Early morning court session in the imperial capital.0

The newly enthroned Emperor Chen Xun, having ruled for nearly six months, sat comfortably on the imperial throne. Over these months, he had begun to develop a measure of regal authority. Once he adjusted to the routine of morning court sessions, he realized that rising early was not as difficult as he had once thought.0

Eunuch Yue Dou loved to stand by the imperial throne during morning court and steal glances at the youthful Emperor he had watched grow up. He increasingly felt that Chen Xun was beginning to show the same charisma that his predecessor, Chen Kaiming, had in his youth. Yue Dou had entered the palace at a young age, with neither children nor family of his own. To speak treasonously, he almost saw Chen Xun as if the Emperor...0