Night hung dark, without a trace of moonlight upon the earth. A gust of autumn wind swept up a few fallen leaves and dropped them onto a slightly dilapidated roof. Inside, a lamp burned, its light wavering as several furtive figures gathered around a table.
"The emperor killed Tian Lin without cause. He must have grown suspicious."
"I said before that Liu Bingyi was a very clever emperor. And with that terrifying woman, the Empress Dowager, there as well, beguiling him is far too difficult."
"Hmph, no emperor is free of suspicion. The cleverer an emperor, the more suspicious he is, and Liu Bingyi is no exception. Otherwise, he wouldn't have distanced himself from the Jingnan Feudal Lords."
"Let's wait for now. Tian Lin has only just died, and the emperor is at his most vigilant. The slightest rustle of wind through grass will put him on guard. Don't provoke him again, or we may get caught in the crossfire."
"I agree. Let's not meet for a while. We'll watch how things develop and wait for an opportunity. I don't believe the emperor and the Luo Clan can truly remain so close that not a crack exists between them. Even fathers and sons cannot manage that, let alone a sovereign and a powerful ministerial clan whose interests clash."
The voices sounded one after another. The black-robed figures left the house and scattered in different directions, leaving only the faint crackle of the lamp. It burned a while longer, then went out, plunging everything into darkness.
To make the naming taboo easier for the common people to observe, Liu Bingyi changed his name to Liu Xun.
He had matured further, completely shedding the greenness of his first days on the throne. Nobility and authority now showed in his every glance.