"Civilians in Ru Prefecture stormed the prefectural offices, injuring more than twenty. The authorities have already provided compensation..."
"At Kuang**, half a battalion mutinied. Though it was suppressed, another fifty soldiers fled, causing much damage throughout the countryside..."
"In Hui Prefecture, an official hung up his seal and left. The garrison commander pursued him, but found no trace..."
"Shu Prefecture..."
"The Xuanwei Army..."
"Xing'an Kingdom..."
Early in the morning, people were already streaming in and out of the main hall of the Council of State Affairs, bringing news from every direction. Much of it was trivial, yet it encompassed reports from all across the realm. Everyone in the hall listened with furrowed brows and grave expressions.
When the time was about right, Meng Qingbin stepped forward and dismissed the people around them. The messengers and guards all understood that the many senior ministers were about to hold a closed-door discussion.
Present in the Council of State Affairs were not only chief ministers such as Xu Jin, Xu Yingyi, Cai Que, Meng Qingbin, and Cen Bo, but also the two Privy Council commissioners, Wang Jing and Geng Chi. In addition, Ma Yang, who had long since retired, and Wang Fu, who had only recently returned to court and had yet to receive a specific post, had also gathered there.
At a time like this, the firmament wept blood, and a heavy air filled heaven and earth. Scholars, farmers, craftsmen, and merchants alike were seized by fear, as though the end times had come. The many factions at court had set aside their struggles and wished to deliberate on a grand plan to stabilize the present state of the realm. Yet as report after report arrived, the situation throughout the land was instead taking a sharp turn for the worse.
Xu