Chapter 359: Self-Discipline and Persistence
The first Imperial Court session truly gave the officials a fright.
Everyone had never imagined that the Empress, who came from a peasant background, was actually incredibly strong.
Right in front of the officials, she snapped off one of the armrests of the phoenix throne.
Not only did she snap it off, but she also crushed the wood into sawdust.
The wood of that chair couldn’t possibly have been rotten; otherwise, the people at the Ministry of Works’ Imperial Manufacturing Bureau would have been executed.
Moreover, that chair wasn’t made recently; it was an heirloom, and the wood was so hard that even a blade would struggle to cut it.
It was as hard as iron.
Yet, the Empress had snapped it off right in front of the officials.
It was truly terrifying.
The group of officials who had stepped forward felt their scalps tingle.
With an Empress like this, they still wanted to send their daughters into the palace—what could they possibly use to compete with her?
If she was unhappy, they might be accidentally killed by the Empress.
Other palace intrigues only broke hearts, but their palace intrigues could directly break bones.
Furthermore, the Empress didn’t look reckless at all; just think of Princess Caiyi, whom she had taught—an expert in domestic intrigue.
The officials who had stepped forward slowly regained their senses, cold sweat pouring down their backs.
Afterward, the officials who submitted memorials were much more cautious.
On the first day of The New Emperor’s court session after his ascension, the majesty was established thanks to the Empress.
On his first day, The New Emperor announced three things.
First, he would grant each of the officials who demanded he fill his harem a palace maid as a concubine, to fill their own back courtyards.
Second, he changed the schedule: from now on, there would be a grand court session every seven days, so they wouldn’t need to wake up so early, and there would be a two-day rest period every five days.
The third matter was to rehabilitate some officials. The officials who had participated in the Seventh Prince’s uprising had been sentenced to death, leaving some vacancies for newcomers to fill.
Some were colleagues who had been waiting for appointments, and some were young officials who had been wronged years ago, such as the top scholar, Gong Qichi, and others.
The New Emperor had a sharp mind and remembered every official’s name clearly.
As for those selected officials, they were moved to tears.
They bore the mark of The New Emperor, and barring any accidents, their official careers would be smooth sailing.
Gong Qichi wore dark blue official robes; he was now the newly appointed Attendant of the Yellow Gate.
Everyone knew that before The New Emperor took office, he had been an Attendant of the Yellow Gate.
This showed how special this position was.
Gong Qichi was filled with emotion.
Looking back on the past, the first time he met Jiang Changtian was in a village.
Back then, he never imagined there would be a day like this.
After countless long nights of knee-to-knee talks in the past, now that they were meeting again as monarch and subject, Gong Qichi felt inexplicably proud.
He had contributed to this journey.
He hadn’t forgotten.
Even though The New Emperor promoted so many people, he felt it was because of him.
It was as if someone hugged many people just so they could hug him.
As expected, the court was dismissed.
Everyone else left, but Gong Qichi was asked to stay.
Some people had to go back and hurry to prepare betrothal gifts.
Gong Qichi was actually a bit nervous.
Monarch and subject have their distinctions; he didn’t know how to get along now or how to maintain the proper boundaries.
Although The New Emperor climbed higher step by step, and he had contributed in many instances, if he were to remain complacent about this, he would likely be not far from death.
However, deep down, their old friendship made him feel that since they had such a good relationship, it felt a bit strange to suddenly have the rigid distinction between monarch and subject, even if it was appropriate.
Throughout history, there were always instances where an Emperor would ascend the throne and then execute his good brothers.
Because the brother had become the leader, and others hadn’t adapted yet, they still treated him as a good brother.
The leader would eventually lose patience, but would be too embarrassed to say, “I am the leader now, you must respect me.” Since he couldn’t say that, he had no choice but to execute you. Thinking about it, social anxiety is terrifying… Just because of social anxiety, not daring to communicate with the other party, he had to make the other party “log off.”
Gong Qichi had some hesitation in his mind.
He still cleared his mind of these trivial thoughts and walked into the palace.
He hadn’t walked far before he saw the figure of a little girl rushing out.
A young boy followed behind her.
The little girl and the boy saw him and stopped in unison.
The little girl called out, “Hello, Uncle Gong.”
The boy called out, “Hello, Teacher.”
Gong Qichi felt a sigh of relief when he saw his student, whose face was much more expressive now.
In fact, according to universal values, he should have assisted the young master, but he knew the young master’s personality—clever and reclusive—which wasn’t suitable, and the master wouldn’t have wanted that either.
