Prince Qi had rebelled, the Emperor had "died of illness," and Su Ziji had reigned for less than a month when Prince Shu joined forces with the Kingdom of Ying and rebelled as well. Great waves rose one after another; court and country were shaken, and all under Heaven watched. People were left in constant panic, startled three times a day. Naturally, there were no lack of people fanning the flames.
At this time, the Grand Secretariat stood firmly by the Emperor. Any official who showed the slightest slackness was suspended and investigated one by one. Fortunately, the late Emperor had not been blessed with many sons. Of the three adult princes capable of competing, one was dead, one had fled, and one had been demoted. None could amount to anything, and the officials gradually calmed down.
Having finished handling his affairs, Gao Ze did not pause for a moment. As a eunuch of the Imperial City Office, he hurried inside. Bright yellow curtains overlapped in layers, and serving palace maids stood at every gate along the corridors and passageways. They might not have been peerless beauties, but all were graceful young women in their prime.
Turning into the Imperial Study, the place where the Emperor had originally handled great matters, he saw the imperial throne standing empty. At the desk below, the Emperor was reviewing documents. Eight eunuchs stood around him, each holding a whisk and bowing attentively without letting their eyes wander. Only one woman actually had a small Dunzi to sit on.
"Zhou Yao!"
On the surface, Zhou Yao was merely the daughter of Zhou Licheng, Subordinate Third Rank Minister of the Court of Imperial Provision. Yet the Imperial City Office had received quite a few secret reports. This woman was almost no ordinary mortal; even Princess