Chapter 19

Shen Yi sat in front of the bronze mirror, letting the servant tie his hat and belt for him. He looked at the person in the mirror, whose dark outer robe was engraved with crimson patterns.

Long after the coming-of-age ceremony, the royal family had granted him the position of Feng Chang. Later, the official uniform of the Shang Dynasty was all black, covering the bones and flesh beneath, waiting for the days to pass.

Today was the day he would enter the imperial court. The Chief Minister was in charge of the ancestral temple sacrifices. He couldn't quite recall the name of this man, who lived far east of the city. However, apart from being the Chief Minister, it was a sinecure, not to mention that he was below him.

He helped the sedan chair into the carriage, reaching out to lower the curtains and endure the slight bumps along the way. Shen Yi was already accustomed to riding a horse in the past, but only when he sat in the closed carriage did he feel a sense of crampedness.

The cocks had just crowed, the sun was barely rising, and the curtains blocked out the outside world. He clenched his fists briefly, then opened them, distractedly observing the new flesh that had grown on his fingertips.

The spring breeze gently blew through the curtains, bringing in a faint floral fragrance, and the sounds of horse hooves and wheels had stopped.

It wasn't until the driver called him that Shen Yi came back to his senses and let him open the curtain and walk away. Shen Qian's carriage had left an hour earlier than his.

Behind him, there were some young men from noble families who held idle positions like him. He stood at the bottom of the steps and looked up at the palace in the center of Chang'an City.

The eaves were carved with various auspicious beasts, and if he went any further, his sight could not pass beyond the palace in front of him. The towering building stood before him like a mountain, and Shen Yi could not restrain himself for a moment.

Now he was not far from Shen Wan, but between them lay the palaces of the Tian family. Shen Yi finally stepped onto the stone steps in front of him and walked up step by step.

At the same time, he silently counted the steps in his mind, thinking that this would allow him to be closer to his elder sister, but he could only lower his fingertips and lightly grasp the black cloth, enduring it with great patience, not being able to stretch out his hand or overstep any boundaries of etiquette.

The spring sun continued to rise a little higher, and the direct light inevitably dazzled people's eyes. Shen Yi still raised his head and looked into the distance again.

He secretly endured the stinging pain in his eyes, counted the long steps in front of the hall, and walked into the hall at the end of the row of civil officials according to their rank. He retracted his gaze and did not look at the guards standing on both sides of the hall door with swords and armor.

Hearing the shrill call to the court, Shen Yi knelt down, bowed his body to the emperor who was on the throne, to the majesty who was personally bestowing grace and power, and to the ghosts of the heavenly family who were deciding life and death with those edicts.

The crowd's congratulations echoed throughout the hall. Only after a word of peace could Shen Yi stand up. Through his official robes of the same color, he looked from the last row of the crowd at the person sitting on the high seat.

The dark dragon robe was dotted with golden dragon patterns, and the crown on his head shone with patches of light and shadow. He could only get a rough look at it, even though the constant discussion rang in his ears. Shen Yi lowered his head when the man's gaze fell on him.

After a moment, he looked up at the man sitting on the dragon throne. He was from the Tian family, surnamed Ji. He couldn't quite remember his majesty's age. He had originally thought he looked younger than Chen Qian, but seeing him today, he could sense a deadly aura beneath his black robe.

Chen Yi recognized the pair of eyes hidden under the crown again, observing everyone in the hall from top to bottom. As long as they stayed for a moment, they would point out one interesting drama after another in the court like a string.

He retracted his gaze and no longer looked directly at His Majesty. Like most of his colleagues in the hall, he bent his neck and allowed His Majesty to consider the matter.

Today was considered a grand court session, and the officials who submitted memorials read out unusually long reports, ranging from impeachments of factional disputes to the diversion of funds for renovations. Ji Chi casually glanced at the minor official who was still making his presentation, his gaze fixed squarely on the person who had dared to look up at him.

Those eyes looked very much like Shen Qian's, yet the body structure was not very similar to the knife he used before. Thinking of this, his fingertips tapped lightly on the armrest slowly, thinking that the dissimilarity was not good.

It was still the flattering and cautious look of Marquis Jianxin that was interesting. The Shang Dynasty had no shortage of lackeys now. To be honest, he had not had time to settle the score yet. The old general died at the wrong time.

The Huo family, the Shen family—he connected their roots in his mind. What was the name of the Shen family's newly arrived eldest son? He thought of the concubine in the side hall, recalling the scent of lip balm and the cries of her.

Shen Yi? He didn't have to rush into anything for now. After all, his new dark blade hadn't been fully sharpened yet.

Ji Chi's eyes swept over every official who lowered their heads, and he used his fingertips to circle a few hidden chess pieces he had planned. He then replied with some irrelevant words in a casual manner and handed the impeachment matter over to the censor for further supervision.

The eunuchs who followed him were accustomed to seizing opportunities and issued the new decree of His Majesty in a sharp-tongued official language.

Shen Yi was already starting to feel drowsy, preparing to get through his first court session. However, since he had only just arrived and had not yet fully understood the pros and cons of the situation, he did not want to act rashly.

