Ink Burns

Chapter 214 Participation
Before dawn, water was already being sprinkled on the streets and alleys.

This year, Emperor Yongping finally revised the previous Zhaode Emperor's "three-visit" court assembly system ("three-visit" meant holding court once every ten days), and instead followed the Taizu Emperor's "nine-visit" frequency, that is, nine grand court assemblies a month, with court assemblies held once every four days.

The following day, which happened to be the day of the grand court assembly, all officials of the fifth rank and above from the capital city, Jizhou, and Tianjin were required to attend the assembly.

It was pitch black when Chang Lin, with a swollen, hangover head, left the mansion for court. His carriage was stopped outside Xizhimen Gate, and the road inside required walking, no matter how high one's rank. His head was throbbing. Yesterday, his nephew Rong Ge'er had passed the military examination and, in his excitement, had drunk too much. He only remembered staggering back to the main house. This morning, seeing the bloodstains dripping in the room by candlelight, he realized that he had probably beaten up Zhou Shi again.

It was nothing out of the ordinary, and whether he remembered it or not didn't matter much, so he didn't take it seriously and went straight to court in his official robes.

Seeing his colleagues in green, red, and purple robes arriving one after another, Chang Lin dismounted from his carriage, smoothed his hair, and walked inside. The morning after a hangover was the worst; he had a headache, weak legs, and sore eyes. Thinking of the long staircase outside the Qian Yuan Hall, Chang Lin couldn't help but reminisce about how Emperor Zhaode had made things so convenient for them: he and Marquis Wuding, Cui Bainian, would often ride into the palace. Cui Bainian would accompany Emperor Zhaode to paint, while he would praise and flatter from the side. They didn't have to walk; their horses' hooves could tread on the gold-flecked bricks outside the Qian Yuan Hall.

“Jue Bei—” A deep voice came from behind.

Chang Lin turned around and saw a man who was over forty years old, with a full beard and deep-set eyes, dressed properly in a black gauze hat, a round-necked shirt and a belt, striding towards him. The lion and leopard patches on the purple round-necked shirt were lifelike, indicating that he was a second-rank military officer.

Half a step behind him was a handsome man with fair skin, narrow eyes, and slightly upturned corners. The man's features bore a slight resemblance to the second-rank military officer in front of him, but the young man was more strikingly beautiful, leaving people in awe at first glance. His appearance could be transformed into a rustling bamboo forest, with translucent, narrow, and delicate leaves, and the falling dew seemed to be imbued with his gentleness and slowness. It was also like a butterfly knife that combined strength and softness, with his features becoming sharp blades, cutting straight down, aggressively and aggressively seizing all eyes.

"Bai Nian." Chang Lin turned around completely, punched Cui Bainian, the Marquis of Wuding and newly appointed Second-Rank General of the Cavalry, on the shoulder, and exclaimed in surprise, "Why are you back!"

"Returning to Beijing in June to report on my work is better than running back from the freezing north, killing several horses in the process."

Cui Bainian stood side by side with Chang Lin. Compared to Chang Lin's broad and rough physique and features, Cui Bainian's handsome appearance made him resemble a refined general: "Yu Lang has just returned from surveying mountains and rivers at Ningwu Pass in Xinzhou. He went to Qiushui Ferry to meet me yesterday, and hasn't had time to inform you yet—"

The man immediately bowed and said, "Uncle."

Chang Lin reached out and patted Cui Yulang on the shoulder again: "Xinzhou? Isn't that in Shanxi? How did this kid end up in the Ministry of Works? Running around like this... What's so good about the Ministry of Works? Every day it's just hammers and chisels, or wood and stones. If I were to say, go to the Ministry of War, become the Commander-in-Chief and show off your power, or even join the Grand Secretariat. That's what you call a respectable backer."

Cui Yulang's eyelashes were slightly veiled, and the bridge of his nose rose and fell slightly, revealing the clearly upturned tip of his nose: "Uncle Chang is right. No matter which path you take, as long as you are willing to work hard, you will eventually arrive at the same destination."

Chang Lin laughed heartily and looked at Cui Bainian: "Neither of us has won or lost in this life, but when it comes to the next generation, you have far more to offer than I do!"

Cui Bainian remained noncommittal, stepping aside to let Chang Lin go first. As Chang Lin passed by, a faint smell of alcohol and the sour stench of vomit wafted over.

"Dare to be drunk before the imperial court?" Cui Bainian chuckled, his nose becoming slightly hooked. "Aren't you afraid the young emperor will make an example of you and give you a taste of his own medicine?"

