A silence so complete that even a needle dropping could be heard.
The air in the hall seemed to vanish in an instant, then freeze solid, the chill piercing everyone to the bone. In the eyes of those present, the splendid Three-legged Gilded Incense Burner now seemed to have become some primordial beast, silently baring its enormous jaws as if ready to devour them.
The color drained from Little Fuzi's face in an instant, leaving it whiter than the snow outside. The incense burner? The incense? All incense used in the palace was supplied exclusively by the Imperial Household Department, then personally inspected and lit by him, the Head Eunuch. If the incense was poisoned, then he... he would be the first criminal deserving of a thousand cuts!
Fear gripped his heart like an invisible hand, making it almost impossible to breathe. He was no fool. In an instant, he understood what this meant. This was a crime far beyond anything he could bear; there had to be a monstrous conspiracy behind it! Who was responsible? The Empress? Or one of those princes already of age, all yearning for the Dragon Throne?
Emperor Cheng'an reclined on the Dragon Couch. His eyes, clouded by his long illness, now blazed with a terrifying light. He did not look at Little Fuzi, nor at the incense burner. His gaze, like two poisoned daggers, fixed on Gu Shen.
He did not fly into a rage or shout. Instead, his voice grew calm—a deathly calm, like the stillness before a storm.
"Say that again."
Every word seemed forced through clenched teeth, grating like metal scraping against stone.
"Your Majesty," Gu Shen said, bowing slightly, his expression composed, as if he felt none of the crushing imperial authority bearing down on him. "I said that the