Inside Zhengyang Hall, Li Qiong was sitting upright behind his desk, an open memorial spread out before him.
He stared at the memorial without blinking, appearing to be engrossed in reviewing it.
But a patient observer would notice that he had been staring at this same memorial for a very long time.
Far longer than his usual pace for reviewing them.
Zuo Ji, standing in attendance nearby, dared not interrupt. He could only quietly pick up the teacup that had gone cold and have someone replace it with a fresh, hot one.
When the teacup was placed on the desk, it made a soft sound.
As if startled from a dream, Li Qiong snapped his head up and blurted out.
"Has he arrived?"
Zuo Ji's movements paused.
He looked at the new Emperor in surprise.
Li Qiong glanced at the empty doorway and realized he had been overthinking things.
He pressed his lips together and lowered his head to look at the memorial again.
Zuo Ji spoke cautiously, "Your Majesty, who are you waiting for?"
