The second prince asked a question.
"Did you two sleep well last night?"
An eight-year-old child speaks with a crisp, clear voice, yet soft and gentle.
The two adults felt a warmth in their hearts upon hearing this.
So cute! They even know to take the initiative to care about the sleep quality of the elderly.
Faced with such an adorable little prince, the two instinctively wanted to say, "You slept well."
but!
We haven't figured out the situation yet.
In this situation and atmosphere, should we say "slept well" or "slept poorly"?
The Minister of Rites and the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy exchanged glances.
You said you slept well?
The Imperial Observatory has arrived, so something important must have happened. It's not appropriate for you to be sleeping so soundly if something important is going on...
What if you can't sleep well?
With the country peaceful and prosperous, and the world at peace, what is there to worry about that you can't sleep well?
Could it be that he has a problem with the emperor?
If you have any opinions, then speak up! If you keep them to yourself, does that mean you don't trust the Emperor?
Do you have some concerns? Do you think that His Majesty is not a wise ruler because he cannot listen to advice?
hiss--
This is difficult.
The chief priest was determined not to speak first.
With my boss here, everything is handled by my boss. If the sky falls, my boss will hold it up.
It's not my turn to be the one to stick my neck out.
Wang Zeren, the Minister of Rites, was a shrewd old man. With a quick glance, a plan came to mind.
"I am sorry for your concern, Your Highness. I am old and a light sleeper. Even if I have no worries, I find it difficult to get a good night's sleep."
Li Yuncheng, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, hurriedly echoed, "This old minister is the same; I am old and cannot sleep soundly."
Ah, yes, yes, yes.
We can't sleep well.
However, it's because of my age.
This is our own fault, it's no one else's fault, and we didn't say it had anything to do with other things.
Please don't overthink it.
The Second Prince Zhao Wenqi did not react in any particular way to their answer, but simply sighed deeply.
Li Yuncheng almost couldn't hold it in.
It's quite funny to see an eight-year-old child making such a dramatic sigh.
After sighing, the second prince continued, "But I didn't sleep well last night."
That's all I'll say.
He only glanced at the two people out of the corner of his eye.
Wang Zeren understood; they were waiting for them to ask.
Alright, a good minister knows how to take advantage of opportunities.
Why is the Second Prince not sleeping well?
The second prince then withdrew his wandering gaze, his expression becoming very serious.
"Last night, I had a dream."
"What dream?"
You get used to climbing up a pole by doing it.
“I dreamt of an older brother who kept crying and crying… I asked him why he was crying, and he said he wanted to enter the Imperial Academy, but he was too young to get in…”
High Priest: Here we go again, huh? Is this never going to end?
For a moment, his mind went blank, and he blurted out without thinking, "This brother you're talking about isn't from Jizhou, is he?"
The second prince was taken aback and asked blankly, "Lord Chancellor, how did you know?"
Li Yuncheng: I knew it...
Emperor Zhao Changheng, who was standing to the side, could no longer bear to listen.
We can't let the Second Prince do things on his own anymore; it's easy for him to give himself away.
He quickly cleared his throat and turned to Liu Qi, the Director of the Imperial Observatory, who was standing to the side: "Director Liu, it is your duty to interpret dreams. What do you think should be the interpretation of the Second Prince's dream?"
Interpreting dreams for the royal family was one of the duties of the Imperial Observatory.
Chen Qi, the Director of the Imperial Observatory, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately stood up in surprise when he heard the Emperor's question.
He respectfully replied, “Last night, I observed the celestial phenomena and discovered that the fourth star of the Big Dipper, Wenqu Star, was suddenly pulsating. Upon closer inspection, I found that an unusual star was invading Wenqu. Considering this in conjunction with the Second Prince’s dream, I believe that Wenqu Star Lord appeared to the royal family in a dream. Wenqu Star Lord’s words in the dream directly pointed to the Imperial Academy. This is Heaven’s way of revealing its will to the world through this extraordinary phenomenon. I believe that the Imperial Academy should follow Heaven’s will and lower the age limit as soon as possible to widely recruit talented young people who are not yet twenty years old.”
Li Yuncheng, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, thought to himself, "Why don't you just say it's Ji Province and that's it..."
After Zhao Changheng and the other directors of the Imperial Observatory finished speaking, he asked Wang Zeren, the Minister of Rites, "The affairs of the Imperial Academy have always followed ancient regulations, and I cannot interfere. What do you think of the suggestion made by the director of the Imperial Observatory? Could the age for admission to the Imperial Academy be lowered?"
In terms of organizational structure, both the Imperial Academy and the Imperial Observatory belonged to the Ministry of Rites.
Of course, the Imperial Observatory played a very important role; it was nominally affiliated with the Ministry of Rites, but its actual operations were directly directed by the emperor.
No matter which government department has a problem, nominally the Minister of Rites has to make a decision and put it on the table.
Wang Zeren thought to himself, "Even the Imperial Observatory has said so, how dare I not lower the price?"
He dared not.
Minister Wang had no choice but to reply, "Your Majesty, since the founding of the dynasty, the age standard for Imperial Academy students has been set at twenty, because it is considered that throughout history, very few who have passed the imperial examinations have been under twenty years old. Since the God of Literature appeared to the imperial family in a dream, it means that Heaven wishes to bestow young talents upon our dynasty, which is truly a blessing for the world, a blessing for the imperial family, and a blessing for the court!"
After reciting these words of praise, he turned and gave Li Yuncheng a wink.
Li Yuncheng immediately understood: "Your Majesty, I believe that it is feasible for the Imperial Academy to lower the age for local selection."
Zhao Changheng smiled nonchalantly: "My lords, you are experts in this kind of matter. You Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Academy can handle it. I am an outsider and will not interfere here."
Zhao Changheng's move was actually a strategy employed by emperors.
That is—they have no say in the political situation.
Anything difficult, controversial, or uncertain should be delegated to subordinates.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
