The next day, the Court Assembly convened.
This Court Assembly was unlike those of days past.
Even the ministers with the deepest prejudices no longer looked at one another with anger. Instead, they nodded.
The ministers of the Imperial Court, who had failed to unite for so long, had been brought together by He Zeng single-handedly.
Whether they belonged to the emperor's faction or the great families' faction, all of them now hoped that He Zeng, Guo Jian, and the rest of the Mad Dog Faction would be dismissed as soon as possible.
None of them could bear to watch the inhuman atrocities those men committed.
Even Ji Kang and the others who leaned most strongly toward Cao Mao had spoken out and published writings in various places condemning Guo Jian and He Zeng's conduct, only to suffer He Zeng's retaliation afterward.
The atmosphere was unusually solemn.
The ministers entered the hall in turn, He Zeng among them. Faced with their angry glares, he stared defiantly back, seemingly still pondering whom he should arrest.
Aside from the few whose rank matched his and some ministers of Cao Mao's faction, no one dared raise his head to glare at him.
Even Xun Yi, the leader of the great families' faction, dared not glare at He Zeng now, much less criticize him openly.
That bastard He Zeng had simply gone mad.
He had even arrested Zheng Chong!
Xun Yi absolutely refused to believe that Zheng Chong would participate in any rebellion. Simply because the man had accompanied Tao Qiu Yi to a banquet, He Zeng had deemed him a suspected conspirator, possibly the rebels' leader, and thrown him straight into prison.
That man was the previous Minister of Works! If He Zeng showed even him so little courtesy, what would he do