Chapter 52
Today is the day when Li Yin officially takes over as the acting judge of government. Everyone in the East Palace seems extremely nervous. Luo Sanying is helping Li Yin dress in court robes, while Eunuch Ma is giving Li Yin some "instructions" beside him.
"Your Highness, you have been appointed to govern the country before you even reach the age of twenty. It is natural for your resolve to waver, but you must remain steadfast and not neglect government affairs. Continue to delve into your studies, so that when you encounter..."
"Warm man..." Li Yin suddenly spoke, his voice was slightly hoarse from just waking up, but extremely clear.
Eunuch Ma stopped talking and looked at Li Yin, the master he had been with since childhood. He had seen his high-spirited young appearance, and also saw the lonely and helpless prince when the late queen passed away, using his sharp tongue to cover up his vulnerability. Now the man he had always been loyal to finally got what he wanted and no longer had to be constrained by others. He was really happy for the prince, but also felt a little panic.
Li Yin looked at Eunuch Ma and said, "Why do you make it so complicated?"
Eunuch Ma was a little stunned and didn't know what to say.
Li Yin smiled at him kindly and reminded him, "Come on, you only need to say this one sentence."
Eunuch Ma bowed, paused, smiled, and said to Li Yin: "Yes, Your Highness, please do your best!"
"Thank you!" Li Yin replied.
Just after dinner, the noise outside gradually died down, and only two candles were lit in the inner room, the light was dim and quiet.
Luo Sanzhen was kneeling on a brocade stool, with slender fingertips and distinct joints, meticulously tying the dark-patterned jade belt around Li Yin's waist.
Her movements were light, with an almost pious caution, and her slightly cool fingertips occasionally brushed against Li Yin's warm waist.
Li Yin lowered his eyes to look at Luo Sanrong's head. Her black hair was neatly combed and tied into a jade crown. Li Yin sighed inaudibly in his throat, his voice low, "What about you?"
Li Yin turned around, his gaze fixed on his face. The candlelight outlined his handsome profile, his straight nose, and his lips slightly pursed. He raised his eyebrows with a half-smile and asked, "Is there anything you want to say?"
Luo Sanzhen paused, then buckled the jade belt as if nothing had happened, stood aside with his hands hanging down, and said respectfully, "No."
Luo Sanrong raised her eyes and met his deep gaze. She lowered her eyelids and said with a special emotion in her tone, "Because I believe you will do well!"
Li Yin leaned over to get closer to her, and whispered in her ear, "I will!"
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has arrived—"
The sky was getting light, and the vermilion lacquered gate of the Hall of Supreme Harmony was open, but there was no sound of the usual congratulations.
Li Yin climbed the stairs in his court boots. The attendants behind him deliberately lightened their footsteps. The sound of their boots rolling over the gold bricks was particularly harsh in this empty palace.
There was a faint smile on his lips, but when his eyes swept across the empty hall, the smile suddenly froze on his face.
The imperial throne stood alone at the head of the hall, its gilded dragon pattern gleaming coldly in the morning light. There was no one sitting in the seats for officials below the steps, not even the historian who usually stood in the corner.
"This is..." Someone among the attendants couldn't help but let out a low cry, but was immediately stopped by the person next to him with a look.
Everyone could see that the gentle mask on Li Yin's face was crumbling, his brows furrowed, his shoulders and back tensed, and the air around him seemed to sink, making it hard to breathe.
Only a small eunuch was huddled behind the pillar in the southeast corner, his blue-gray palace robes washed pale and his body trembling.
This was probably the first time he had seen such a scene. He buried his head almost to his chest, clenched his hands tightly on the toggle, his knuckles turning white, and only dared to sneak a glance at Li Yin who was walking slowly with the corner of his eye.
Li Yin walked slowly through the empty hall, the sound of his boots hitting the ground shattering the silence until he stopped in front of the young eunuch. The moment the shadow fell, the young eunuch's shoulders suddenly shrank and he almost collapsed to the ground.
"Where are they?"
The three words were squeezed out from between the teeth, without deliberately raising the volume, but with a biting chill.
Li Yin lowered his eyes and looked at the eunuch who was shaking even more violently under his feet. His eyes, which were smiling just now, were now bottomless. What was surging in them was not rage, but a more frightening calmness.
The young eunuch was so frightened by the question that his whole body trembled. His throat stammered and he opened his mouth several times but no sound came out. His teeth chattered, and the sound was clearly audible in the silent court.
Li Yin did not wait for the eunuch to reply, and directly opened the scroll on the rosewood support. As soon as his fingertips touched the edge of the rosewood support, the eunuch subconsciously bowed. Li Yin did not pause for a moment, and he picked up the ivory silk scroll on the top layer.
"The Minister of Personnel," he said, unrolling the scroll quickly and glancing at it briefly. His voice was flat, emotionless. "He said he had indigestion and would be unable to attend the court meeting."
The eunuchs standing by held their breath and dared not speak. Luo Sanrong caught a glimpse from the corner of her eye that Li Yin's knuckles were slightly white as he pinched the scroll.
