Heaven‑Sacrifice Ceremony, I Am the Emperor So Whom Should I Fear

At the first light of dawn, all the civil and military officials appeared at the East Gate, waiting for the hour to begin the morning court session in the main hall.

Snowflakes drifted down, landing on the carriage roof and melting quickly, only to be replaced by more falling snow. Though the snowfall had lessened, it was clear this weather wouldn’t end anytime soon.

“This damned snow, who knows when it’ll stop?” A thin official lifted the carriage curtain and poked his head out, just as a snowflake landed on the tip of his nose. The cold made him shiver, and after a moment’s hesitation, he obediently climbed out of the carriage.

People always say being a Capital official is great, but who really knows the hardships of serving under Heaven’s foot? Take morning court for example—the Emperor’s diligence is admirable, but attending court every single day is truly not a life for ordinary folk.

“Isn’t that the truth? It’s been snowing for half a month—how strange! Why won’t it stop? If this keeps up, forget the commoners, even we’ll freeze or starve to death.” The neighboring official, hearing this, also got out of his carriage. The two walked together, chatting as they made their way forward.

At a time like this, the safest topic for everyone to gather and discuss was the snow—just the snow, and nothing else.

“Sigh, they say timely snow brings a good harvest, but with snow this heavy, where’s the blessing in it?” The official in charge of agriculture let out this lament. Normally he wasn’t much noticed, but with the snow disaster and grain shortages, his importance had suddenly risen.

When it came to the snow disaster, everyone had endless things to say. They walked and chattered nonstop, building camaraderie. Since this was a small morning court, people were more relaxed—but...

What stunned them was that, just as morning court was about to begin, two people who shouldn’t have appeared suddenly showed up.

A palace attendant announced loudly, “Ninth Royal Uncle arrives, Prince Samuel Zhai arrives.”

Huh? The officials froze in surprise. The Emperor was famously diligent—there was a small morning court every day and a grand court every three days. Prince Samuel Zhai and Ninth Royal Uncle only ever attended the grand court, but today was just a regular small session. Why were these two heavyweights here?

Did something big happen?

The officials were all confused and uneasy—after all, none of them were completely clean.

But there was no time to think. Everyone quickly fell silent, straightened their robes, and lined up in two neat rows by rank, leaving the center path clear and bowing to the two princes.

"Greetings to Ninth Royal Uncle."

"Greetings to Prince Samuel Zhai."

"Mm." Ninth Royal Uncle was dressed in black princely robes, gold thread embroidered with dragons marking his rank. Golden trim edged his sleeves and collar, gleaming against the snowy backdrop. But what stood out most was his icy, untouchable demeanor.

Ninth Royal Uncle walked past the ministers without even glancing their way, as if their deference and greetings were his due. Apparently, the month the Emperor had him confined hadn't softened his personality—instead, it had made him even sharper.

Compared to Ninth Royal Uncle, Prince Samuel Zhai was much more approachable. Though stern, he at least had a touch of humanity. When the officials bowed, Ninth Royal Uncle just grunted without even looking at them, while Prince Samuel Zhai would at least say, "Rise."

The two strode to the very front, oblivious to everyone else. To show respect, Ninth Royal Uncle stayed half a step behind Prince Samuel Zhai. When they reached the head of the line, Ninth Royal Uncle was still ice-cold, standing motionless like a statue.