Even though the capital was under martial law, news of the Emperor's return still spread like wildfire.
The ordinary citizens at the bottom remained doubtful, unable to go out and verify whether the news was true. But for most officials and nobles, a single imperial decree from His Majesty was enough to confirm it completely.
Officials and ministers of every rank throughout the capital, along with nobles of every station, were summoned to the main hall of the imperial palace.
The hall was a sea of heads, packed with high-ranking officials from every department. Most of the lower-ranking clerks and minor officials had nowhere to stand and could only line up in the square outside, which was packed just as tightly.
Every one of them looked tense and uneasy...