The sky was overcast, and a fine rain drifted down. Zhao Xu hurried to the Grand Secretariat, saw the guards, and immediately knew the Emperor had arrived.
Sure enough, several clerks were sorting documents in the side room, while the eunuch Tu Cheng was making his rounds. Seeing him, Tu Cheng promptly lowered his hands and bowed. "His Majesty arrived nearly half an hour ago... He said that once Your Excellency the Chancellor arrived, you were to be brought in. This servant will report your arrival at once..."
He tiptoed inside. Mere minutes later, Tu Cheng emerged. "Your Excellency the Chancellor, please enter. His Majesty is in the Eastern Study Pavilion..."
Zhao Xu merely nodded in acknowledgment before stepping inside. The Emperor sat there, with the desk before him piled high with memorials, alongside a vermilion ink brush and inkstone.
Cui Zhaoqian, Luo Pei, Qian Wei, and Lu Fengyun were present as well, seated at an angle on small wooden stools. Lower-ranking officials knelt below them.
After the formal greetings, a eunuch invited him to take a seat.
Su Ziji had been lost in thought for a while before asking, "Continue!"
"Yes. Thousand-Household Commander Li Qian and Thousand-Household Commander Tian Wei killed enemy Thousand-Household Commanders and slew 1,031 Ying Army soldiers."
"Thousand-Household Commander Sang Chengci was ambushed and killed in battle. Commanding Officer Zhou Za arrived and struck the enemy from behind in pursuit, killing 679 enemies. Our own losses were 705 men."
"Nanji County was attacked. County Magistrate Ji Xiang led the local militia in resistance but failed to repel them."
"A Hundred-Household Officer of the rebel forces, Qian Gun, appeared in Quyin County with seventy-three men and requested surrender. When questioned, he replied that his commander, Liu Zhi, had been killed and that many in his unit had