The palace gates were very crowded, the carriages stretching like a long snake on Long’an Avenue. It was brimming with various ministers coming for morning court that if someone spilled a bucket of water over them, it might not even penetrate to the ground. Fortunately, the Imperial Palace was a place none dared disrespect, and all the ministers remained obedient.
At the beginning of the long line was a profoundly embarrassed guard dressed in ceremonial armour, constantly bowing and asking the guest to remain patient. Zhou Aimin could neither see nor hear him, as Jing Wen’s ability comes from his martial arts; however, if he could, he would realise it was the exact same guard that had allowed him into the Palace the previous night.
“Minister Xin (辛), the fire burned down a part of the palace last night, frightening much of his Majesty’s consorts. This one seriously cannot allow you to pass into court.”
The minister, Xin Yan (辛延) had long gotten off his carriage. His head held high as he spoke, “The Great Zhu cannot function one way without the Imperial Court. And you, a little guard, not even an Imperial Guard, dare to prevent all these ministers from serving their duty?”
Shaking his head, the minister spat on the ground. “You don’t even have an Imperial Edict in your hand.”
The guard looked at the ground, seeing the yellow phlegm that looked obvious in the white snow, he said, “Minister Xin, his Majesty is comforting his consorts who were frightened by the fire. This is on the order of the Empress.”
Hearing the world ‘Empress’, Minister Xin froze. He had originally been from a small gentry family that arose during the establishment of the Great Zhu. Despite coming from a rural background, he was talented at the Classics, achieving the rank of Tanhua (探花 - Third Place) in the Imperial Examination along with writing a famous commentary on the Five Classics, simply dubbed ‘Commentaries of Xin’.
However, Tanhua and the ‘Commentaries of Xin’ alone does not guarantee a position as a powerful minister. He had gotten his current position as the Minister of Rites through both his extraordinary memory along with becoming a staunch supporter of the Seventh Prince and his mother, the Empress (嫻).
His darkened face immediately bloomed like flowers. “So it's on the orders of the Empress. How virtuous she is to preemptively aid his Majesty. Very well, I shall wait before the palace walls before his Majesty summons the court.”
The guard wiped the sweat that had accumulated on his forehead. Thinking about how he had to deal with an unreasonable figure last night as well, he seriously cursed his bad luck.
“How could Minister Xin be so outrageous? Isn’t he a tanhua?” Zhou Aimin asked with indignation. Though he could not hear the voice of the guard, the outrage of Minister Xin earlier echoed through much of Long’an Avenue. The sound of spitting was especially clear.
Jing Wen answered without shifting his expression, “The faction behind the Seventh Prince is the strongest in the court. Thinking about the abundance of wealth and power in their hands, they will surely feel superior. Since it hurts to keep in your pride, they let it out by speaking.”
Zhou Aimin laughed, clearly amused. He asked after some thought, “But Mo Xi remains low key. Perhaps he is an outlier?”
Jing Wen explained simply, “Of course, there are many who subtly show off their influence; some even more inconspicuous than Mo Xi. However, none have the same reputation he has.”
---
When the court finally began, it was already noon. Many of the Ministers were hungry but could do nothing but to chew on the tea leaves that they had brought. After squeezing the remaining fragrance out of the tea leaves, they quickly joined the line walking towards Chang’an Hall.
Compared to the misery of these old ministers, Jing Wen and Zhou Aimin could better suppress their hunger. Walking past Tiantang (天堂) Gate and Zhao De (昭德) Gate, the stream of ministers finally reached Chang’an Hall after climbing three levels of marble staircases. Outside the hall stood dozens of stern guards, each skilled martialists that would be famous in Jianghu.
The gate of the halls was made of wood coated in a thick layer of gold. The eunuch standing before the gate waved his hand at the guard and said in a high-pitched voice, “Court may proceed!”
The voice of the eunuch wasn’t loud, but the gates behind him slowly opened, revealing the beating heart of the Great Zhu Dynasty.
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Once Zhou Aimin entered the hall beside Jing Wen, he unconsciously sucked in a breath of cold air. The ministers were used to the grandeur of the Imperial Palace, but Zhou Aimin had spent his life either in Youzhou or the Taoist Temple. Although the Palace in Youzhou was grandiose, and the Taoist Temple solemn, Chang’an Hall bore a dignified and grandeur that could not be found elsewhere in the world.
The Emperor was seated upon his Dragon Throne, which was perched slightly so that it was higher than the rest of the hall. Behind the Dragon Throne was a screen made of solid gold, decorated with wiggling dragons and a generous scattering of precious gems. The dragons coiled around a long row of words in red, which wrote;
“Pillar that upholds Heaven.”
The impossibly well-polished marbles tiles on the ground reflected these words, along with the shifting feet of the ministers. It also revealed the harmony of the five creatures; Azure Dragon, Vermillion Bird, White Tiger, Black Tortoise and Qilin. Within each of these creature’s mouths was an orb made of solid gold, its substantial weight appearing as though always at the risk of dropping, but never does.
The ceiling itself was supported by pillars made of an unknown material. The pillar was completely white, but faint hints of green reflected the sunlight penetrating into the room. Upon closer inspection, they would soon find it to be the most profound object in the entire hall - the pillars was actually made from a jade vein!
