林老太君的“咔咔” finger tapping on the wood armrest almost cracked the damn thing. Beside him, Grandpa Lin Zhentian, Lin Wanfeng's actual grandpa, was so livid his face turned the color of old iron, lips trembling so hard he could barely spit out words. Outside the ancestral hall, grey clouds hung thick as lead. For everyone in the Lin family, this day was feeling like the sky was about to collapse.

Suddenly, a sharp, cold voice cut through the tense silence. “Goddammit, what the hell is going on in there?!” A middle-aged man strode into the hall, radiating sheer fury. He was clad in luxurious imperial robes, the insignia of the Qin Dynasty shimmering under the dim light. His eyes, like burning coals, locked onto the trembling Lin Zhentian.

That would be Emperor Longshi himself.

The moment he appeared, all the subordinates in the hall instantly kowtowed, their heads hitting the floor so hard tiles rattled. “Your Majesty! We… we were discussing family matters!” LinZhentian choked out, still reeling from the earlier shock.