“What are you going to do?”
“Flying a kite, the wind is strong today,” Mianmian said, pointing to the large kite held by the dark tower-like figure behind her.
“Alright, be careful not to fall.”
“Goodbye, Uncle Gong.”
“Goodbye, Teacher.”
They passed each other, the figures still running away.
Gong Qichi had a feeling of history repeating itself; he had passed the imperial examination in his youth and had also entered the palace to pay respects to the Emperor.
He had also seen princesses and princes running in the palace.
Their laughter was crisp.
At least the young master was doing well now and hadn’t suffered any grievances. Gong Qichi felt that regardless of whether he had done right or wrong, he had a clear conscience regarding the young master.
Because of the two children’s interruption, his state of mind became more peaceful, and he wasn’t as nervous.
When he arrived at the Wenxin Hall, it was not the place where the Emperor entertained guests, but the Emperor’s living quarters.
Being able to come here at least proved that The New Emperor considered Gong Qichi one of his own.
Led by a young eunuch into the room, the layout inside reminded him of the old Kaner Village.
There was a small tea table with charcoal in the center, tea boiling on top, and some fruits and sweet potatoes placed around it.
The New Emperor, who had just been sitting majestically on the dragon throne, had changed his clothes by now, wearing ordinary casual attire, and the room was quite warm.
Seeing Gong Qichi arrive, The New Emperor beckoned, “Brother Yehang, come quickly and have some tea; it’s too cold outside.”
Gong Qichi bowed first, and only after finishing the salute did he walk over.
He sat cross-legged on the warm kang, drinking a cup of tea poured by The New Emperor himself.
The taste was both bitter and sweet, very strange, but it was the same taste as before.
Nowadays, new tea is popular, and this method of boiling tea is considered outdated.
However, if the Emperor were to boil it, it would likely be considered trendy again.
“Is Your Majesty accustomed to it?”
“It’s alright. With Xia Mei and the others here, I feel fine. But Brother Yehang, they say the Emperor is a lonely man. If you lose your old friendship with me just because I became Emperor, I fear I will truly slowly become a lonely man. I am afraid of becoming like the late Emperor. It is said that in his youth, the late Emperor was also a very wise and kind person. Power makes people lose their way. If such a day comes, Brother Yehang, will you remind me?”
Jiang Changtian spoke earnestly.
Gong Qichi felt a sigh of relief; Brother Jiang hadn’t changed. Even as Emperor, he still had a sincere heart.
He bowed solemnly and said, “Your subject is willing, and I will.”
The two drank tea and ate snacks together.
Just like before, they talked a lot about matters of the Imperial Court.
Gong Qichi was an excellent choice for a secretary; he knew the family background of every official in the Imperial Court like the back of his hand, analyzing them one by one just as he did in the past.
He even spoke bluntly about who was incompetent, occupying a position without doing any work…
Jiang Changtian also listened very attentively as he had in the past, nodding from time to time.
After eating snacks that felt a bit like lunch, Gong Qichi finally realized it was time to take his leave.
Leaving Wenxin Hall, a cool breeze blew at the doorway.
Gong Qichi was a bit nervous; he looked back at Wenxin Hall, tall and majestic.
He always forgot.
Clearly, when he entered the palace, he had decided to keep the distinction between monarch and subject, but when talking, he forgot it unconsciously.
A mature politician should not be like this.
This was not right.
Even as he walked further out of the palace, he felt increasingly uneasy.
He knew that The New Emperor was not really the sincere, fair-faced scholar he remembered.
Perhaps he was much more complex.
Gong Qichi returned home with a dull headache.
At this time, rewards from the palace also arrived.
The rewards were very “Jiang Family.”
They were all very practical things.
Things to eat, drink, and use.
There was also a piece of calligraphy.
Gong Qichi suddenly remembered that he had once praised Brother Jiang’s calligraphy, but he had never written any for him.
He didn’t expect that after ascending the throne as Emperor, he would actually bestow a piece of calligraphy upon him.
“Act when clear-headed, read when confused, think when alone, and control your emotions when furious. Brother Yehang, do not worry, I can do it. Self-discipline and persistence, let us encourage each other.” (Note 1)
Seeing this calligraphy, his uneasy heart finally settled, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
Brother Jiang hadn’t changed; he was still sincere.
He wouldn’t change either, remaining loyal and devoted.
As long as you are willing to listen, I will always tell you the truth.
(Note 1, Source: Internet. A sentence I have been liking recently, welded onto the study wall.)
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