Longevity System: I'll Outlast Everyone

Yun Zhiwei put down his brush and picked up the heavy court diary. He shuffled out from behind the curtain on his knees, the cold of the golden bricks seeping through his cotton trousers into his bones. 'Your humble servant Yun Zhiwei kowtows to Your Majesty,' he said, his voice trembling and trailing off, perfectly displaying the timidity of a low-ranking civil servant facing imperial might. Chu Tiankuo stared at him, his gaze like a knife scraping across Yun Zhiwei's neck. 'What did you record?' Yun Zhiwei did not look up. His eyes fixed on a piece of broken porcelain three feet away. On the edge of the shard was the blood of the crown prince. He knew that one wrong word would have the canes outside shatter his spine. Yun Zhiwei swallowed a mouthful of saliva and spoke slowly, word by word: 'In reply to Your Majesty, your servant recorded: It was cold, and the crown prince worried for Your Majesty's safety, wishing to mobilize troops to protect you. Your Majesty perceived his rashness and feared he did not understand military strategy, so you threw a cup to warn him.'