The Dahua Empire, Imperial City, the Grand Court Assembly.
Emperor Zhao Kai sat on his throne, looking down at the Ministers below with an expression neither sad nor joyful, inscrutable as to his thoughts.
As an emperor, he wouldn't easily reveal his stance at such a grand assembly, believing it an effective method of controlling his subordinates.
But an Emperor is, after all, human. Zhao Kai liked to think he was inscrutable, but many Ministers had already figured out his tactics, and were using certain habits of the Emperor to their advantage.
It was a game of wits and courage, with the Ministers guessing at the Emperor's thoughts and the Emperor calculating every Minister's move. It wasn't easy to say who won or lost. Maybe they all won, or maybe… they all lost.
