If things are not done well and cause controversy, the responsibility does not lie with the emperor, but with the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Academy.
The Minister of Rites and the Grand Master of Ceremonies both agreed, knelt down to express their gratitude, and left.
In the Imperial Study, only the Emperor, the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and Minister Chen of the Imperial Observatory remained.
Seeing that the matter had been settled, Lord Chen felt that there was nothing more for him to do, so he prepared to take his leave.
Unexpectedly, the Second Prince called out to them again.
"Lord Chen, please wait."
Helpless, Lord Chen turned to the Second Prince: "What are your orders, Second Prince?"
The second prince trotted up to him.
He grabbed Lord Chen's hand and stuffed two biscuits into it.
"Lord Chen, you've done a great job. This is my favorite dish, so I'll give it to you."
The second prince knew very well: his aunt had said that superiors should promptly acknowledge and reward their subordinates for doing a good job.
Lord Chen glanced at the biscuits in his hand, then at the Second Prince's bright, sparkling eyes...
"Thank you, Second Prince."
Emperor Zhao Changheng couldn't bear to watch any longer and silently removed his hands from his face.
He said solemnly, "Minister Chen, I heard that your mother passed away not long ago. I grant you a six-month mourning period. Go home and observe the mourning."
Lord Chen knelt down with a thud and kowtowed three times.
"Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty!"
Normally, officials in mourning periods are allowed to return home to observe three years of mourning.
Officials of the Imperial Observatory could only observe mourning for a maximum of three months; if they did not return within three months, they would be arrested.
Today, the Emperor actually granted him a six-month leave, which is an unprecedented favor. How could he not be shocked?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
