In Luoyang, faced with the starlight streaming down and Zhang Jue's sudden death, the Han Court's Dukes and Ministers were tongue-tied, shocked to the extreme. A whole swath of them dropped to their knees.
He had known the hour of his own death, and such wondrous signs had appeared. Had someone said Zhang Jue had not died but ascended directly to heaven, people would have believed it.
The scene was so absurd that those ministers, normally as slippery as loaches, were momentarily at a loss.
Zhang Yan and the other Canal Commanders of the Taiping Army shed tears in secret, another wave of grief washing through their hearts.
They had actually accomplished little, yet even at the end of his life, the Dao Master had lent them another helping hand.
Silence lingered beneath the Northern Palace walls for quite some time. At last, someone bold stood and asked loudly, "The Dao Master has passed away. What is Luoyang to do?"
As that clear voice rang out with its question, boundless storms began gathering in everyone's hearts.
Zhang Jue had died. The realm's new king was gone. Most importantly, Luoyang's undisputed master was no more. Who would take charge of all this?
At those words, Zhang Yan and the others immediately rose, their hands settling on their sword hilts as they eyed the people below the steps like tigers watching prey.
Though swords had not been drawn nor bows bent, the atmosphere within the palace instantly grew tense. Many realized that this was a moment of life or death for their political careers. At such a crucial transfer of power, the right moves could bring riches and honor enough to flood the heavens.
Thanks to Luo Xiao's reminder, Zhang Yan, Guan Hai, and the others understood this well. The positions they