Chapter 40 Something Unknown In the Imperial Palace

The South Army led by Xie Ying drove the main force from the Chen Country to flee in a panic and settled the crisis of Dazhou. After they returned with victory, naturally it should be celebrated. So before dawn, the eunuchs and maids in the Evergreen Palace started to prepare for the banquet to celebrate after the imperial court session this morning. In order to prevent anything wrong, the manager of the Ceremony Department showed up in person to make sure everything was okay. Before the imperial court session, the emperor entered the imperial study to check the reports from the officials. Everybody in the world said that the emperor ruled a country and had the greatest power, but who had seen how the emperor became thinner day after day while working hard to deal with the official documents and getting tired?

The imperial study was prepared, and the document on the top was the summary of the battle from the Ministry of War, including the number of the dead soldiers and damaged weapons and horses. Then the second document was from the Ministry of Revenue asking for money. After a war, they needed money to pay the pension to the disabled and survivors and buy more weapons and horses. The emperor looked at the specific amount and wrote a word “permitted” with red ink on it. Then he opened the next document, but before he checked it, the door of the imperial study was pushed open.

The emperor didn’t raise his head. In the imperial palace, nobody except for Princess Anyang dared to push the door and enter directly, especially when he was checking the files in the study.

After writing another “permitted”, the emperor questioned calmly, “How can you stop my general on the street as a princess? Even if you are not a princess, you are a girl. How can you have no sense of shame? I don’t know how the people in the palace taught you. It appears that I should have each of them beaten one hundred times as a reward.”

Ji Nanlong wanted to say something after opening the door, but hearing the emperor’s words, she pouted and didn’t dare to speak. She stood aside like a child who did something wrong. At ordinary times, she wouldn’t care about her father’s gentle admonishment, but this time she wanted to ask him for help, so she didn’t have the courage to do something that the emperor didn’t like.

Putting down the document, the emperor raised his head and looked at his daughter who he was unwilling to beat or scold, chuckling. “What do you want from me? Just tell me. But I have to tell you first. I can give you anything else except for Xie Ying.”

Ji Nanlong was in high spirits, but after hearing the emperor’s last words, she felt deflated.

The emperor looked at the sky and stood up, rubbing Ji Nanlong’s head with a smile. “I want that guy to be my son-in-law, but I want him to be a general helpful to the country more. If I ruin his future just because you love him, I think I would go too far. As a princess, you should consider for the country.”

Ji Nanlong had tears in her eyes and said in a sobbing tone, “I would rather be somebody else than a princess.”

The emperor didn’t say more. Although he tried his best to bring about this marriage, in fact, until the last minute, nobody knew if it would happen. If he explained everything but it wouldn’t succeed in the end, Princess Anyang who might be desperate after feeling hopeful would be sadder.

It was late now, so the emperor left the imperial study and went to the Moral Hall for the imperial court session, leaving Ji Nanlong alone.

It was unusual in front of the Moral Hall.

That was because besides the officials who were supposed to attend the imperial court session, a civil official who had left Shaoliang City long ago came to the Moral Hall.

The principal of the Imperial Academy, Xie Chenjun, the head of the Xie family, Xie Ying’s uncle, the most famous calligrapher, who had left the imperial court for years showed up outside the Moral Hall.

In fact, all the civil and military officials at the imperial court always admired the decision-maker of the Xie family. After all, this old lord had been the commander in chief of the army when the late emperor was alive. After the current emperor ascended to the throne, Xie Chenjun had been in a high position for many years. If he were not aged, this old lord might be the prime minister of Dazhou. Nobody could afford to underestimate such a man.

When they were waiting in front of the Moral Hall, nobody except for the prime minister Li Ji dared to disturb this old lord.

The old lord glanced at the Moral Hall that he hadn’t seen for many years and suddenly laughed. “Li Ji, you said that it’s not easy to be an official in Shaoliang City. But why didn’t I have any feelings those years?”

Li Ji was the head of the civil officials, but compared with this old lord, he was not experienced. He smiled. “My Lord, you have been an official for decades. None of these officials is as experienced as you. It’s natural that you don’t have such feelings.”

Xie Chenjun shook his head with a smile. “Being an official is insignificant. When I was young, I bragged that I am best at calligraphy, and music is the second, while writing essays is the third. Being an official is the worst that I am at.”

Li Ji responded peacefully, “My Lord, you have a wide range of interests and are good at everything. You said you are worst at being an official, but you used to be the principal of the Imperial Academy. So I have to feel ashamed.”

Xie Chenjun laughed off Li Ji’s words.

After being silent for a while, Xie Chenjun smiled. “Li Ji, I came to the capital this time in order to help my nephew ask for a favor. I don’t dare to ask you for help, but I hope that you won’t speak against me.”

Li Ji didn’t give a response immediately. This old lord with great prestige came to the capital, which was not a trifle, and he didn’t have a rest after coming but attended the imperial court session, so Li Ji was more surprised. Earlier, many officials guessed why the old lord entered the imperial palace, and now Xie Chenjun had almost made it clear, so how could Li Ji be unable to guess correctly?

What else would it be the old lord’s purpose of coming to the capital except for the marriage between the talent from the Xie family and Princess Anyang?

When Li Ji was lost in thought, he heard the old lord’s voice again.

“Li Ji, do you think I can make it?”

Li Ji raised his head and then smiled bitterly. “My Lord, I don’t dare to neglect what you will ask for.”

Hearing that, Xie Chenjun nodded, but his smile was playful.

The imperial court session would start soon. At ordinary times, the people in the Evergreen Palace would be free, but now because they needed to prepare for the banquet later, all of them were busy. The manager of the Ceremony Department Su Jin walked in the palace and couldn’t see clearly. When he turned a corner, a young eunuch bumped into him. The young eunuch raised his head, to see that he ran into the manager of all the eunuchs, so he was frightened and knelt down, kowtowing repeatedly. Su Jin had such great influence in the imperial palace that everybody was afraid of him.

Su Jin looked at the kneeling young eunuch and didn’t plan to say anything, but after glancing at him several times, he suddenly shouted angrily, “Wild demon, where are you from? How dare you act wildly in the Evergreen Palace?”

The young eunuch turned pale and was blank at first, but in no time, he had a blackout and lost his consciousness. After he fell on the ground, something wriggled on his back and soon made sounds. A cat with cyan fur and skin and a normal size crawled out of his back. After the cat came out, it licked the fresh blood on its claw and laughed evilly, “I didn’t expect that a cultivator is in such a remote, backward place. No wonder it’s said that it’s not easy to enter any imperial palace in the world, no matter if it is big or small.”

Su Jin didn’t talk with it anymore but stretched out his left hand to grab this cat demon, forbidding it to move. After pinching its neck, Su Jin laughed. “It’s my lucky chance. You are just a cat demon. Why do you want to fight for it?”

After speaking, Su Jin bit off the cat’s head and then chewed it, looking satisfied.

While eating the cat’s head, Su Jin murmured, “How many more do I need? Ten or five?”