The court's ceremonial greetings had yet to end, and he dared not barge in and interrupt.
He simply parked his wheelchair quietly beside a corridor pillar, squinting at the golden daylight and listening to the synchronized cries and obeisances inside.
He waited for over an hour before the proceedings in Taiji Hall finally ended.
The civil and military officials filed out of Taiji Hall, wearing all manner of expressions.
Some looked ashen, some stared blankly, some walked with unsteady steps, and others rubbed their knees as they went. They saw Chen Pingping but did not come over to exchange pleasantries.
It was not that they wished to avoid suspicion. Rather, their emotional journey today had been more thrilling than a roller coaster, and they urgently needed somewhere to calm down and digest it all.
Chen Pingping paid them no heed and merely waited quietly.
At last, Eunuch Hou hurried out of the hall in small steps and whispered a few words into Chen Pingping's ear.
Chen Pingping nodded, and Eunuch Hou led him toward the side hall.
At present, the Imperial Study and whatnot had yet to be put in order or whatever; moving into the Imperial Palace and all that would still take some time.
"Your subject, Chen Pingping, bows before Your Majesty." His voice was hoarse, carrying a measure of deliberate deference. "I claimed illness and missed court these past days, failing to share Your Majesty's burdens. Please forgive my offense."
Zhou Cheng waved a hand. He knew what Chen Pingping had been thinking before and could not be bothered to hold it against him.
Among all the civil and military officials at court, there were few he valued. Chen Pingping counted as the most important of them.
Moreover, he had something very important for Chen Pingping to