In the year 535 of the Great Zhou Dynasty, in November, the Great Zhou Court convened a long-overdue imperial assembly.
At this assembly, all officials in the Imperial City with the privilege of attending were present, and these people were essentially divided into two factions.
One faction was the Prime Minister and the Imperial Master, and the other was the Imperial Family faction, which had control over some of the imperial power.
Great Zhou did not practice kneeling rites; the monarch sat together with his courtiers. After attending the assembly, people from the two factions would sit on either side according to their status. It seemed to have rules, but in reality, the rules had long been broken. Unfortunately, no one could manage it now.
People from both sides did not speak, almost all closing their eyes to conserve energy, having nothing good to say between mortal enemies.
However, their thoughts were different.
The people of the Imperial Family obviously knew about the affair of the Valley Master of Stargazing Valley.
They wondered if the Stargazing Valley Master, once becoming the State Preceptor, would also count as a power of the royal house, not to mobilize but perhaps to borrow some influence.
Similarly, those allied with the Prime Minister thought about the same thing. The Valley Master of Stargazing Valley had become the State Preceptor only after meeting the young Emperor, maybe related to the young Emperor.
Now that the young Emperor listened to everything they said, could they also utilize the power of the Valley Master of Stargazing Valley?
Ah, the Valley Master of Stargazing Valley, one of the nine mightiest “Great Grandmasters” in the world! They still remembered Shen Xuan’s strength, for if it were not for the previous Emperor Zhou Tianyuan who possessed the legacy left by the Master of Destiny, the outcome would have been uncertain.
If they had such strength, who would dare to disobey?
In short, no one considered this as the young Emperor’s own power.
Both factions were waiting like this, anticipating the arrival of the young Emperor.
But when the time for the assembly came and went without the young Emperor, in the past no one would dare say anything; they would just wait obediently. But now it was the young Emperor!
The young Emperor actually dared keep them waiting.
He had been trampled upon by them for some time, and under these circumstances, everyone felt a bit dissatisfied.
But considering the presence of the Valley Master of Stargazing Valley, they still stayed.
Until about an hour had passed, somebody finally couldn’t withstand it anymore.
“Lord Wu, did the Valley Master of Stargazing Valley really meet with the young Emperor?”
This was also the reason why everyone had been able to endure until now.
The Valley Master of Stargazing Valley had not concealed his movements, and so many people knew he had met with Wu Yuancheng and then went to see the young Emperor.
After confirmation from Wu Yuancheng, knowing that the young Emperor was not just talking nonsense, everyone showed up.
But after such a long wait with no appearance from the young Emperor, impatience was brewing, prompting them to question Wu Yuancheng, the only person directly involved.
“What you all know the answer to, why ask me?” Wu Yuancheng didn’t even lift his head.
Although he sent the maid guard away, there were people who saw, and he didn’t believe that these people didn’t get the message.
The young Emperor’s maid guard consisted of dozens of people, which one could almost say represented various houses.
“Everyone knows what happened, so stop asking me with pretense. I’m not sure what exactly happened; I’ve sent my family members away and am not afraid of you.”
The crowd fell silent.
They did not believe that Wu Yuancheng knew nothing, but as he said, his family members were sent away; no one knew where they’d gone, and there was no fear of threats.
Besides, unless it was a matter of life and death, it was unlikely to involve family members.
And Wu Yuancheng really didn’t know the situation!
He was about to leave when he received the imperial decree.
Wasn’t it supposed to be about visiting the night market?
How suddenly the Valley Master became the State Preceptor.
This was utterly unexpected to him.
Given the current situation, they could only wait, not sure why the young Emperor hadn’t come.
After waiting another quarter of an hour, the young Emperor finally arrived late.
He took his position, the one representing the highest authority.
At this point, the ministers should stand up and offer their reverence, but in reality?
No one stood up, and some even had displeased expressions on their faces.
At that moment, someone from the Imperial Family side spoke up, “Your Majesty, why have you arrived so late? With all the ministers waiting here, as the sovereign of Great Zhou, during these turbulent times, you should set an example and show the due respect to your ministers…”
The underlying message was a chastisement of the young Emperor.
This person had previously been disciplined by Zhou Tianyuan and sought reprisal on the young Emperor.
Unfortunately, the young Emperor didn’t pay him any attention.
Instead, he looked towards a corner and inquired, “State Preceptor, I heard that when the Emperor holds court, others are supposed to perform rituals of respect. Why have these people not adhered to the ritual, and some even speak rudely…”
To the first half of the sentence, the crowd simply treated it as a jest, assuming the young Emperor knew nothing and was naïve.
Until the latter half—
Only then did the people take notice: in a corner of the grand hall stood an elderly man with an air of mystique.
The State Preceptor!
That was undoubtedly the Valley Master of Stargazing Valley!
A “Great Grandmaster”!
Hearing the young Emperor’s words, the Valley Master of Stargazing Valley also opened his eyes and said indifferently, “Your Majesty, indeed, there should be standing and reverence, otherwise it is disrespectful.”
As he spoke, a formidable, invisible aura unfurled, and everyone in the hall felt an overwhelmingly powerful pressure.
It was as if they couldn’t even catch their breath.
At the same time, the Valley Master of Stargazing Valley stated, “Gentlemen, we must adhere to proper decorum.”
The crowd exchanged glances, and then they stood up.
“Greetings, Your Majesty!”
Normally, at this time, the Emperor would say “dispense with the formalities.” But in actuality?
The young Emperor said nothing, just watching the bowing ministers, and then he suddenly laughed.
“Ha ha ha! This is fun, really fun!”
It sounded like a mischievous child.
But no one truly thought so.