The grand assembly of Da Liang is held once a month on the first day. Ordinary business for the court is handled during the smaller assemblies.
The grand assembly is grandiose, with officials at or above the seventh rank in the Capital City required to attend. The vast Jinluan Palace cannot accommodate so many officials, so those of lower rank silently move to the back, with some even standing outside the hall.
According to the customary procedure of the grand assembly, the officials first praised the Emperor on the Dragon Throne, then delivered the usual rhetoric about peace throughout the realm, and the meeting could conclude.
However, the first grand assembly of officials in the Tahe First Year was disrupted by an unexpected bad news that left everyone's mind unsettled.
