If you die, I will be able to inherit your cultivation.

The next morning, Emperor Yongchang sat on the dragon throne in the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

He was still wearing the same bright yellow imperial robe he wore yesterday, the tassels of his crown swaying gently in front of him. The rising smoke from the incense burners on both sides of the hall obscured every emotion in his eyes.

Inside the hall, civil and military officials lined both sides, kneeling in a dense mass. These were all people whom the new dynasty had not yet had time to bestow titles upon, and they were all on the young lady's list.

The entire hall was filled with people, but Duke Su Mubai was nowhere to be seen.

After completing the court proceedings, Emperor Yongchang brought up the matter of bestowing titles and rewards, saying that a preliminary plan had been drafted.

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

The eunuch's voice was high-pitched and thin, buzzing and echoing under the dome of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, clearly conveying the official titles and names to everyone present.

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

This list is completely different from the one he discussed with Su Mubai in the Qian Yuan Hall yesterday afternoon.

The names of the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers, the Ministers of the Six Ministries, the Chief Ministers of the various courts, down to the Prefects of each prefecture and the Commanders of each army, were all unfamiliar to him.

Each appointment was like a pre-carved seal, slammed onto the imperial desk in front of him with a "bang," requiring no ink pen, no approval, and not even a nod from him.

After the eunuch finished reading, all the civil and military officials in the hall knelt down and shouted that His Majesty was wise.

The combined voices of dozens of people caused the carved window frames of the Hall of Supreme Harmony to tremble slightly.

Emperor Yongchang sat on the dragon throne, his face obscured by the tassels of his crown, making his expression impossible to discern.

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

He walked back to the Qianyuan Hall with a dark expression.

He swept all the writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones on the dragon's desk to the ground, splashing the cinnabar from the inkstone onto the bluestone floor, creating a dazzling red stain.

The eunuchs were so frightened that they knelt on the ground, trembling, not daring to utter a sound.

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

He stepped over the threshold unhurriedly, glanced at the mess on the ground, and showed no surprise on his face.

"What has made Your Majesty so angry?"

Zhou Ming's voice was not loud, and even carried a hint of a friendly smile, as if he were asking a child who was throwing a tantrum why he was breaking things.

Emperor Yongchang suddenly turned around.

He lacked Su Mubai's shrewdness and Su Mingyue's composure.

His finger trembled as he pointed at Zhou Ming, his eyes bloodshot, and he said through gritted teeth:

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

"Why must Your Majesty be angry?"

Zhou Ming bent down to pick up the inkstone from the ground, wiped it with his sleeve, and put it back on the dragon table.

He straightened up, met Emperor Yongchang's eyes, which were slightly red with anger, and said in a calm tone:

"Your Majesty, you only need to sit comfortably on your dragon throne, and the world will still be yours."

"The young lady said that Your Majesty need not worry, she will protect this empire for you."

"Your Majesty only needs to live peacefully in the palace, and the world will be at peace, and you will have nothing to worry about."

After saying that, Zhou Ming ignored Emperor Yongchang and turned to walk out.

The palace doors slowly closed behind him, and the Qian Yuan Hall returned to silence.

Only a few eunuchs remained, kneeling on the ground, trembling as they cleaned up the broken porcelain shards scattered everywhere, a mocking smile playing on their lips as they did so.

Emperor Yongchang stood behind the dragon desk for a long time.

The bright yellow imperial robe weighed heavily on his shoulders, and the tassels of his crown swayed gently in front of his forehead, each bead seeming to mock him.

"Someone come here." His voice was hoarse beyond recognition.

A young eunuch who was squatting on the ground picking up broken porcelain shards looked up, his face showing a look of fear and trepidation.

"Drag these lackeys out and behead them!"

The young eunuch paused for a moment, then lowered his head and continued picking up the broken porcelain shards from the ground.

No one else in the hall reacted.

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

The imperial guards outside the hall stood ramrod straight, their armor gleaming coldly in the sunlight, motionless, as if they hadn't heard a thing inside the hall.

