The New Year passed quickly amidst the hustle and bustle.
Before Situ Yan could find time for a heart-to-heart talk with Meng Changdong, Emperor Changwu threw a bomb into the imperial court.
As soon as the court session began, he announced that the imperial physicians had declared his health to be poor, and he intended to retire to the imperial villa for recuperation. This was not a major issue; even emperors occasionally wished for a break and some leisure. Besides, the Crown Prince was overseeing state affairs.
However, this time, it was not the Crown Prince, but Prince Rui, Situ Yan, who was appointed to oversee state affairs.
As soon as Li Furui finished reading the imperial decree, some officials voiced their objections, arguing that it was against protocol for Prince Rui to act as regent while the Crown Prince was still present.
Emperor Changwu stated that the Crown Prince, being extremely filial, wished to accompany him to the imperial villa to serve.
Who could possibly stop a son from attending to his father out of filial piety? The Crown Prince, swallowing his pride like a mute eating bitter herbs, endured this indignity.
With the Crown Prince still around, yet Prince Rui being appointed regent, the Emperor's signal was undeniable, prompting much speculation. Fortunately, the seasoned officials had weathered many storms and were adept at changing with the winds. The court did not descend into chaos, but the direction of influence inevitably began to shift towards Situ Yan.
The Crown Prince's faction was thrown into a state of panic, with some eager to seek counsel from the Crown Prince under the cover of night. However, Emperor Changwu did not afford them the time. The imperial decree, read in the morning, led to a grand procession departing the capital that very afternoon.
They didn't even allow the officials to see them off.
Situ Yan watched the procession dwindle to mere specks in the distance, suddenly feeling the weight of responsibility pressing down on his shoulders. Lu Nianfu took his hand, "Your Highness, let's return."
"I'm tired."
"You haven't even started overseeing state affairs yet, and you're already complaining?"
"It's hard enough for me to be in charge of the country. Why can't Ah Jin understand me? He insists I keep an eye on his wife. Her legs are her own, how can I restrain her?"
As the head of the Imperial Hospital and a long-time physician to Emperor Changwu, Ji Jin was indispensable to the Emperor.
But this meant he couldn't pursue his beloved.
Lu Nianfu paused, then offered a suggestion, "...If all else fails, just send two people to keep an eye on the siblings. If they haven't returned to the capital after paying respects to Prefect Feng and Madam Feng, have them knocked unconscious and brought back directly."
Situ Yan slowly turned his head and gave her a thumbs-up.
Duke Cao also felt the heavy burden. With the Crown Prince gone, he had to step forward to stabilize the court's morale. That night, the study of Duke Cao's manor was brightly lit. Jian Shizhao stood beside Duke Cao, his tone tinged with sarcasm as he said, "Esteemed officials, rest assured. Prince Rui makes mistakes even when writing memorials. He will be even more out of his depth with state affairs. Even if the Emperor intends to promote him, he will eventually abandon this idea once he realizes his inadequacies."
The assembled officials felt somewhat reassured.
They might not have known about Prince Rui's typographical errors in his memorials, but everyone knew he had been relegated to the Hanlin Academy for failing to compose poetry.
At this point, someone remarked, "Prince Rui did spend nearly half a year in the Hanlin Academy, with Grand Scholar Gu personally tutoring him. One should not judge a person after three days' absence; perhaps he has become a learned scholar?"
A snicker followed. "Minister Zhang, your words are misguided. What can half a year achieve for something that couldn't be learned even after ten years of diligent study?"
"In any case, we shall act according to circumstances."
Duke Cao cupped his hands, "The important affairs of the court are entrusted to all of you."
After this clandestine planning session, they eagerly awaited the moment they could find fault with Situ Yan. However, after half a month, the court was being managed in an orderly fashion, without any disorder. The official documents, approved with blue ink, showed no more typos. While the phrasing of his comments was occasionally rough, there were no errors.
Had Prince Rui truly been cramming for the past six months?
If the Emperor had harbored such intentions half a year ago, wouldn't the Crown Prince's position be in jeopardy?
What the Crown Prince's faction could foresee, other officials were naturally aware of as well. In time, those serving under him grew increasingly respectful of Situ Yan. Of course, Ouyang Wen remained as he always was towards him. After a court session, he did not rush out of the palace, but found an excuse to visit the Imperial Study.
Li Furui had been taken away by Emperor Changwu, so Situ Yan naturally did not allow Xiao Wuzi to be castrated and brought into the palace. Thus, Li Furui recommended his young apprentice, Li Wang.
Li Wang brought him a chair, served him fragrant tea, and then discreetly withdrew. Ouyang Wen, however, approached the imperial desk, watching him as he affixed blue ink to his brush to approve official documents. "Little Yan Yan, did you really spend the past six months diligently studying in the Hanlin Academy, burning the midnight oil?"
"Didn't I tell you all this long ago? You didn't believe me and insisted I was slacking off in there." He felt annoyed about this. Back then, he had toiled away every day in the Hanlin Academy, being forced to study, only to complain to his close friends, who didn't believe a single word he said.