Within the Secluded Courtyard in Orchid Pavilion Ward, Sacred Capital City, the faint strains of strings and flutes drifted out.
Amid the elegant music, several maids knelt with their heads bowed. A bronze incense burner beside them released curling wisps of smoke, its fragrance delicate and refined, mingling with a haze like clouds from an immortal realm.
A commanding male voice rang out from the hall. "All of you, leave us."
The music stopped abruptly. The musicians and maids slowly withdrew and closed the doors, leaving only Yue Dongyang, Lu Yuan, and Hu Ze's Avatar, three powerful ministers of the Great Qian Dynasty, in the private room.
Yue Dongyang and Lu Yuan had invited Grand Preceptor Hu here to discuss matters concerning Hu Meiniang. Yet now that the moment had come, the two exchanged a glance, unsure how to begin.
Seeing this, Hu Ze's Avatar could not help smiling. "Gentlemen, if you have something to say, speak freely."
Yue Dongyang sighed softly and steeled himself before speaking. "Grand Preceptor Hu, to tell you the truth, we came this time to ask you to take charge of the situation. But this concerns the Grand Empress Dowager, and we do not know exactly where you stand."
Hu Ze's Avatar said, "Does this concern the earlier Palace Transfer Case, Lord Yue?"
Yue Dongyang said, "Indeed. The Young Emperor has succeeded to the throne, and his mother is no longer alive, yet the Grand Empress Dowager governs from behind the curtain. This accords with neither ritual law nor ancestral institutions."
Lu Yuan said, "We have long wished to ask the Grand Empress Dowager to move out of Kunning Palace and reside elsewhere, so that titles and duties may be properly aligned. But she refuses, always claiming that His Majesty is young and needs someone