Ning Chen held up the letters in his hand, looked at the Xuan Emperor, and bowed his head.

"Your Majesty, these are the letters that passed between Li Hongzhuo and the Wu Prince Regent. Your subject found them in Li Hongzhuo's residence last night."

"These few secret letters are enough to prove that Li Hongzhuo dealt with the enemy and betrayed his country."

Eunuch Quan came hurrying down, took the letters from Ning Chen, and presented them to the Xuan Emperor.

The court fell dead silent.

Every official there, civil and military, watched tensely as the Xuan Emperor turned the letters over.

The Xuan Emperor's face grew darker and darker.

Their hearts climbed into their throats.

Han Zhengqing above all. The cold sweat was running off him and his back was soaked through, and he had the feeling of a great disaster coming down on his head.

"Scoundrel. You worthless scoundrel, eating at our table and working for outsiders..."

The Xuan Emperor roared it out and slammed the letters down on the dragon desk.

The ministers dropped to their knees in fright, the whole floor of them, shaking.

The Xuan Emperor said furiously, "First the Left Chancellor, and now the President of the Secretariat... A pack of dogs who ate at their own table and worked for outsiders. In what single thing has this emperor wronged them?"

"Subjects of the Great Xuan, high officers of the court, holding high rank and fat salaries, eating the sovereign's pay — and instead of thinking how to ease this emperor's burdens they league with a foreign enemy and work for outsiders. It is beyond contemptible!"

The Xuan Emperor was in a fury.

He snatched the letters off the dragon desk and flung them out over the officials below.

"All of you take a good look for this emperor. Is that Li Hongzhuo's hand or is it not? Take a good look at what this dog has been doing."

Eunuch Quan hurried to gather up the letters scattered across the steps and carried them to the Right Chancellor.

The Right Chancellor read them through…