Chapter 43 Fried Chicken Cutlet? What is that?
Lin Yan felt that Xiao Che's gaze towards him lately had been somewhat strange and hard to explain.
It wasn't sharpness or dissatisfaction, but rather as if it concealed some extremely difficult puzzle, glancing at him every now and then. Whenever Lin Yan wanted to turn around to investigate, the gaze would suddenly withdraw, making Lin Yan wonder if he was imagining things.
But that gaze was so intense that Lin Yan could hardly ignore it.
If Xiao Che hadn't still valued him and treated him as well as ever, Lin Yan would have worried that his head was about to be moved.
At this moment, the charcoal fire in the imperial study was burning brightly. Lin Yan respectfully presented several summaries of newly compiled memorials to the emperor's desk.
Xiao Che took it, his gaze falling on the paper. He seemed focused, but Lin Yan keenly noticed that his gaze seemed to be glued to his side profile.
Lin Yan felt a slight tingling sensation on his scalp and subconsciously stood up straighter.
[Your Majesty, why aren't you looking at the memorials? My face doesn't have any strategies for governing the country written on it.]
Could it be that the red bean cake I ate this morning got stuck in my teeth? No way, I looked in the mirror.
Is it because my clothes are inappropriate? That can't be, I haven't gained any weight lately...
Xiao Che's hand, holding the brush, paused strangely for a moment, then casually wrote down his vermilion annotation, as if Lin Yan's momentary gaze had been merely an illusion.
"The Northern Rong delegation has reportedly passed Yunzhou. Although the weather is cold and the journey is long, making the trip a bit slow, they should be able to arrive in the capital before the twelfth lunar month." Xiao Che spoke, his voice as steady as ever, and pushed a border report to the side of the table. "As for the reception arrangements, keep a close eye on the Ministry of Rites. If the Court of State Ceremonial Affairs makes any oversights, report them to me immediately."
"Your subject obeys the decree." Lin Yan quickly composed himself and replied.
Although he is now in the Hanlin Academy, he is originally from the Ministry of Rites, and his current job is more like that of the emperor's assistant. It is reasonable for Xiao Che to ask him to assist in this matter.
It must have been quite an ordeal for the princes and princesses of the Northern Rong to come all this way in this freezing weather.
Ultimately, they came to Chongqing as hostages, and it's unknown what their mental journey was like along the way.
As Lin Yan pondered, he skillfully organized the memorials that had been reviewed and those awaiting review on the imperial desk.
His gaze swept over an exceptionally thick memorial from the Ministry of Rites, which he casually pulled out and spread out in front of Xiao Che.
"Your Majesty, this is the preliminary plan for the Emperor's birthday celebration submitted by the Ministry of Rites. Please take a look." Lin Yan's tone was as usual, but he knew exactly what was going on in his mind.
It consisted of three main parts: court officials paying homage and holding palace banquets, sacrificial rites and prayers for blessings, imperial pardons and rewards, and folk celebrations.
The senior officials in the Ministry of Rites, led by Zhou Wenyuan, wished they had the words "follow the old precedent" engraved on their foreheads, fearing that if they exerted any extra effort, they might offend the emperor by being too careless.
Xiao Che's gaze swept over the densely packed documents, which were indeed all old clichés, ornate and lengthy, and extremely costly.
[The music and dance performances... "A Hundred Beasts Offering Auspiciousness" and "Heavenly Official Bestowing Blessings" were both grand performances. The entire Imperial Music Academy was mobilized. Did the late emperor like this kind of thing when he was alive? Sure enough, he sat and watched the performance without realizing how tiring it was for people to exert themselves.]
[Oh dear, we still have to go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple for a sacrificial ceremony? In this freezing weather, after all this fuss, we'll probably be able to send off several elderly and frail relatives.]
Hearing the outrageous yet incredibly accurate criticism beside him, a faint smile flashed across Xiao Che's eyes. He picked up his vermilion brush and, almost without hesitation, began to review the comments.
The court ceremony is to be cancelled; it is too cold in winter, and the officials should not be made to wait outside the palace for too long.
Palace banquets should proceed as usual, without being overly extravagant, and the music and dance should be reduced by half.
Since the Imperial Ancestral Temple was far away, the sacrificial rites were changed to a simpler ceremony held within the palace.