Li Yin casually tossed the scroll back to the display, then pulled out another one with a bright yellow cover and glanced at it. "The Minister of Revenue," Li Yin's tone remained steady, but there was a hint of coldness in his voice. "He said he had a fever in the middle of the night and felt dizzy and dazed."
With a thud, the scroll was thrown onto the display, colliding with the previous one. Without waiting for his men to react, he already had his fingertips on the tassel of the third scroll. "And this," Li Yin's voice finally broke through his composure, carrying a certain indescribable absurdity. "The Minister of Works claims to have a rash, and is afraid of alarming His Majesty?"
As he uttered the last word, he raised his hand and slammed the scroll hard onto the center of the tray. The rosewood tray clunked, shaking the surrounding scrolls. The eunuchs in the corridor had already knelt on the ground, their foreheads resting on the cold gold bricks, not daring to breathe even a little.
Li Yin stood there, his bright yellow robe gleaming coldly in the morning light. He looked at the thin rolls of documents on the tray and suddenly chuckled softly.
"How could they do such an unfaithful thing?" Eunuch Ma stood by with his head bowed, his expression unable to conceal his anger.
The other eunuchs suggested, "Your Highness, should we send someone to have them enter the palace immediately?"
"No need." When he spoke, there was a hint of smile in his voice, but the smile did not reach his eyes at all. "You really didn't understand? Everyone is unwell!"
——
The afternoon sun was scorching hot, and the sound of cicadas rolled over the glazed tiles of the Prime Minister's Mansion, making the blue brick floor hot.
The waterside pavilion in the west wing was filled with coolness. Water was dripping from the ice basins on the beams, forming a winding stream on the bluestone slabs.
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince must have been shocked to see the empty court. I guess he should make his majestic appearance now," said the Minister of Revenue Sun Xing.
"It's so pitiful. What should we do?" said the Minister of Rites gloatingly.
"That is to say, he wants to cancel the originally planned palace examination and change it to an on-site examination. Is this reasonable?" The Minister of Rites continued.
"He may know that the successful candidates for the imperial examination have been decided in advance!" The Minister of Works said slowly while drinking tea.
Finally, someone concluded: "He is declaring war, declaring war on the Ji family again."
At this time, the Prime Minister spoke up, "The palace examination is to select talents who can assist the king in handling state affairs. Let him do whatever he wants!"
The others looked at him in surprise, as if they had not expected the Prime Minister to be so good-tempered. However, the Prime Minister's next words put the court officials at ease.
The Prime Minister said, "If he gives up on his own accord, that's another matter."
The ministers burst into laughter when they heard this.
A minister said, "What can he do alone in the court?" with a very disdainful tone.
Another minister echoed: "We who have been in power for decades must teach them a lesson..."
There was a happy atmosphere in the waterside pavilion.
——
In the library, Li Yin was looking down at a book, but the pages had not been turned for a long time. Luo Sanrong was standing by with snacks in his hand. He did not dare to speak, but just looked at Li Yin with concern.
Although Li Yin lowered his head, he was aware of the burning gaze and jokingly said, "Although I know I can't get enough of looking at my face, aren't you being too explicit?"
Luo Sanrong did not deny that she had been looking at him, but said in a concerned tone: "Because you look very ugly."
Li Yin finally raised his head, looked at Luo Sanrong, and signaled Luo Sanrong with his eyes to sit next to him.
Luo Sanrong obediently sat next to Li Yin, placed the snacks on the table, picked up the exquisite snacks on the tray, handed them to Li Yin's mouth, and said, "Your Highness, please try this!"
After a pause, he continued, "When you're sad, eating something delicious is the best way to help."
Li Yin finally took the snack, but he didn't eat it. He was silent for a moment, then asked, "If it were you, what would you do?"
Luo Sanrong asked, "What do you mean?"
Li Yin lowered his eyes and asked, "When you encounter a difficult opponent...what do you do?"
Luo Sanrong thought of the empty court today and said bluntly, "If it's an opponent that needs to be fought, then you have to fight with all your might, right? If you can't defeat them even after trying your best, then you can only let nature take its course."
Li Yin stared at the snack in his hand in silence for a long time. Luo Sanrong felt that he could not help much here, so he stood up and bowed, saying, "Then I will take my leave."
Luo Sanrong stood up and turned around to leave, but was hugged by Li Yin. Luo Sanrong's eyes suddenly widened and she murmured, "Your Highness..."
Li Yin held her for a moment and said to Luo Sanrong, "Yes, it's really effective." He then fed the snack to Luo Sanrong's mouth. Luo Sanrong was once again stunned, holding the snack in her mouth, and mumbled, "You haven't eaten yet."
Luo Sanrong thought Li Yin was talking about dim sum, but he said bluntly, "I'm talking about you."
Luo Sanrong's face suddenly turned red. Li Yin looked at Luo Sanrong's face and couldn't help but reach out to touch it. Suddenly, an idea flashed in his mind, and he said to Luo Sanrong happily: "I have an idea!"
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