At the tender age of eight, he was hastily dragged out and made emperor!

Circumstances create heroes, and heroes also create circumstances.

Regardless of their social class, everyone in Yudu today is witnessing—no, experiencing—a unique period of turmoil unlike anything Yudu has ever seen before. Just when everyone thought the upheaval was over and Yudu should be entering a period of peace, the times did not converge or shift in such a direction.

The reason for this special situation is the emperor returning to the palace. Perhaps at first, some people did not care, but now no one thinks that way anymore.

What some people couldn't understand was that the Emperor had appeared at the grand court session held in the Taiji Hall, but afterwards it was as if he had never returned to the palace. After that, no ministers frequently went to the Daxing Hall to pay their respects to the Emperor, and even the affairs of the central government remained the same as before, but many people and things had changed.

In this extremely short period of time, various changes occurred one after another. As one change occurred and continued to ferment, a new change appeared. This made many people feel terrified, hesitant, and struggling to move forward... Little did they know that this was exactly what Chu Ling wanted to see.

The bright sun hangs high, seemingly bringing warmth to the world.

But the coldness of human relationships can never be melted away.

Even without a cold wind, the chill is still there.

Yudu·Imperial City.

The Ministry of Rites.

Unlike in the past, this once elegant and refined government office was now shrouded in a different atmosphere.

This is closely related to Liu Chen's special promotion to Minister of the Imperial Guard.

"Sigh, this can't be stopped now."

The study room.

Guo Yuan, who was then Minister of Rites, was in a terrible state. Now nearly seventy years old, he was only thinking about one thing: how to retire peacefully from the Ministry of Rites.

But the result?

First, without any warning, the emperor returned to the palace from Shanglin Garden and made some remarks at the grand court session, which made the situation tense.

He followed the Empress Dowager and made some remarks and did some things, but what made Guo Yuan realize something was wrong was that the Emperor was going to hold a selection of concubines.

The Ministry of Rites wants to get involved in this matter, as do the Court of State Ceremonies and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.

Guo Yuan's intuition told him that the talent show was not that simple.

This is not.

Many changes occurred afterward, causing constant shifts in the political landscape, which further solidified Guo Yuan's initial conviction.

His life can be summarized in one sentence.

To live without contention, without merit or demerit.

Otherwise, two years ago, his predecessor was impeached and dismissed for some reason. Some people had designs on the position and fought for it openly and secretly, but in the end, he got the benefit.

If there were a pill to undo regrets, Guo Yuan would sell everything he owns to buy it and take it. What was there to be secretly pleased about back then? Now this place of refined elegance has become the center of controversy.

"Master, the Left Vice Minister and the others have gathered together and are going to impeach the Prince Consort of Wu'an. Don't you intend to say anything?" In this situation, the thin middle-aged man standing together looked at Guo Yuan with a complicated expression.

"say what?"

Guo Yuan sighed softly, "How many people in the Ministry of Rites actually listen to me? If I go to them now, do you believe those guys would dare to impeach me as well?"

The thin, middle-aged man sighed inwardly.

That's the truth.

To be honest, when the position of Minister of Rites was vacant, no one expected Guo Yuan to take it over, since he was so inconspicuous. Even though he was the Right Vice Minister of Rites at the time, this good thing just fell into his lap. Isn't that infuriating?

But now that I think about it...

How could good things come so easily?

"My lord!! Someone from the palace has arrived!!"

Suddenly, a voice rang out outside the study, causing Guo Yuan, who was sitting, to immediately stand up. For some reason, his heart began to beat faster. Why had someone from the palace come out of nowhere?

Who sent it?

Emperor?

Grand Empress Dowager?

The Queen Mother?

still is……

A series of questions arose in Guo Yuan's mind, but he dared not delay and walked out of the hall.

At this moment, many people in the Ministry of Rites pricked up their ears.

Even some door and window gaps appeared.

It wasn't that they disrespected etiquette and clan rules by going out; in fact, they were people from the palace who specifically asked to see Guo Yuan, the Minister of Rites. Would they dare to force their way in?

Which palace was she from?

When Guo Yuan came out to greet them, he couldn't help but feel suspicious upon seeing the female official in front of him and the palace servants behind her. Although the Ministry of Rites was a prestigious and powerful government office, as the Minister, Guo Yuan had met some people in the palace.

Changle Palace.

Fengluan Palace.

Changqiu Palace.

Guo Yuan was certain of one thing: he had never seen this person before. But along with that certainty, a terrifying thought arose in his mind.

This immediately made Guo Yuan's heart tremble.

"Empress Dowager Zhaosheng Shougong issued an edict."

The words of the female official before him startled Guo Yuan, who immediately knelt on the ground. The emperor's birth mother issuing an edict at this moment must be related to the emperor.

A talent show!?

Just thinking about this made Guo Yuan realize that something big was about to happen.

Guo Yuan wasn't the only one with this idea.

Everyone in the Ministry of Rites, including the officials in the office near the Minister's Study, such as the Left Vice Minister Li Hui and the Right Vice Minister Fang Wei, all showed expressions of astonishment.

Why did that person, who used to keep a low profile, suddenly issue an imperial edict?

Since Chu Ling became the successor emperor, the Great Yu Dynasty has had not three empresses, but four. However, both the central government and the local governments have deliberately ignored the one in Linghua Palace.

Without him.

Without power or influence, who would care?

Besides, so many major events have happened in Dayu in the past few years, who would keep paying attention to them all?

To put it bluntly, some people never cared about Chu Ling from beginning to end, so how could they care about Huang Hua?

However, with Chu Ling's return to the palace, both the central government and Yudu were thrown into turmoil, causing many people to tremble with fear. Under such circumstances, the sudden appearance of someone in Linghua Palace, which had previously gone unnoticed, inevitably led some to speculate.

"The Holy Empress Dowager Zhaoyu Cishou has issued an edict!!"

In this atmosphere, Guo Yuan, who was kneeling and preparing to hear the imperial edict, heard the words he least wanted to hear in his life. The female official of Linghua Palace, who was about to read the edict, turned around in surprise and saw Zhang Song of Fengluan Palace leading a large group of people.

So they really are going to interfere.

Upon seeing this, the female official frowned slightly. This was what she was most worried about, because even if the Empress Dowager did not interfere in the selection of concubines, how could that person not interfere?

But even though the worst had happened, the female official did not show any fear. She knew better than anyone that she was representing her master at this moment, especially since she was in the Ministry of Rites. If she showed any fear at this moment, how could she issue the imperial edict to the Court of State Ceremonies and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and how could she clarify the selection of concubines?

The atmosphere at the Ministry of Rites changed abruptly in that instant.

Many people knew one thing: a storm was gathering towards them...