Invitation

"I wonder if Brother Kong has been personally assessed by His Majesty!"

Zhang Xuezhou felt that the new emperor was being far too diligent, conducting assessments even in the cold of the night.

He thought about Kong Anguo, another scholar awaiting imperial orders at the Golden Horse Gate, and realized that Kong Anguo might also be tested by the new emperor.

He watched the new emperor ride away in his carriage, then glanced at Rong Tianding, who was still struggling with his adoptive mother, and could only cook for himself.

One possesses high cultivation and superior skills, while the other exudes fierce Demon Power power with an inexhaustible flow of strength.

If they don't go all out, this fight could go on for a very long time.

Zhang Xuezhou wasn't good at close-quarters combat, and he didn't offer any guidance, so he could only let the two of them improvise.

While the Zhang Household was bickering and living their lives, the new emperor's carriage was already speeding towards the imperial city area.

Holding the token he had personally issued, the new emperor entered the Sima Gate with ease.

When he first left the palace, he needed Li Guang to act as his coachman and protect him, but the more often he did this, the bolder the new emperor became.

Nowadays, he might even hire a horse-drawn carriage to travel at will.

When things are handled well, the new emperor naturally feels happy and content.

But when he rushed to the Weiyang Palace, the new emperor couldn't help but shudder.

At the entrance of the main hall of the Weiyang Palace, not only were there imperial guards on duty, but the Empress and the Empress Dowager were also standing at the entrance.

At this moment, the Empress and the Empress Dowager were talking, their conversation seemingly casual yet subtly laced with tension and intrigue.

One was supported by the Empress Dowager and Princess Dou to ascend to the throne, and the other was accompanied by Emperor Jing for many years.

If the Grand Empress Dowager can directly suppress the Empress Dowager, then the Empress Dowager can directly suppress the Empress. Their strength and psychological game are almost on different levels.

"The 'Honglie' presented by the King of Huainan is of utmost importance; it is only natural that Your Majesty would neglect his sleep and meals to attend to it. How can we, mere women, delay Your Majesty's important business!"

"But people need to rest!"

It's better to work hard when you're young, because when you're old, you won't have the strength to do so!

The voices of rebuttal rang out, and the new emperor's heart skipped a beat.

What appeared to be merely a debate between the Empress Dowager and the Empress actually involved the Empress Dowager blocking the entrance to the Weiyang Palace, clearly indicating her unwillingness to allow the Empress to enter.

The new emperor was also relieved that the Empress Dowager had prevented the Empress from entering the palace; otherwise, he didn't know what kind of major blunder this would have caused.

"From now on, we must establish an inner court, separate from the imperial court, to discuss matters. Otherwise, all this back-and-forth running around will only cause endless trouble!"

The new emperor was clear-headed and capable of thinking things through.

However, he cannot be perfect in every aspect, especially since court affairs are complicated and cultivation is demanding, leaving him with little time and energy.

This requires him to share the pressure appropriately.

If he were to establish a group of advisors within the inner court, these tasks would become much simpler.

His advisory group doesn't need to be perfect; even if they can share the burden, or provide reminders or even guide thinking, the new emperor will find it worthwhile.

He pondered the matter and eventually reached a conclusion.

However, when it comes to actually implementing these things, a buffer period of time is inevitably needed.

He could only wait for the two people who knew him best to leave the main hall before replacing Han Yan, thus quickly putting this matter to rest.

Women are the most troublesome!

Han Yan could imitate the new emperor's physique and voice, but Han Yan was ultimately not an emperor and could not imitate the emperor's words and actions, much less mediate between the Empress Dowager and the Empress through the palace gates.

Watching the Empress Dowager and the Empress argue, and then the two stand at the door in a stalemate, eventually ceasing their conversation, the new emperor couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache.

He had no choice but to wait outside the hall until the two people left before entering.

But to the new emperor's disappointment, he encountered two stubborn individuals.

The Empress Dowager and the Empress blocked the entrance to the main hall, and the stalemate had lasted for more than two hours.

