Although the crime of the Prince of Jingbei's mansion was decreed by Emperor Rui himself, and he even relentlessly pursued Huo Qiyuan afterwards, everyone believed that since the emperor had now offered him a way down, Huo Qiyuan would surely take it.
This was the feudal ancient times, where imperial authority was deeply ingrained. Unless one was extremely close to the throne, few would harbor thoughts of rebellion over a wrongful case that the emperor had misjudged.
If the misunderstanding between the two sides were resolved and they reconciled, then Huo Qiyuan's reinstatement to prominence would simply be a matter of time.
After all, in everyone's hearts, all favor and reprimand stemmed from the emperor's grace. Whatever it was, one could only accept it with joy.
Thus, even though those who did not know the truth did not understand why Emperor Rui's men so strongly opposed the retrial of Huo Sizhun, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. It so happened that they also did not wish for the Prince of Jingbei's mansion to have their grievances redressed.
Looking at the large crowd of people kneeling before them, the Prime Minister and the Grand Tutor exchanged glances, but neither made a move to speak.
Based on Emperor Rui's attitude yesterday, they had initially thought he truly intended to retrial Huo Sizhun. However, the hall was now in chaos, and the Emperor, seated at the head, remained silent, making the situation uncertain again.
In less than two days, there had been too many variables. They dared not speak rashly…
Since the situation was unclear, it was best to remain silent. These people were all old foxes, well-versed in the ways of officialdom.
For them, whether Huo Sizhun's case was retried or not had little impact.
If Emperor Rui's stance was firm and he insisted on the retrial, they would stir the pot, as it only took a few words.
If the emperor eventually capitulated to those people and decided to sacrifice Huo Qiyuan again, they would simply remain silent, thereby protecting themselves no matter what.
As various thoughts swirled through the minds of the people in the Golden Hall, Minister Wang, seeing that so many people did not want Huo Sizhun's case retried, felt even more delighted.
Regardless of what intentions those people harbored, at least their goals were aligned. Now, it was up to Emperor Rui to make the final decision.
However, Minister Wang was confident that in such a situation, Emperor Rui was trapped. As long as he was not a fool, he would know how to choose what was most beneficial to him!
How could one who became emperor be a fool? Therefore, Minister Wang was confident. He firmly believed that Emperor Rui would stand on his side, because they were the true insiders!
Minister Wang interpreted the emperor's current silence as indecision, contemplation, and a search for a perfect solution.
With this thought, Minister Wang decided to pressure Emperor Rui further. "Your Majesty! What are you still hesitating about? The chief culprit is present in the hall. Do you not wish to avenge those innocent soldiers?"
"Please issue an edict to severely punish Huo Qiyuan!"
"Please issue an edict to severely punish Huo Qiyuan!"
Just as everyone was pressuring Emperor Rui to make a decision, a variable occurred once more.
"How interesting!" a clear and melodious female voice came from behind the screen of the dragon throne.
Her voice was not loud, yet strangely, it was like magic piercing the ears. In the vast Golden Hall, everyone heard her clearly.
A woman's voice? Apart from the empress's enthronement or major ceremonies, how could a woman be allowed in the Golden Hall? Even during Emperor Rui's most decadent period, he had never brought a woman to the hall. Moreover, she dared to speak, which was a grave offense!
Before everyone could recover from the shock of hearing a woman's voice, a petite woman wearing a veil and a dazzling red gown slowly walked out from behind the screen, standing carelessly beside the dragon throne!
Everyone was stunned by this sudden turn of events! Who was this woman? Was she a newly promoted concubine? Her boldness was simply too much! Not only did she fail to greet the emperor, but she dared to stand before him.
Emperor Rui knew Su Muqing's identity as Empress and his expression changed the moment she appeared. Fear, reverence, panic, avoidance – a complex mix of emotions, even instinctively wanting to stand up to offer her his seat.
Sensing his movement, Su Muqing clenched her fist behind her back, and with a strong push, forced the already rising Emperor Rui back onto the dragon throne.
Amidst the bewildered gazes of the crowd, Emperor Rui let out a silent sigh of relief and finally spoke.
"Guards, present a seat!"
Present a seat? Why was a seat being presented all of a sudden? For whom? No! Weren't they discussing the execution of Huo Qiyuan? Why was the emperor changing the subject? No! Who was this woman? Why wasn't Emperor Rui punishing her?
"Your Majesty, the Golden Hall is a place for discussing state affairs. The origin of this woman is unknown, and she is not suitable to be here." It was the Grand Tutor who spoke. Others might not have seen the complex expression on Emperor Rui's face just now, but he had seen it clearly. What was this woman's status? Why did the emperor seem somewhat afraid of her?
Emperor Rui did not answer the Grand Tutor, or rather, he hadn't heard what the Grand Tutor said. At this moment, he was completely enveloped in complex emotions.
Soon, the eunuchs brought a chair. Emperor Rui quickly pointed beside him. The chair was not placed on the hall floor but directly beside the dragon throne.
Su Muqing casually lifted her robes and sat down with a graceful yet powerful posture. Her uninhibited demeanor suggested she felt no fear, or even cared, that the person sitting on the dragon throne next to her was the ruler of the Great Yu Dynasty.
The moment Su Muqing turned sideways, revealing half of her back, those kneeling below, due to the angle, could only vaguely see a large pattern embroidered with gold thread on the back of the woman's red gown. However, they couldn't discern what was embroidered.
But the Grand Tutor, the Prime Minister, and the other standing old officials' pupils contracted sharply. What did they see? The gold thread on this woman's red gown was embroidered with a five-clawed golden dragon! If only one person had seen it, they might have comforted themselves, thinking they were mistaken, but judging from the shocked expressions of others, they were not mistaken.
They exchanged glances again, and this time, they truly dared not speak. However, in their hearts, they had made new plans regarding the retrial of Huo Sizhun's case. Clothes embroidered with five-clawed golden dragons using gold thread could only be worn by the Son of Heaven. The Son of Heaven! A female emperor! The female ruler of the Hua Xia Dynasty! They suddenly understood! It was at this moment that many things they hadn't understood before became clear. Why did Huo Qiyuan dare to appear suddenly, and why had Emperor Rui's attitude changed so drastically? It turned out to be all because of this woman wearing the gold dragon embroidered robe!