Chapter 354: The Imperial Bestowal of Robes By the time Zhu Ping’an returned from the Western Garden to the Marquis of Linhuai’s residence, the sun was already hanging high overhead. The warmth of midday spilled over the courtyard stones, and as he stepped through the carved wooden gate, the quiet dignity of the household greeted […]
Chapter 353: An Unexpected Delight The Choice Between Fish and Chicken — The Reason Lies Here When Emperor Jiajing’s question echoed through the grand hall, Zhu Ping’an knew he could not answer carelessly. The truth was simple enough — yet to utter it plainly would sound far too religious, far too utilitarian. Even if correct,
Chapter 352: The Secret Within the Reward “Your servant dwells among mountains and rivers, where tigers are a common sight. Yet only today, in the presence of Your Majesty, have I truly beheld the face of a dragon!” The words were simple, but the moment they were spoken, Huang Jin, the eunuch attending beside Emperor
Chapter 351: Facing the Sacred Audience The young eunuch who had gone inside to deliver the report soon returned. Without much delay, he led Zhu Ping’an into the outer hall of the great palace, instructing him to wait there. Inside, His Majesty was still receiving another person in audience, and only after that person departed
Chapter 350: The Minor Proclamation at the Palace Gate At the break of dawn, the crimson sun rose slowly from the horizon. It was as if a bride on her wedding night, veiled in scarlet silk, was shyly lifting her head covering, revealing a delicate face flushed with bashful beauty. That timid, glowing countenance gazed
Chapter 349: Plans Never Keep Up with Change The night was deep, yet within the Hall of the Inner Cabinet, lanterns blazed so brightly that the chamber was almost as luminous as day. Shadows of ministers flickered upon the walls as candlelight shimmered against the lacquered beams, and the muffled rustle of silk robes mingled
Chapter 348: Reviewing the Papers The very first ray of morning light spilled down from the heavens, piercing the pale horizon like a blade of gold. It streamed through the octagonal lattice windows of the Cheng’en Hall in the Western Garden, falling across the great hall in a dazzling yet solemn glow. The sunlight cast
Chapter 347: I, the Emperor, Have a Dream Once the imperial palace examination concluded, the tribute scholars—those young men who had made it this far after years of grueling study—were finally released back to their homes. They went off light-hearted, eager to relax after days of tension. Their four hundred answer papers, each dense with
Chapter 346: The Buddhist Scriptures The setting sun slipped slowly into the western horizon, leaving behind a sky awash with crimson clouds. A faint veil of mist drifted lazily over the earth, soft and ethereal, as though the mortal world had been wrapped in a dreamlike haze. Within that dusk-tinted veil, the Marquis of Linhuai’s
Chapter 345: The Palace Examination (Part Four) The Brush That Stirs Storms, The Strategy That Moves Spirits The instant their brushes touched the paper, it was as though wind and thunder shook the hall, as though even spirits wept at the force of their words! Inside the grand examination hall, the tribute scholars bent earnestly