The Kingdom That Never Sleeps CH 034 Crafty Official Wang Zifeng Part 2
In an instant, all the officials knelt on the mats facing Biyong Palace, slightly bowing their heads and holding their jade tablets.
At the appointed time, Dean Lin led thirty-two students through the central main gate. On both official paths knelt a gathering of high-ranking officials. Before today, these students never imagined they would walk among so many powerful officials! The timid ones were already pale with fear and trembling legs. Tang Shen was also shocked but steadied his mind, lowered his head, and followed Dean Lin silently into the Biyong Palace.
As he was about to enter, Tang Shen saw Wang Zhen in the second row of officials on the left side.
In the shimmering sunlight, Wang Zifeng, dressed in crisp bright red official robe, knelt calmly and serenely on the mat. On his left was a middle-aged man with a big beard, and on his right was a potbellied old man. Wang Zhen's good looks were even more distinguished in this comparison, making him appear elegant and outstanding.
The students entered the Biyong Palace. On the cold floor tiles of the palace, thirty-two mats had already been placed.
Dean Lin walked to the front and announced loudly, "I, Lin Lun, the Dean of the Imperial College, lead thirty-two imperial students into the Palace of Biyong to listen to the Son of Heaven's teachings!"
As he finished speaking, the old eunuch commanded, "Kneel!"
Dean Lin immediately knelt down, and the thirty-two students followed suit, kneeling like dumplings dropping into the pot. There were five rows of mats: the first row had three, the second row had three, the third row had six, and the fourth and fifth rows each had ten mats.
Tang Shen placed his hands horizontally in front of him and performed the ceremonial rite.
Under the scorching sun, officials knelt outside the Biyong Palace while the students knelt inside.
The hall and its surroundings were silent; no one dared to make a loud noise, and even breathing seemed to disappear.
After waiting for an unknown amount of time, steady, slow footsteps came from the back of the hall. Tang Shen immediately straightened his back. Inside the Biyong Palace, all the students of the Imperial College also tensed up, not daring to breathe. They heard someone slowly walk up to the emperor's seat in the Biyong Palace and gently sit down.
Tang Shen heard the emperor's aged yet steady voice: "Begin."
The old eunuch announced loudly, "On June 16th of the 26th year of Kaiping, the Son of Heaven teaches at the Palace of Biyong in the Imperial College!"
After his words, two eunuchs standing on either side of the palace doors shouted in unison, "On June 16th of the 26th year of Kaiping, the Son of Heaven teaches at the Palace of Biyong in the Imperial College!"
Then four more voices echoed, "On June 16th of the 26th year of Kaiping..."
The announcement was passed down in sequence, resounding throughout the Imperial College, grand and majestic.
In the Biyong Palace, the emperor spoke, and all officials listened.
The emperor said, "I have often heard, Mencius said: 'He who uses force as a pretense of humaneness is a hegemon. But such a hegemon must have a large state in order to be effective.'"
The old eunuch repeated loudly, "I have often heard, Mencius said: He who uses force as a pretense of humaneness is a hegemon. But such a hegemon must have a large state in order to be effective.'"
Two young eunuchs repeated the sentence loudly again.
This sequence continued.
From the early morning until noon, the students knelt for six full hours. Outside the hall, the officials of Shengjing also knelt for six hours. Under the wind and sun, the officials held their jade tablets high, without a word of complaint.
When the emperor finished speaking the last word and the eunuchs finished echoing it, the old eunuch announced loudly, "The Son of Heaven Comes to Biyong, and all officials listen."
The reigning emperor, Zhao Fu, placed his hands on the emperor's seat. His hair was graying, but his face showed few wrinkles, only a fine ring of lines at the corners of his eyes. Though over sixty years old, Zhao Fu's eyes were sharp and bright like a hawk's. He looked at the thirty-two students of the Imperial College kneeling before him, and beyond them, at his own civil and military officials kneeling outside the door.
The old eunuch called out, "Students, listen closely, the Son of Heaven will give his critique."
The students of the Imperial College straightened up, waiting for the emperor's critique.
They only heard Zhao Fu lightly say one word: "Excellent."
Dean Lin heaved a sigh of relief. If not for the emperor's presence, he would have dared not be presumptuous, but he now wished he could lie down and sleep for three days and nights without waking!
Thus, the Son of Heaven Comes to Biyong came to an end.
Throughout the entire process, Tang Shen did not see Zhao Fu once. He did not dare to look up, nor was he allowed to. After Zhao Fu left, the officials outside the hall left according to their ranks, and lastly, it was the turn of the students inside the hall.
Dean Lin said, "Tang Shen, Liu Fang, Mei Shengze, come with me."
The three immediately followed Dean Lin.
Dean Lin led them out of the Biyong Palace and towards the Confucius Temple in the rear courtyard of the Imperial College. Halfway there, they saw an old eunuch with a smiling face, holding a duster, waiting outside the temple. Seeing Dean Lin, he glanced at the three students and smiled, "Lin daren, these are the top three students in this evaluation of the Imperial College?"
