Today's gathering was rather strange. First, it was still early, not yet noon—usually at this hour, General would either be sleeping off a hangover or at the government office. Second, General looked unusually serious, standing beneath the corridor eaves, his belly even more swollen than usual, so much so that shorter people could barely see his head.

Madam also made an appearance, standing beside General, which was a rare occurrence. Madam's maiden name was Lan, from a distinguished family, well-matched with the Lou clan. Though she had been granted the title of "General," she seldom attended such gatherings.

Madam Lane wore the same grave expression, tinged with sorrow.

General gave a light cough and, in an uncharacteristically gentle voice, said, "The Son of Heaven... the Son of Heaven has passed away. The entire Great Cheng mourns as one."

Everyone was shocked. The current emperor was just over fifty, and there had never been any news of serious illness. Suddenly, he had left his subjects behind.

Madam Lane let out a low sob. Her own elder sister was the empress, so the emperor's passing brought her the added pain of losing a close relative.

"Ahem..." William Carter appeared a bit awkward, as if reading an edict full of obscure characters. "Soon... I must enter the palace... to receive the late emperor's final decree. All of you... must change into mourning clothes—the more mournful, the better. And you must cry. Whoever sheds the most tears will be rewarded. Also, if any of you were formerly from Wu, Shu, Liang, or Jin, you must cry even more pitifully. If you don't meet the requirements and cause trouble, don't say I..."

"Pfft." Suddenly, someone laughed.

Even on ordinary days, interrupting General with laughter was an unforgivable offense, let alone on a day of national mourning. The concubines lowered their heads, not daring to look around, knowing full well that only one person would dare such a thing.

William Carter glanced at Princess Wu, deciding to forgive her this once—after all, he had forgiven her many times before.

But his belly was too large, so neither the glance nor its message got across.

Grace Bennett also kept her head down, trying to hide her amusement, but she couldn't hold it in. Her laughter went from "pfft pfft" to "hee hee," and before General could stop her, it had become an unrestrained "ha ha."

William Carter sucked in his stomach, his face full of surprise, still immersed in deep grief, and did not get angry.

Grace Bennett was actually very afraid, but she couldn't suppress her laughter. The empty place in her heart, long hollow, suddenly burst open. It turned out it wasn't empty at all—countless emotions surged out, transforming into ever-stronger laughter.

"You... hold it back!" GeneralWilliam Carter finally snapped out of it and shouted harshly.

Grace Bennett couldn't hold it back. She pressed her hands to her belly, laughter unceasing. Even if she were to be beheaded right now, her face would still be frozen in a smile.

General truly drew his sword. He could tolerate some minor faults from Princess Wu, but not such open defiance.

Madam Lane reached out to stop her husband. "She must have gone mad."

"Even a madwoman must follow the rules." General sheathed the half-drawn sword, laboriously stepped down from the platform, and strode over to Princess Wu. The hand that had gripped the sword now seized Princess's slender wrist. "Today is not like other days. You are from Wu—best behave yourself. When I return from the palace... heh, who knows if you'll live or die."

Grace Bennett did not struggle. She had long since given up on futile resistance, but in her heart, she had never let go of her hatred. She shouted, "How did he die?"

"Hmm?" William Carter didn't understand.

"Your emperor—how did he die?"

William Carter's face changed, his grip tightening. "Do you really want to die?"

Her wrist felt like it was about to break, but Grace Bennett didn't cry out in pain. Instead, her voice grew louder. "Back then, when I was kept by the emperor for a month, don't you want to know the details?"

William Carter roared in fury and flung Princess Wu more than ten paces away.

Grace Bennett's words had broken a taboo. Years ago, when she was first sent to the Eastern Capital Luoyang, she hadn't even gotten off the carriage before being sent straight to the imperial palace, and only after a full month was she transferred to General's residence.

William Carter had once boasted that not even the emperor could compete with him for a woman, but reality proved that the emperor could indeed compete.

All along, William Carter had never spoken of it, and Grace Bennett had obediently avoided the subject—until today, when she suddenly no longer wished to play dumb.

William Carter was getting old, but his strength had not diminished much. Grace Bennett crashed heavily to the ground, pain shooting through her body, yet she still laughed uncontrollably. "The Great Cheng emperor did not die a good death, and now the blame will fall on the people of the Five Kingdoms..."

Liang, Jin, Jing, Shu, and Wu made up the Five Kingdoms. The fall of these states ranged from over twenty years ago to as recently as ten. The noble families had all been brought to Luoyang, and whenever the Great Cheng court sensed trouble, they would take it out on the people of the Five Kingdoms.

William Carter strode forward and stomped on Princess Wu's chest, reaching again for his sword. "I'll kill you, you little wretch, before you bring trouble to the Lou family..."

Whenever General flew into a rage, someone had to intervene, or else he would be even angrier afterward and take it out on everyone present.

Madam Lane had been following her husband closely and now reached out in time to stop him, urging, "She is a woman of a fallen state—why bother with her? General, hurry to the palace. At such a critical time, you must not linger at home."