"...Longxi won a great victory, in recognition of his merits...he is specially promoted to the position of Censor, and his salary is the same as that of a senior official." A sharp voice rang out in the hall. Chen Yi glanced at the eunuch whose face was powdered but neither gloomy nor sad, and then caught a glimpse of a man kneeling forward and bowing to express his gratitude.

A familiar voice sounded, and Shen Yi first saw the tall crown from behind, and then he recognized that the person kneeling in front of the hall was Xue Heng.

No matter what happened with the grain transportation in Longxi, at least Xue Congzhi personally delivered the things that his grandfather had given him to him.

Even I couldn't find anything wrong with it, and even felt like I owed him a favor.

He watched Xue Heng stand up and rejoin the ranks. Although they were all wearing the same color official robes, Shen Yi could still spot his exceptionally tall figure standing out among them. Xue Congzhi had already monopolized the glory of the day with the awards before the palace.

The rest was just routine reporting, which Shen Yi found less interesting than the whispers of the people around him. Even standing very close, he only caught a few words: Xue family, Prime Minister?

He memorized the faces of these people, and the call to dismiss the court was still shrill - all the officials in the court walked out of the hall together.

Shen Yi caught a glimpse of the carriages and horses waiting at the steps, but he didn't deliberately look for Shen Qian. Standing in the court today, he realized that he was still too far away from this marquis.

In the darkness, he could not find the man who was used to bending over, nor could he recognize the gentle voice. He could only sigh that his father was pretending to be a good person.

He clenched his cold fingertips, attributing this inexplicable chill to the person who had just been in the hall and to the ghost who kept scrutinizing him.

For some reason, Shen Yi had an illusion, as if the emperor sitting high on the chair had seen him from the beginning, and saw him raise his head and look straight at him.

It was just past noon, and the spring light should have warmed the people of the city. Shen Yi walked down the long steps step by step, burying this illusion deep inside. He didn't look back at the palace behind him, and took off his crown as soon as he got into the carriage.

As the car jolted through the bustling streets, Shen Yi leaned against the wall, listening to the incessant clamor. Chang'an City was almost covered in flowers, and he had already taken his first step.

I just hope that his sister can wait for him a little longer until they meet again.

He closed his eyes and suddenly had an almost absurd idea. The more he thought about it, the crazier he became, and finally he laughed out loud.

Whether the Chang'an City was shaken or the palace collapsed and flooded, a place where you are haunted by death as soon as you step in should not exist in this world.

There were countless piles of glazed tiles and jade, and all kinds of rare and exotic animals carved into them. But he felt that even the little sunlight from the horizon could not shine into the high walls and deep palace.

It was absurd, but Shen Yi still closed his eyes obediently, hoping that this outrageous dream would continue for a while longer.

After all, after waking up from the dream, he himself would not be able to understand such a ridiculous idea, nor would he be able to think about it any further.

But this was also a rare moment of happiness for him in the new year. He laughed out loud with joy, continuously.

He returned to the mansion and went to the stable in his official robes. He first touched the brown horse's mane, and the touch of the reins and lead rope could still be felt between his fingers.

Chen Yi looked at the familiar eyes and patted the horse's back a few times. He no longer paid any attention to the angry horse that had been kept here for a long time. He just walked around and finally combed its mane.

Even he himself didn't know when he would ride a horse in Chang'an City again.

After the coming-of-age ceremony, Mrs. Huo continued to stay in the house all day, claiming to be ill. She would not even allow a few of her maids to stay in the room, alternating between day and night.

Shen Yi smelled the bitter fragrance coming from the side room, but he couldn't see the figure walking inside clearly through the door.

His mother, he let out an almost silent sigh, not knowing where to begin, so he could only turn around and sit back at the stone table in the pavilion.

In the courtyard, an unknown weed had already blossomed with pale white flowers, and a similarly plain butterfly flew into the courtyard, but only very low. Shen Yi nodded slightly, watching the servant who had come up to serve tea step back.

His fingertips touched the porcelain cup heated by tea. The Huo family, the Shen family, Feng Chang, the Prime Minister, and that Xue Congzhi. Shen Yi recalled the words he had memorized, his fingertips vaguely tracing the lines he could see directly.

Ever since my grandfather was buried, the Huo family has become a thing of the past that people talk about. I will meet that Fengchang sooner or later.

As for the remaining thread, it became increasingly tangled, and the spring breeze ruffled the tea that was about to cool. Shen Yi picked up the teacup and tasted the buds of the new spring, and the bitter aftertaste was no longer there.

And his own father, if he were to be honest, would definitely not see Xue Congzhi's rise to prominence. Amidst the chaotic political strife, like jagged teeth, he suddenly remembered the tea he had drunk in his former humble home.

Compared with today's new tea, the last time I drank with Xue Heng, it seemed like drinking muddy water, with no taste at all.

It was not his turn to attend the important ceremony of the ancestral temple sacrifice. Shen Yi retracted his fingertips and thought that he should find another time to meet Xue Congzhi.

Firstly, it was a thank you gift from Longxi and his group, and secondly... He pulled himself away and glanced at the white pigeon returning to the cage. The tail feathers seemed to be stained with mud, which was particularly obvious.

It’s not too late for me to join in the excitement in the court.