Chapter 66 – Attending the Imperial Court

The early winter morning was nearly indistinguishable from night.

A light veil of mist draped over the entire capital. Blazing torches interspersed along the walls of the imperial city dimly lit the sky. The silhouettes of armored guards cast long shadows across the city.

Su Yi, a Hanlin Scholar[1], followed a step behind an elderly man as the walls of the imperial city gradually emerged from the mist.

"Teacher, the road is slippery and wet. Please be careful," Su Yi said softly.

"

Mm

." The elderly man ahead nodded, said nothing further, but slowed his pace.

"Although the position of the Hanlin Scholar is only a nominal one, do not hold any grievances," the old man suddenly said, "In the Hanlin Academy, remember to speak less and observe more, listen less and do more."

"I will remember your words, teacher. Your teachings will never be forgotten." Su Yi bowed.

"Although you became the top scholar after the national exams, you were only able to secure the position of Hanlin Scholar... I worry that you might harbor grievances, so I spoke a bit more," the old man reminded, "Since you have an open mindset, I need not be worried. It is not in vain that I have taught you for all these years."

As they talked, they almost reached the imperial city's gate. The old man stopped and began to finely adjust his hat and robes.

"When we are in court, do not call me your teacher. You must address me as Minister of Rites, Lord Gu."

"I understand, teacher," Su Yi bent and cupped his hands.

"

Whoa

!" The sound of a driver calling to the horse came from nearby. Su Yi and Minister Gu turned their heads to look.

A carriage stopped in the mist. The driver halted the horse and spoke softly to someone inside the carriage. Soon, the carriage curtain was lifted, and a tall figure with a long beard emerged.

"That is Lord Qi, the Prime Minister," Minister Gu said softly to Su Yi. He then moved to greet him.

At this time, Qi Zongbi had also noticed the two of them and was on his way over.

Clip-clop—

A horse pulling a carriage slowly emerged from the mist. From a distance away, Su Yi and Minister Gu, heard the hoofbeats before they could see it clearly.

Qi Zongbi turned his head and was momentarily stunned when he saw the carriage approaching. He then turned back and politely bowed to the two before walking towards the carriage.

The carriage stopped, and the driver gently called to the person inside. Qi Zongbi almost jogged over and stood by the carriage waiting.

The curtain was lifted from inside the carriage, and an elderly man, about seventy or eighty years old with a wrinkled face and white hair, stepped out with a stooped stature. He yawned widely, as if he had not completely woken up from napping in the carriage.

The old man rubbed his eyes and was about to get out of the carriage when he realized Qi Zongbi was standing by it with his hand extended to assist him.

The old man smiled and said, "Lord Qi, it has been a while." He extended his hand, allowing Qi Zongbi to help him down, swaying slightly as he stepped down from the carriage.

"Senior Fan, you’re too kind." Qi Zongbi smiled slightly and said, "I am glad to see you so energetic. Why have you decided to attend the morning court today?"

The old man brushed off Qi Zongbi’s support and said, "It’s no big deal. I just heard that there’s been a lot of commotion in the court recently, so I came to see what is going on."

Qi Zongbi’s expression changed, and he awkwardly laughed, "Haha... Senior Fan, you have such entertaining interests... There are nothing but ordinary disputes. It must be that our subordinates have exaggerated certain matters."

The old man's expression remained unchanged as he listened to Qi Zongbi’s awkward explanation. "That better be the case," he said. I’m just afraid that someone might take advantage of the emperor’s illness to engage in treasonous activities."

"Haha," Qi Zongbi’s face returned to its natural color, and he said, "Senior Fan must be joking. If such a person really exists, I will be the first to deal with him."

The old man nodded and said no more, standing quietly in place waiting for the gate to open.

The two nearby observed everything. Su Yi pointed to the old man and asked softly, "Is that person...?"

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Minister Gu nodded. "That is indeed the person you are thinking of... He's a veteran statesman of two imperial reigns, Internal Prime Minister Fan Shaolin."

Su Yi frowned slightly. Although it was his first time attending the court today, he had already sensed something unusual. "But I heard Senior Fan has not attended the morning court for a long time..."

Minister Gu discreetly glanced at Su Yi and sighed inwardly.

"Although Senior Fan is advanced in age and handed much of his responsibilities over to External Prime Minister Qi Zongbi, he is still the Internal Prime Minister. Would anyone dare to stop him from attending the morning court?"

"That is not what I meant to say." Su Yi couldn't help but ask, "Why did Senior Fan come here today?"

"Don’t ask what you shouldn’t," Minister Gu directly interrupted. Speak less and observe more. Haven’t I always taught you that?"

Su Yi flinched but quickly recovered. He bowed again and said, "I understand, teacher."

Minister Gu reassuringly patted Su Yi on the back. "Don’t be so restrained. Scholars should have the demeanor of scholars. While respecting hierarchy is important, the strength of one's character cannot be lost."

Su Yi opened his mouth, looking at his teacher, unsure of what to say.

Minister Gu continued, "Do your best... Senior Fan actually rose from your position of Hanlin Scholar to where he is now."

Having said this, Minister Gu no longer paid attention to his student and walked towards the two in front.

"Teacher..." Su Yi’s voice was almost inaudible, as he looked at the slightly stooped figure ahead with a complex expression.

The sky gradually brightened, and the mist began to slowly clear. More and more officials, high and low ranked, gathered outside the gate.

Su Yi stood in the crowd, occasionally cupping his hands to greet people.

He quickly noticed that the crowd had naturally divided into three large groups.

The largest group was centered around External Prime Minister Qi Zongbi and consisted mostly of civil officials and some ministers from the Six Ministries.

The next larger group was led by Marshal Ying Gutong and was composed of military officials.

The court had long favored the civil over the military, so there was often discord between them.

The smallest group was composed of the remaining officials from the Six Ministries, his teacher was among them.

As Su Yi was considering the implications, a loud sound suddenly broke the morning calm.

Creaaaak—

The grand imperial gates slowly opened.

The officials and military officers, who had been whispering in groups, stopped their discussions in unison, found their respective places, and made some final adjustments to their attire.

Qi Zongbi habitually took his place at the head of the line. Straightening out his long sleeves, he stood tall and looked around. He noticed that Marshal Ying Gutong was staring at him peculiarly.

Qi Zongbi frowned slightly, looked around again in confusion, and saw Fan Shaolin smiling at him.

Qi Zongbi awkwardly coughed, stepping aside, as he realized that he was not the highest-ranking person in attendance today. He said, "Senior Fan, please go ahead. I was impolite and did not notice that I was blocking your way."

"No problem, no problem." Senior Fan waved his hand with an unchanging smile on his face, saying, "I’m old and tired. Why don’t you take the lead today, Lord Qi?"

Qi Zongbi dared not agree, so he bowed to the old man and said, "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare... Senior Fan, please do not let me embarrass myself further."

"

Heh

..." The old man smiled and said no more, taking his place at the head of the line.

At this moment, a eunuch’s sharp voice echoed from within the imposing imperial city.

"Announcement! All officials to the court!"

1. The Hanlin Academy was an elite scholarly institution that provided literary and advisory services to the emperor in ancient China. A Hanlin Scholar was generally a junior official or scholar position within the Hanlin Academy. Their duties often included drafting imperial edicts, compiling historical records, and assisting with literary or scholarly tasks.

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