Wrapped like a mummy, Shen Fa hobbled into the Imperial Study on crutches.
His wretched appearance startled Emperor Xiping, who was seated behind the desk. Eyes wide and mouth agape, the emperor set down the memorial he was reading and waved for the chief eunuch to bring Shen Fa a chair, "What...what happened this time?"
He wasn't asking who had beaten Shen Fa.
He was asking for what reason Shen Fa had been beaten this time.
He pondered...they hadn't offended Yang Erlang recently, had they?
Shen Fa thanked him for the favor, and with Huang's support, he shakily seated himself and sighed lengthily, "It's a long story!"
Emperor Xiping straightened up and waved Huang to bring in some tea, "Then take your time, no rush."
Shen Fa, weakly, said, "Your Majesty, this matter is of great importance and involves many parties; it would be better to invite Wei and Liu to discuss it together."
Emperor Xiping nodded, "That might be best...summon Wei Heng and Liu Xian."
