After Shen Yangge died, Chu Xuanzhen carried on as before. The difference was that, although he looked perfectly normal, the corpse in his arms sent chills down people's spines.
Ministers were rarely asked to stay behind for questions after court. In the past, being asked to stay had been a mark of imperial favor, but now... it was nothing short of a test of their sanity, a form of mental torture.
Chu Xuanzhen was impeccably dressed, every strand of hair in place. Beside him, the Old Eunuch concentrated on grinding ink, seemingly afraid to disturb the silence.
The Minister of Works gave a broad account of several waterworks projects in Jiangnan at a measured pace, occasionally stealing a glance at the emperor's expression. Though it remained the same as ever, the minister still dared not speak too loudly.
Once he had reported everything he needed to, he closed his mouth and stood motionless.
Behind the desk, Chu Xuanzhen shifted his arms slightly, lifting the man in his embrace so he could rest more comfortably against him. He reached the hand holding the memorial toward the man's arm, using his free fingers to take the dangling hand and return it to its previous position.
Their sleeves brushed against each other, then parted.
Everything seemed so peaceful.
"I understand."
With that, he wrote out an imperial decree and had the Old Eunuch take it to the Minister of Works. "Take this decree and seek out the Eighth Prince, my minister. He has always enjoyed being on the move. You might as well set out together to deal with this."
The Minister of Works was drenched in sweat, but dared not protest. He respectfully accepted the decree. "Your servant... obeys."
By the time he left the Imperial Study, the minister's face was almost