The court meeting was held in the largest building within the Xinyang Imperial Palace. It was called the Pingheng Hall which was located in the middle of the Imperial Palace. From the north, south, east, and west, it was indeed in the center, and that was why it was said that it balanced the Imperial Palace of Wu Li.
Thus, daily court meetings were held in the Pingheng Hall, and when there was good news or bad news within the empire, it would also be discussed in the hall.
Just as Yin and Yang were inseparable from each other, how happiness was also inseparable from sorrow was also the meaning behind the existence of Pingheng Hall. There was black and white, day and night, sadness and joy. Everything was balanced in the wide hall.
All the officials in the Imperial Palace had arrived in the hall, and they were all standing to the right and left of the throne where the Emperor would sit. The ones dressed in red were the highest-ranking officials in Xinyang Imperial Palace, while the ones in green were second-rank officials, and the ones in purple were third-rank officials.
Everyone stood in that order with the first-rank officials in the front row, behind them were the second-rank officials, and in the last row were the third-rank officials.
"His Majesty has arrived!" The guard standing at the entrance of the hall announced loudly, and all the officials immediately bowed to greet the mighty Emperor.
In a short while, Emperor Wu Shun gracefully entered the hall, and he wasn't the only one who walked into the vast hall. Walking right behind him was Wu Li's new Crown Prince, Wu Jinhai, and following behind the red-robed man was the Second Prince and the Emperor's only concubine, Zhu Ruolan.
Among the officials who had arrived at the hall before the Emperor and his family, Yu Ming in a pink robe was also there, and that man also bowed politely towards the family of four.
This was not the first time Yu Ming attended a court meeting as Emperor Wu Shun had invited him to attend several meetings in the past, but it was the first time he saw how Wu Jinhai gracefully walked right behind the Emperor. Before today, Wu Jingguo had always walked right behind Wu Shun, but after that young man no longer held the title of Crown Prince, he could only walk behind Wu Jinhai with his mother.
Yu Ming somehow felt proud inside, and that was why he smiled slightly as he continued to bow to the family of four.
At this time, Wu Shun finally arrived at his throne, and he calmly sat on the throne. There were two seats to the Emperor's right and left, and Wu Jinhai took the right seat while Wu Jingguo took the left seat.
The seat on the right was indeed for the Crown Prince, while the one on the left was for the Second Prince. However, the left seat had been vacated during the previous court meetings, and it was only today that someone sat on it. Of course, it was Wu Jingguo who filled the normally vacant seat since he was the one holding the title of Second Prince now.
When the three men could sit comfortably on the three seats, Zhu Ruolan had to stand in the first row of officials, and she stood next to Yu Ming. When Yu Ming glanced at the brown-haired woman, he could see how her face resembled that of a dark cloud today.
'Sure enough, the sun in her life has stopped shining after her son no longer holds the title of Crown Prince in this empire. After her son lost the title, she also lost her Empress position in the empire, and that's why she must still be in her nightmares right now,' Yu Ming smirked as he once again straightened his body just like what the other officials did after seeing how the Emperor sat on his throne.
Yu Ming never liked the woman named Zhu Ruolan. She had been arrogant when she was still the Empress, and what Yu Ming hated most about her was how she always wore heavy powder on her face every day, and he sometimes couldn't tell whether she was a woman or a bun.
Not to mention how the woman always wore lots of accessories on her head, neck, and hands. He sometimes wondered if the woman was actually a jeweler in the market.
"I can see that all the officials are present in this hall, and that's why we should start the meeting now," Wu Shun began.
Unlike in Dong Lang where everyone had to dress in white because white werewolves were the ones who ruled the empire currently, there was no dress code for Crown Princes and Princes in Wu Li, and that was why the scenery around the throne was quite colorful.
Emperor Wu Shun was wearing his yellow dragon robe, and he also wore his Mian Guan[1] today. The Emperor's Mian Guan had a lacquered board placed on top of the headgear, and strands of jade beads called "liu" draped from the two ends, with their colors in the respective color order: white (metal), yellow (earth), green (wood), red (fire), and black (water). The Emperor's headwear exclusively used 12 strands of 12 jade beads front and back.
Meanwhile, Wu Jinhai was wearing his favorite red robe, while Wu Jingguo was wearing his blue robe. At first glance, it seemed that the Emperor was sitting amidst fire and water, but naturally, the people within the hall did not dare to voice their opinions.
"Last night, I officially appointed my eldest son as the new Crown Prince of this empire, and today I wish to officially assign the main task to him as the Crown Prince of this empire. He is indeed second only to me in terms of power in this empire, but he still needs the support of all the officials gathered here today, and that is the main agenda of today's meeting," the Emperor said.
Wu Shun appeared calm as he voiced his intentions, but his calm expression contrasted with how some of the officials looked tense after hearing his words.
And finally, one of the officials dared to open his mouth, "You're saying that all the officials here should support His Highness the Crown Prince, right, Your Majesty? What if we refuse to do that?"
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Footnote:
1. Mian Guan: is the highest rank of guan (headwear) and can only be worn by the rulers.