Chapter 25 Stubborn

After dawn, it was time for the morning audience at the imperial court in Shaoliang City every day. Before the emperor came out of the imperial study, the chefs in the imperial kitchen had prepared the breakfast. Following the rules in the imperial palace, the emperor would have simple breakfasts in the imperial kitchen before the morning audience. It was said to be simple, but there were fifteen dishes indeed. After breakfast, the emperor should get changed and then go to the Moral Hall to see all the civil and military officials.

According to the ancestral rules in Dazhou, when the emperor had breakfast, the civil and military officials should stand and wait outside the Moral Hall and then enter the hall after the emperor got changed and the ring of discussing official business rang three times. During the period, if some official could have breakfast with the emperor, it was rare and could show this official’s position in the emperor’s heart.

So before the morning audience every day, the civil and military officials waiting outside the Moral Hall liked most to guess who would have a chance to have breakfast with the emperor. Judging from the past, the prime minister Li Ji had the most chances. This head of all officials was always favored by the emperor. Although he was from a poor family, he had convinced the other officials after he took the position. He couldn’t be rated as a famous prime minister through the ages, but he deserved to be a virtuous and capable official.

All the officials gathered outside the Moral Hall, standing in twos and threes and whispering to one another. Only Li Ji stood alone in front of the other officials and nobody was by his side.

The prime minister appeared calm and didn’t look at the Moral Hall or the other officials. He just lowered his head and stared at his boots.

After a while, a young thin eunuch jogged from behind the crowd to him and then stated in a low voice, “My Lord, His Majesty told you to…”

All the officials didn’t hear clearly what the young eunuch said, but he sent a message from the emperor at this hour just to talk about having breakfast with the emperor. Li Ji got the chance and nobody raised any objection. So the officials soon watched the prime minister walk to the imperial kitchen with the young eunuch and disappear from their sights.

Li Ji who just reached sixty years old walked in the familiar palace and asked casually, “How is His Majesty today?”

The young eunuch answered in a low voice, “My Lord, His Majesty is the same as usual and mentioned the name of the Minister of Revenue most often in the imperial study.”

Li Ji smiled knowingly and expressed peacefully, “Lord Xin exerts all his strength and wisdom for the country and is worth His Majesty’s concern.”

All people at the imperial court knew that the prime minister and the Minister of Revenue, Lord Xin, were old friends and it was normal that he cared about Lord Xin so much, so the young eunuch just grinned and didn’t say anything.

After they came to the imperial kitchen, the young eunuch left quietly, and Li Ji came in alone.

In the imperial kitchen, the emperor sat at the table and watched as the pillar of the country was walking in. He stood up to welcome Li Ji, and the latter saluted to show that he didn’t dare to make the emperor stand up. The emperor didn’t mind and asked after Li Ji sat across from him, “Prime Minister Li, do you know why I ask you to have breakfast with me today?”

Li Ji noticed the joy which couldn’t be concealed on the emperor’s face and certainly knew why, “It must be because of the victory on the frontier. Which general?”

The emperor laughed, “Just have a guess.”

Li Ji surrendered, “I don’t have a clue. If you want me to guess what happens on the battlefield, you just make things difficult for me.”

The emperor waved his hand and didn’t keep him in suspense anymore, “It’s Xie Ying. I gave him only five thousand cavalrymen, and he could defeat ten thousand soldiers on horseback from the Southern Wei Country. Outsiders might brag in the past when they mentioned the talent from the Xie Family, but now I think he deserves it. Do you think the courtiers would comment if I give Xie Ying tens of thousands of soldiers more later?”

Li Ji joked, “How about old Lord Xin?”

The emperor laughed loud, “I don’t ask the old guy to take out any money, and he can’t find any excuse.”

Li Ji didn’t reply but just picked up a bowl of white fungus porridge and took a sip, saying unclearly, “Your Majesty, did you summon me just because of this matter?”

The emperor stayed silent for a long time and then responded softly, “The Xie Family in Yanshi City sent me a secret letter, saying that two cultivators were found in Dazhou. One is a scholar in Hengyang Academy, and I don’t consider him much, but the other is a teenager in society and doesn’t look like a scholar. Of course, it doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is that this teenager is likely to be from Dazhou, and he is in Shaoliang City now.”

It fell into silence in the imperial kitchen. Li Ji swallowed the last porridge in his mouth and then stared at the emperor. He was always clear that the emperor wanted a cultivator to protect Dazhou, and his wish seemed even stronger than to expand the territory.

Li Ji asked cautiously, “Since he is a teenager, he must be at a low stage, right?”

The emperor laughed, “As the teenager qualifies to cultivate, so what if he is at a low stage for now? If he agrees to stay, I will naturally try my best to help him go further on this way. Of course, the preconditions are that he is willing to protect Dazhou and happens to be one of my people. Neither of the two requirements is dispensable.”

Li Ji had been a scholar for a lifetime and was good at governing the country, but it was difficult for him to pay attention to such a matter.

Gazing at the emperor in front of him, Li Ji asked, “Your Majesty, what do you plan to do?”

The emperor responded with a smile, “I will naturally go to see him in person to show the etiquette of Dazhou.”

Hearing that, Li Ji frowned soon and then shook his head, “Your Majesty, you are the emperor. How can you go to see him? If the teenager has evil intentions, Dazhou will be in danger.”

As the head of all officials, Li Ji expressed their opinion most of the time. Although sometimes the officials had different attitudes, it was obvious that at this hour, all officials would share the same point of view as the emperor would go out of the imperial palace to see a cultivator. At least, their differences would be not significant.

So the emperor really had a headache.

At the imperial court, he was afraid of Xin Taikang, the Minister of Revenue, who was stingy about spending money. In the imperial palace, he was afraid of Princess Anyang, who was lawless. But in fact, the one he feared most was this prime minister, the head of all officials.

But as for this issue, the emperor still wanted to fight for the chance to see that teenager. He said gently, “There is news from Yanshi City that Xie Ying has got in touch with that teenager and found that he is a nice person. With Xie Ying’s character, if he thinks somebody is nice, then it must be really a nice guy. So Prime Minister Li, you don’t need to worry too much. What’s more, I have no animosity against him, and he won’t necessarily take my life.”

Li Ji didn’t speak a word.

The emperor and the official fell into silence again.

After a short while, the emperor seemed to be angry and pounded the table, roaring, “Why can’t I find a person to make Dazhou stable for long?”

Li Ji replied calmly, “In my opinion, the country’s peace depends on the generals and soldiers in the army risking their lives outside and the officials considering for the country inside. And anything else is not important.”

The emperor retorted, “If other cultivators want to harm our country, we can do nothing but watch.”

Li Ji shook his head, “It’s destiny. Your Majesty, why do you bother to worry?”

After hearing that, the emperor was furious and the blue veins stood out on his neck.

He stood up and shouted, “Stubborn!”

The emperor pointed at the prime minister’s and announced, “I never believe in destiny. I just believe in my officials, soldiers and my people.”

Even so, Li Ji still looked at the emperor peacefully and said nothing.