Dawn broke.
Fortunately, today was not the new moon or full moon grand court assembly. Only personnel from the Three Departments, Six Ministries, and related offices who worked in the imperial city entered after breakfast, whether on horseback, by carriage, or on foot.
They all noticed that something was different.
The patrols in the inner city had become more frequent, with additional men assigned. At the same time, more guards stood watch at the imperial city gates. None of the familiar faces from before could be seen. Every one of them had sharp eyes, as though ready to spring up and kill at any moment.
Once inside the imperial city, they found that, by usual practice, there should have been no footprints in the open spaces, nor would the snow have been swept. Yet today, the pristine white snow had been trampled to mush—a sight that could only result from dense crowds passing through.
When they reached their offices, they became even more uneasy. Soldiers stood guard outside every department's work area. Their appearance was somewhat less imposing, though—after all, it was cold. They hugged their weapons, tucked their hands into their sleeves, and hunched their bodies against the chill.
Anyone who tried to speak to them received only murderous stares, with hands already resting on the hilts of their waist sabers.
No one had any mind for work. They gathered together and quietly exchanged their thoughts.
Thus, this group of clever people from the Sui Dynasty naturally figured out the crux of the matter.
Yang Jian had died!
What was now taking place was a bloody transfer of power.
Everyone began to panic. A new ruler's ascension would inevitably be accompanied by a major purge, ensuring that his authority could truly extend outward.
To put it bluntly, everyone working