The Monarch

The next day, Light snow fell over Di'an.

At noon, envoys from the palace arrived at the Prime Minister's Mansion, delivering an imperial decree and an invitation for Great Yan's Prince of Han to attend the new emperor's coronation ceremony.

Of course, The palace eunuch also relayed some private words from the Crown Prince to the Prince of Han.

After tomorrow would begin an entirely new era. The imperial and prime ministerial factions could no longer remain as distant as they had been in the past. Under the cooperation of the new emperor and the Prince of Han, extensive collaboration would gradually unfold—in court politics, on military battlefields, and in economic exchange alike.

It was reassurance, but also a signal that the imperial clan was preparing to present a united front against external enemies. Li Zhaoyuan had more or less begun gathering the powers left behind by the late emperor and was preparing to gradually shift his strategic focus toward the war against the Sect Alliance.

Whether it was sincere or false, Li Zhaoyuan was clear-minded enough to distinguish the broader direction. Only the finer details might require further discussion.

Xu Yuan offered little opinion before the eunuch. He readily agreed with a smile, casually dismissed him, and went off to attend to other matters.

Palace City, Golden Throne Hall.

After dismissing the last batch of ministers who had remained at court for secret deliberations, dusk had already arrived. Li Zhaoyuan did not hurry to rise and leave. Seated behind the low table before the golden steps, he surveyed this hall that had endured through the ages, gazing at the dragon throne his imperial father had once occupied. For no apparent reason, he suddenly found the experiences of these past days rather dull.

The so-called arts of an emperor were