Fine snow drifted through the bitter winter air of the Forbidden City as Xuan Ling gripped the blood-stained decree, his fingertips glowing crimson in the candlelight. This was the seventh secret memorial this month impeaching the Empress; the ink was barely dry, yet it had already claimed the lives of several officials.
"Pass down the decree: Zuo Shilang of the Censorate Zhao Mingzhi, for forming cliques for personal gain and plotting rebellion, is to have his household confiscated and be executed immediately." He hurled the memorial to the ground, the gilded coiled-dragon imperial desk rattling violently.
Muffled gasps from palace attendants echoed outside the hall, and Xuan Ling sneered. Ever since his ascension to the throne, the Forbidden City had long become a shura field. He used an iron-fisted approach to awe his ministers, thunderous methods to crush dissidents, and even the inner palace had become his chessboard for balancing the imperial court.
Chapter 220