The great hall fell silent, like a realm of the dead. A falling needle could have been heard.
After speaking, Emperor Xuanwu studied Qin An's expression.
To his disappointment, he found not a trace of curiosity or any other emotion he had hoped to see.
Qin An's gaze was as calm as autumn water. Even a fierce wind could not have stirred the slightest ripple in him.
Curious, Emperor Xuanwu asked, "Why aren't you surprised? I would have thought keeping you here alone would surprise most people, yet you seem not to care."
"And what I just mentioned is a secret that could shake the heavens. Doesn't it interest you at all?"
Qin An shook his head slightly and stroked the sheath at his waist. "There's nothing surprising about it, Your Majesty. I've come through life-and-death battles. Unless something truly extraordinary happens, little can stir my heart."
"Of course I'm curious about the secret Your Majesty mentioned. But until a secret is told, how can anyone know whether it will merely pique their curiosity or truly shock them?"
In truth, he was curious about what Emperor Xuanwu wanted him to do. But the emperor had not said what it was, so Qin An had no way of knowing.
That curiosity alone was not enough to set his thoughts racing.
For now, he would wait for Emperor Xuanwu to tell him, then see what the matter was.
Emperor Xuanwu came back to himself and nodded. "Good. Your composure has raised you in my estimation."
"Since we've come this far, I'll get straight to the point. But first, I want to know what you think of the current situation."
"Last time, you proposed a course of action. I'm more interested in how you see things."
At their last audience, Emperor Xuanwu had