The towering gates of the imperial audience hall creaked open, spilling light across the polished floor.
When the summons had come, Princess Sun Yaoqing had expected a routine council, perhaps a handful of ministers, her father the Emperor, and a few key generals.
But as she stepped inside and lifted her gaze, even she was taken aback.
Almost every pillar of the Falling Star Empire stood gathered beneath the vast dome of the hall—ministers in their ceremonial robes, generals clad in gleaming armor, scholars with scrolls tucked under their sleeves.
The air itself hummed with anticipation, heavy with whispered speculation.
(So many… for just an heir?)
Well, it wasn't just an heir, but the heir of the strongest Clan in the strongest Empire, so it was understandable.
Sun Yaoqing thought that Father Emperor just wanted to know the reason for Bai Zihan's visit, but it looked like there was more to it than she had thought.
