In the wake of the Meng Daoqing case, numerous officials in the outer court were dismissed. Just as Weimo had anticipated, the public mood was unsettled; every day, throngs of scholars gathered outside the palace gates demanding answers, while teahouses and streets buzzed with endless discussion.
The plan for a massive ennobling of the inner court had to be accelerated to pacify the populace and divert public attention.
Throughout the first lunar month, affairs both inside and outside the court piled up like mountains.
Chapter 157