Many places have been affected by the cold wave this year, so taxes will be reduced or exempted as appropriate. In addition, local governments are ordered to commend the elderly and bestow rice, silk, wine and meat upon them.
The people were not forbidden from having fun; they were allowed to decorate with lanterns and colorful decorations, set up altars and theaters to celebrate together, and the three-day curfew in the capital was lifted.
Lin Yan stood to the side with her head down, watching Xiao Che deftly cut and adjust the text, and couldn't help but applaud inwardly.
It's better to share happiness than to enjoy it alone.
It would be wonderful to allow the people to have fun and share in the joy.
When Lin Yan saw Xiao Che write "Cancel the curfew for three days" at the end, he almost couldn't help but smile.
[I can take Mo'er and Cousin Ake out to the night market then!]
I wonder if they had fried chicken cutlets in ancient night markets?
Fried chicken cutlet? What is that?
Xiao Che raised an eyebrow slightly, then quickly returned to normal.
Listening to Lin Yan's rapid-fire calculations, the inexplicable irritation seemed to dissipate somewhat.
After approving the regulations for the Emperor's Birthday, Xiao Che casually asked, "What arrangements has the Ministry of Rites made for the accommodation of the Northern Rong delegation after their arrival in the capital?"
Lin Yan immediately composed himself and replied, “Your Majesty, according to custom, they should be accommodated at the Honglu Temple post station. However, this time the Northern Rong have a prince and princess who are coming together, and the prince and princess will be staying in Dayu for a long time. It is not appropriate for them to stay at the post station indefinitely. Minister Qian of the Ministry of Rites suggested that we open the Rouyuan Villa in the west of the city. It was a garden used by the previous dynasty to receive envoys from vassal states, which would be more appropriate.”
Xiao Che pondered for a moment and nodded: "Alright, then let's settle on Rouyuan Villa. Instruct the Ministry of Rites and the Directorate of Works to work together to ensure that everything is ready before the delegation arrives in the capital. All supplies should be prepared according to the regulations for a prince, and no negligence is allowed."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will draft the decree shortly," Lin Yan replied.
According to the custom of Dayu, foreign monarchs are treated as princes when they come to Dayu. This time, it is not the Khan of the Northern Rong who has come, but his two children. It is appropriate to treat them as princes, which is one rank lower.
After dealing with these important matters, Xiao Che seemed a little tired and raised his hand to rub his temples.
Seeing this, Lin Yan very perceptively offered a cup of freshly brewed hot tea, the temperature just right.
Xiao Che took it, and his fingertips inadvertently touched Lin Yan's, causing both of them to pause slightly.
Lin Yan quickly withdrew her hand as if she had been burned.
However, he still inadvertently noticed Xiao Che's calloused hands.
Some were left from holding a pen too much, while others were left from practicing martial arts.
Lin Yan looked at his own hands again, and found them to be cleaner than those of Emperor Xiao Che.
Xiao Che, without making a sound, gripped the warm cup tightly, as if the brief touch lingered on his mind.
He lowered his eyes, took a sip of tea, and concealed the fleeting ripples in his eyes.
Amidst the fragrant tea, Xiao Che suddenly asked out of the blue, "Lin Qing, how has everything been at home lately?"
Lin Yan paused for a moment, then quickly replied, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. Everything is fine at home. Thanks to Your Majesty, we have plenty of heating coal and my parents are in good health."
[My mother and sister have been getting invited out quite frequently lately, and they're feeling rather tired.]
Xiao Che's fingers tightened slightly around the teacup, but his tone remained calm: "Hmm, that's good."
He put down his teacup and looked back at the memorial, as if what he had just said was just a casual expression of concern: "Go down, it's almost the end of the year and things are complicated, Lin Qing has worked hard."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I take my leave." Lin Yanru bowed and quietly left the Imperial Study.
As Lin Yan walked outside the hall, he couldn't help but look back at the tightly closed doors.
Xiao Che has been acting really strange lately, and it's not just his imagination.
Forget it, forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore. Your heart is as deep as the sea, how can we mortals fathom it?
Inside the imperial study, Xiao Che listened to the fading voice of his heart, slowly put down his vermilion brush, and raised his hand to press his temple.
Li Defu quietly stepped forward and poured him a cup of hot tea.
