Before dawn, the gates of the great residences in the Capital City had already begun to open. Civil servants rode in sedan chairs while military officers rode on horseback. The city streets gradually grew lively as the officials gathered outside the palace gates, forming a long queue to await entry.
Song Nanzhen, a veritable pariah, stepped out of his sedan chair and walked to the front of the crowd. The military officers had no dealings with him, and the civil servants currently hated his guts. Upon seeing him, they would let out a cold snort and turn their heads away, making it clear they disdained his company.
Song Nanzhen wore a smile, but inwardly, he was cursing up a storm. 'I'll never be able to shake this blame,' he thought.
「When the hour arrived, the palace gates opened.」
Civil servants and military generals entered the hall, splitting to the left and right.
