Chapter 11631 — The Princely Palace
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 3
"Mutiny! Mutiny! This man has truly turned traitor! Without any summons from Us, he dares to force his way into the Son of Heaven's palace!"
Hou Chuang reminded him helplessly, "Your Majesty, he holds the post of Director of the Security Review Bureau. By regulation, he is entitled to enter the palace and report affairs at any time."
The Zhou Son of Heaven was momentarily at a loss for words; then his mind turned, and he said, "Then here's what you'll do—go and stop him. Tell him We are unwell today and it is inconvenient to receive him."
"…"
Hou Chuang could barely resist the urge to press a hand to his forehead.
Be that as it may, you are still the Zhou Son of Heaven, the nominal master of the Inner Royal Court—what does it mean to feign illness and hide from a mere outer official?
A puppet Son of Heaven commands no prestige to begin with; only through his many maneuvers had Hou Chuang barely scraped together a shred of presence for him.
Fleeing the field at the Night's End Palace had already been shameful enough. Another scene like today's, and every ounce of effort everyone had poured in on his behalf would be wasted—after this, no one would ever take this puppet Son of Heaven seriously again.
Hou Chuang could only counsel, "Do not panic, Your Majesty. Wei Zhao stands at the very eye of the storm now. Unless he is utterly devoid of sense, he will not do anything to Your Majesty at such a moment."
The Zhou Son of Heaven: "You trust his character that much?"
Hou Chuang smiled bitterly. "This old servant trusts his brains."
There was a sentence he was too embarrassed to voice: even if Wei Zhao truly wished to do something now, he would never choose to strike at a puppet Son of Heaven with a title but no substance.
After all, beyond drawing a stink upon himself, there was truly not half a benefit to be gained.
Sometimes, being weak was a good thing.
The Zhou Son of Heaven remained half-believing, yet under Hou Chuang's earnest and repeated counsel, he at last did not flee the field again.
Wei Zhao entered the door.
The Zhou Son of Heaven rose to his feet in instinctive nervousness; beside him Hou Chuang hurriedly coughed a signal, and only then did the Son of Heaven come to his senses and sit back down, chagrined.
Before Wei Zhao could cup his hands in salute, the Zhou Son of Heaven spoke first: "Minister Lin, what business brings you before Us?"
Wei Zhao glanced at him. "Does Your Majesty truly not know?"
The Zhou Son of Heaven's body went rigid at once, and he looked to Hou Chuang for help.
To his mind, Wei Zhao's manner was that of one come to demand an accounting for crimes—this was forcing him to kowtow and beg forgiveness!
Hou Chuang frowned. "This is a sovereign-minister audience. Director Lin, mind your bearing."
Wei Zhao turned his head toward him, his expression placid. "And who might you be? I have not seen you before."
One utterly ordinary sentence, and the oppression it radiated unseen was enough to make Hou Chuang's scalp prickle, raising a towering wave in his heart on the spot.
He too was a man who had seen great scenes; he had witnessed that spectacle at the Night's End Palace and had already reckoned Wei Zhao unfathomably deep—but he had truly never imagined that Wei Zhao was unfathomable to this degree!
An invisible pressure like this was on par with the renowned old monsters of the Inner Court.
Just what was this boy's background?
"Useless."
Seeing Hou Chuang keep silent, the Son of Heaven cursed inwardly. He had thought the man had some backbone, but it turned out he was a coward too.
Wei Zhao turned his gaze back to the Son of Heaven. "I hear Your Majesty has summoned my people into the palace, yet they have not been seen since. So I have come to look. Please, Your Majesty, bring them out."
The Son of Heaven was dumbfounded for a long moment, then asked blankly, "What people?"