The Great Zhu Dynasty began from a small commandery in the North. To accumulate so much wealth in a mere forty or so years from nothing meant the revenue it was able to generate was something unseen before in history.
The ministers knelt and wished the Emperor a long life.
“You may rise.” The Emperor, hidden behind a curtain of black beads which lightly danced beneath the Imperial glow. He slowly spoke, “It was zhen’s fault that loyal subjects had waited so long. You are free to blame me.”
The voice was deeper than ancient wells, concealing within it countless secrets unknown to man. The casually spoken words seemed heavier than mercury, bearing down on the courtiers like an invisible weight, forcing them to lower their heads.
The current Emperor has been in power for seventeen years. This year, he would be thirty-four - almost two decades older than Jing Wen and Zhou Aimin despite being in the same generation. The former Emperor Taizu had ruled for twenty-eight years, but only managed to unite the land under heaven in his last eleven years after conquering South Wu (吳). In total, the Great Zhu had become the most prosperous dynasties to rule in a mere forty five years. To call the current Emperor wise would be an understatement, for he was an individual unrivalled amongst man, carrying an authority surpassed only by the heavens.
The various ministers in black were separated into two groups by an azure carpet.They appeared like soil split by a river. Some of the ministers appeared unable to carry the burden of the Emperor’s voice, and, collapsing onto their knees, they looked at Minister Xin, who bowed, pleading, “Your Majesty, how could your loyal subjects accuse you of any wrongdoings? If a monarch does not care for the Inner Court, how can they care for the nation?”
It was impossible to see the Emperor’s reaction behind the curtains of beads, but it was possible to determine the Emperor was not angered through his silence. As Minister Xin stood down, the Minister of Works, Zhao Yi (趙岐) bowed before he spoke. “Your Majesty, all things must be taken in moderation. As the ancient said, ‘the first concern is affairs of state; pleasure comes late’. Although the Imperial Consorts were frightened by the fire, they had ample time to recover from the shock. If any collapse, the Imperial Physician can be sent, instead of your Majesty yourself.”
Minister Zhao bowed once more, saying, “Your Majesty, a delay in court could lead to dams repairs postponed, roads unmaintained and commoners' life to be destroyed.”
Behind the beads, the Emperor delayed his words for some time, as if in contemplation. He said, “What Minister Zhao says is true. Zhen has over-indulged zhen’s consorts.”
The greatest Emperors were not those skilled in administration in the realm or undefeated generals. Rather, they are those able to accept the advice of his skilled subordinates, open to new thoughts and suggestions. No doubt the current Emperor was someone of this sort - or at least one who wished to present themself in this manner. As if the Emperor would take the advice to heart, it could only be known by the Emperor himself.
The Emperor made a motion behind the beads, but the action was unknown as none dared to look directly at him. He said after a long silence, “The investigation into the kitchen fire has already been launched by zhen.”
Zhao Yi sighed. The Crown Prince had recently left the capital, causing the balance in court to shift toward the Seventh Prince. Usually, the Crown Prince’s faction would remain silent in such scenario, but, since matters regarding the Inner Palace was rarely mentioned in court, the initiative cannot be presented to the Seventh Prince’s faction.
“Your Majesty, there were no fatal cases from the fire, only a few burn sustained by the servants. The Imperial kitchen is prone to fire in the first case; why spend so much effort into it?”
The Emperor replied, “This matter was initiated by Consort Li (李).”
Zhao Yi immediately felt his mouth dry. Consort Li was currently the most favoured concubine in the palace, and widely regarded as the most beautiful woman in the world, with unrivalled skills in dancing and singing. That would be fine, were it not for the fact that she was even more ambitious than a man, and had the intelligence to rival such ambition.
Fortunately, she was still young and had yet to bear the Emperor a child.
As Consort Li had only recently come into favour, there was not much information regarding her aside from her beauty and ambition. Zhou Aimin looked at Jing Wen, asking nervously with a faint voice, “Why would Consort Li investigate the kitchen fire?”
Jing Wen answered calmly, “Consort Li like to indulge in food.”
Zhou Aimin made an ‘oh’ sound. Not caring for the face of the officials around him, which was turning white from the audacity of the two, he asked, “Which faction is she in?”
Jing Wen shuffled closer to Zhou Aimin. “Don’t worry, out of the entirety of the capital, no one hates Mo Xi more than her. If you propose the case, she would likely be your most ardent supported.”
‘Seeing’ Zhou Aimin nod in approval, Jing Wen quickly separated himself from Zhou Aimin. Quickly, the gap was filled by the air of imperial majesty, and the two did not converse any further.
Once the matter regarding the fire was over, Zhou Aimin hesitantly took out a wooden box. Looking at Jing Wen, he said, “The evidence to prosecute Mo Xi is in there. You present it to the Emperor.”
Jing Wen found Zhou Aimin’s security toward the object within the box rather strange, but did not ask any questions since Zhou Aimin had already explained its contents.
He detached himself from the group of ministers, walking onto the azure carpet. Holding the box in his hand, he knelt on one knee, causing his white robes to shift slightly, and the wooden badge at his to collide, creating a gravel-like sound.
Without haste, Jing Wen opened the box.