Chang Lin sneered, "Kill the chicken to scare the monkey?! When have I, Chang Juebei, ever been a vegetarian? If he wants to kill the chicken to scare the monkey, then I'll cut off his supply lines from the root—as long as I firmly hold onto the Xishan Camp, the Chang family's position will be secure."

A fifth-rank civil official wearing a heron badge hurriedly ran inside from his side.

Cui Bainian immediately stopped talking, his gaze fixed on the back of the fifth-rank civil official, and he hissed softly, "Is this...someone from the Censorate?"

Chang Lin smiled, revealing his yellowed molars: "You haven't been back to the capital for a long time, so you probably don't know that the mad dog Xue Xiao has been put on probation by the Grand Princess under the pretext of Zhu Shi's death. Now, all the affairs of the Censorate are being handled by this Vice Censor-in-Chief Xiao Po."

Cui Bainian slowly withdrew his gaze, remaining silent about the news. His only action was to glance at his eldest son, Cui Yu, who was half a step away from him. Cui Yu was known as "Jade Boy" in the capital for his fair complexion. Cui Yu felt his father's gaze, and his eyelids tightened slightly.

Cui Bainian stepped forward first, bringing the topic back: "Speaking of court assemblies, our Emperor Yongping has been lying low for seven years, and only now does he dare to change the rules set by the late emperor. He is indeed a very patient emperor."

"Can you tolerate it?" Chang Lin's lips twitched involuntarily. "If you can tolerate it, then keep tolerating it! Now it's like it's woken up from a dream, trying to imitate the Taizu Emperor in everything. The court assemblies are held every four days, and the cabinet's memorials are no longer handled by the Second Grand Secretary Yuan Wenying. Instead, the cabinet is divided into six ministers corresponding to the six ministries, who will categorize and annotate them before submitting them to the emperor. Only the Grand Secretary is qualified to oversee everything and read all the memorials—but here's the problem: our cabinet currently has no Grand Secretary!"

Cui Bainian lowered his head and stepped onto the stairs.

"This move has effectively stripped Yuan Wenying of his power. He holds the title of Second Grand Secretary but can no longer even read memorials!" Chang Lin's anger was evident. "The young emperor is doing very well! He has been a lowly servant for a full seven years! Emperor Taizu was a groom who died at the age of 101. Let's see if Emperor Yongping's frail body can withstand this torment!"

"What about Jing'an? Jing'an didn't do anything?" Cui Bainian walked up the steps very steadily.

A large number of officials, numbering in the hundreds, gathered at the Qian Yuan Hall for the court assembly.

Chang Lin looked around and lowered his voice: "...The Grand Princess switched Emperor Yongping's medicine—the grandson of the Imperial Medical Academy's chief physician is completely under 'Qingfeng's' control. She added something to that sickly man's life-saving sachet, just like the late Crown Prince."

Cui Bainian quickly looked up, glanced around, then his eyes swept over Chang Lin, his lips pressed tightly together: "Will it work?"

Chang Lin frowned: "I haven't heard of it being effective, and he hasn't even had a single day off from court. He must be taking medicine to keep the sickly person from having a relapse."

The two chatted for a few more minutes.

The drums beat loudly, and the eunuchs swept their whisks.

In the Qian Yuan Hall court, military and civil officials stood in two distinct rows, one on the left and one on the right.

Cui Bainian and Chang Lin stood one after the other, each holding a jade tablet, heads bowed and standing at attention.

The emperor, wearing his crown, ascended the throne. From a distance, Yuzhu obscured his face, making it impossible to see his features or guess his complexion.

When officials presented their reports, the various government offices, ministries, and treasuries would jointly present their reports. Most of these reports concerned major matters such as elections, grain procurement, suggestions, and the execution of prisoners. There were also miscellaneous matters such as purchasing cattle for grain and seeds, and executing prisoners by slow slicing in the autumn. They would chatter on and on for a long time, until the sky was just beginning to lighten.

After a while, no officials reported anything.

Chang Lin shifted his stance, squinting as he waited for the eunuch to announce "Court adjourned," but instead, a third line appeared from beyond the Jingwei River, with someone stepping forward carrying a ceremonial staff.

"Your humble servant, Xiao Po, Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, has an important matter to report!"

The emperor raised his hand, signaling for a summons.

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you reopen the thorough investigation into the Duzhou dike breach case!" Xiao Po bowed his head, the dark indigo court robes worn by the Imperial Censor hanging on his frail and small frame. Though he was rather thin, his voice was loud and clear: "Your Majesty, I now possess irrefutable evidence that Su Shen, the former Assistant Transport Commissioner of the Ministry of Works, was framed. The person who embezzled the large sums of money for river repairs is someone else!"