"Indeed, Eunuch Ji."
"From here, I will take them to meet His Majesty."
"This..."
Eunuch Ji smiled at Dean Lin, who dared not speak further.
"Everything will be as Eunuch Ji wishes."
Eunuch Ji let out a light huff from his nose, turned, and said, "You three, follow me."
"Yes."
Mei Shengze was nervous and, following Eunuch Ji, sneaked a glance at Tang Shen, signaling: Do you know what this is about?
Tang Shen was also puzzled.
How could he know...
What Wang Zhen mentioned half a month ago as a great benefit turned out to be an audience with the emperor for the top three students!
Outside the Biyong Palace, the officials were being helped by their attendants as they left the Imperial College.
Most officials of rank four or higher were over thirty years old, with few under thirty. The emperor's teaching at Biyong Palace lasted for six full hours. The emperor sat on his throne, reading a speech prepared by the Hanlin Academy, but they had knelt outside the hall for six hours.
Among the crowd of officials, only Wang Zhen did not need a servant's assistance; he walked with ease.
Seeing this, the Deputy Minister of Rites felt both jealous and admiring, remarking, "Wang daren is indeed young!"
Wang Zhen smiled slightly, bowing to him, "Li daren."
The Deputy Minister of Rites bowed back, limping as his servant helped him leave the Imperial College and get into his carriage.
As Wang Zhen walked out of the alley of the Imperial College, about to board the minister's carriage, he heard someone calling his name from behind. Turning around, he saw an official dressed in a Taiji Eight Trigrams robe, with a five-colored golden pheasant feather in his hat, hurrying over, "Wang daren."
Wang Zhen said, "Li daren."
This Li was not the same as the Deputy Minister of Rites. Though the Deputy Minister of Rites was also surnamed Li, this Li daren was the highly favored Chief Astronomer, Li Xiaoren.
Li Xiaoren said, "Wang daren, you are quite energetic and don't need anyone to support you. I just knelt outside the Biyong Palace for six hours, and now my legs feel like they're filled with lead, making it hard to move!"
Wang Zhen: "Li daren, are you going back to your residence to rest?"
Li Xiaoren: "No, I need to stay at the Imperial College and wait for His Majesty to finish his audience with the students before returning to the palace with him."
The two exchanged pleasantries.
Li Xiaoren leaned in slightly and whispered, "This time, thanks to your brilliant idea, Wang daren, for the Son of Heaven's visit to the Imperial College. Since Zhong Taisheng's death, His Majesty has been in a bad mood, feeling that the hearts of the scholars across the country were leaning towards the rebels. Without your brilliant idea, how could His Majesty be so pleased and personally visit the Biyong Palace?" This way, he didn't have to constantly witness the emperor's unpredictable moods in the palace and live in fear of inviting death!
Wang Zhen, surprised, said, "Li daren, what do you mean by this? I have never discussed His Majesty's visit to the Imperial College with His Majesty. Was it not you who, out of concern for His Majesty's health, loyally made the suggestion?"
Li Xiaoren was momentarily stunned and then laughed repeatedly, "Wang daren, you are right."
Wang Zhen cupped his hands and said, "The Ministry of Revenue is busy, so I must take my leave."
Li Xiaoren: "Take care, Wang daren."
Wang Zhen got into the carriage and headed to the Ministry of Revenue.
After he left, the apprentice who had been following Li Xiaoren whispered, "Master, even though Wang Zhen is a second-rank minister, you don't even care about the Grand Marshal of the Western Expedition, so why do you treat him with such deference?"
Li Xiaoren slapped him.
The apprentice covered his face, "Master?"
"You ignorant fool! How will you ever survive if you don't understand? The Grand Marshal of the Western Expedition is just a brute with nothing but physical strength, a mere courageous fool. Compared to a crafty official like Wang Zifeng, even ten Grand Marshals of the Western Expedition wouldn't be enough to outsmart him."
"I understand my mistake," the apprentice said, admitting fault, but felt aggrieved inside.
No matter how cunning Wang Zifeng was, if Li Xiaoren said a word, His Majesty could secretly kill someone like Zhong Taisheng in the prison.
Li Xiaoren knew his apprentice's dissatisfaction but couldn't be bothered to explain further.
If Zhao Fu were truly an incompetent and tyrannical emperor, he would listen to whatever Li Xiaoren said, and he wouldn't have to live in constant fear like he did now. If he dared to slander Wang Zifeng in front of Zhao Fu, Zhao Fu would be the first to take his head!
It seemed that this foolish apprentice needed to be abandoned sooner rather than later, to avoid being dragged down by him someday.
AN: Neighbor Wang: My knees hurt from kneeling.
Little Tang: You didn't even tell me about the audience with the emperor! You didn't tell me!