No two faces among the civil and military officials were the same.

The late emperor had passed from the world and the new sovereign had taken the throne.

Would Ning Chen, that marquis of the Great Xuan whose power reached to heaven, still have honor and favor heaped on him?

The Fifth Prince and the Right Chancellor exchanged a look.

A keen killing intent went through the depths of the Fifth Prince's eyes.

Ning Chen's power was a frightening thing. The Dragon Guard, the garrison, the imperial guards — not one man of them had dared stop him.

But luckily he had already taken the throne before the coffin.

The enthronement ceremony had not been held yet, but he was emperor already.

However great Ning Chen's nerve might be, he would not dare defy the whole world and lay a hand on him now that he was emperor.

Taking the power away outright was not possible.

But there were long days ahead. He would take the power out of Ning Chen's hands a little at a time.

"Ning Chen, you're back at last..." The Fifth Prince's voice broke, and he came forward quickly. "Father. Father is gone."

The Fifth Prince was weeping past speech.

Ning Chen's face went still and heavy. He fixed his eyes coldly on the man and said it a word at a time. "This marquis will have the body examined."

That one sentence left everybody there frozen stiff.

Examine the body?

Examine His Majesty's body?

"Ning Chen, this is outrageous!"

The Right Chancellor pointed at Ning Chen and rebuked him furiously.

Fan Taihe jumped in right behind him. "Ning Chen, you dare profane the late emperor's sacred person? Your crime deserves ten thousand deaths!"

The civil and military officials murmured among themselves.

Even Li Hanru and the rest of them felt Ning Chen had gone too far this time.

What Ning Chen was doing was nothing short of gross disrespect.

The Fifth Prince said through his sobbing, "Ning Chen, I know Father showed you nothing but favor, but Father's sacred person has been through a great…