The first day after Yin Cunli's death.
The sun shone brilliantly over the Divine Capital.
In the Imperial Palace, Inner Chancellor Eunuch Wang announced that His Majesty was unwell and would not hold court that day.
Everyone had expected this.
Whether it was the Heavenly Queen's pregnancy, Princess Yongxing's imprisonment in Nine Heavens' death row, or Lianshan Xin cutting down members of the Imperial Family in the street, any one of these matters would weigh well over a thousand pounds once placed on the scales.
If the officials really discussed these matters at court, even Emperor Yongchang would struggle to suppress them outright. And if the Imperial Court argued its way to a decision that could not be implemented, it would have a hard time preserving its dignity.
The best solution was to cancel court.
Running away might be shameful, but it worked.
Still, canceling court was something they could do once or twice, not forever.
"His Majesty will have to face this problem sooner or later," the Right Chancellor said quietly, before turning to the Left Chancellor. "Has His Majesty given any instructions?"
The Left Chancellor shook her head. "This involves Nine Heavens and the Imperial Family. I didn't ask, and His Majesty didn't tell me."
"I thought you would help relieve His Majesty's worries," the Right Chancellor said pointedly.
The Left Chancellor glanced at him and said gravely, "I govern All Under Heaven. I am not His Majesty's sycophant. His Majesty himself has said that I need only take responsibility for the Imperial Court's administrative affairs."
"Does a dispute between Nine Heavens and the Imperial Family not count as the Imperial Court's administrative affairs?" the Right Chancellor asked.
The Left Chancellor chuckled. "If you think it does, why not go and resolve it?"
*Do you take me for