July twenty-fourth, eleven in the morning.
The sun grew fiercer. Outside the Ministry of Revenue's Duty Room, cicadas shrilled deafeningly, while grain transport ledgers lay piled like mountains on the desk.
Kou Yuan was checking figures, brush in hand, when an Imperial Attendant arrived with only a brief message: "His Majesty summons you to the Imperial Study."
Receiving the command, Kou Yuan set down his brush, straightened his cap, and adjusted his robes.
His steps remained steady as he left, but his mind turned in an instant...
He had expected this.
At the Grand Court Audience, Qi Zhao had turned and bitten his benefactor. The emperor had seen it clearly.
Those words-[the ability to govern one's subordinates]-had also sent a chill down his spine.
Over the past few nights, he had deliberated endlessly and prepared three pieces of evidence:
The handwriting on the Impeachment Memorial was Qi Zhao's.
The time of submission proved Qi Zhao had delivered it himself.
Xu Bingwen's testimony established that Qi Zhao had acted on his own.
With these three proofs in hand, even if Qi Zhao shattered every tooth in his mouth, he could not bite through evidence as solid as a mountain of iron.
He thought he was ready.
Unfortunately, those three proofs could establish his innocence, but could not unravel the game around him.
Inside the Imperial Study, there were no assembled officials, no ceremonial guards, only one man seated behind the Imperial Desk.
Emperor Jing of Zhou wore a white robe embroidered with golden dragons that day. Holding a scroll, he did not even raise his head as Kou Yuan entered, merely saying:
"Give Minister Kou a seat."
Kou Yuan thanked him for the favor and sat sideways, perching only on the edge of the chair.
"Minister Kou, I read an