Pa Chapter 28 (1/2)
Chapter 28: Winds of Trouble Rise
Jun Huang understood why Qi Chen was so happy. Princes couldn’t freely enter and leave the palace without the emperor’s decree, so this was an honor. Not to mention that Qi Chen had resolved a pressing matter for the emperor lately, so they would definitely make a big deal out of it all.
The sun had fully emerged in the sky, marking mid morning. Qi Chen left the manor with a large entourage, heading for the palace in a carriage. He arrived quite early, and so ended up waiting outside with a gaggle of officials. He snorted derisively when he saw the Senior Grandmaster again. He doesn’t treat me with the proper respect! His ire from yesterday started to rise once more. Qi Chen really wanted to give the old official a hearty kick after seeing his face.
The Senior Grandmaster didn’t dare say a word to the prince. He was cowering in a corner, holding his breath and deathly afraid that Qi Chen would come find him again. However, to be entirely honest, he was feeling quite aggrieved about the entire situation. He wasn’t the only one who’d left Qi Chen, but he’d been the only one who’d been caught. This situation was an utter tragedy.
Nan Xun held an important position at court and thus attended every court session. He struck a striking figure in court robes, and the intimidating aura that emanated from his body instantly commanded respect from all those present. His eagles eyes swept over the a.s.sembly, and anyone hiding secrets all involuntarily shrank into themselves, not daring to meet his eyes.
“Court convenes.” A eunuch had walked to the doors of the hall before the subtle ebbs and flows of the situation could erupt into the open. He announced the beginning of morning court in a shrill voice and had everyone enter.
Morning court consisted of the usual trifling and miscellaneous matters. Many officials knew of Qi Chen embezzling the relief funds, but they also knew that the second prince currently enjoyed great favor in front of the emperor. Therefore, all of them bit their tongues on what they truly wanted to speak of and cooperated to conceal the matter. When all business had been attended to, the emperor looked at Qi Chen standing amongst the officials with a gratified smile. He cast a glance at a eunuch next to him, prompting the eunuch to unfurl the imperial decree in his hands.
The eunuch cleared his throat before announcing, “The second prince was fearless in the face of hards.h.i.+p and handled disaster relief in an exemplary manner at the border, resulting in love and adoration from the people. We hereby bestow upon second prince Qi Chen a pair of ceremonial jade scepters and a thousand silver ingots…”.
Everyone looked at each other, speechless. Some even started feverish whispered discussions. They all felt that Qi Chen didn’t deserve an honor like that, but they didn’t dare voice their thoughts.
“And just what capabilities does this second prince have? If the emperor conducted a thorough investigation, he’d easily find that the prince had embezzled funds.” The Senior Grandmaster snorted derisively and spoke in a soft tone to a nearby colleague.
“Does the Senior Grandmaster not realize that disaster stems from one’s words? Or have you forgotten the events of last night?” Qi Yun, also attending court, shook his head with a smile.
The official gave an immense start as sweat started to bead on his forehead again. He looked guiltily over in Qi Chen’s direction, only to see the prince proudly displaying the jade scepters. He hadn’t noticed the muttering from the corner. The old man heaved a sigh of relief and subtly cupped his fists at Qi Yun. “Many thanks for the fourth prince’s reminder. I will remember this well.”