"Your Majesty worries too much."
The old eunuch stepped forward with great tact and smiled. "Though Her Highness's divine might is unrivaled, she holds Your Majesty, her imperial brother, in the highest respect. This is a blessing for our Great Tang."
"Exactly!"
The Emperor immediately straightened his back again, his face full of pride.
"Just whose little sister do you think she is? I watched her grow up... er, although I didn't watch her for many days, blood is thicker than water. Could that be false?"
"Right."
The Emperor suddenly seemed to recall something, and his expression turned solemn.
"Elder Bai's matter..."
"Convey my decree."
"Welcome Elder Bai back to the capital with state rites. I will personally leave the city to greet him."
"Also... have the palace people stand by. So long as he still has one breath left, keep that breath hanging on!"
Chang'an, West Market.
As the most prosperous and bustling district in all of Great Tang,
it gathered people from every walk of life, foreign merchants, peddlers, and commoners.
Today, Tingyu Tower was even more packed than usual.
Even its innkeeper, usually the stingiest of men,
had, for once in a blue moon, hung red silk at the entrance.
In the center of the main hall, offerings of the three sacrificial animals had been laid out, and people repeatedly bowed toward the south from afar.
Upon the raised platform in the center of the hall,
a storyteller in a green robe with a goatee held a folding fan, his expression solemn.
The teahouse patrons below formed a dark sea of heads. All held their breaths, not daring to make a sound.
Bang—!!!
The storyteller's gavel struck the table, making everyone's hearts tremble.
In that deathly silence, the storyteller abruptly opened his eyes.
His gaze flashed