In the Divine Capital, a light drizzle had been falling continuously these past days. Although the Divine Capital typically experienced some rain after the arrival of summer, this year had seen noticeably more rainfall than usual.
The damp, slippery streets left the residents of the Divine Capital feeling irritable. Over the past few days, several minor disputes had broken out, with one almost escalating into a full-blown brawl. Fortunately, the constables had arrived quickly enough to prevent it.
Li Si, a constable, was responsible for maintaining order in Peace District. Over the past decade or so, Peace District had been a peaceful area, and Li Si's duties here were relatively trouble-free.
At the moment, Li Si stood with his hand on the hilt of his saber, looking at Zhang Da, a butcher at the street corner, with a hint of helplessness. “Mister Zhang, you've always been an easygoing person despite running a pork butcher shop. So why is it that today, you're ready to throw punches with Mister Liu just because he said you shouldn't shortchange your customers?!”
Zhang Da, the butcher of Peace District, was known for his calm temperament. Despite his profession as a butcher, he had maintained good relations with his neighbors for over a decade and had never been involved in any disputes.
Hearing Li Si's words, Zhang Da retorted angrily, “Your Father has been selling pork for so many years, and I've never shortchanged anyone. But that Old Liu had to be so cynical. How could I not respond with my fists?”
Standing across from Zhang Da was Liu Ying, an accessory peddler in Peace District. Hearing this, he was unwilling to back down, “Who knows if you've been doing it all along? Maybe you've been shortchanging people all these years!”
Hearing these words, Zhang Da grabbed the butcher's cleaver from the meat counter and raised it to hack at Liu Ying. Fortunately, Li Si reacted swiftly, grabbing Zhang Da's arm and disarming him before letting out a sigh. "Mister Zhang, Mister Liu, you've been neighbors for decades, and you're friends by now. Everyone knows each other's character." "I understand that everyone is upset these days, but matters like these are beyond the reach of common folk like us."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Da furrowed his brows, while Liu Ying suddenly started crying. "His Majesty... How could someone as great as His Majesty just leave ..."
The people of the Divine Capital had been uneasy during this period, primarily due to the official proclamation from the imperial court. Many of them were illiterate, but fortunately, there were some who could read. The contents were simple: His Majesty the Emperor had gone north and his return date was uncertain, so the affairs of the state would be handled by the Crown Prince.
To the common folks, such a proclamation was tantamount to announcing His Majesty the Emperor's death. Coupled with the rumors circulating in the Divine Capital, the common people in the Divine Capital were truly anxious.
"Why didn't those damned cultivators die? Why did it have to be His Majesty?"
Someone cursed, pointing at the sky, "Heaven's eyes are blind, why do the good people always have to die?"
Zhang Da also collapsed to the ground at the same time, trembling and crying, "Without His Majesty, what will we do?"
More than a decade ago, when His Majesty the Emperor led his army into the Divine Capital, it was not considered a glorious moment in the history books or in the eyes of the court officials. However, to the common people, no matter how His Majesty the Emperor ascended the throne, as long as his surname was Chen and he worked tirelessly for the people, he was a good ruler.
In these past ten over years, the Great Liang Dynasty had visibly changed, becoming noticeably better than before. The common people were living better lives, with more dignity, how could it be compared to the past?
They had even started thinking of better days to come, but who would have expected that His Majesty, who was held in such sacred esteem in their hearts, would be gone just like that?
How could this not bring sorrow?
How could this be accepted?
The common people of the Great Liang Dynasty no longer cared who sat on the dragon throne; all they wanted was for their Emperor to return.
On the sixth day after His Majesty went north, the first court session was held. As the civil and military officials walked through the palace gates into the Imperial City, they could not help but feel moved upon seeing the Great Liang's Imperial City, which the Ministry of Works had been laboring to repair, though it was still somewhat damaged. Р𝙖ΝƟ𐌱Ę𝓢
At this court session, the young Crown Prince displayed unprecedented calmness, dealing with the difficult political matters facing the vast dynasty in an orderly manner. He also humbly requested that the Premier bear more responsibility, while giving some of the veteran officials more influence. As for the Crown Prince's elder brother, who had already been made Prince Ning, he was entrusted with significant duties as well.
The young Crown Prince seemed indifferent to the notion that in the future, only his voice would be heard in Great Liang.
However, given the current situation, that was indeed the case. He lacked the ability and the prestige to make decisions for the entire dynasty.
What he could do now was to maintain the status quo as best as he could.
However, some perceptive individuals noticed an issue. At that court session, many high-ranking officials had their roles become more important, but the Left Guard Commander Chen Chao, who had been highly favored by the Great Liang Emperor, not only failed to appear, but his name was not even mentioned.
This sparked much speculation. Could it be that the young military officer who was greatly admired by the Great Liang Emperor, was about to be distanced from the heart of the Great Liang's political power?
Upon further thought, this actually made sense. After all, Chen Chao had a special status. Not only was he also of imperial blood, but his prestige far exceeded that of the current Crown Prince. If he continued to play such an important role in the court, it would not take long before the Great Liang Dynasty would forget about the Crown Prince and only remember this young military official.
No matter how magnanimous His Highness the Crown Prince was, he would not want to see this happen.
At the same time, many others were worried. If these two members of the same Chen imperial family, both of the same bloodline, started to vie for power openly or covertly, it would not be a good thing for the Great Liang Dynasty.
The majority of court officials understood the current situation of the Great Liang Dynasty. They could only hope that the two could work together. Otherwise, the one who would suffer would be the Great Liang.