on which less than half of the black and white stones had been placed.

Beside him sat two other veteran ministers who had also been "invited" here.

The old Grand Duke looked up upon hearing the commotion. Seeing his eldest son, he fell silent for a moment. His lips moved, but in the end, he said nothing, only gently placing the white stone clutched in his hand onto the edge of the chessboard.

The doors of the hall slowly closed behind Su Yongxin, and the dull thud of the door bolt falling into place echoed several times in the empty Wenhua Hall.

Now, it was perfect; those who had fled back from Qingzhou were now, in their entirety, within the imperial palace.

Originally, Zhou Ming had still been pondering how to invite Su Yongxin into the palace, but he had not expected him to deliver himself to the doorstep, saving quite a bit of effort.