My System Is Three Thousand Years Early

At the entrance of the Imperial Palace, the King of South Ming dismounted from his carriage.

Even though he was deeply favored by the Emperor, he could not ride the carriage into the Imperial Palace.

The King of South Ming glanced at the imposing Qinghua Gate of the Great Zhou Imperial Palace and paced slowly into the palace.

The guards stationed by the palace gates, recognizing the visitor as the King of South Ming, most favored by the Emperor of Great Zhou, did not dare to step forward and inquire for the jade token, allowing him to pass directly.

The King of South Ming made his way into the Imperial Palace and arrived outside Taihe Hall.

At this time, during the royal assembly, the provincial officials and ministers were discussing state affairs with Emperor Zhou in the court above.

Voices echoed from within Taihe Hall.

Hearing the discussions of state affairs by the provincial officials and ministers within Taihe Hall, the King of South Ming's expression remained unchanged as he clenched his fists in secret, the Jade Bead in his hand making a faint noise.

Soon, his hand movements relaxed, and he stood outside the hall, waiting.

When the King of South Ming arrived at Taihe Hall, the eunuch standing outside caught sight of him, paused slightly in surprise, and without needing an instruction from the King himself, hurriedly went in to announce his arrival.

After the eunuch went in to announce.

Atop Taihe Hall.

Emperor Zhou, watching over the officials, heard a voice from Zhao Jin at his ear.

"Your Majesty, the King of South Ming has arrived."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Zhou, who had just possessed an imposing demeanor, relaxed slightly, a hint of a smile appearing on his face.

The somewhat oppressive atmosphere of the court instantly brightened considerably.

Emperor Zhou gently raised a hand, signaling the minister who was speaking below to pause his speech and turned his head towards Zhao Jin, saying,

"Let him come in quickly."

Emperor Zhou, who had experienced fratricide within the royal family, placed exceptional importance on fraternal bonds and kinship.

His special favoritism wasn't limited to the King of South Ming; he showed extraordinary fondness for his own children and even for his nephew, Cheng Guang.

But favoritism differed from one individual to another; for his princes, it was more about encouragement through a mix of treats and reprimands, whereas towards Cheng Guang, it was complete indulgence.

Just like Empress Dowager Li.

Only, not as plainly visible.

Upon the fall of Emperor Zhou's voice, Zhao Jin, beside him, took the cue and promptly announced loudly,

"Announce, the King of South Ming's entry into the hall!"

Once Zhao Jin spoke, the officials below could not help but turn their heads back in surprise.

"The King of South Ming has come to the capital?"

"When did this happen?"

"It must be today, for if it were yesterday, I would have received some news."

"He has arrived quite a bit earlier than expected."

"Not really, quite a few prefectural and ministerial officials have already arrived in the capital; the King of South Ming is actually one of the later ones."

The officials looked back, occasionally murmuring among themselves.

At the top of the court, Cheng Zhihai, standing silently to the side and resting with his eyes closed, had yet to inform Emperor Zhou that the King of South Ming was in fact the beloved crown prince.

If he had informed Emperor Zhou in advance, aside from whether the Emperor would believe it, even if he did, given Emperor Zhou's deep emphasis on affection within his iron yet tender-hearted imperial nature, he would not have the heart to harm the existence of his sole brother, the King of South Ming.

Cheng Zhihai knew it would be better to capture the King of South Ming on the spot, forcing him to reveal his true form.

A swift action before reporting might indeed be better.

Cheng Zhihai suddenly wondered if making a move on the court floor was a good idea.

The thought that sprang to mind was somewhat crazy.

To catch the King of South Ming directly on the court floor was, admittedly, a straightforward idea.

First of all, with many powerful figures on the court floor, the King of South Ming, without the support of the Demonic Race and the Devil Clan behind him, could be considered isolated and without help.

The only trouble would be making a move on the court floor, which would likely bring some infamy onto Cheng Zhihai himself.

At the same time, taking action on the court floor could be seen as disregarding Emperor Zhou, and even if the King of South Ming turned out to be the beloved crown prince, it would diminish the royal dignity.

Even after capturing the King of South Ming and proving he was indeed the beloved crown prince, it would not look good for the Emperor either.

Besides, once Emperor Zhou learned of the matter regarding the King of South Ming and the beloved crown prince, the double blow to him was unpredictable.

One didn't know what sort of rage Emperor Zhou could summi;.

Although Cheng Zhihai was by nature rigid and meticulous, always abiding by the rules, his mind was extremely keen.

If he still chose to abide by the rules at this point and captured the King of South Ming in court, he would utterly fail to comprehend imperial thoughts.

Having thought this through, Cheng Zhaihai's authoritative gaze shifted towards the outside of the hall.

He intended to see what sort of person this King of South Ming was and then decide when to take action against him.

In Cheng Zhihai's opinion, compared to taking initiative himself, it might be better to wait for the King of South Ming to reveal himself during the royal ceremony.

At that time, many loyalists among the officials who secretly supported the King of South Ming would expose themselves, leading to a sweeping capture.

At the royal ceremony, Cheng Zhihai planned to prepare everything in advance and then grant the credit to Guanger.

In doing so, he could also showcase Guanger's saintliness before the public.

So that not only could he succeed Cheng as the Director of the Bureau of the Lamp, but he might also be rewarded by the Emperor.

With these thoughts, the corners of Cheng Zhihai's mouth inadvertently revealed a hint of a smile.

The officials beside Cheng Zhihai saw the smile suddenly appearing on his face and couldn't help but wonder; they didn't understand why this iron-faced, bloodstained Director of the Bureau of the Lamp suddenly smiled so brightly.

Smiled so eerily...

Some officials merely glanced at Cheng Zhihai before shivering involuntarily and quickly turned their heads away, not daring to look at him again.