The Emperor was not in a good mood.
In the Palace and court, everyone knew the Emperor has not been in a good mood because the he had temporarily paused his regular event of watching opera with the empress dowager. Every day, other than in the daily court attendance, not many people had the chance to see the Emperor. Eunuch Yao, Eunuch Hou, and the reinstated Eunuch Dai had been surrounded by officials on a daily basis. Everyone wanted to know exactly what had happened.
The Emperor also had not summoned any of his trusted officials into the Palace. It didn't look like it was because he was worried about something.
