The Cold Minister and the Substitute Bride novel · Chapter 22 of 24
Chapter 22: The Emperor's Word
The Emperor came around the screen and down the steps of the dais in his yellow robe.
No one had ever seen him do it.
The whole court dropped to its knees.
He was a thin young man with a serious face and ink on his sleeve.
He walked past Gao without looking at him and stopped in front of the old clerk, and held out his hand for the book.
He read the ninth article himself.
He read it twice.
"Child," he said. "My great-grandfather wrote child."
"Your Majesty," said the clerk, in a whisper.
"And the copy in every office of the empire says son."
"It has said so for ninety years, Your Majesty."
The Emperor closed the book.
He turned, and the whole hall saw his face for the first time, white and quiet and very angry.
"Chief Censor Gao Wenjing."
Gao knelt where he stood.
"Your Majesty. I acted only from loyalty to the law."
"You took my ancestor's law and made it a knife." The Emperor's voice was not loud. "You used my name to carry it. I will see it turned on the hand that held it."
"Your Majesty, I beg to explain."
"Explain it to the magistrate."
A guard captain moved from the wall.
Gao looked up at the young man's face and seemed to see something there that he had not expected.
"I only wanted my protege to serve," he said, and the gentleness had gone out of his voice completely. "I only wanted what is owed to a man of thirty years' work. She is a girl. A girl."
"She came first on the list," said the Emperor.
Nobody spoke.
"Strip the Censor of his rank," the Emperor said. "Strip his seals, his robes, and his name from the roll of ministers. Send him to the provincial prison to await the magistrate. Seize his house for the examination of his books."
Keep reading free with an account. Start The Cold Minister and the Substitute Bride from Chapter 1, then sign up free to read the rest of this chapter.
← Chapter 21 · All chapters · Chapter 23 →
Want to keep talking to characters like these? Chat with AI romance characters: AI Boyfriend · AI Girlfriend · Dark Romance · Fantasy Romance · BL (Boys’ Love) · Billionaire Boyfriend · Mafia Boyfriend · Possessive Boyfriend · Hockey Boyfriend · Older Boyfriend · K-Drama Boyfriend · Anime Boyfriend · Vampire Boyfriend · Werewolf Boyfriend · Demon Boyfriend · Fae Romance · GL (Girls’ Love) · Anime Girlfriend · Goth & Alt Girlfriend · Gamer Girlfriend · Tsundere Girlfriend · Fantasy Girlfriend