"What?"
"He didn't come?"
The smile on Lu Yu's face froze at once.
Many ministers were seated in Lu Yu's residence. He had personally arranged a banquet to welcome Hua Biao.
Although Lu Yu thought little of Hua Biao, he valued Hua Yi greatly. He believed this man would be an important minister when his son took over the Imperial Secretariat, and might even take charge of it after his son Lu Qin, striving to make his family the leaders of the great clans for three generations.
Hua Yi looked somewhat embarrassed. He said helplessly, "My father insisted on going to the Imperial Palace. I truly couldn't stop him."
Lu Yu smiled. "No matter. Changjun, your father has always been an upright minister at the Imperial Court, unwilling to cultivate ties with the ministers. You ought to follow his example!"
"Yes!"
Having said this, Lu Yu looked again at the many ministers under him.
These ministers had completed their alliance ceremonies over the past days. By now, they had formed countless little factions among themselves. Even Lu Yu could no longer tell who was allied with whom. The Imperial Court had descended into utter chaos.
But none of that mattered.
They all shared the same goal.
They were all waiting for the same thing, too.
They were waiting for Sima Shi to die.
As long as Sima Shi remained alive, they could not fully implement those policies, let alone seize power over the Imperial Court.
They all knew something of Sima Shi's condition. Word had it that he could no longer rise, and could not even eat or relieve himself without someone attending to him.
Sima Shi in this state could no longer make them wary. They merely waited quietly for him to die.
Once Sima Shi died, they could