As the night deepened and a cold wind swept through, and the Empress Dowager began to cough, the new emperor couldn't help but feel annoyed that the Empress was so stubborn in controlling his schedule and had no idea how to be flexible.

He lowered his head and slowly backed away.

"Commander Li!"

Once the emperor found Li Guang, the chief of the imperial guards stationed at the Weiyang Palace, he quickly beckoned to him.

"Your Majesty, why are you dressed like this again?"

Li Guang approached in full armor, and when the new emperor raised his head, Li Guang couldn't help but frown.

His duty was to defend Weiyang Palace and protect the new emperor's safety, but the new emperor was too good at running away, and he didn't even notice him.

Yet, the new emperor was clearly seen reading at night in the main hall of the Weiyang Palace.

Li Guang frowned, and couldn't help but think of the various rumors from Emperor Jing's reign, feeling that none of these emperors were easy to deal with.

"Go and call for the assassins to be captured, then escort the Empress Dowager and the Empress back to the palace. I must hurry back to the inner palace," the new emperor instructed.

"Then can you take me with you when you leave the palace in the future?" Li Guang said with a headache, "If anything happens to you, my head will be chopped into eight pieces!"

"OK!"

The new emperor gave a perfunctory reply.

This prompted Li Guang to stride forward quickly, and he called over several of his capable guards.

"Come on, this Imperial Guard Commander has just received intelligence that a powerful cultivator may have infiltrated the palace. All of you, come with me on patrol!"

Li Guang summoned the imperial guards, while the new emperor, dressed in an imperial guard's helmet, was suspended among them.

After Li Guang summoned dozens of imperial guards to patrol the main hall of the Weiyang Palace, and then respectfully asked the Empress Dowager and Empress to leave temporarily, the new emperor only saw an opportunity to enter the palace when the two sides started arguing.

Li Guang led him into the inner palace, where he quickly changed into his own clothes. Han Yan also hurriedly changed into the armor that the new emperor had given him.

"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager came into the main hall and glanced at me. I was almost scared to death!" Han Yan said.

"Let the Empress Dowager see it a few more times; the more she sees it, the less afraid she'll be!"

The new emperor offered a word of comfort and then instructed Han Yan to quickly leave the inner palace and follow Li Guang away.

What's all this commotion about?

Holding the sixth volume of "Honglie," the new emperor poked his head out of the palace gate.

"His Majesty!"

"His Majesty?"

"Your Majesty, thieves have entered the palace. I suspect they are traitors from the Hundred Schools of Thought, and I have come here specifically to patrol and apprehend them!"

As everyone spoke up, the Empress Dowager's gaze swept over the new emperor, then over the disheveled imperial guard Han Yan, and she finally felt a sense of relief.

"The Empress insisted on seeing His Majesty; now that she has, she must be at ease," said the Empress Dowager.

"His Majesty..."

"I know I should go to sleep normally, but the books presented by the King of Huainan are so interesting that they have completely fascinated me!"

"The Empress Dowager requests Your Majesty's presence!"

The new emperor had just dealt with the empress, so Empress Chen had no choice but to bring up her powerful backers and the reasons behind it, something she had never mentioned during her dispute with the empress dowager.

"Going there so late?" the new emperor asked in surprise.

"Actually, His Majesty was invited after the banquet, and several hours have passed since then," Empress Chen replied.

"Several hours?"

Before the new emperor could respond, the Empress Dowager frowned, sensing that the invitation from the Grand Empress Dowager was surely not a good thing.

With the process dragging on for so long, the new emperor will inevitably face reprimands from the Empress Dowager, and may even be punished.

She looked at the new emperor with a worried expression, her own heart filled with anxiety.

But seeing the new emperor's raised head and his eyes, which reflected a faint light in the firelight, she inexplicably thought of Emperor Jing.

Emperor Jing encountered more difficulties and hardships than the new emperor, but Emperor Jing always managed to turn danger into safety, handling both domestic and foreign affairs with great shrewdness.

This gave the Empress Dowager a sense of reassurance.