The Immortal Emperor Returns novel · Chapter 7 of 24
Chapter 7: Lantern Night
The Hall of Clouds blazed with a thousand paper lanterns, and every one of them was red.
Two hundred officials sat at long low tables in their court robes, with wine cups in front of them and the quiet of men who knew a knife was in the room and did not know whose.
The Emperor sat on the dais, small in his great dragon robe.
His face was gray and sunken, and his hand trembled on the cup.
Beside him sat a boy of fifteen in yellow silk, who looked at his sleeves and at nothing else.
Chancellor Gu stood at the Emperor's elbow and poured his wine for him.
Chu stood against the pillar behind the Third Princess's chair.
He wore the black leather of the Court of Review's honor guard and a plain iron mask that covered the upper half of his face.
Two days ago he would have been arrested for walking on these tiles.
Now he was furniture.
"Do not look at him," Shuang murmured, lifting her cup so her sleeve covered her lips. "Look at the pillar."
"I am looking at the pillar."
"You are looking at Han."
Han Yuanqing sat three tables down in his dress armor, among the senior officers, with a black band on his arm.
He was drinking steadily and telling a story to the men around him, and the men were laughing.
"A good friend," Han was saying, "and a poor judge of company. I will carry his name until I die."
He raised his cup.
"To the late Grand Marshal."
"The late Grand Marshal," murmured the room.
Chu steadied his breathing.
One thread of the new strength lay under his skin.
It would be easy to let it go.
He did not.
"Not yet," whispered Shuang.
"I did not say anything."
"Your fingers did."
He looked down.
His right hand had curled around the pillar, and a crack as fine as a hair ran up the lacquer from under his fingers.
He uncurled them.
A moment later Han turned, scanning the guards along the wall.
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