Taking advantage of this birthday banquet, Ye Jingshu's star-making plan took its first step towards fame.
Ye Jingchen then finalized the list of lucky court officials to be investigated.
Of course, Xie Chang'an was in charge of the investigation, as Ye Jingchen's small team was simply not enough.
One day after Ye Jingshu's birthday banquet, Ye Jingchen was to go to court.
Climbing the ninety-nine steps in front of the Taiji Hall for the second time after transmigrating into the book, my feelings were completely different from the first time.
He was very much looking forward to the emperor's reaction after receiving the gift, so he climbed the steps willingly!
But this time, he felt as if he were being led to the execution platform.
In his eyes, this was not the only way to get to the Taiji Hall, but the only way for him to be a beast of burden.
Not only are we treated like beasts of burden, but we are also expected to be grateful for being treated like beasts of burden!
Moreover, in order to avoid getting up early, he had to be on a tight schedule, and he couldn't climb the stairs too slowly, otherwise he would be late for his first court session!
Fortunately, his persistent training paid off. He climbed the steps in one go, took a moment to catch his breath while tidying his clothes, and then walked into the Taiji Hall with elegant and unhurried steps.
All cattle and horses—
No, all the ministers were looking at him.
Some of these people had already seen his face at his birthday banquet.
"Greetings, Your Highness!" Those who recognized him quickly bowed and clasped their hands in greeting.
"No need for formalities!" Ye Jingchen waved his hand casually, his attitude gentle.
He held it at Ye Jingshu's birthday banquet because the guests invited to the banquet included not only court officials, but also imperial relatives, nobles, aristocratic families, merchants, scholars... people from all walks of life!
In such a situation, he naturally needed to maintain a proper demeanor and not do anything that would damage the royal family's reputation, otherwise ordinary people's positive perception of the royal family would be shattered.
But in this imperial palace, under his father's watchful eye, he no longer needed to put on an act. The dignified demeanor was for the common people, not for the court officials.
He just wanted his courtiers to see his lazy, good-for-nothing nature!
As he walked along, everyone he passed bowed to him, but he only needed to wave his hand and say, "No need for formalities."
The further forward one goes, the closer one gets to his father's throne, and the higher the rank of the standing ministers.
At the very front were the Prime Minister and the six Ministers.
Once he arrived here, he had to return the favor, because many of them were his teachers in name only, as well as teachers in reality.
He can be lazy and unambitious, but he cannot disrespect his teachers.
Although Ye Jingming was only an assistant minister in the Ministry of Personnel, he was also a prince, so his position was very high, second only to the ministers of the Six Ministries.
Once he comes of age, leaves the palace to establish his own residence and is granted the title of king, he can then stand at the front.
Ye Jingchen is the crown prince, and he is second only to the emperor. Whenever he enters the court, the first position will definitely be his.
"Brother!" Ye Jingming bowed respectfully to Ye Jingchen, and Ye Jingchen returned the bow in a proper manner. The two brothers smiled at each other.
Ye Jingchen had just taken his place when there was a commotion above. His father, accompanied by Eunuch Zhang, came out from behind the screen and ascended the throne.
The timing was so precise that he had reasonable grounds to suspect that his father had actually arrived long ago, but had not shown himself while waiting for him.
After all, the standard for whether someone is late for the morning court session is not based on the specific time, but on the time when the emperor ascends the throne.
He smiled ingratiatingly at his father.
The emperor gave him a subtle glare, his lips twitched, and he silently uttered the word 'demeanor'.
What a nuisance! Did they think they were in the Chengqian Palace?
Upon seeing the light gold dragon robe, all the court officials shouted "Long live the Emperor!" No one dared to look directly at the Emperor's face at that moment. Therefore, apart from Eunuch Zhang standing beside the Emperor, no one could see the interaction between the father and son.
Ye Jingchen followed the courtiers and gave a perfunctory salute.
No one paid any attention except for the emperor and Eunuch Zhang, who were seated at the head of the table.
Zhang Gonggong kept his eyes down, pretending he hadn't seen anything. The emperor felt an itch to hit him, but his rebellious son was too far away to reach him.
"No need for formalities," the emperor said.
"Speak if you have something to say, otherwise the court is adjourned!" Eunuch Zhang called out in a drawn-out voice, high-pitched but full of energy.
There have been no major events in the court recently. The north might have experienced a drought this autumn, but he has a reborn ally.
Knowing that a drought was coming, they took advantage of the abundant rainfall to clear the river channels and store water in advance, and the drought, which was not particularly severe, was thus weathered without being reported to the imperial court.
Unless something major happens, it's impossible to simply adjourn the court session. After all, the court officials have come all this way, and it's not easy for them to get up early to attend the morning court session. They can't just take a quick look around the Golden Palace and then go home, can they? That would be too inappropriate!
And so, those with the expertise began to sing praises, recounting auspicious omens and miracles, always concluding with, "Your Majesty's diligence and love for the people have moved Heaven, which has bestowed these auspicious omens/miracles; Heaven blesses the Great Abyss!"
Ye Jingchen had already gotten up half an hour earlier than usual today, and after listening to them talking about meaningless, repetitive things, he soon fell asleep amidst the courtiers' impassioned and rhythmic voices.
Speaking of his ability to doze off while standing, it was his unique skill from his previous life. Unexpectedly, he didn't lose it even though he had a different body in this life. He just keeps shaking his head, which makes him look a bit comical.
Ye Jingchen just didn't know that he looked like this when he was asleep, otherwise he wouldn't have slept so peacefully.
Standing behind him was Prime Minister Wang. He had wanted to laugh, but then he remembered that he still held the empty title of Grand Tutor of the Eastern Palace, and his smile vanished.
Behind Wang Xiang was Yan Xu, the Minister of Personnel. Although he had no empty title, he had a real master-disciple relationship with Ye Jingchen, so he couldn't laugh. He glared at Ye Jingchen's head-shaking figure. If it weren't for Wang Xiang standing between them, he would have definitely slapped the Crown Prince awake.
Since he couldn't reach it, he could only move half a step to block Ye Jingchen's view from behind.
The Emperor and Eunuch Zhang were the ones who saw Ye Jingchen dozing off most clearly.
Ever since he noticed the Crown Prince's inappropriate behavior, Eunuch Zhang has kept his head down, not daring to look in that direction.
The emperor's hands, clenched tightly within his robes, made a cracking sound. He was furious, but for the sake of the crown prince's reputation, he could only endure it.
He could bear it, but he also had to worry that Ye Jingchen might sway and fall over. If he did fall, it would be a real laughing stock.
The emperor gestured to the prime minister with his eyes, wanting him to wake the crown prince, but the prime minister kept his head down and couldn't receive his gaze at all.
Left with no other choice, the emperor could only cough lightly.
As if granted a pardon, Eunuch Zhang, ignoring the still-eloquent courtiers, cleared his throat and announced, "Court adjourned."
Zhang Gonggong's high-pitched voice was very penetrating. Ye Jingchen was startled by these two words, stood up straight with composure, and even skillfully raised his hand to touch the corner of his mouth.
Great, no drooling!
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