When the officials received the Emperor's summons, their underpants almost came loose.

I recalled what happened in the Golden Palace last time.

"Madam, where's your purse?" Madam Sheng took out her purse from her bosom and handed it to the Grand Commandant, asking suspiciously, "Here it is, what's wrong?"

The Grand Commandant quickly put the pearl in his hand into Madam Sheng's purse.

"Madam, please keep this here for me and take good care of it."

Madam Sheng said mysteriously, "Why are you protecting a single bead so tightly?"

"Alright, alright, go ahead."

"You're going to be late! Be careful, or your salary will be docked!"

The Grand Commandant chuckled and said, "Alright, alright, I'm off."

He then boarded the carriage with a light heart and headed happily towards the palace.

The other ministers.

Ministers such as Lord Du (Minister of War), Lord Xia (Minister of Imperial Sacrifices), Lord Song (Grand Tutor), and Lord Wan (Minister of State Ceremonies) were all tacitly doing the same thing.

They all headed towards the palace without prior arrangement.

The Emperor waited in the Imperial Study for a long time, and then heard Eunuch Wang say that all the officials had arrived.

He then nervously stood up and walked towards the Golden Palace.

"Oh, right."

"Eunuch Wang, could you please take a cloth bag with you?"

Eunuch Wang: ? ?

What is Your Majesty up to today?

Which emperor carried a cloth bag when he went to court?

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The Golden Palace.

When the ministers arrived, they discovered that not everyone attended court.

After observing back and forth, it was discovered that only those who attended Lin Wanwan's birthday banquet were present.

Now I'm even more certain that the bead Lin Wanwan gave me is a good thing.

"Luckily, I had my wife take it."

"Yeah, I let them take it too."

"Your Majesty is truly clever; under the guise of discussing important matters, he's trying to take advantage of us again."

"Yeah yeah……"

...

"Shh, His Majesty is here."

As soon as he finished speaking...

Everyone knelt down.

"Your Majesty, this humble subject greets you."

The Holy Emperor strode in, his eyes lighting up at the sight of so many people.

"Rise, all of you. There's no need for such formalities."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

After the Emperor was seated on the dragon throne, the Grand Commandant stepped forward, bowed, and said:

"Your Majesty, I wonder what urgent matter you summoned me to at this late hour?"

The emperor, caught off guard by the direct question, froze for a moment before chuckling and replying:

"Oh, oh~"

"Hey, the Summoning of Gods Conference is coming up in a few days. Do you guys have any good ideas on how to avoid coming in last place?"

The Holy Emperor's eyes darted around, sometimes staring at the ministers' waists, sometimes at their cuffs, and sometimes at their bosoms.

In short, the intense gazes made everyone present feel extremely uncomfortable.

Prime Minister Jiang said:

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid we'll be at the bottom again this year in the Divine Summoning Tournament."

“It has been a hundred years. The Holy Kingdom lost the ability to summon it after that disaster. Even if we were given ten chances now, we still wouldn’t be able to summon it.”

"Yes, Your Majesty, what should we do?"

The Holy Emperor listened to their words absentmindedly, then slowly said:

"It's okay, it's been like this for so many years, I'm used to it."

"My dear ministers, just make sure you don't lose your composure that day. Also, notify all border posts to strengthen defenses, and report any suspicious persons immediately."

"It is Your Majesty."

The Holy Emperor touched the jade crown on his head and said with a smile:

"I gave you all a day off today, did you have fun?"

Minister:…

"Your Majesty, my wife is still sulking with me," Lord Du said, looking aggrieved.

He thought his wife would go home with him after the banquet, but to his surprise, she went back to her parents' home.

Lord Wan said, "Your Majesty, my wife is also..."

"His Majesty……"

"His Majesty……"

"His Majesty……"

The Holy Emperor was completely bewildered; this was not what he wanted to hear.

"By the way, didn't Wanwan give you a bead?"

"Bring them all here so I can see them."

...

Off the field, it was as quiet as a chicken.

"Grand Commandant."

The Grand Commandant said, "Your Majesty, this humble subject has delivered it to the Lady."

"Master Wan."

Lord Wan: "Your Majesty, my wife has taken me back to her parents' home."

The Holy Emperor changed his expression and looked at Prime Minister Jiang.

Prime Minister Jiang has no wife or children; his family has been destroyed and he should wear this on his person.

"Prime Minister Jiang..."

Before the Emperor could finish speaking, Prime Minister Jiang cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, this humble subject has given it to the dog at home."

The Holy Emperor raised an eyebrow.

"dog?"

"Prime Minister Jiang, don't lie to me. What dog did you get from your house?"

Prime Minister Jiang was so frightened that sweat beaded on his forehead. He said guiltily, "I bought it yesterday."

The Holy Emperor's heart was bleeding.

Then, after gathering his emotions, he turned to the others with a smile and asked.

To everyone's surprise, the results were all the same.

They're either giving away cats, dogs, or chickens.

So he's not even as good as a chicken?!

His expression hardened.

"The tide is going out!"

Then, with a flick of his sleeve, he stood up angrily from the dragon throne.

Holding the cloth bag, Eunuch Wang timidly asked the Holy Emperor:

"Your Majesty, what should I put in this bag?"

The Holy Emperor glanced at him.

"Give this to the Grand Commandant!"

Grand Commandant: ? ? ?

What did he do to deserve this?

Eunuch Wang chuckled, then turned and scurried towards the Grand Commandant.

She shoved the cloth bag in her hand into his arms.

"Grand Commandant, His Majesty... has bestowed a reward upon you!"

On the other side...

Ping'an Prefecture after the banquet.

Calmness returned.

Ye Lanyin held Lin Wanwan in her arms, her gaze passing through the crowd and settling on her eldest son, Lin Rui'an.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!