Emperor Yongchang's eyes widened, the bloodshot veins from his anger at Zhou Ming still lingering in his eyes. His lips twitched a few times, and then he suddenly laughed.

It wasn't a loud laugh, nor a cold laugh, but a dry, short laugh squeezed from deep in the throat.

He sat back on the dragon throne, ripped off his crown and threw it onto the dragon desk, the tassels hitting the inkstone with a series of clattering sounds.

"Okay. Very good."

He closed his mouth after saying those two words and never made another sound.

The Qian Yuan Hall was so quiet that only the rustling sound of brooms sweeping across the gold-brick floor could be heard.

Su Yongxin had been standing in front of Yongning Gate for several hours.

He arrived from the Marquis's residence early this morning, wearing a brand-new purple silk robe with a jade-inlaid belt around his waist. His chin was slightly raised, and his brows carried a hint of the arrogance unique to the Su family.

Since Su Mubai entered the palace yesterday, no further news has been sent back.

He waited at the Marquis's residence until midnight, sending several groups of people to inquire, but all were turned away.

He came again early this morning, but after the morning court session ended, he still hadn't received the imperial edict summoning him, and his name wasn't even mentioned on the list of those to be rewarded.

The more he thought about it, the more anxious and angry he became. Finally, he simply stood in front of Yongning Gate and shouted loudly at the imperial guards guarding the gate:

"I want to see His Majesty! Go in and announce that his maternal uncle is waiting for him outside!"

If it were an ordinary person, they would never dare to shout like that at the gate of the imperial palace, but Su Yongxin was different.

He was Emperor Yongchang's maternal uncle, Su Mubai's eldest son, and a meritorious official of the Su family who escorted His Majesty on his escape to the north from Qingzhou.

In his view, His Majesty's ascension to the throne was entirely due to the strong support of the Su family, and as the eldest son of the Su family, he was certain to have a place among the six ministers.

This was something his father had personally promised, and he wanted to know why the imperial edict was so delayed.

The imperial guards at the gate remained expressionless and ignored him.

Su Yongxin's anger intensified, and he stepped forward, intending to push aside the imperial guards and rush inside.

Several more imperial guards emerged from both sides of the doorway, their spears swiftly crossed and held against his chest.

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

He didn't finish his sentence.

Zhou Ming did not appear in person; he simply passed by under the eaves inside Yongning Gate and waved to the Imperial Guard captain.

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

The captain, expressionless, clasped his hands in a fist salute, turned around, and led two imperial guards forward, coldly saying to Su Yongxin:

"Lord Su, please come in with us."

Su Yongxin thought that someone was finally willing to lead him to see the Emperor. He straightened his clothes, snorted coldly, and followed the captain inside with his head held high.

The captain led Su Yongxin through several corridors, walking further and further into the secluded and deepest part of the area.

The high walls on both sides were cold and damp, and there wasn't a single eunuch in sight in the passageway. Only the sound of their footsteps echoed on the narrow stone path.

Su Yongxin finally realized something was wrong and stopped in his tracks: "This isn't the way to Qian Yuan Palace. Where are you taking me?"

The captain ignored his question.

Two imperial guards grabbed his arms on either side and led him directly to the Wenhua Hall without stopping.

The moment the palace doors opened, Su Yongxin saw Su Mubai sitting on a low couch inside the palace.

Su Mubai was still wearing the same python robe as yesterday, sitting in front of a square table with a chessboard spread out on it. Less than half of the black and white pieces on the chessboard had been placed.

Two other senior officials, who had also been "invited," sat next to him.

The old Duke heard the noise and looked up. He saw that it was his eldest son. He was silent for a moment, his lips moved, but he didn't say anything. He just gently placed a white chess piece he was holding on the edge of the chessboard.

The palace doors slowly closed behind Su Yongxin, the dull thud of the latch hitting its groove echoing several times in the empty Wenhua Hall.

Now, all those people who escaped from Qingzhou are safely inside the palace.

Zhou Ming was originally figuring out how to invite Su Yongxin into the palace, but unexpectedly, Su Yongxin delivered himself to his door, saving him a lot of trouble.