Early the next morning, Zhang Cheng arrived at the Jingbei Prince's Mansion with the Empress's edict to take Qin Chuan to court.
Qin Chuan slept well last night, even though he was in an unfamiliar room and an unfamiliar bed, he didn't have insomnia.
Jingbei Wang did not return that night either. Su Ru said that he went to seek immortality and medicine and was not sure when he would return. Sometimes he went to very far places and it was normal for him not to come back for two or three months.
However, this time a message has already been sent to the Prince's residence, and they will return within two days.
...
"Fifth Uncle! We're waiting for your good news!"
The young princess waved her fair wrist at Qin Chuan, who had just boarded the carriage, her eyes filled with excitement.
Qin Chuan smiled slightly and waved his hand.
The young princess is very cheerful and innocent; her smile is as refreshing as a spring.
...
When Qin Chuan followed Zhang Cheng to the gate of the Golden Palace, he found that all the civil and military officials had already entered the Golden Palace. Looking at the time, it was already 3:45 a.m.
After listening to Zhang Cheng's explanation, they realized that the court assembly officially began at 5:15 AM.
"They get up at five o'clock for court; I don't even get to work that early..."
Muttering a curse to himself, Qin Chuan quickened his pace towards the high steps leading to the Golden Palace. Just as he was about to reach the top, Zhang Cheng suddenly grabbed him: "Wait for the summons, wait for the summons..."
Oh, by the way, this is the Golden Palace. Without the emperor's summons, who would dare to go in?
Thinking of this, Qin Chuan gave Zhang Cheng a grateful look.
Sure enough, soon the voices of eunuchs could be heard coming from inside and outside: "Summon—Qin Chuan—to an audience!"
Qin Chuan tidied his clothes and then stepped into the Golden Palace. He had just entered the palace when he saw…
Inside the court, a hundred or two officials dressed in red robes and wearing winged hats stood, all curiously observing him and whispering amongst themselves...
"He really is unremarkable in appearance..."
"But upon closer inspection, it's not bad-looking..."
"I never imagined he could write poems like 'Man Jiang Hong' and 'Deng Gao.' It truly shows that you can't judge a book by its cover..."
"..."
Listening to the discussions around him, Qin Chuan, led by the eunuchs serving in the hall, slowly walked forward to a spot not far below the dragon throne.
At this moment, on the dragon throne, the Empress, dressed in a black and gold dragon-embroidered robe and wearing a nine-tassel crown, gazed intently at Qin Chuan with a face that seemed to hold both joy and sorrow, a smile that was not quite a smile...
Everyone was waiting for Qin Chuan to kneel in salute. Qin Chuan hesitated for a moment, but still obediently knelt down, after all, his head was more important.
"Greetings to Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"
The Empress smiled with satisfaction. "Rise."
After Qin Chuan stood up, he turned around and glanced at the many ministers. Among them were several familiar faces: Zhang Jiucheng, Wang Yingchen, Wang Shipeng, Chen Liang, Xu Yuanjie, and Wang Yikui.
These six were all Imperial Academy Doctors or Hanlin Academy Grand Secretaries, who had served as examiners for poetry gatherings at Mingyue Tower in Jiangzhou. As for the others, apart from Generals An Dingguo and Xiao Yun, whom he had met yesterday, he didn't recognize any of them...
The ministers stood in order of rank, with the higher the rank, the further forward they stood. Qin Chuan glanced at them and realized that the two people standing at the very front were the Left Chancellor, Mu Xianke, and the Right Chancellor, Li Zongmin.
Mu Xianke has a high-bridged nose, a hooked nose, and deep-set eyes, giving him a cunning and calculating look.
Li Zongmin, on the other hand, had a round, chubby face and a mustache. His appearance seemed refined, but his eyes were quite ruthless...
My wife has gossiped that these two are both top scorers in the liberal arts exams, and neither of them is willing to concede to the other…
"My beloved ministers," the Empress raised her eyes slightly, slowly stood up, and looked at Qin Chuan, saying, "I wish to appoint Qin Chuan as the Imperial Preceptor. What do you all think?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Chuan was astonished. This is... to appoint me as the Imperial Advisor?
Wait a minute, what rank is the Imperial Advisor?
Upon hearing the Empress's words, the Left Chancellor, Mou Xianke, immediately stepped forward with his tablet and said, "Your Majesty, you must not! Although Qin Chuan is very talented, since the founding of our dynasty, only Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong have established the position of Imperial Preceptor. The position of Imperial Preceptor is the highest among officials, far above the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers. Since Emperor Jing has already abolished the position of Imperial Preceptor, why does Your Majesty bring up this old matter again?"
Upon hearing this, the Empress's expression changed slightly. She silently looked at the Right Chancellor, Li Zongmin, hoping to gain some support from him, since the discord between the Left and Right Chancellors was common knowledge throughout the court.
To everyone's surprise, Li Zongmin's opposition was even more vehement than that of Mu Xianke: "Your Majesty's actions are so perverse that I'm afraid the officials will not accept them!"
At this moment, many officials behind Li Zongmin spoke up:
"Yes, to appoint an unknown nobody as the imperial advisor? This is outrageous and utterly disgraceful!"
“That’s right, this greenhorn hasn’t even passed the county-level examination. How can we, your subjects, be convinced of his abilities!”
"That's right. If he can become the Imperial Advisor, then I can be the Imperial Advisor's grandfather!"
"..."
Finally, all the officials faced the Empress, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, please rescind your decree!"
Even six university doctors and Hanlin scholars, including Zhang Jiucheng, were included in this list.
Only Generals An Dingguo and Xiao Yun stood, not on the same side as the civil officials.
The Empress calmly flicked her sleeve and said, "Qin Chuan possesses extraordinary talent, shares my concerns about national affairs, offers me strategies, and has written 'Qi Jiguang's Art of War' to deal with the Japanese pirates along the coast, relieving my worries. How can I not appoint him as the Imperial Advisor?"
Left Chancellor Mu Xianke was taken aback, his face full of calculation, as if he was thinking about something.
Right Chancellor Li Zongmin chuckled and said, “Befriend distant states and attack nearby ones? What a ridiculous joke! How could my great nation associate with barbarians like the Northern Xiongnu and the Yuezhi? Don’t forget how the Northern Xiongnu came to be. A hundred years ago, there was no distinction between the Northern and Southern Xiongnu. There was only one Xiongnu. It was the result of continuous battles fought by Emperor Taizu Gao, Emperor Taizong Wen, and Emperor Jing. The Xiongnu lost the battles, which led to internal division.”
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