The summer heat was so scorching that the earth seemed to be smoking, but in the main hall of the imperial palace, the officials attending court felt as if they were in an ice cellar.

This was not because of the ice cubes placed in the hall, but because of the emperor's gloomy face and the several memorials thrown on the ground.

"I handed over the country to you. I trusted you so much. You gave me people and money. I gave you everything you wanted. This is how you repay me."

The usually amiable emperor was now cursing.

"You tell me every day that the country is peaceful and the people are safe. What is the reality? The people suffered heavy losses in money and food in the south due to the flood. The Jin people in the north marched straight in and even robbed Hejian Prefecture. Do you think I am dead or blind?"

He slapped the tables, and the incense burners on them fell down again, making a chaotic sound.

As he cursed, the emperor began to shed tears.

"Is this God's punishment for me? Does this mean I am unworthy of being an emperor?"

When these words were spoken, the officials present were all shocked.

Whether one is worthy of being an emperor is probably the emperor's biggest concern and biggest taboo.

At this time, the people shouted out, showing that their anger had reached its peak.

All the officials in the hall knelt down, crying and shouting that they were guilty and wished the emperor to calm down.

Huang Cheng, who was standing in the front row, cried the loudest. He took off his Liang crown, and his gray hair flew all over the ground.

"Your Majesty, this is all our fault. It's all our fault." He cried out in a hoarse voice, gasping for breath.

The court in the main hall was in chaos. No matter whether they were crying for real or fake, they all kept their heads down and did not dare to stand out. Even Yu Shi forgot the court etiquette and knelt down to cry with the others.

Only one person was still standing.

Lu Yunqi, dressed in a scarlet robe, had a blank expression on his face. He seemed not to have seen what was happening before his eyes, nor was he sad or angry about the deaths of living beings.

The kneeling court officials did not think that Lu Yunqi was committing treason, and they only expressed their grief and anger more sincerely to avoid being targeted by Lu Yunqi and framed and attacked later.

The emperor cursed, cried, and smashed things, but gradually calmed down amid the crying and persuasion of his ministers.

"My heart aches." He said, wiping away his tears.

The court officials also heaved a sigh of relief, stopped crying and confessed their guilt again, but Huang Cheng's crying had not stopped yet, and it was particularly harsh in the quiet hall.

Who knows whether he was crying for the people of the north or thinking of his own son.

Many officials present had the same thought in their minds, but of course no one would say it out loud.

The emperor looked at this old minister, tears welled up in his eyes again, and he asked the eunuch to help him sit down.

"What should we do now?" asked the emperor.

A minister hesitated for a moment.

"In fact, we only captured a city..." he said.

These words made the emperor, who had just calmed down, anxious again.

"Does a dog bite not count? Do I have to stretch out my leg for it to bite off before I can cry out in pain?" He scolded, "They are my people. Not to mention a city, even a commoner would feel heartbroken."

The official had already knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly to confess his guilt.

The emperor was still not satisfied and ordered the official to be removed from office and punished.

Seeing this scene, Ning Yan and several other ministers looked slightly gloomy. Huang Chengze, who was supported by the eunuch to sit down, had a sneer in his eyes.

"Your Majesty." Ning Yan stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. This is an urgent report that I just received."

As he spoke, he bent over and took out a letter.

"Duke Cheng has recaptured Hejian Prefecture."

The atmosphere in the hall became noticeably more relaxed after hearing the news, but the emperor did not seem surprised. It was obvious that he already knew the news.

"It's too late to mend the fold before the sheep are lost! Can the dead people come back to life?" the emperor slammed the table and shouted.

"Your Majesty," Huang Cheng said with a trembling voice, "The Jin cavalry has not yet left the border and is still stationed there, which shows that they are still determined to do what they want."

"Your Majesty, Duke Cheng has already led his troops to fight and has defeated the gold thieves." Ning Yan immediately took over the conversation and said with some seriousness, "Your Majesty, Duke Cheng has fought for so many years, please rest assured."

It would have been better if he hadn't said this. After hearing this, the emperor became angry again.

"Duke Cheng has fought for many years. I trusted him and handed over the Northland to him. But now this has happened. Is this what he meant by staying up all night guarding the gate for me so that I can sleep well?" He said, slapping the tables. "Where is Zhu Zan? Take Zhu Zan out of the prison. I want to ask him if he and his son sleep well every day in the Northland?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Ning Yan, who was originally being scolded, had a glimmer of joy in his eyes.

"Yes." Ning Yan lowered his head to hide his joy and said in a heavy voice.

Since the eunuchs and guards had gone forward following the order, low murmurs of discussion could be heard in the court.

"He must be punished!"

"How could such a mistake happen?"

"We lost Zhending last winter, and not long ago, we lost Hejian again."

"Is the Northland as solid as Duke Cheng said, or is it full of loopholes?"

The whole hall was filled with questioning voices, but Huang Cheng, who was sitting on the chair, had an unpleasant expression on his face.

…

Lu Yunqi stood outside the palace, watching Zhu Zan walking over unsteadily with the eunuchs of the imperial guards.

Zhu Zan was still wearing prison clothes and had a scruffy beard, making him look miserable, but his eyes were bright and energetic, which was really incongruous.

"It seems that the food in the Ministry of Justice prison is not bad." Lu Yunqi looked at him and said, "The prince seems to have gained some weight."

Zhu Zan looked at him, then suddenly raised his hand and hit him in the face.

The eunuchs and guards were all shocked. Who would have thought that Zhu Zan, who was still wearing prisoner uniform outside the Qinzheng Hall, would beat someone up over a disagreement.

Lu Yunqi raised his hand to block it, preventing Zhu Zan's hand from falling on his face.

Zhu Zan grinned at him, revealing his white teeth.

"See if I still have enough strength?" he said.

It seemed that this action of his was just a response to what Lu Yunqi said, "You've gained weight."

Lu Yunqi looked at him closely with a calm expression.

"You are so lucky, my lord," he said, "God is on your side."

Zhu Zan made a "Pooh" sound and spat in his face.

The eunuchs, guards, and even Lu Yunqi were unable to stop this action.

Who would have thought that he would spit like a child? Really...

"Sure enough, only beasts would think it was someone else's luck when they heard about the suffering of border residents." Zhu Zan said coldly while looking at Lu Yunqi.

The guards and eunuchs looked at them nervously.

"My Lord, Your Majesty may..." the eunuch said in a sharp voice.

Before he finished speaking, Zhu Zan had already thrown away Lu Yunqi and strode into the hall.

"His Majesty."

Before anyone even entered, they started shouting.

“It’s unfair!”

"If your majesty does not see me again, I will die in prison."

These words sounded as if one was about to cry, and were extremely desolate.

But unfortunately, the voice was so full of energy that it almost overturned the Qinzheng Hall. It really didn't sound like a dying person.

The originally gloomy atmosphere in the hall suddenly became lively as Zhu Zan walked in.

Lu Yunqi still stood outside the hall, took out a handkerchief from his sleeve, and slowly wiped the saliva that was spat on his face.