Night fell.
Only after making sure the little one was sound asleep did Jiang Yanchuan slowly walk to the door and gently push it open.
Outside, the Upright Officials stood motionless in the shadows along the corridor. At first glance, they seemed to have blended perfectly into the darkness, waiting for a chance to give any latecomer a little shock.
Their stiff postures made it obvious that they had been waiting there for quite some time.
When Jiang Yanchuan emerged, every face bore a trace of hesitation, as though they wanted to speak but could not quite bring themselves to.
Jiang Yanchuan raised a hand and pointed to an empty private room in the opposite corner, signaling with his eyes that they should discuss matters inside.
Thus, the whole procession followed Emperor Mingze over, an imposing group moving in orderly silence on light feet.
Only after everyone had squeezed into the private room did one minister speak hesitantly. "Your Majesty-"
"About Duke Wang..."
Though they outwardly expressed all manner of disdain for Duke Wang, none of them wanted to see him convicted over this.
Duke Wang had indeed joined forces with the former Chancellor Gu, Gu Ruizhou, to stage this elaborate performance. But at its heart, the two men had only wanted to free Gu Ruizhou from Prince Jing's restraints so that he could devote himself wholeheartedly to serving Emperor Mingze.
Emperor Mingze had always followed his own set of principles when governing the country.
Having spent years waging campaigns far and wide, he naturally had a deeper understanding of the saying, "A general in the field need not obey every military command."
Therefore, as long as he judged that Duke Wang had acted for the country and its people, Duke Wang would most likely not be convicted for it.