"His Majesty's condition seems to be getting worse and worse lately."
"Yeah. I heard from people in the palace that His Majesty killed another palace maid yesterday, and he even—"
"Even what?"
"He nearly attacked the Empress! If Hall Master Kong hadn't been there, the Empress might have—"
"What?!"
"His Majesty can even lay hands on the Empress. Then we—"
"Exactly. Going to court every day now is like walking to the gallows. Who knows when His Majesty will go mad and have a few people beheaded."
"What a sin!"
Outside the imperial palace, the ministers preparing to attend court spoke in low voices, their faces filled with gravity and fear.
Their Emperor's condition had indeed worsened over this period. He wanted to execute people at the slightest provocation and had nearly executed even the Empress, much less ministers like them.
During this time, aside from a few old diehards unafraid of death who dared to offer blunt remonstrance, no one else dared confront Xu Tianran head-on. That was no different from courting death.
Listening to the discussions among their colleagues, several highly respected old ministers closed their eyes.
Ever since Xu Tianran had ascended the throne, most of the decrees he had issued could be said to have increased the burden on the people.
It had been tolerable at first, but as Xu Tianran's condition gradually worsened, the decrees he issued had become more and more outrageous.
Doubling taxes would have been one thing, but he collected them several times a year!
There were all sorts of costly projects that exhausted both the people and the treasury. The Rare Metal mines in the northern region had been hit by blizzards, and several hundred people had already died!
Yet Xu Tianran did not care about any of this. His eyes