"Your Majesty, Your Majesty~"
Ji Hong's personal eunuch, holding a memorial, hurried along. As he passed the corridor outside the imperial study, he stumbled on a step and fell to the ground with a yelp.
"Eunuch, Eunuch, are you alright!"
The eunuchs guarding the imperial study rushed forward and helped him up.
The eunuch's heart was pounding violently, his mind buzzing as if being hammered by a thousand blows. He ignored the pain and pushed away the young eunuchs surrounding him. He quickly picked up the memorial that had fallen to the ground, his demeanor flustered and his face ashen. Without waiting for the Emperor's summons, he rushed into the imperial study.
The imperial study was a sacred place. To intrude without the Emperor's permission was a capital offense. The eunuch was an old servant by the Emperor's side and knew full well the gravity of his actions if the Emperor were to punish him. However, the news from the border was too terrifying. Just hearing it had made his blood run cold, and he could no longer afford to care about anything else, his only thought being to present the news to His Majesty as quickly as possible.
Upon entering the imperial study, the eunuch hurried to Ji Hong's side, his knees buckling as he knelt heavily on the ground. His head was bowed so low it was almost touching the ground, but his hands were raised above his head. His voice trembled uncontrollably, "Your Majesty, an urgent report has arrived from the border, stating... stating that the Dali border army has invaded our Lin Yuan's Huaicheng, and slaughtered hundreds of our Lin Yuan soldiers at Changming Slope."
The eunuch's voice was sharp and piercing. Due to his inner fear, he could not help but raise his tone. The imperial study door had not been closed, and the eunuch's voice, unhindered, poured into the ears of the eunuchs and imperial guards waiting outside the imperial study. For a moment, it was like a thunderclap from a clear sky, leaving everyone's heads reeling.
Dali, had actually invaded?
"What did you say?"
Ji Hong's eyes widened, and his roar was like thunder, surging upwards and then falling sharply. The eunuch kneeling on the ground felt like a duckweed in the wind or a small boat on the sea, instantly overwhelmed by this mighty force. His body softened, and he almost collapsed.
"Your Majesty, this servant, this..."
The eunuch was already disoriented by the news, and now, with Ji Hong's roar, his usually eloquent tongue seemed to have seized up. He couldn't utter a coherent sentence. Ji Hong stood up from his chair, walked around the imperial desk to the eunuch, snatched the memorial, and read it at a glance. After finishing, he suddenly threw the memorial onto the ground. The heavy thud of the memorial hitting the ground made everyone's hearts lurch.
"Good, this is truly good!"
He laughed in his rage, praising them, but anyone could hear the intense murderous intent and overwhelming anger in his voice.
"Summon all the lords to the palace!"
"Yes!"
...
The ministers had just finished their court session, and now the Emperor had issued an urgent summons. They all rushed to the palace city, with some ministers not even having reached their homes before turning back.
In the Golden Hall, the ministers stood in formation, all unaware of why the Emperor had summoned them.
"Prime Minister, the Emperor has issued an urgent summons. Do you know what has happened?" The civil and military officials were clearly separated. The civil officials, gathered in twos and threes, discussed the matter for a long time without any conclusion. They had no choice but to approach Nan Chaoyin and ask. If they could know in advance why the Emperor had summoned them, they could also prepare countermeasures in advance to avoid fumbling for answers or misinterpreting the Emperor's intentions when asked later.
Nan Chaoyin pondered for a moment and chose his words carefully, "I am not aware of the specific matter, but... have you all heard that an urgent memorial, an eight-hundred-li dispatch, was sent into the palace just now?"
"An eight-hundred-li dispatch?"
The official asking felt a thud in his heart, but still clung to a sliver of hope as he pressed, "What do you think it could be about?"
Nan Chaoyin turned to look at him, his expression almost indifferent, "Eight-hundred-li dispatches are usually used for matters of war, and the Emperor has urgently summoned us to the palace, so..." Nan Chaoyin did not finish his words, nor did he need to.
The official's face immediately changed drastically, but his inner panic subsided when he met Nan Chaoyin's gaze. If Lin Yuan were to go to war, the military commanders would have to lead their troops to battle, and if something were to go wrong... this minister quickly glanced in the direction of Ji Jinmo. If this were to happen, would it not also weaken Ji Jinmo's power? If so, he thought, this war might not be a bad thing.
As he was contemplating this, the eunuch's voice echoed through the hall, "His Majesty has arrived!"
Everyone immediately returned to their positions and knelt to welcome him, "Your subject greets Your Majesty. May Your Majesty live ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years."
"Rise!"
Ji Hong walked to the dragon throne and sat down, his face cold and grim. After gesturing for everyone to rise, he directly threw the memorial in his hand onto the hall floor.
His voice was low, like muffled thunder hidden in continuous dark clouds, "An urgent report arrived from the border today. Dali has invaded Huaicheng and slaughtered hundreds of our border soldiers. My lords, our Lin Yuan is a nation that values martial prowess. Since the founding of our dynasty by our ancestors, we have faced the northern barbarians and waged wars with various nations. No matter who the enemy was, our ancestors trampled the heads of the enemy under their feet. Now, after only a decade of peace, Dali has once again stretched its claws into our Lin Yuan's territory."
"I am the ruler of a nation, but if I cannot protect my subjects, how can I claim to be the Son of Heaven?"
"Since Dali dares to invade our Lin Yuan's border, then let them come and never return!"
"Your Majesty is wise!"
Upon hearing this, how could everyone not understand the Emperor's intentions? The Emperor had already made his decision, and now he was merely informing them of it.
At this moment, in the face of the Emperor's great wrath, who would dare to step forward and incur his displeasure?
"Since all my lords share my heart, then which of the military commanders will volunteer?" Ji Hong scanned the crowd, his gaze falling on the military commanders standing behind Ji Jinmo.
The military commanders looked at each other, all casting their gazes towards Ji Jinmo.
Who would lead the troops to support the border in this campaign was ultimately up to Ji Jinmo.
Seeing the reaction of the military commanders, Ji Hong became enraged and slammed his hand down on the armrest of the dragon throne. His voice was deafening, startling everyone into trembling.
"I am asking you, why are you looking at the Imperial Uncle? Have you all become mute?"
When the Emperor is angry, thousands of corpses lie scattered for miles. The military commanders who had always relied on Ji Jinmo for their livelihood did not dare to truly anger the Emperor. Hearing his subtly menacing question, they quickly knelt on the ground and shouted in unison, "Your subject dares not! Please forgive us, Your Majesty!"
"Heh, my lords jest. With my Imperial Uncle present, how can I punish you? The fact that you still refer to yourselves as subjects is the greatest loyalty you show me."
This statement shocked everyone. This was no longer anger; it was a clear accusation that they disrespected the Emperor and intended to rebel.
Could it be that His Majesty intended to use this opportunity to make an example of them?