Xiao Che was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked in a low voice, "Li Defu, tell me, am I...?"
He stopped halfway through his sentence.
Li Defu's heart skipped a beat, he bent even lower, held his breath, and dared not reply.
After a moment, Xiao Che waved his hand, his tone regaining its usual indifference: "It's nothing, you may all leave."
The hall fell silent again, with only the occasional crackling of the charcoal fire.
Xiao Che sat alone behind his desk, his gaze falling on the stack of memorials that Lin Yan had just sorted out. At the very top was the simplified version of the Emperor's Birthday Regulations, which he had personally approved.
His fingertips unconsciously traced words such as "amnesty", "tax reduction", "honoring the elderly", and "sharing joy with the people".
These are measures that he will definitely issue, and coincidentally, Lin Yan also thinks so.
When Xiao Che was the crown prince, he did not associate with other noblemen of the same age. However, because he had previously associated with a close friend, his father suspected him of disloyalty, and his friend went to the northern frontier and did not return for many years.
Later, when his father passed away, he became emperor. The officials were all his father's former staff, who had been trained by his father to be the kind of people he liked best. These people never understood what he truly wanted in his heart.
For over a year, only Lin Yan has been able to connect with him on a deeper level.
The late emperor was suspicious, especially in his later years.
When Xiao Che was the crown prince, he knew that getting too close to court officials or even scions of aristocratic families could arouse suspicion.
My former close friend was forced to flee to the northern frontier to save himself because he had lost his composure and uttered a few words of lament about the political situation while drunk.
After that, he wrapped himself up in layers, never showing his emotions, keeping his thoughts hidden, becoming the quintessential image of a solitary figure.
The memorials piled up on the emperor's desk were mostly filled with praise and clichés, or the cautious probing and gamesmanship of various forces.
They were trying to guess the preferences of an "emperor," not what Xiao Che truly thought.
When implementing new policies, those below should respond enthusiastically, but in practice they are slow and perfunctory, requiring repeated orders and even drastic measures.
Xiao Che sometimes felt as if he were shouting into an empty valley, only to hear his own cold echo.
Until Lin Yan appeared.
This young official seemed completely oblivious to the caution and calculations involved in navigating the treacherous waters of officialdom—or rather, he understood, but he had his own world in mind, and disdained, or was too lazy to, fully follow it.
Xiao Che initially found this person interesting, with a pure mind and efficient and thorough work. Bringing him to his side was like opening a window in the dull and oppressive imperial study, letting in some different breezes.
But I don't know when it started, everything changed.
He began to unconsciously search for that figure, paying attention to every thought in his mind beneath that clear voice.
Those outrageous yet always perfectly aptly witty remarks were like feathers, gently scratching the hardest and most hidden corner of his heart.
Why Lin Yan of all people?
Only Lin Yan could so easily penetrate his layers of imperial armor and touch the real Xiao Che inside, a Xiao Che who also felt tired and longed for recognition.
Xiao Che closed his eyes. The charcoal fire in the imperial study was warm, the aroma of tea lingered, and the air seemed to still carry the faint, refreshing scent of that person.
I recalled Lin Yan's lowered eyes as he stood to the side with his head down, his back straightening unconsciously because of my gaze, and the sudden brightness in his eyes when he heard "the curfew is lifted," filled with pure joy.
That joyful thought, filled with longing for the ordinary, bustling life outside the palace walls, was completely different from that of the emperor trapped deep within the nine-layered palace.
But it was precisely this difference that attracted him like a magnet.
Yes, that's the difference.
It wasn't just Lin Yan who could understand his unspoken political views.
More importantly, Lin Yan himself was a vibrant, bright, and even somewhat "noisy" surprise in his dull and arduous imperial life.
He longed to see that vibrancy, to hear those "noisy" voices, and for that light to shine more upon him.
This yearning transcends a monarch's appreciation for a capable minister, and surpasses the mutual understanding between close friends.
When Xiao Che realized this, it felt as if something had gently bumped his chest. It didn't hurt, but it brought a very clear throbbing sensation, followed by a strange yet not unpleasant sense of panic.
He thought, "Hold on."
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Author's Note: This seems to be the first time I've written a story where the two main characters don't even pay attention to each other's appearances.
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