The Emperor stood with his face raised to the heavens, speaking for a long while without moving. Eunuch Zhao slightly lifted his head for a glance and was startled to see a tear fall from the Emperor's eye. He hurriedly lowered his gaze, not daring to look again.
The footsteps drew closer and closer. The Emperor turned back, wiped away his tears with his sleeve, and regained his calm. The unshakable majesty of a sovereign returned as he ordered, "Stay here. Leave the other matters to someone else."
No sooner had he spoken than a senior eunuch ran into the small pavilion and dropped to his knees with a thud. "Your Majesty, this servant arrived too late to save you. Please punish this servant!"
"It is enough that you are unharmed." The Emperor covered his mouth with his fist and coughed twice, then said coldly, "Go see what has become of the main hall!"
"Yes, this servant obeys the decree!" The senior eunuch immediately answered and withdrew.
"Eunuch Liu, wh-what should we do?" No sooner had the senior eunuch left the pavilion and gone a short distance than he saw a eunuch rushing toward him. Blood and grime covered the man's face and body, making him look utterly miserable as he asked through sobs.
"My godfather has been buried inside! How can we save him? Please, say the word!"
"Stop crying! Come with me and have a look!" Eunuch Liu had escaped death by the skin of his teeth and was still trembling. Had he not been off duty and outside the hall when the earth shook and mountains swayed, he might have become one of those buried within.
As the dust before them settled, the once-majestic hall was revealed to be severely damaged. Though some walls still stood, the