After the minor incident, the morning court session continued.

To dare to sleep in the Phoenix Palace and even snore is simply unheard of.

Fortunately, the one who committed the offense was the incompetent Sixth Prince, and after the initial shock, the officials figured that the matter wasn't too outrageous.

What is certain is that His Majesty must be in a very bad mood right now.

With the princes and princesses speaking up, and even His Majesty taking 50,000 taels of silver from the imperial treasury, who would dare disobey?

Even if one is unhappy, it is impossible to go against the grain at this point; the order of succession is reduced according to rank.

The prime minister, a first-rank official, asked for ten thousand.

The head of the Six Departments, a first-rank official, earned eight thousand coins;

Junior Officer, Second Rank, Six Thousand...

Logically, things should have continued smoothly, but an exception actually appeared.

Jiang Jinxiao, the Junior Officer of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, should have offered six thousand taels according to his official rank, but he only asked for one thousand taels.

"Your Majesty, my family is poor, and I have already done everything in my power."

Jiang Jinxiao has always considered himself to be honest and upright, and in the past, he would occasionally provide financial assistance to poor students.

The previously smooth bidding process came to an abrupt halt, and many of the civil and military officials turned their attention to him.

Some were calm and indifferent, some were disdainful, and a few fools wholeheartedly agreed.

Jiang Jinxiao forced himself to speak, though he was actually quite uneasy inside.

With the flood raging and His Majesty already in a bad mood, he had no intention of being unconventional or seeking fame; he was simply doing this out of necessity.

He always touted his incorruptibility, which was his way of being an official, and he did indeed live a frugal life. One thousand taels was the limit for him, and he could not give any more.

Jiang Jinxiao had been like this before, and had even received praise from His Majesty, but now he suddenly felt a chill.

He secretly glanced up and found that His Majesty's gaze was fixed on him.

That's not quite accurate. They were indeed looking in his direction, but their gaze seemed to pass right through him and reach out of the hall.

For no apparent reason, Jiang Jinxiao's heart began to pound, and he instinctively lowered his head.

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became strange, as if heavy clouds were pressing down, and no one dared to speak easily.

After about ten breaths, the Empress suddenly stood up and left the hall without saying another word.

All the civil and military officials were stunned, because this was something that had never happened before.

"Court adjourned..."

It wasn't until the eunuchs from the Directorate of Ceremonial announced the end of the court session that everyone came to their senses.

This... inevitably makes everyone uneasy.

Even if His Majesty disapproves of Jiang Jinxiao's actions, disaster relief is a matter of great importance. Shouldn't the fundraising process be completed first? What does this mean?

The hall was not a place for conversation, and everyone's eyes were fixed on Prime Minister Pei Xuanyun.

If we're talking about who has the deepest understanding of the political climate, it's definitely this only official of the first rank.

Pei Xuanyun remained calm and walked slowly outside.

The head of the Ministry of Civil Affairs was the first to approach. As the person in charge of the national treasury, he was definitely among the most anxious about disaster relief.

"Brother Zaizhi, please wait, please wait!"

Zai Zhi was Pei Xuan Yun's courtesy name. The two were three years apart in age and were both veteran officials in the imperial court.

“Brother Zaizhi, what does His Majesty mean by this? Disaster relief is of utmost urgency, but the national treasury is empty…”

"There is no need to panic. I believe His Majesty has his own plans."

"this……"

At this moment, many people gathered around to eavesdrop, especially Jiang Jinxiao.

He wasn't sure if his "unconventional" behavior had angered His Majesty, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Having been used to being honest and upright, how could I possibly come up with six thousand taels? I can only do my best.

"Lord Pei!" Feeling truly uneasy, he still stepped forward and reached out to stop the prime minister.

Just as they were about to ask a question, a figure suddenly darted past them, startling everyone.

Upon closer inspection, one could tell from her clothing and hairstyle that she was none other than the Sixth Princess, who had just fallen asleep in the main hall.

yes!

Jiang Jinxiao suddenly realized that His Majesty's anger was likely due to the Sixth Princess's disrespectful behavior in front of the palace.

Thinking this way, I suddenly felt much more at ease.

Qin Zhaoyue was fully awake at this moment and didn't dare to delay for a moment, so she ran outside as fast as she could.

Oh my god, she actually fell asleep during the morning court session. No one else has ever taken slacking off to this level.

Hurry back to the palace. What if the Empress Dowager is in a bad mood and drags her back? Where can she complain then?

He jogged towards the palace gate, displaying the same determination he had when running the 800 meters in junior high school.

But this body was even worse than in his previous life. He was panting heavily after about two or three hundred meters and had to lean against the palace wall to bend over.

After finally catching her breath, she realized that no one had come looking for her from beginning to end, and breathed a sigh of relief. She then slowly strolled towards the palace gate.

Jiang Jinxiao still inquired with the prime minister, but all he received was perfunctory reassurance, such as His Majesty's concern about the flood disaster was not directed at him.

However, with the absurd Sixth Princess as a backup, they didn't take it too seriously and went straight to the Wanhu Si Yamen (official residence of the Wanhu Bureau) after leaving the palace.

Unbeknownst to him, the Qilin Guards had already been quietly mobilized before he left the palace.

At dawn, the cicadas' chirping pierced through the sweltering morning mist.

The old willow tree in front of Jiang Jinxiao's house drooped its branches and leaves, and the brick carvings on the mottled screen wall were sun-bleached white.

The moment the Qilin Guards' black iron boots stepped onto the rough stone steps, they startled swarms of midges that had gathered between the roof tiles.

Bang!

The gate was kicked open violently, startling the old servant who was sweeping the front yard. "You..."

The question stuck in his throat. The servants in the household of a second-rank official were also worldly-wise. They recognized the newcomer at a glance: the Imperial Guards of the Imperial City, the Qilin Guard!

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