A family of loyal martyrs: Invincible from the moment they took a concubine in the mourning hall.

Chapter 6 The Emperor: Xu Ming, what do you think?

A young eunuch dressed in a blue palace attendant's uniform stood in the courtyard, speaking in a high-pitched voice.

"His Majesty's oral decree."

"Xu Ming of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion is hereby summoned to the palace for the morning court session at 5:00 AM tomorrow."

After the reading was finished, the little eunuch looked at Xu Ming with a forced smile and a condescending scrutiny in his eyes.

"Young Master Xu, please accept the imperial decree."

Xu Ming's face remained expressionless; he simply hummed in response, took out a silver note from his pocket, and discreetly slipped it into the eunuch's hand.

"Thank you for making this trip, Father-in-law."

The young eunuch took a pinch, and the thickness he felt under his fingertips made his smile more genuine, and his attitude became warmer.

"Young Master, you're too kind. I'll head back to the palace to report now. Don't forget, tomorrow at dawn, His Majesty doesn't like waiting."

"Take care, Father-in-law."

As he watched the young eunuch's figure disappear outside the moon gate, Xu Ming's brows furrowed slightly.

Attending court?

He was a commoner with no official position or real power. What right did he have to attend court?

This is against the rules.

When the emperor breaks the rules, it often means that he is about to take action.

Shen Zhirou and the housekeeper Xu Fu rushed over upon hearing the news, their faces filled with worry.

Shen Zhirou was still clutching the needle and thread she was working on, clearly having rushed over as soon as she heard the news. Her almond-shaped eyes were fixed on Xu Ming, her eyes already slightly red.

"Ming'er, this..." Her voice was a little tight, "Why did His Majesty suddenly summon you to court?"

The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion now only holds a nominal title, and Xu Ming has no official position whatsoever. In principle, he has no right to attend court.

This imperial edict has an unusual flavor to it.

Xu Fu leaned on his cane, his white eyebrows furrowed, his cloudy old eyes filled with worry: "Young Master, you just killed three seventh-rank assassins last night, and people from the palace have come today... Could this be...?"

He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.

Could it be that the emperor has become suspicious of Xu Ming and wants to put him in a bad light? Or even... punish him?

After all, it's highly suspicious that a spoiled brat could suddenly kill a sixth-rank expert. What would that cunning and suspicious ruler think if the news reached the emperor's ears?

Xu Ming, on the other hand, appeared quite calm.

He walked to the stone table in the courtyard, sat down, poured himself a cup of cold tea, tilted his head back and took a sip, his Adam's apple bobbing.

"When soldiers come, generals will block them; when water comes, earth will dam it."

He took a sip of tea and spoke slowly, his tone as casual as if he were going shopping tomorrow rather than venturing into a den of thieves.

This nonchalant attitude made Shen Zhirou and Xu Fu even more anxious.

"Ming'er! This is no joke!" Shen Zhirou's eyes reddened with anxiety, her voice trembling with tears. "Your elder brother is gone, and this family depends on you. You can't continue to be as reckless as before! Those people in the court are more ruthless than wolves, do you know that?"

Xu Ming put down his teacup, looked up, and saw the two anxious people.

The eldest sister-in-law's eyes were as red as a rabbit's, and Uncle Fu's hands were trembling, his cane tapping the ground with a soft "tap-tap" sound.

He knew what they were afraid of.

In this capital city, who isn't afraid?

The current emperor, Zhao Huan, seized the throne from his nephew, Emperor Jianwu, through the "Jingnan Campaign".

That civil war lasted three years, with rivers of blood and corpses strewn across the fields. His own father, Xu Dingbian, was one of Emperor Jianwu's most loyal supporters.

Although his father had died on the battlefield before Zhao Huan's army arrived at the city, and had never directly fought against Zhao Huan, this ambitious and suspicious ruler could not possibly forget this debt.

Zhao Huan tolerated the existence of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion only because the Xu family had been loyal and virtuous for three generations, and their reputation in the army and among the people was too high. He needed a memorial archway to "treat meritorious officials well".

But that doesn't mean he'll tolerate it forever.

Yesterday's bestowed marriage was merely a prelude. Today's imperial edict to "attend court" is the real test.

The emperor wanted to see whether Xu Ming was a venomous snake loyal to his former master, or a dog that could be tamed.

If it's the former—in the imperial court, the executioners are behind the curtain.

