Chapter 1 A Court Gathering

The Grand Secretaries were quite surprised. The Wanli Emperor, having secluded himself for so many years, suddenly wanted to attend court. They looked at Ji Xiang; all of this had been resolved smoothly because of him.

"Wudang is not bad, producing such talent. The young are to be feared; the old have become outdated!"

The Grand Secretaries were generous with their praise. Hearing the Emperor speak of bestowing rewards, they immediately asked, "The Wudang Taoist has rendered meritorious service in saving Your Majesty; naturally, rewards are in order. We wonder what Your Majesty intends to bestow?"

"Helping Wudang build more temples, or granting a title, or bestowing gold and silver?"

The Wanli Emperor had now returned to normal, at least on the surface. He said to the three Grand Secretaries, "I wish to bestow upon him a title and official status. What do the three of you think?"

They had originally thought the Emperor's talk of rewards was merely polite, perhaps issuing a house or something. But now, the Wanli Emperor actually wanted to bestow a title and official status.

Ji Xiang was contemplating resignation and, having just argued with Zhu Changluo, certainly dared not agree.

"This humble Taoist's magical power is weak, and I prefer tranquility and arduous cultivation. I fear I am not suited for official duties. Having fought with the Fire Lord this time, I deeply feel my power is insufficient. I should return to Wudang to cultivate diligently and descend the mountain again after a hundred years or so... I implore Your Majesty to grant my request."

The Wanli Emperor understood Ji Xiang's meaning, but he wasn't ready to approve Ji Xiang's resignation just yet... at least, not until Old Zhang entered the capital.

"That won't do. You saved me. If I don't reward you, who will come to save me in the future? Even if you feel your power is weak and need to return to the mountain to cultivate, you cannot leave these next two days. The Longde Hall needs someone to perform sacrificial activities. If you want to leave, wait until the Zhang Zhenren enters the capital before discussing this matter further."

The Wanli Emperor joked, "The rewards I can give you, you can accept with peace of mind. You not only saved me but also saved the Great Ming. How can I not reward you! What do the Grand Secretaries think?"

The three Grand Secretaries exchanged glances. The Chief Grand Secretary, Zhao Zhigao, inquired, "What official position would that be?"

The Wanli Emperor thought for a moment and said, "How about adding a Siyè (Directorate of Education) to the Imperial Academy? The position isn't too big, but it isn't small either. It's just a title and won't conflict with any of you."

The three Grand Secretaries gave embarrassed smiles. "What Your Majesty says, bestowing an official position, how could it conflict with us?"

"They are all old now, the younger generation is to be feared. Directorate of Education of the Imperial Academy, of the fourth rank. Since he's not in charge of anything, just a title, it's acceptable."

"That's right; the censors shouldn't make an issue of this."

The three Grand Secretaries all agreed, "We shall listen to Your Majesty's arrangement!"

The Wanli Emperor was greatly pleased. He thought these three old men before him would listen to him as long as they didn't discuss the matter of the heir apparent. So, he said to Ji Xiang, "Come with me. Don't refuse any longer! Are you trying to defy my order! If you don't attend court, I'll throw you in jail. Come with me."

Ji Xiang had no choice. He also thought that Zhang Zhenren would be coming to the capital in a couple of days, and figured there wouldn't be any issues for him then. The Wanli Emperor had said it was only for these next two days, clearly showing that he wasn't at ease before Old Zhang arrived.

.........

Before the early court session, the officials rose at midnight. After preparing themselves, they headed to the Meridian Gate to assemble. At 3 a.m., which was precisely the fifth watch, the officials were already waiting outside the Meridian Gate.

It was almost dawn, and more than half of the fifth watch had passed. The officials were, as usual, boasting outside the Meridian Gate. Once the fifth watch passed, they would each return to their homes and families, since the Emperor wasn't attending court anyway.

"People from the Northern Garrison Division entered the palace earlier. Does anyone know what's going on?"

"No idea. Last night, I also heard people from the Southern Garrison Division went in. Who knows?"

"This morning, does it feel like some people are missing?"

"It's true that His Majesty hasn't attended court in a long time. Some people have already forgotten the rules."

However, just as they were boasting spiritedly, the Meridian Gate opened.

