That morning, the silence inside the Imperial Palace of Hua was heavy, like the kind of quiet that happened right before a tragedy began.
The center of it all was not on the court inside the Great Hall this time, but inside the dragon chamber of the Emperor.
The entire palace had heard the devastating news. From the servants to the guards, and from the guards to the ministers, the word was spreading: The Emperor's health had collapsed.
At first, the palace said he was just tired from the long court meetings. But they could not hide the truth anymore. A few days ago, the Emperor had suffered a terrible coughing, with blood, during a meeting. It had shocked everyone. Now, the most famous imperial doctors in the empire were rushing to his room. And this confirmed everyone's worst fears.
