Chapter 11

Chapter 11 – The Emperor is in a Good Mood (1)

As Hua Chun continued to immerse herself in her thoughts, the silence surrounding the room seemed to thicken with dread. Raising her head slightly, Hua Chun sneaked a glance at Yu Wenjie. ‘Should I ask what’s wrong?’ She asked herself internally. But, just as she was opening her lips, a sneer cut through the sheet of silence like a sharp sword.

“Long have I heard that the Prime Minister’s manners were very… thoughtful. Today, Zhen* sees that for himself.”

Before the last note of the sentence fell, Hua Chun already felt a cold wave wash down her back as the shock set in.

‘Of course. How could I forget?’ These were the ancient times, where the emperor reigned supreme – the most powerful man above more than then ten thousand people. And she – she was the only person seated carelessly inside the emperor’s own court, a woman, dressed as the Prime Minister, a position just below the emperor. In this hall, her seated figure looked like a crane standing amongst a flock of chickens. A very rebellious crane, if the cold stare of the Emperor was an indication.

‘Mighty Emperor, stop! Don’t stare at me like that; I’ll turn into a ghost!’

With trembling legs, Hua Chun hurriedly pushed herself off her chair and into a kneeling position, with her head down and one hand covering her waist. “Long live the Emperor!” she yelled out, causing Yu Wenjie to reel back his venomous gaze, a small frown replacing his earlier menacing features.

‘Is something wrong with the Prime Minister?’ Yu Wenjie thought as he continued to gaze at Hua Chun. ’Ever since his last beating, I’ve felt like something was wrong. Has he been struck silly?’*

Thinking back to the incident, Yu Wenjie’s frown turned deeper as his eyes darkened. ’That time… The Prime Minister actually cried. Now he’s talking in a shaky voice. Strange… What happened to the Prime Minister that was not afraid of being beaten and scolded?’

Looking at the small kneeling form below his throne, a corner of Yu Wenjie’s lips could not help but curl into a sneer before turning blank. ’To think that I thought he would never change, no matter what he faced.’

Meanwhile, Hua Chun kept her head down, her heart growing colder as the silence continued to stretch. Thus, she could not help but sigh in relief upon hearing the Emperor’s next words:

“You may rise, my beloved officials.”

With that, all the officials in court yelled out before moving to stand: “Thank you, your Majesty!”

‘Surprisingly, the Emperor did not find fault in my actions.’ Hua Chun thought to herself as she slowly moved to a stand, earning herself a worried glance from Grand Preceptor Tang. It was not surprising. Though it was not as bad as before, her injuries had still not faded.

Thus, her distorted form was quickly distinguished from the row of old, able-bodied men who stood with their backs straight. As she sat back down, the emperor looked at her again with a strange gleam in his eyes before turning his eyes to the official who stepped out of the line, waiting to hear his report.

One by one, the officials who were head of the six divisions* came forth to deliver their reports, causing the sound of indistinct chatter to fill the voluminous court like a wave, going back and forth. Just like this, half an hour passed.

As the meeting drew closer to ending, Grand Secretary Li could not help but shoot numerous glances at Hua Chun. ’Aiya! All of our notes are in the Prime Minister’s hands. If he doesn’t dare say anything now, then, even if he says it tomorrow, it would be too late!’ Grand Preceptor Li thought, worried at the prospect.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister, who attracted all the officials’ worried gazes under her, remained stoic like a statue, with her head bowed down. Contrary to their beliefs, Hua Chun was not scared. After all, in her past, she held important meetings with her boss and had overseen all the major events from behind the scenes. In all honesty, she was capable of forwarding these notes. But, what concerned her was the person she needed to deliver the info to. There was a big possibility that if she raised the issue now while in court, the emperor would hate her even more.

So, Hua Chun sat quietly until the morning ended.

T/N: *Zhen – Imperial Chinese version of the royal ‘We’