"His Majesty has an edict, the gates are open."
One after another, the shouts echoed from deep within the inner palace gates. Cui Zhaoqian, Xie Zhi, He Yuduan, Qian Wei, and the others walked in along the gates. At this moment, the cold morning stars filled the sky, and the waning moon hung like a hook. Dawn had not yet broken, but along both sides of the grand avenue, eunuchs stood every ten meters, each holding a palace lantern that cast a faint silver glow along the path.
These high-ranking officials stepped inside and arrived at a grand hall, where they saw rows of guards standing like iron nails, hands resting on their sabers. A wave of cold air rushed at them, causing every minister to shiver and even soften their footsteps.
Upon entering, they saw two-meter-tall silver candle lamps, in pairs every few meters, standing on both sides. The candles, encased in hollowed-out glass lanterns, stared at the incoming people like ghostly eyes, blinking unceasingly.
More than a dozen ministers stepped inside, exchanging glances in silence.
Those who usually argued loudly at court sessions due to differing political views had all fallen into An's silence now. Of those able to stand here, no one chose to stick their neck out at this moment.
"Crack!"
A soft popping sound came from a flame. Zhao Xu, standing before this candle lamp, lowered his gaze without moving a muscle. He could feel the gaze from the highest place sweeping over everyone.
Especially lingering on him for a long time.
Your Majesty has grown suspicious!
Zhao Xu's mood was far from as calm as his expression, but as the senior grand secretary, he was accustomed to remaining unfazed by any event, just as he was accustomed to obeying the imperial will while upholding