Poet Immortal, Poet Sage, Duke of the State!

Inside the yamen, Dou Wenhuan's face was terribly gloomy.

This was the first time he had been impeached by an imperial censor after serving as an official for so many years. It was also the first time that a high-ranking cabinet minister had bowed his head and apologized to a low-ranking official of the sixth rank.

In just two days, he experienced many firsts.

The first time being contradicted by a subordinate, the first time being impeached, the first time apologizing to a subordinate... all of this was thanks to Chen Chang'an.

He has probably become a laughing stock in the imperial court by now.

This was an unbearable humiliation for him, who always valued his reputation.

After a long while, he calmed himself down and slowly sat back down at the table.

His crude and simplistic attempts to make things difficult yesterday were indeed too hasty and reckless, giving others ammunition to criticize him and putting himself in a passive position.

As the head of the academy, he wielded great power within the academy, and his methods were aboveboard and beyond reproach.

Dou Wenhuan tapped his index finger lightly on the table, and said in a voice only he could hear, "Since you're so particular about rules, I'll play along with you according to the rules of the Hanlin Academy..."

……

Originally, many officials, both in and out of the court, secretly accused Dou Wenhuan of being narrow-minded, jealous of talent, and suppressing meritorious officials.

But now that he has taken the initiative to bow his head and admit his mistakes to his subordinates, public opinion has quietly reversed, and many officials in the court have changed their impression of him.

"It turns out it was all a misunderstanding. Lord Dou was eager to cultivate talent, but his methods of training were a bit too harsh."

"To be able to humble himself and apologize to a junior while holding a high position in the cabinet is truly commendable."

"In the end, it was all to hone the foundation of the newcomers. It's just that the young top scholar was too ambitious and misunderstood the official's good intentions."

……

However, some officials in the Hanlin Academy who were familiar with Dou Wenhuan were well aware of the situation.

The head of the academy has always been concerned about his reputation and is not as magnanimous as people say.

Chen Chang'an's days at the Hanlin Academy will probably be even more difficult from now on.

For the next few days, the entire Hanlin Academy remained calm and peaceful.

Dou Wenhuan seemed to be sincerely apologizing, and never caused Chen Chang'an any more trouble.

Chen Chang'an went to the yamen every day to sit in his office, and when he had nothing to do, he would read books and compile textbooks for the academy. He went to and from get off work on time and was very leisurely.

Not to mention giving him difficult tasks, Dou Wenhuan didn't assign him even the most basic official duties like proofreading or copying.

Of course, not only did Chen Chang'an have no official duties, but Zhang Huaiyu and Zhao Rui did as well; Dou Wenhuan seemed to have forgotten about the three of them.

Until that day, as it was nearing the end of his term of office, Wu Wei entered the duty room, holding three documents in his hand.

He bowed slightly to the three men in the duty room and said with a smile, "My lords, I have been ordered by the Head Scholar to assign you tasks..."

The three of them stood up at the same time. This was the first time they had officially received a formal assignment from the institute since they joined the company many days ago.

Both Zhang Huaiyu and Zhao Rui showed expressions of anticipation.

Wu Wei first looked at Zhao Rui, cupped his hands and said, "Editor Zhao, starting tomorrow, you will enter the palace at Chenshi (7-9 AM) every day and go to the side hall of the Imperial Study to record the minutes of His Majesty's meetings with the cabinet ministers, organize and file them, and you must not miss a day."

Zhao Rui's face lit up with joy upon hearing this. This job, though seemingly tedious, was a truly desirable one. Being by the emperor's side every day would allow him to hear the core of court affairs, making him easily remembered by the emperor and cabinet ministers. It was a sure way to gain valuable experience.

He immediately nodded: "As you command."

Wu Wei then looked at Zhang Huaiyu, handed him a thick ancient book, and said, "Editor Zhang, you are in charge of proofreading the entire 'Miscellaneous Records of Ancient Times'. This book has a lot of chapters and the annotations are messy. You need to check it word by word, correct the errors, and deliver the final draft within a month."

Zhang Huaiyu took the ancient book and nodded, saying, "Understood."

Although this job was boring and tedious, it was simply a matter of checking books, with no responsibility or fault, and was quite safe.

Although he was also envious of Zhao Rui's position, he knew that given Dou Wenhuan's relationship with the Zhao family and the Third Prince, this coveted job would never be his before he died.

His long-term plan was to stay in the Hanlin Academy for a long time, accumulate experience, and then leave the Hanlin Academy to find a government office with a strong background and connections to stay in.

Finally, Wu Wei's gaze fell on Chen Chang'an, his expression slightly complicated. He handed over the last official document and said in a deep voice, "Chen Xiuzhuan, the Headmaster has personally given instructions that, starting tomorrow, you will enter the palace every day and go to the East Palace Academy to teach the young princes and princesses in the palace."

After saying that, he added, "The Dean said that Chen Xiuzhuan's literary talent is unparalleled in the world, and has specially appointed you to teach full-time. In a month, the academy will evaluate you based on your mastery of the coursework."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Chang'an raised an eyebrow slightly.

Teaching the royal children sounded like a good job, but he didn't believe Dou Wenhuan would be so kind.

After Wu Wei left and Zhao Rui was no longer on duty, Zhang Huaiyu quietly approached Chen Chang'an and whispered, "Brother Chang'an, you must be careful. This job of tutoring princes and princesses may seem glorious, but it is actually the most dangerous position in the Hanlin Academy..."

Chen Chang'an raised an eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Zhang Huaiyu sighed and explained, "You don't know this, but the princes and princesses in the palace are all children of the imperial family. They are spoiled and pampered from a young age, and their temperaments are extremely unruly. They are completely unruly and never listen to the teachings of their teachers. Forget about listening attentively to lectures or memorizing texts; it's common for them to tease and talk back to their teachers."

"Some of the previous Hanlin officials responsible for teaching in the palace were publicly contradicted and humiliated, and some were even pushed and beaten by unruly princes, leaving them humiliated and disgraced..."

"The princes and princesses are of noble status, and the teachers dare not punish or lecture them. It is precisely because the princes and princesses are too unruly and have neglected their studies for many years that no one can discipline them. The teaching in the palace has been suspended for a long time, and no one is willing to take on this mess."

Zhang Huaiyu looked at Chen Chang'an with pitiful eyes and continued, "Now that the Headmaster has assigned you this dreaded job that everyone avoids, it's clearly a trap. The princes and princesses are unruly and neglect their studies, failing their exams. The royal family won't blame the imperial offspring for being playful and lazy; all the blame and mistakes will fall on the teachers. In the end, failing the year-end evaluation will directly affect your future career advancement..."

Chen Chang'an narrowed his eyes and fell silent.

It seems that after what happened last time, this Lord Dou has truly learned his lesson.

On the surface, giving him the task of tutoring the royal children seemed like an indication of his talent and a sign of high regard for him, but in reality, it was a trap set for him...

Unlike the deliberate obstruction last time, this arrangement, which followed the proper procedures, meant that even if the matter went to His Majesty's ears, Dou Wenhuan would still have a valid reason...

Chen Chang'an gently stroked the document in his hand with his fingertips. He would deal with whatever came his way, but he would have to go tomorrow to find out the specifics...