Inside the Golden Throne Hall, silence reigned.
On usual days, after Xu Yuan finished speaking, someone would typically leap forward to angrily rebuke him for his audacity. Speaking out before the official rituals had been recited was an act of violating courtly decorum, an insult to supreme authority. Yet today, the officials dressed in their colorful official robes all maintained the same expression.
Lowered eyes, hands tucked into sleeves, standing quietly without a word.
But this silence did not stem from fear.
Imperial power rooted deeply in their hearts, an indomitable force.
The court was not lacking in loyalists unafraid to sacrifice their lives, nor in upright voices willing to risk life and limb for progress. But courage does not mean a lack of intelligence; those brave souls all understood that if they were to lay their lives on the line, it had to be at the right time to ensure their sacrifice had value.
