The officials bowed to the emperor as he took his seat on the dragon throne.
"Long live His Majesty, long live, long live!"
"All my loyal officials, rise!"
As the emperor waved his dragon robe as usual, the civil and military officials slowly rose to their feet.
At this moment, the emperor, seated at the head of the court, cast his gaze down at the officials below. He noticed that only Prince Ning and Prince An were present among the imperial princes. Not a single other adult prince had attended the morning court. His expression suddenly darkened, revealing a stern and cruel look rarely seen, his dark eyes burning with anger as if he could devour someone.
"Where is Prince Leng? Why is he not attending the morning court?" the emperor asked, his brows furrowed and his face cold.
Hearing the emperor's words, the officials below were all slightly taken aback. They secretly mused, "Did you not permit Prince Leng to attend or not attend court? Why are you suddenly inquiring about him today?"
However, the officials present dared not speak. They only dared to whisper to each other in twos and threes, conversing in hushed tones on the side.
Because they could all see that the emperor's state was very unusual today, no one dared to speak up or be the first to respond.
After the emperor's words hung in the air for a long time, no one dared to step forward to reply.
Prince An glanced at everyone, then walked to the center of the great hall and replied calmly, "Father, perhaps Second Brother is delayed by something, which is why he hasn't come to the morning court."
But today, the emperor was not swayed by his words. He snorted coldly, exuding a chilling killing intent all over.
"What could be more important than attending the morning court? Prince An, you are making excuses for Prince Leng."
The emperor remained insistent.
At this moment, Prince An looked up at the emperor. The more he looked, the more terrifying and ferocious the emperor's face seemed to him.
He couldn't understand why his father, who was usually so shrewd and skilled at hiding his emotions, had suddenly become so capricious.
"Father, it was you who agreed that Second Brother could attend or not attend court."
Prince An retorted on the spot.
Upon hearing Prince An's words, the emperor's face became even more terrible. His fierce eyes glared at Prince An, as if he were about to spew fire.
But at this moment, Prince Ning suddenly spoke up, "Fifth Brother, you can't say it like that. Although Father did agree that Second Brother could be excused from morning court when he had important matters, our Tianwu Kingdom is now prosperous and flourishing. What important matters could Second Brother have to attend to daily? Could it be that he simply wants to dote on his wife every morning?"
With that, the officials in the great hall burst into laughter.
"Hahaha…"
"This old subject has often heard that the usually stern and authoritative Prince Leng is doting on his wife at home. It seems this is true."
Prime Minister Qin immediately joined in the teasing.
"Yes, yes, this subordinate has also heard of it!"
"Alas, lust is the root of all evil. Women cannot be pampered too much."
"..."
With Prime Minister Qin leading the way, everyone began to complain.
After listening to the discussions, the emperor slammed his hand on the armrest of the dragon throne, silencing the officials.
"Summon Prince Leng, Prince Shou, and Prince Ji to the palace at once!" the emperor commanded.
Eunuch Li, standing nearby, and Prince An, standing below, were filled with worry upon hearing the emperor's words.
Prince An was somewhat unaware of what had transpired in the palace last night, but Eunuch Li was fully aware of the events.
Last night, after Prince Leng and his wife had rescued him, he had intended to find a hidden place to conceal himself. However, he was deeply concerned about the emperor's safety. Thus, when Prince Ning discovered him being unbound, he secretly found someone to tie him back under the table.
Unexpectedly, at dawn, Prince Ning had brought the emperor back to the sleeping quarters and forced him to bring the disoriented emperor to the morning court. This surprised him greatly. He wondered if Prince Leng and his consort were still in the palace.
If Prince Ning truly succeeded in having the emperor summon all the princes to the Chaoyang Hall to be captured in one fell swoop, and if Prince Ning then controlled the Tianwu court from then on, the Tianwu Kingdom would truly be doomed.
However, besides Prince Leng, how many other princes were aware of what happened last night?
Just then, a deputy general of the Imperial Guard rushed into the great hall and reported to the emperor, "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! According to the soldiers guarding the city gates, the traitor Lin Zhenfan has led tens of thousands of troops and is already at the city gates."
Upon hearing this, the emperor remained silent and looked directly at Prince Ning. This scene was witnessed by Prince An.
Could the emperor's abnormal behavior today be related to Third Brother? Could the rumors he heard last night be true, that Prince Ning had indeed gained control of Father and the Empress Dowager?
At this moment, Prince Ning was also quite vexed and did not notice the change in Prince An's gaze.
Prince Ning had not instructed Lin Zhenfan to attack the city at this time in his letter. He only told him to act upon seeing his signal.
Furthermore, he had not yet dealt with his brothers, and before Eunuch Li could read out the third imperial decree he had written last night, why was Lin Zhenfan attacking the city now?
As he was contemplating, an arrow flew rapidly from the entrance of the hall, directly towards the emperor's position.
At this time, because Prince Qing had not blown the bamboo flute, the emperor's expression had become disoriented again.
Seeing the arrow about to strike the emperor, the officials below remained stunned, showing no reaction. Only Prince An and Eunuch Li rushed towards the emperor with anxious expressions, both attempting to block the flying arrow for the emperor.
However, Prince An, being skilled in light body techniques, was one step ahead. He used his internal energy to deflect the arrow, causing it to lodge in a pillar in the great hall, thus saving Eunuch Li from a bloody disaster as he was about to shield the emperor.
"Hahaha…"
"My lords, it's been a while!"
At this moment, Lin Zhenfan strode into the great hall with swagger. A sword hung at his waist, and he held a golden bow in his left hand. Behind him followed a conspicuously tall and stout man.
"It's you, Lin Zhenfan."
Upon seeing the newcomer, everyone exclaimed in shock.
They had just learned that Lin Zhenfan was leading troops to attack the city, and unexpectedly, they saw Lin Zhenfan appear behind them.
"Yes, my lords, I, Lin Zhenfan, am back."
"What do you want by coming back?"
One upright official immediately questioned him.
"Your Emperor and Prince Ning asked me to return. Why is no one welcoming me?"
Prince Ning's expression instantly turned sinister when Lin Zhenfan called him out.
"Lin Zhenfan, when did I, this prince, ask you to enter the palace? Do not falsely accuse me."
Prince Ning quickly distanced himself from him.
"Prince Ning, you want to use my Lin Zhenfan's military power to seize the throne, yet you want to play coy with me. I, Lin Zhenfan, am not so easily fooled…"
"You want that position, and I, Lin Zhenfan, also want it. What should we do? As the saying goes, 'One mountain cannot tolerate two tigers.' I, Lin Zhenfan, am unwilling to continue being a servant of the Jun family."
"Guards, surround the great hall!"
As Lin Zhenfan spoke, he raised his hand and waved upwards. A group of soldiers rushed in from both sides of the hall entrance, encircling the officials in the court.