The morning sun shone over the imperial palace, bathing it in brightness. Before those magnificent buildings, people seemed so small; amid that incomparable splendor, imperial authority seemed so towering.
Warm sunlight streamed down, splitting in two at the top of the hall doors. A clear dividing line ran before the steps outside: one half lay in shadow, while the other blazed with light.
Liu Xun stood in the shadows with his hands behind his back. Huo Guang stood slightly behind him to his left, bowing a little. There were no palace maids or eunuchs nearby, while the officials and nobles who had left the hall walked in the sunlight.
Watching those nobles and officials leave the palace in groups, Liu Xun suddenly turned and chuckled softly. "Zimeng, looking at all those people, are you afraid? Being my loyal minister is no easy task."
Huo Guang raised his head slightly and glanced at them before lowering it again. "If a mountain cannot be crossed, it must be moved. If a river cannot be bridged, it must be filled in. There is nothing in this world that cannot be done, only people who are afraid.
"I am too foolish to bear such a heavy burden, and only through Your Majesty's grace have I gained a place within the Forbidden Palace. All I have left is courage, which lets me press forward without hesitation, and loyalty, which lets me advance according to your wishes."
"I want to depose the Crown Prince!"
Huo Guang trembled. Everything before had been conjecture; no one had stated the matter openly. But now he had truly heard those words from the emperor's own mouth.
He was the only person to have received this news!
Liu Xun's gaze darkened as he said, "Zimeng, from the moment Marquis Wuxiang passed