If it's the latter—then he will become a knife in the emperor's hand, used wherever he is pointed.

These thoughts raced through Xu Ming's mind a thousand times, but he only uttered one sentence aloud.

"Sister-in-law, Uncle Fu, don't worry."

He stood up, patted his sister-in-law on the shoulder, and then pressed Uncle Fu's hand.

The sound wasn't loud, but it had a reassuring power.

"The sky won't fall down."

The next day, before dawn.

Xu Mingyin got up at that time.

He put on a qilin-themed robe.

It was bestowed upon him by the emperor when his father was still alive, out of respect for the Xu family's merits. He wore a black brocade robe with a qilin embroidered patch and a white jade belt around his waist, which made his figure appear even more upright.

A young face was reflected in the bronze mirror.

With sword-like eyebrows, bright eyes, red lips, and white teeth, he certainly looked like a handsome young man at first glance.

Xu Ming looked in the mirror and gave himself a standard, harmless, playboy smile.

He practiced it twice, and only after confirming that it was flawless did he nod in satisfaction.

When he went out, Ye Qingqiu was leaning against a pillar in the corridor, looking at him with her arms crossed.

"You're going to court?" Her tone was tinged with sarcasm. "Aren't you afraid of being devoured alive by those old foxes?"

Xu Ming fastened his belt and said without turning his head, "You're so concerned about me?"

Ye Qingqiu sneered: "I'm afraid that if you die, no one will give me the pills."

"Don't worry, evil deeds will live on for a thousand years." Xu Ming patted the hem of his robe and strode out of the courtyard gate.

Behind him, Ye Qingqiu watched his retreating figure, her lips moved, but in the end she said nothing.

The Golden Palace.

The power center of the Great Liang Dynasty.

The hall is spacious, with thirty-six giant pillars of golden nanmu wood supporting the towering dome. Each pillar is adorned with a five-clawed golden dragon, so lifelike that it seems ready to pounce and devour anyone at any moment.

The civil and military officials lined up on both sides in the order of civil officials to the east and military officials to the west, and there was no sound.

Xu Ming stood at the end of the military officers' line, in an inconspicuous position.

He could feel the gazes coming from all directions.

There was scrutiny, curiosity, contempt, and schadenfreude.

"Is this the good-for-nothing from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion? He's actually quite handsome."

"I heard that the emperor bestowed three pieces of trash upon him as concubines yesterday, and he happily accepted them."

"Tsk tsk, the Xu family was full of loyal martyrs, and now only this one is left. It can be considered that their lineage has ended."

"How dare he show his face at court?"

Xu Ming felt all those gazes.

But he seemed oblivious to all of this, only half-lowering his eyes, staring at the gold bricks at his feet, looking as if he were lost in thought.

A faint smile even lingered at the corners of his mouth.

Like a fool who doesn't know his own mortality.

"His Majesty has arrived!"

With a loud shout from the eunuch, the officials knelt down in unison, the sound of their robes brushing the ground like a gust of wind.

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

A deafening roar echoed through the hall, making the golden bricks vibrate and hum.

Xu Ming knelt down with the others, but his movements were a beat slow and his posture was not quite right, as if he was not used to kneeling.

He glanced at the man on the dragon throne out of the corner of his eye.

Emperor Zhao Huan was forty-five years old, in the prime of his life.

He wore a black dragon robe embroidered with nine five-clawed golden dragons in gold thread, and a twelve-tassel crown with dangling beads that covered half of his face.

But it couldn't hide those eyes.

With the eyes of an eagle and the gaze of a wolf.

With just one glance, Xu Ming felt a chill run down his spine.

After a lengthy morning assembly, the main topic finally arrived.

Zhao Huan glanced down at the crowd: "Huang Cheng, Qi Quan, and Fang Mingchong, those three men, instigated the late emperor to reduce the power of the princes, causing turmoil throughout the land and nearly leading to disaster. They are currently imprisoned. What do you, my ministers, think should be done with them?"

The moment the words left his mouth, the air in the hall froze instantly.

It was like someone had poured a bucket of ice water into boiling water.

coming.

Everyone knew that the emperor was settling old scores.

These three men were all important officials during the Jianwu reign. Huang Cheng was the Vice Censor-in-Chief, Qi Quan was the Minister of Justice, and Fang Mingchong was a Hanlin Academician.

