The doors of the imperial study closed with a quiet, final thud.

  Emperor Jin Long removed his outer robe and handed it to a waiting servant before dismissing the room entirely. The ministers had drained him.

  Half a day of reports.

  Border discussions with Tian Kingdom.

  Trade disputes with Liang Kingdom

  Agricultural shortages in the southern region.

  And beneath it all—

  The red moon.

  He stood before the wide desk carved from dark mountain wood, fingers resting lightly against its polished surface.

  The red moon had risen.

  And this morning—

  Not a single one of his five sons had appeared at the daily court meeting.

  His jaw tightened slightly.

  Strategic rulers did not believe in coincidence.

  A celestial omen.

  Five absent princes.

  On the same morning.

  He did not raise his voice.

  He never needed to.

  “Eunuch Kong.”

  The call was calm.

  Measured.

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  But heavy.

  Eunuch Kong entered immediately and bowed deeply. “Your Majesty.”

  “Arrange dinner tonight. All five princes will attend.”

  No room for negotiation.

  Eunuch Kong hesitated for a fraction of a second before speaking carefully.

  “Your Majesty… last night, the princes were together. A brotherhood gathering.”

  Emperor Jin’s gaze shifted.

  “They have not dined together in unity for some time,” Eunuch Kong continued gently. “Perhaps the late hour caused their absence this morning.”

  Silence.

  The Emperor’s expression did not change.

  He calculated outcomes the way others calculated coins.

  He prepared his sons for storms years before clouds formed.

  He did not sacrifice them for politics.

  He forged them for survival.

  But absence from court—

  Was not survival.

  It was weakness.

  His eyes rested on Eunuch Kong for several long seconds.

  No anger.

  No softness.

  Just weight.

  Eunuch Kong bowed lower immediately. “This servant understands. I will deliver the summons.”

  He turned to leave—

  “Prepare one favorite dish for each prince.”

  Eunuch Kong paused.

  A faint smile touched his lips before he bowed again. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  It was subtle.

  Small.

  But it was there.

  Emperor Jin loved his sons.

  He simply believed love without discipline created fragile men.

  When the study doors closed again, he returned to his desk.

  He did not sigh.

  He did not show worry.

  But his gaze drifted briefly toward the window.

  The sky was clear tonight.

  No red moon.

  Yet he knew—

  Heavens did not issue warnings twice.

  Tonight’s dinner was not punishment.

  It was observation.

  ?

  Meanwhile — Somewhere in Tie Shan Gong Palace

  Chaos.

  Utter chaos.

  Across the western royal residential cluster, attendants scrambled in near-panic.

  The summons had come with short notice.

  And the princes—

  Were… different today.

  Each of the five princes had always possessed a strong sense of personal style.

  Distinct.

  Refined.

  Intentional.

  But today—

  Everything felt slightly wrong.

  Prince Ze Liang rejected three outer robes because “the inner layering lacked depth.”

  Prince Tian Rui insisted the fabric felt “emotionally heavy.”

  Prince Rui Huang argued that the shoes disrupted his silhouette.

  Prince Wu Chen questioned why ancient male hair accessories had “so many aggressive angles.”

  And Crown Prince Jin Zhao—

  Had calmly requested to inspect the stitching technique of his sleeve embroidery.

  The attendants were exhausted.

  Shoes were changed.

  Robes re-layered.

  Hair ornaments adjusted and readjusted.

  Traditional male crowns and jade pins debated like military strategy.

  For a moment, some attendants even wondered—

  Had the red moon altered their princes’ tastes overnight?

  But years of service triumphed over confusion.

  Experience prevailed.

  Within hours—

  Each prince stood fully dressed in impeccable royal attire.

  Composed.

  Elegant.

  Dangerously handsome.

  And as each prince stepped into his respective horse carriage—

  A strange phenomenon occurred.

  Across five separate residences—

  Attendants exhaled in relief at the same time.

  Because today—

  Had been strange.

  Too strange.

  They could only pray tonight’s imperial dinner would not become stranger still.

  Back inside the Main Palace—

  Emperor Jin Long set down his brush.

  The Dragon’s Table had been prepared.

  Now—

  He would see what kind of men his sons were becoming.