In the Crown Prince's Palace, more than a dozen people gathered, their faces dark as still water, fear lingering in their eyes.
It had come too suddenly!
For many, it was nothing short of a calamity crashing down upon their heads. The Crown Prince strode out in a fury, looked at the silent gathering, and sneered outright. "Our days are numbered."
He showed no fear at all and continued, "Once I, the Solitary One, am demoted to a lord king, have some charge pinned on me a couple of years later, and then commit suicide in prison...
"Those of you ministers closest to me will presumably die under the law. Your close kin within the three degrees will die with you, and your more distant branches will be exiled.
"As for the rest, those due for exile will be exiled, and those spared exile will be dismissed from office, never to be employed again for the rest of their lives. Even the younger generations of your families will be implicated. What a miserable sight.
"How miserable."
Liu He spoke calmly, vividly describing everything he would experience in prison. A chill crept up the backs of his listeners, and their fear swelled.
"What are we supposed to do?"
For a moment, some lost their wits entirely. The sight filled Liu He with irritation, and he barked, "What are you panicking for? At worst, we die.
"Besides, it won't be just the few of us dying. If Father wants to depose me, he had better be prepared to have a hundred thousand people buried alongside me."
A trace of madness ran through Liu He's voice.
A hundred thousand!
That was certainly no empty claim. If Liu Xun proceeded as he had when settling accounts with Liu Dan, a hundred thousand people would