"Cough cough..."
In the splendid Great Hall, the middle-aged, healthy, and radiant Emperor Xiping, Zhao Shu, choked on a mouthful of tea.
He waved his hand to dismiss the head eunuch, Liu Zhen, who hurried forward to wipe up the tea, and barely suppressing a smile, he asked, "What did you just say? Working while shackled?"
Shen Fa, standing in the Great Hall, stammered in a soft voice, "Replying... replying to Your Majesty... it is indeed so."
Emperor Xiping slapped the armrest of his chair. The force was not great, but the veins bursting on the back of his hand revealed that he was really struggling to hold back his laughter.
"Zhong He ah."
He seemed to lament in a soft voice, "You have cultivated a great talent for Us!"
The tone was very gentle, as if chatting among friends.
But Shen Fa was suddenly startled and hurriedly replied, "Your servant is terrified!"
Emperor Xiping chuckled and rebuked, "We are praising you, why be terrified?"