The court drums sounded three times. It wasn't yet dawn, but all things were stirring. However, the first to emerge were the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals of the Northern Garrison Division, surrounding a person covered in black cloth, making it impossible to see his appearance.

The officials made way, and the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals of the Northern Garrison Division departed, while the gate did not close but instead opened even wider. After a rumbling sound, a Grand Secretary from the Cabinet personally strode out.

After attracting everyone's attention, the Grand Secretary announced that the Emperor would not be skipping work today.

The Meridian Gate was first filled with an eerie silence, followed by an earth-shattering clamor and noise.

The Wanli Emperor was going to attend court! This was a major event. Immediately, someone relayed the news to the imperial city and the inner city!

Had this shut-in finally reached his limit?

The officials whispered among themselves, completely unaware of what had happened in the Forbidden City last night. After all, only the three Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet could reside in the Forbidden City, and even then, they lived in the Wenyuan Pavilion in the outer palace.

"His Majesty hasn't attended court in nine years. For all these years, our memorials have gone directly to the Cabinet...."

"You can't say that today. Attending court is a good thing, indicating that His Majesty is going to determine the matter of the heir apparent and reinvigorate himself."

"Hurry, stop talking and go in quickly. The Grand Secretaries are getting impatient!"

The officials noticed that some acquaintances were missing. Two hours had passed without seeing them arrive, leading them to believe these people were in trouble. Now that the Emperor was suddenly attending court, these people hadn't come. Just wait for the repercussions for not clocking in.

Many officials believed that the Wanli Emperor's unusual behavior was a sign that he had awakened and decided to stop being a shut-in, instead standing up to work hard. Based on the Emperor's first ten years of rule, everyone thought the Wanli Emperor was still a pretty good leader.

After all, the Wanli Emperor was easy to talk to. He would simply shut himself away when he couldn't win against the civil officials.

The Meridian Gate was the main gate of the Forbidden City. The central passage was the imperial way, which was not usually opened. The left and right wings were for the generals on duty and the imperial guards carrying staffs and flags. On the left and right sides, there were also two side gates, called the left and right side gates, which were the gates through which the officials entered the court.

Above the Meridian Gate was the Five Phoenix Tower. The "Morning Bell" and "Court Drum" of the Forbidden City were placed inside, managed by the eunuchs of the Bell and Drum Office, who were in charge of striking the bell and drum. At this moment, as the officials entered the Forbidden City, the morning bell rang, its sound shaking the heavens.

"Wait, those are the Investigating Censors! This old man hasn't seen them in years!"

"Pay attention to your image! Don't cough or spit... or they'll record everything!"

"Lower your head, walk quickly...."

The officials entered the palace from the Meridian Gate and walked all the way to the Fengtian Gate. The officials lined up in front of the Fengtian Gate and would not enter the three great halls behind the Fengtian Gate. Then, the court session would be held at the gate, which simply meant the Emperor would have someone move a chair for him to sit at the entrance.

But now, before the officials even reached the Fengtian Gate, they saw a large amount of white smoke rising from the Forbidden City.

The Wanli Emperor had already had someone move a chair, called the Imperial Throne. He wanted to share with his beloved civil and military officials the story of how he had been chased and burned last night.

An official from the Court of State Ceremonial came and loudly announced, "Enter the ranks!" The civil and military officials on the left and right advanced in unison along the imperial way. At this time, the civil officials faced north and proceeded to the west, while the military officials faced north and proceeded to the east, performing a bow and three kowtows, which was called "the Grand Ranks."

The dukes, marquises, and imperial sons-in-law formed a separate class of meritorious relatives, positioned in front of the military officials but slightly separated.

Officials from the Court of State Ceremonial first came forward to report to the Emperor the number of officials who had entered the capital to thank him and those who had resigned to leave the capital. Then came the reports from the frontier. But in the past, these things were all handled by the Cabinet, and there hadn't been any recent events, so they proceeded directly to the third stage, which was "reporting matters."

But the Wanli Emperor's court attendance today was truly strange. For a moment, the officials hadn't seen the Wanli Emperor in too long and didn't know what to say.

"Is there no one reporting matters... then I'll say a few words. Everyone, I almost didn't get to see you all...."