Back then, it was they who instigated Emperor Jianwu to reduce the power of the princes, which angered Zhao Huan, who was then the Prince of Yan, and ultimately triggered the "Jingnan Campaign" that lasted for three years.

Now that Zhao Huan has secured his throne, it's time to settle scores.

After a brief silence, a civil official stepped forward.

Wen Yanbo, the Minister of Rites, had white hair, a kind face, and spoke with a slight bow, displaying a humble attitude.

"Your Majesty, Huang Cheng and Qi Quan have misled the Emperor and shaken the foundation of the nation; their crimes deserve execution! However, Fang Mingchong... Lord Fang is the literary luminary of our Great Liang, a model for scholars. He was momentarily confused, and his crime does not warrant death. We humbly beseech Your Majesty to grant him leniency and exile him, so as to demonstrate Your Majesty's benevolence!"

As soon as he finished speaking, someone from the military officers' side immediately stepped forward.

General He Lanying, who led the Northern Expedition.

The scar on his left cheek twitched with his heavy breathing, like a centipede crawling.

His voice was so loud it could blow the roof off.

"Bullshit! What a load of rubbish! If it weren't for them, how could the late emperor's army have reached the gates of Youzhou? How many soldiers died in vain? My three thousand iron cavalry perished beneath the walls of Youzhou! In my humble opinion, every single one of these three should be executed by slow slicing to appease their loyal souls!"

"General He!" Wen Yanbo turned around, his beard trembling with anger. "What do you know, you mere military man! Lord Fang has countless students and friends throughout the land. If you kill him, the hearts of scholars across the land will be chilled!"

"Getting cold?" He Lanying patted the hilt of his sword at his waist, grinning maliciously. "My greatsword has been itching for a fight for ages! Anyone who disagrees, come and test its strength!"

"You...! Vulgar! Barbaric!"

"I'm barbaric? I kill barbarically, want to try?"

The two factions immediately started arguing.

The civil officials cited classical texts, from the "Law of the Great Liang" to the "Sacred Instructions," from the "Way of a Benevolent Ruler" to the "Demeanor of the Scholars," to vehemently denounce the various drawbacks of killing Fang Mingchong.

The military officers, on the other hand, were spitting and cursing, banging on the table and wishing they could drag those three old men out of prison right now and behead them in public outside the Meridian Gate.

Zhao Huan, seated on the dragon throne, stared blankly at the scene below, saying nothing.

The Crown Prince Zhao Chengqian, standing beside him, wore a kind smile on his plump face, but would occasionally glance at his father, the Emperor, trying to discern his intentions.

The Second Prince, Zhao Lie, looked impatient, arms crossed, watching the show with a cold smile on his lips.

The Third Prince, Zhao Qi, stood behind the Second Prince, his head bowed, his expression obscured. However, judging from the slight upturn of his lips, he was clearly enjoying the farce.

The Fourth Prince, Zhao Xiao, watched the arguing officials with great interest, like an outsider watching a play.

Xu Ming stood at the back of the crowd, taking in everyone's reactions.

His gaze shifted from the emperor to the crown prince, then to the second prince, the third prince, and the fourth prince.

Everyone is acting.

Everyone has their own agenda.

And he was the most inconspicuous piece on the chessboard.

Or rather—

The emperor wanted him to be a pawn.

The emperor wanted to kill people to establish his authority, but he didn't want to be branded as someone who "slaughtered intellectuals."

He is waiting.

Waiting for a knife.

A knife that is sharp enough and "legitimate" enough.

This knife cannot belong to the Crown Prince, nor to the Second Prince, nor to any court official.

This sword must belong to only a lone minister.

A knife with no foundation, no backing, only able to rely on the emperor.

The arguing in the hall stopped abruptly when the emperor on the dragon throne raised his hand.

With just a lift of his head, everyone immediately fell silent, as if they had been choked.

Zhao Huan's gaze slowly swept across the entire hall.

He swept past the anxious civil officials, the furious military generals, the seemingly calm crown prince, and the unruly second prince.

Finally, his gaze landed precisely on the figure at the very end of the military officer's line.

The entire Golden Palace was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

More than a hundred pairs of eyes followed the emperor's gaze.

All eyes were on Xu Ming.

There was shock, confusion, mockery, and schadenfreude.

The emperor's voice rang out, calm yet carrying immense weight.

"Xu Ming of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion."

Zhao Huan tilted his head slightly, and the tassels on his crown swayed gently, making a soft clinking sound.

What do you think?