In the Golden Throne Hall, Yan Bin tossed down a token engraved with the emperor’s name. Its cold gleam reflected the deathly silence across the court.
“Your Majesty, the rebels on the outskirts of the capital have been eliminated. But these private troops and their weapons look as if they were supplied by the palace.”
With those words, he shattered the young emperor Li Zhan’s carefully laid plans.
He is fiercely protective of his sister, and ruthless when it comes to power. If the emperor so much as lays a finger on her, he dares to wipe out the emperor’s private army. If the ministers try to obstruct him in the slightest, he dares to overturn the court and rewrite its rules.
From taking control of the capital region’s military forces to overseeing the imperial treasury, from keeping a tight grip on the court to purging the harem, Yan Bin advances cautiously at every step, all to protect the Yan family.
But how could an emperor on the dragon throne accept being a puppet? When an eclipse darkens the sky on the day of the sacrifice to Heaven, and Li Zhan drives a blade into his own heart, screaming, “A treacherous minister has thrown the empire into chaos!” Yan Bin finally understands:
There are never any winners in this struggle between ruler and minister. Either you hold power over all under Heaven, or you are ruined and disgraced!
