Council Hall

Above the door hung the plaque of the Council Hall, its ancient calligraphy exuding an air of solemnity.

As the subordinate official pushed open the heavy double doors, an atmosphere steeped in countless confidential decisions rushed out to meet them.

Gu Chengyin stepped inside, his gaze quickly sweeping over the hall's furnishings.

The Council Hall was not particularly spacious, but its ceiling was incredibly high, giving it a profound and empty feel.

The most prominent feature was a large rectangular table placed right in the center of the hall.

The tabletop was polished to a mirror shine, its wood grain flowing like clouds and water, revealing the heavy weight of time.

Surrounding this table, however, were only four high-backed official chairs made of the same material.

Aside from these four main chairs, several desks were neatly arranged a short distance away on either side of the table.

Brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and blank scrolls were already prepared on them, clearly intended for the clerks responsible for recording the meeting's proceedings.

The entire layout was simple, solemn, and strictly hierarchical.

And the four main chairs were obviously reserved exclusively for the four Cabinet Elders of the Grand Secretariat.

Gu Chengyin's gaze lingered briefly on the four empty main chairs before his lips curled into a playful smirk.

Without any hesitation, and without waiting for Cui Shifan behind him to guide or arrange things, he strode directly to the head of the table.

Then, under the astonished gazes of Cui Shifan, Shangguan Yuan, and several clerks who had just entered...

...he casually swept up the hem of his robe and sat down with complete composure!

The seat of honor in the Cabinet.

A Marquis had actually dared to sit directly in the main seat of the Cabinet Council Hall.

However, the moment Gu Chengyin sat down, he gently placed the Crown Prince's Token he was holding onto the table in front of him.

Its position was perfectly centered right in front of him.

Golden light flowed across it, the Black Bird seemed ready to take flight, and the character Zhao shone brilliantly.

The presence of the Crown Prince's Token suppressed all dissatisfaction and questioning.

Seeing the token was like seeing Luo Zhao in person. What was wrong with the Crown Prince sitting in the seat of honor?

At this moment, Gu Chengyin represented Luo Zhao's will and authority.

His sitting in the main seat was not an overstepping of boundaries, but a declaration:

In today's matters, the Crown Prince's will reigned supreme. The Cabinet had to provide a clear answer.

Cui Shifan came in right after, immediately spotting Gu Chengyin sitting upright in the seat of honor with the Crown Prince's Token displayed before him.

His footsteps paused, his pupils contracting as clear anger and helplessness flashed through his eyes.

He opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but as his gaze touched the token, all words caught in his throat.

Ultimately, he merely glanced at Gu Chengyin, let out a cold snort from his nose, and without saying a word, walked straight to the seat on the right side of the main seat and sat down.

Through his silence and choice of seat, he tacitly accepted the established fact of Gu Chengyin occupying the head seat via the Crown Prince's Token.

After sitting down, Cui Shifan shot a look to a subordinate official standing by the door.

The official understood implicitly and immediately retreated silently.

Before long, he returned with two minor clerks, carrying two high-backed official chairs of the same material, and carefully placed them in the two empty spots beside the square table.

In this way, together with the original four chairs, there were no more empty spaces. The six chairs were perfectly filled.

Shangguan Yuan stood at the door, observing this setup. His eyes darted around, and he quickly made up his mind.

Stepping forward, he walked straight to the chair directly opposite the main seat and plopped himself down.

This created a face-to-face confrontation between him and Gu Chengyin, which suited their respective roles today.

Just as the seating arrangement was finalized, footsteps echoed from outside the door once again.

This time, the footsteps were steady and slow, carrying a rhythm and weight unique to those who had long held high positions.

Three figures appeared at the entrance of the Council Hall almost simultaneously.

Leading the group was a hunched octogenarian with a slightly unsteady gait and a face covered in deep wrinkles. His eyes were cloudy but occasionally flashed with the light of wisdom. This was Xiao Song, a man of the Ministry of Personnel, the most senior official, and the current Chief Grand Secretary of the Cabinet.

The elder following closely behind looked completely amiable, yet a sharp glint occasionally flickered in his eyes. This was Cabinet Elder Hu, Hu Juzheng, who had served as the governor of nine provinces and eventually entered the Cabinet as the Governor of the Divine Capital.

The last person walked with the majestic stride of a dragon and tiger, naturally exuding an imposing aura without showing anger. This was Cabinet Elder Yuan, Yuan Zhengqing, who hailed from the Censorate and was renowned for his tough style.

The three Cabinet Elders arrived together. When they stepped into the Council Hall and saw the situation inside, even they, who had seen their fair share of great storms, could not help but freeze for a moment.

The Marquis of Bingjian, Gu Chengyin, was sitting in the seat of honor.

In front of him prominently lay the Crown Prince's Token, an item they could never mistake.

Cui Shifan sat in the first seat to the right of the main seat, his expression grim.

Opposite the main seat sat Shangguan Yuan, covering his right eye.

Seats had been temporarily added, forming a six-person face-off arrangement.

This scene exuded a bizarre and unusual atmosphere from every angle.

As Cabinet Elders, they had naturally received news of the conflict between Gu Chengyin and Shangguan Yuan at the Ministry of Revenue, so they had expected something before coming.

But the current scene still exceeded their expectations.

The three Cabinet Elders raised no objections to the seating arrangement.

Without exchanging pleasantries, they simply took their seats according to seniority and custom: Xiao Song sat in the first seat on the left, Hu Juzheng in the second seat on the left, and Yuan Zhengqing sat below Cui Shifan in the second seat on the right.

The attending clerks standing by the desks on both sides held their breath, ready to take notes.

After the last elder, Cabinet Elder Yuan, slowly sat down and adjusted his posture...

Cui Shifan, as the on-duty Cabinet Elder and the convener of this meeting, slowly raised his head.

His gaze swept over everyone present. He cleared his throat, his voice deep, slow, and powerful:

Since everyone has arrived, let the emergency Cabinet meeting begin.

After Cui Shifan announced the start, no fierce debate broke out in the Council Hall.

Instead, an eerie silence spread, as if even the air had stopped flowing.

Cabinet Elder Xiao kept his eyelids half-closed, his breathing long and steady, looking just as if he had fallen asleep.

He was the oldest and most senior, long past the age of aggressive ambition. Unless it involved fundamental matters of state, he rarely expressed a clear stance.

Cabinet Elder Hu wore a smiling expression, his gaze shifting back and forth between Gu Chengyin and the Crown Prince's Token, as if he were savoring something, deliberately not speaking first.

Only Cui Shifan and Cabinet Elder Yuan, sitting below him, briefly locked eyes in the air, both seeing the solemnity in the other's gaze.

Yuan Zhengqing was the former Chief Imperial Censor of the Censorate, famous for his impartial iron face. He had an almost paranoid insistence on laws, procedures, and matters of principle.

After a brief silence, Cui Shifan silently sighed.

He was the on-duty Cabinet Elder, and he was the one who had called this meeting, so he had no choice but to speak up.

After pondering for a moment, Cui Shifan decided to set the tone first:

Regarding this matter, the Marquis of Bingjian is young, promising, and full of vigor. His Highness trusts him deeply and has entrusted him with a heavy responsibility.

Being anxious about state affairs, it is human nature and understandable that his actions were... slightly hasty and impulsive.