Chapter 860 - 860: The Doting Mother And The Arrogant Cousin.

Wuhan sat on his throne, watching the display with an expression of complete disinterest. His fingers drummed once on the armrest—a gesture so subtle most wouldn't notice, but those who knew him recognized it as a sign of mild irritation.

Not at the ministers' ignorance. But at the situation itself. He raised one hand in a casual dismissive gesture.

"Rise," he said, his voice carrying effortlessly through the throne room despite its even tone. "This will be your first and last transgression against me."

Even though he said that, Wuhan rolled his eyes on the inside. 'Not like I care if you curse the whole Song Family, besides Song Liu and my mothers, I don't want any more ties with them.'

The ministers rose shakily, relief washing over their faces, though they kept their heads bowed respectfully.

Wuhan turned his attention to Shi Tzu, the only person in the room who seemed to have maintained his composure throughout the entire exchange.

"Prime Minister," Wuhan said. "What do you think we should do?"

Shi Tzu bowed before responding. "Your Majesty, the Six Hidden Families are powers unto themselves. Each one commands resources and cultivators that rival entire kingdoms. They rarely involve themselves in mortal affairs, preferring to remain... as their name suggests... hidden."

He paused, choosing his next words carefully.

"For the Song Family to send an envoy directly to the imperial palace is unprecedented. This might have something to do with the Red Dawn Cult since we were told that the hidden families have started investigating them officially. But to think the Song Family would send an envoy. It is likely they are making a statement—acknowledging your position as Emperor while also reminding you of your blood connection to them. They might be using the blood connection to make sure you follow whatever decision they have reached against the cuts."

Shi Tzu's eyes met Wuhan's steadily.

"Given their status and your familial ties, I would advise Your Majesty to at least hear what they have to say. You need not agree to any requests or demands they make, but refusing to see them could create... complications. The Hidden Families are not enemies one makes lightly. With cults on the loose, we need them on our side."

Wuhan was silent for a long moment, his expression unreadable.

From her shadowy corner, Feng Niu stirred slightly. Wuhan felt rather than saw the tension in her concealed presence. Her family had come. The family that had abandoned her long ago.

Feng Niu felt many emotions, but none of them were positive or nostalgic.

This would be interesting.

"Very well," Wuhan said finally. He gestured broadly to the assembled ministers. "All of you are dismissed. Prime Minister Shi Tzu, you will remain."

The ministers bowed deeply and filed out of the throne room with remarkable speed, clearly eager to escape before anything else dramatic could happen.

Within moments, only Wuhan, Shi Tzu, and the hidden presence of Feng Niu remained.

Wuhan turned his gaze to Captain Jia Heng, who had remained kneeling throughout the entire exchange.

"Bring in the envoy," he commanded.

"At once, Your Majesty." Captain Jia Heng rose, bowed deeply, and hurried back toward the entrance.

Wuhan settled back into his throne, his posture deceptively relaxed. But Shi Tzu, who had served the imperial family for decades, could see the subtle tension in the Emperor's shoulders, the slight narrowing of his eyes.

This was not going to be a simple diplomatic visit. For the sake of the envoy, he hoped that the person would be intelligent and did not stir the wrath of his emperor.

The doors to the throne room opened once more.

Footsteps echoed across the runed floor, slow and deliberate.

The envoy from the Song Family entered. He was young—younger than Wuhan, probably in his early fifties but still looking around twenty.

Tall and well-built, dressed in robes of deep purple and gold that spoke of immense wealth. His hair was tied back in an elaborate style popular among the cultivation aristocracy, held in place by jade ornaments that likely cost more than a commoner would earn in a lifetime.

But it was his demeanor that immediately set Shi Tzu's teeth on edge.

The young man walked into the throne room like he owned it.

His head was held high, his chin tilted upward in obvious arrogance. His eyes swept across the space, taking in the renovated decorations, the runic arrays, and the hanging talismans, with an expression that suggested he found them adequate but unremarkable.

He didn't bow, let alone kneel.

Didn't show even the basic courtesy one would show to a local magistrate, let alone an Emperor.

He simply walked forward until he stood at what would normally be the distance where visitors would prostrate themselves, stopped, and casually cupped his hands in the most minimal gesture of acknowledgment possible.

Then he spoke, his voice carrying a tone of familiar casualness that made Shi Tzu's blood run cold. "How are you, cousin?"

The words hung in the air like a thrown gauntlet.

Shi Tzu's hand instinctively moved toward the hidden talisman at his waist—a reflex born from decades of protecting the imperial family from insults and threats.

But Wuhan's hand rose slightly, a subtle gesture that told his Prime Minister to stand down.

Wuhan's expression didn't change. His eyes remained fixed on the young man before him with the same neutral, assessing gaze he might use to examine a particularly interesting insect.

The truth was, when he had waved his hands, he was not signaling the prime minister to stand down.

But unknown to the rest, in the corner, the shadows had suddenly transformed, shaped by rage and menace; they had formed a demonic mouth that was ready to lunge and devour the man who called himself the Envoy of the Song Family.

Feng Niu was enraged; she did not care if the man was from her family. How dare he show such insolence before Wuhan, her precious son?

Had Wuhan not singled her out to calm down, she would have devoured his body where he stood, without even leaving a drop of blood to dirty her son's palace.