"Alright, that concludes today's morning court session. I hope you understand what I said today and have new ideas and good solutions. Starting tomorrow, let's resume the previous format for morning court sessions: a small session every three days and a large session every seven days. What do you think?"
"Your Majesty is wise!"
"May Your Majesty live ten thousand years!"
At this moment, the ministers' faces were filled with joy, and they were all deeply grateful.
This prompted Li Lin, who had been observing detachedly from the sidelines, to sigh in admiration: "The First Emperor's use of sweet rewards and harsh punishments is truly masterful. He clearly wanted these ministers who supported Legalism to make sacrifices, yet he subtly used the small tactic of granting them a holiday to instill boundless gratitude in them. Truly, a ruler's art of controlling people is incredibly powerful!"
Upon hearing Li Lin's reflections, the First Emperor held him in even higher regard.
That brat is just too clever. I feel like he can predict my every move. Has he become so adept at understanding human nature? He's truly a prodigy!
Soon, the morning court session ended.
Li Lin followed behind Li Xin, preparing to head to the Censorate.
But just as he stepped out of the palace, while chatting with several sycophantic censors...
Suddenly, a group of young palace maids, all around sixteen years old and dressed in delicate pink silk, appeared from the side.
They walked towards Li Lin with smiles, greeted him with a "Wanfu" (a traditional greeting), and then said with bright eyes and white teeth, "Lord Li, our princess invites you!"
"Um?"
Li Lin was currently bragging to the group of censors who were trying to curry favor with him.
Unexpectedly, a group of palace maids with above-average looks arrived.
This left him somewhat bewildered.
However, upon hearing that it was the princess who had invited him, he immediately realized, could it be that Princess Manyin wanted to give me a heads-up beforehand?
"Congratulations, Lord Li!"
"Congratulations! I won't disturb Lord Li's good news any longer!"
These censors are quite perceptive. Don't mistake their age (those in their thirties or forties) for ordinary people just because they haven't received any promotions.
That would be a huge mistake!
Officials, especially those who rise to the central government level, are all formidable figures.
After more than a decade of ups and downs in officialdom, how could he still be an innocent little rabbit?
Right then and there, they made a knowing, wicked grin that any man would understand, leaving Li Lin somewhat bewildered.
"Lord Li, let's not waste any more time, let's get going!"
"Yes, Li Zhongcheng!"
"If my princess gets impatient while waiting and blames us, we servants wouldn't dare to bear the consequences!"
He glared at the censors beside him, then looked at the smiling palace maids. For a moment, he really couldn't decide which to choose.
After all, there was an unwritten rule in the Qin Dynasty that this rule applied before marriage.
The couple cannot meet.
But what if Li breaks the customs of the Great Qin Dynasty, and offends the princess because of his poor tongue? Wouldn't the marriage be called off?
"My lord, let's get going. We brothers will be on our way first!"
"Yes, yes, Your Excellency, please go ahead and eat your meat. We're waiting at the Censorate for you to give us a sip of soup!"
"Zhang San, you outlaw, what nonsense are you spouting? Your Excellency, please don't take Zhang San seriously. You should go now, we'll be leaving!"
These censors ran away pretty quickly.
After bowing to him, they immediately left the palace, and within a few breaths, Li Lin could no longer see their backs.
"Lord Li, please don't make things difficult for us servants. Although I'm just a steward in the Autumn Palace, I still get to see Her Highness the Princess quite often..."
The palace maids were extremely anxious as they watched Li Lin refuse to move.
Even the tall woman at the head of the group spoke with a hint of threat.
This made Li Lin feel somewhat ashamed.
This is terrifying! In this palace, a mere palace maid dares to threaten a former imperial censor, whose rank is comparable to the Nine Ministers. If this gets out, his colleagues will probably laugh their heads off.
However, it wasn't that he didn't want to go.
Instead, he was waiting for his older brother's instructions.
His older brother hadn't gone far; he was still standing there.
Li Xin, his superior, hasn't given any orders yet. How could he dare to make a decision on his own? This isn't his own home, where he can disregard hierarchy, but this is the imperial palace, and the proper formalities still need to be observed.
"Please don't be anxious, everyone. I will first ask the Censor-in-Chief if he can grant me leave this morning so that I won't have to go to the Ministry of Personnel. If he does, I will accompany you to meet the princess."
He politely cupped his hands in greeting, giving the palace maids ample face.
In addition, his attitude towards them was very kind, and he did not act arrogantly in a way that insulted their lowly status. As a result, he won their favor.
"In that case, shall we accompany you, young master, to find the Imperial Censor?"
"No need for such trouble. The Imperial Censor is just ahead. I'll be right back. Whether I can ask for leave or not, I'll come back and let you know. How about that?"
"this......"
The maids exchanged bewildered glances. Although they felt some affection for him, it didn't mean they would trust a complete stranger they had only met once.
What if this guy stands them up? Wouldn't that ruin the princess's life?
What if you end up with cruel punishment?
"Sister Chunhua, we can't let him go like this! Let's go with him!"
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
