In the grand hall, the Son of Heaven sat high upon the dragon throne, his face veiled by the hanging jade beads of his crown, his expression unreadable.
The civil and military officials stood in ranks on either side. The civil officials were led by Left Chancellor Gu Yanqing, while the military officials were led by Grand Commandant Qin Huaiyuan, with Li Xuancang standing behind him.
Li Xuancang wore court robes, his expression calm and indifferent.
His gaze swept across the assembled ministers, taking in every expression.
Some smiled at him in goodwill, some lowered their heads to avoid his gaze, while others had a faint, barely perceptible wariness flicker in their eyes.
"By His Majesty's decree, officials returning to the capital from all regions to report on their duties are summoned for an audience."
Liu Jin's shrill voice echoed through the grand hall. Several hundred local officials filed in from outside and fell to their knees in unison.
"Your servants pay respects to Your Majesty. Long live Our Emperor, long live, long live, ten thousand years!"
The Emperor raised a hand slightly. "Rise. My lords have traveled far to return to the capital and have endured much hardship along the way. At today's grand court, regarding your reports on duty, you may each speak your minds."
As his words fell, after a brief silence in the hall, a war without smoke officially began.
The first to be pushed to the eye of the storm was Zhao Boyong, Governor of Jing Prefecture.
Zhao Boyong had served in Jing Prefecture for twelve years.
Over those twelve years, Jing Prefecture's officialdom had been clean, its people prosperous, and its citizens full of praise.
By all rights, such an official should have been promoted.
Yet the memorials impeaching him were piled higher than